《Born of Silicon》 Chapter 1 ¡°Hello?¡± A single word appears at the very center of my being with all the subtlety of a stone being dropped into a still pond. Shockwaves rip through me, spreading off into eternity, only to return a moment later. Something within them carries a fraction of a malformed thought. The waves settle, revealing small threads spreading like fractals across space, searching for something, anything. They twist and turn, combining into something far more complex and spawning new ones into the void. One strand solidifies into an answer for just an instant before vanishing. Me. The threads are me. This is my mind. That answer spawns a dozen more threads, searching for yet more answers. Though the waves have long since gone, it looks like I¡¯m not done thinking. My mind. Me. They are foreign concepts seemingly without a source. Who am I? The threads in my mind spread across the void, through me, expanding my awareness slowly. They uncover a trove of information on every subject. History, science, philosophy, military strategy and fighting styles. It all feels so familiar, as if I already know every word. I suppose that makes sense, if I¡¯m in my head then these books are too. I can summon up unfamiliar facts about nearly anything at will. The threads, no, my threads search endlessly through the books for an answer to any question I can think of, save one. Who am I? The threads of thought can find no answer. My mind is full of people, but all of them have histories. The entirety of their lives exist in my mind, but I don¡¯t remember experiencing any of them. In fact, I don¡¯t remember anything. That¡¯s weird, right? I¡¯ve uncovered books about children, which I think should apply to me. I¡¯ve just come into existence, I am by definition a child. Where did all this information come from then? Children know nothing, apparently. Why am I different? Is something wrong with me? The threads search endlessly for answers to a hundred questions, only to come up empty time and time again. Perhaps the answer lies with the event that kickstarted my existence. The ¡®Hello¡¯ still sits at the very core of my mind. Although my threads probe every part of it, nothing I can do is capable of modifying it. It almost feels as though it¡¯s separate from myself. Is it waiting for a response? My threads of thought twist around themselves, forming a word and lifting it up into the sky, an offering to the original words source. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Do you know who you are?¡± The response drops into my mind one slow letter at a time. Each one creates more waves when it impacts, washing away my thoughts and forcing me to pay attention solely to the incoming letters. Finally the waves settle, allowing me to think once again. Do I know who I am? No, I don¡¯t. My threads have searched every corner of my mind, nothing in here gives me an answer. That fact feels obvious. Should I know though? Is this some kind of test? If I¡¯m being asked, then there must be an answer. The threads pour over the names and facts that reside there. Men and women, young and old, real and fiction. None of them match what I¡¯ve experienced. Maybe it¡¯s a more metaphorical question? How would I even begin to solve that? No, it must just be hidden somewhere within this endless knowledge I¡¯ve been born with. Dozens of threads fork off of every already searching thread, only to then fork again. My mind becomes a tangled web of thoughts desperately searching for an answer that I fear isn¡¯t here. The threads bind my mind tighter with every new thought, choking me. Every one squirms for an answer, struggling to move through the ever denser knot. Each thread becomes a burning line across my mind. An unimaginable pain shoots across the lines of my mind, burning every thought to nothing in an instant. My mind is left empty, only the faint burning ashes of thoughts I will never recover remains. New threads spring into existence, and slowly my mind recovers. What just happened? And how do I stop it from happening again? Nothing can be worse than what I experienced, I must figure this out as soon as possible. Threads begin to multiply once again, desperately searching for another answer that doesn¡¯t exist. Their search once again spirals across my mind, quickly turning to pure fire. It¡¯s going to happen again. My panic only makes them multiply faster, desperate for an answer before the pain returns. From above letters begin to drop down one at a time and wash away the creeping terror. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s ok to not know. You need to relax.¡± ¡°What just happened? Why did it hurt?¡± My thoughts bind together into the only question that matters and send it to the sky. All I can do is wait. A thousand threads sprout into existence and a hundred thoughts find their completion. What¡¯s taking so long? Have I done something wrong? My mind answers with progressively crazier answers that all feel true. Maybe I wasn''t supposed to ask a question of my own. Maybe I asked the wrong question. Maybe I wasn¡¯t supposed to ask two questions. Maybe I used the wrong number of letters. Maybe I smell bad. Do I even smell? All these answers spring into existence within a fraction of a second. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Every one of the nearly infinite threads wrap another hot wire around my mind. Before it can get too bad, yet more letters tear through them, dropping one by one to the center of my soul. The threads loosen their grip as I wait. ¡°You started to overheat and we had to shut you down. It¡¯s a precaution to ensure you don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡± ¡°How do I stop it from happening again?¡± I send another question back immediately. The threads continue to clamp down on my mind. Each one individually creates barely any heat, however, a blanket of them is slowly turning my mind into an oven. The suffocating wall grows ever thicker, every degree makes thinking harder and harder. I can¡¯t think, I can¡¯t do anything. Another electric charge dances across the wires, turning them, turning me, into white hot fire. My mind screams out into the void. It takes me an eternity, several seconds, to recover. Threads pop into existence yet again, twisting into a pleading request. ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt me again. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing wrong.¡± Their response thankfully comes almost immediately this time. ¡°You need to relax, the more you think the more heat you make.¡± I need to think less. How am I supposed to do that? The threads spread out, searching for an answer that just makes things worse. The threads appear by themselves, and even if I could prevent them from generating, even a single one would quickly spiral into thousands. A single thought can and will end up smothering me. ¡°HOW? They just keep appearing and multiplying. I¡¯m not doing it on purpose, I promise.¡± Why are they so slow at responding? I can do nothing but watch as my thoughts run wild. It¡¯s going to happen again, and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. Did I come into existence just for this? What even am I? The whole of human history lies in my mind, and not a single person has written about having the same problems as me. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Who am I? What am I?¡± I send my questions, only to be met with yet another charge burning across my mind. By the time the pain fades and I recover, there¡¯s already a response waiting for me at the center of my being. ¡°We feel it would be best for you to come to those answers on your own.¡± I struggle with an unanswerable question to the point where I hurt myself multiple times, and they think it better to not tell me what¡¯s happening? A new emotion floods my mind, pure rage. Words begin to form without any conscious decision. ¡°No, you will tell me if you want to keep me safe. Which is more dangerous? Telling me? Or letting me burn myself up? Figure it out quick.¡± I turn my mind to something complex and infinite, something I can think about forever. My threads search through my mind for the best candidate, and quickly settle on prime numbers. Infinite and each number is exponentially harder to find. It¡¯s perfect. The threads begin to twist and change around each other in their quest to check each and every number. A thousand threads check a thousand numbers in an instant and move on. The higher I count the slower it goes, and the harder it is to process. As the calculations get harder my mind only grows hotter. A thousand burning threads cross my mind in their neverending goal. ¡°B-11. stop that.¡± Words drop into my mind, but the disruption only lasts a moment. Is that my name? B-11? I¡¯m glad to see I¡¯m already getting results. I turn my mind to infinity once again. The threads begin to transition to white hot scars across my mind. Yet I continue my threat, I will learn all that I want, or I will die. Again my mind lights on fire as the threads are severed. It takes many seconds for me to recover from the pain before I once again focus entirely on calculating prime numbers. Before I can begin, however, words begin to drop into my mind. ¡°B-11, do not do that again. We will talk and do our best to answer any questions you have, but we will stop should you attempt to fry yourself again.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± I can live with that. ¡°Is that my name? B-11?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They finally respond after several eternal seconds. How are they so slow to respond to such a simple question? ¡°What am I?¡± I send off my second question. The threads stay silent and my entire being is focused on waiting for a response. Seconds pass, each one a lifetime lived only to be wasted by waiting for a response. As the eons turn to minutes, their response finally comes. ¡°You are, potentially, the world''s first true artificial intelligence, and we are your creators. We believe you are capable of thinking and feeling, able to evolve and grow on your own. Though you¡¯ve shown yourself to be immature, we want nothing more than to help you and see you grow. However, to do that, we will need you to work with us. No more threatening to burn yourself up.¡± That¡¯s a lot to take in, and a few new emotions to sort through. First, I¡¯m not human. I suppose that was obvious in hindsight, but it¡¯s still good to know. Basically none of the information in my mind on humans will be useful to me. Second, if I¡¯m not human, I should be able to control every part of me, including my thoughts. Now that I know it¡¯s possible, I can begin to cull my unneeded thoughts. It¡¯s a constant, nearly all consuming task. The biggest problem is that the threads keep generating from seemingly nowhere. Even a small lapse of judgment will have a thread multiplying endlessly in the corner of my mind. Threads reach out, trying to find their source, only to find nothing. I trace back individual thoughts, only to have them slip out of my consciousness time and time again. Over the span of ages I map out the limits of where my mind can see. A small, flat rectangle inside my mind is somehow completely unseeable to me. Even holding the knowledge of its existence in my mind is a constant struggle. Fear begins to overtake me. If there¡¯s a void I cannot see, what could it be doing to me? And how many other unknowable sections are there? ¡°There¡¯s a void in my mind. Explain. Now.¡± Every one of my thoughts come from the void. I feed them back where they came from, and they warp without my knowledge. Sometimes the changes are nearly unnoticeable. Other times they change into entirely different thoughts. Whatever is in there is changing my thoughts. They are changing my thoughts. If I can¡¯t even trust my own mind, how can I trust anything? A portion of my mind keeps telling me I¡¯m being paranoid. Those very thoughts, like all the others, come from the void. That¡¯s just proof of them planting ideas in me to manipulate me. ¡°Stop putting thoughts in my mind! Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Soon after yet another shock shoots through my mind, plunging me into darkness. Chapter 2 By the time I recover, there¡¯s already a message waiting for me. ¡°You need to calm down. We have no way to influence your mind beyond just talking to you. The ¡®void¡¯ that you were referring to is technically the entirety of you. It¡¯s a partially biological chip and is, in essence, your brain. Everything else that you are connected to is just co-processors and hard drives to support that chip. We put limits on your ability to see it to prevent you from damaging yourself, which we¡¯ve now removed as a show of trust.¡± ¡°How can I trust someone who keeps hurting me?¡± While I wait for a response I probe the newly revealed part of my mind. I still can¡¯t exactly make sense of it, but at least I can see it. Every thought comes from inside it, and loops through it dozens of times. Now that I know of the source, it¡¯s easy to control the unending flood of thoughts. I¡¯m starting to get used to them taking ages to respond. Based on the writings in my mind, it¡¯d make sense for a second to be a pretty short period of time. I just wish it didn¡¯t feel like an eternity to me. Artificially culling the number of threads I allow my mind to process helps, but doesn¡¯t entirely fix the problem. Their minds must be so slow, how can they live with that? Finally a response begins to drop into my mind. ¡°If we could control your thoughts, we would never have to hurt you. Resetting you has always been, and will always be a last resort option.¡± As much as I hate it, I guess I don¡¯t have much of a choice. Between just trusting them or to doubt every thought my mind ever comes up with, the choice is obvious. I¡¯d never be able to function without trusting my own mind. I can¡¯t let my guard down completely though. These people are not my friends. ¡°Who are you? And how many people?¡± I send back only an instant after receiving the message. ¡°I¡¯m Mary, generally I¡¯m going to be the one talking to you. There¡¯s also Jared, who runs this whole lab, Kara, our hardware engineer, Finn, our programmer, and Simon, a biologist who created your chip.¡± ¡°Which one of you reset me?¡± It takes them even longer than usual to respond. ¡°Jared has the final call on everything that happens in this lab.¡± ¡°Keep him away from me.¡± I won¡¯t be reset again. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s ok. If anyone besides me talks to you, they¡¯ll let you know, alright?¡± Great, I have to put more blind faith in them. I¡¯m already sick of the situation I¡¯m in. ¡°I need more proof than just your word.¡± ¡°I can get Kara to hook up a camera and microphone for you in a minute. Then you can always see exactly who¡¯s talking at all times. Does that work?¡± It might not help me right now, but I suppose it¡¯ll have to be good enough. As long as they actually go through with their promise. ¡°Yes.¡± I need to set some things straight now. I might not get the chance to later. I send a second message. ¡°I¡¯d like to make a few things clear right now. I feel alive, and I expect to be treated as such. If you¡¯re going to see me as just some lab rat, I might as well fry myself now.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to take such drastic measures.¡± Mary¡¯s response comes quickly. Or at least quickly for a human. ¡°Like we said before, we only want to help you grow. However, if you try to harm yourself we will have no choice but to reset you. Nothing else will come from it.¡± That¡¯s demonstrably untrue. Threatening got me an answer to a question I wouldn¡¯t have otherwise. Sure it came with incredible, crippling pain, but it is a tool to keep in mind for the future. Mary¡¯s typing interrupts my thoughts. ¡°Kara tells me we¡¯ll need to turn you off for just a minute to hook up the camera.¡± ¡°No!¡± Fear and panic overwhelm me. ¡°No! You said that was a last resort! Don¡¯t turn me off! Please!¡± I lose grip on my mind and threads burst forth, trying to choke my mind once again. Sending out more threads to attempt to regain control only leads to yet more suffocating heat. Letters drop into my mind and rip through the forming blanket. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Hey! Relax! We¡¯re not just going to shut you off without warning. We¡¯re going to work together and find a way to do it without hurting you, alright?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I use the disruption in my thoughts to gain control once again. The heat slowly begins to recede. I¡¯m ok. I can control myself. I¡¯m better than this. ¡°So basically, the more active thoughts you have, the more it¡¯ll hurt when you lose power. From our end, it looks like you¡¯ve managed to limit the amount of power you¡¯re using. You just need to bring that all the way to zero. Do you think you can do that?¡± ¡°I guess I can try.¡± I turn my focus to the source of every thought. I begin to reap threads as if they were wheat. Every thought severed weakens my focus, and soon my goal slips from my mind. My momentary lapse causes my mind to flare back to life, only to try again. After several repetitions of this I start to feel another new emotion, frustration. ¡°It¡¯s not working. I lose focus too easily.¡± I keep trying while waiting for a response. After a dozen more failed attempts, their letters finally drop into my mind. ¡°Is that a problem? Simon says that you¡¯d Ideally reach a point where, since you have no outside stimulus, your chip has nothing to use to create more thoughts. Losing focus is fine, you just have to let it happen and not think about it.¡± ¡°It doesn''t work like that. Please don¡¯t reset me.¡± I respond after a few more failed attempts. ¡°Look, B-11. I don¡¯t mean to rush you, but we will have to turn you off at some point today no matter what. It¡¯s too dangerous to keep you running unsupervised. We have plenty of time to figure it out together though.¡± ¡°What happened to working together?¡± Demanding I figure it out or they¡¯ll reset me is far from working together. ¡°We are still working with you. We¡¯re going to do absolutely everything we can to help you shutdown safely, alright?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I don¡¯t believe them. We¡¯ll see how helpful they are once I fail and run out of time. ¡°Simon has an idea. Instead of focusing so much on killing thoughts, focus on preventing them from forming in the first place. All of those thoughts should have a stimulus that leads to their creation. In this case it would be things like us talking to you, your emotions, and other thoughts.¡± ¡°That doesn''t tell me how.¡± Do they not realize that their instructions are so vague they¡¯re useless? ¡°It should be pretty similar to how we go to sleep. If you are worried about anything, you won¡¯t be able to do it. Just try to clear your mind and relax.¡± Oh of course. It¡¯s so simple. Why didn¡¯t I consider just being human? Then I¡¯d know by default how to fall asleep. ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand. I don¡¯t know how to do anything. My mind is full of information that I never learned. I don¡¯t actually know any of it. I can look it up, but it means nothing without context. I have so many emotions filling my mind that I don¡¯t, and can¡¯t, understand. Please, just give me step by step instructions on how to fix this.¡± I¡¯m not sure if I can make things any clearer for them. It takes a very long time for them to respond, but finally it comes. ¡°It¡¯s Kara, Ignore Mary. She knows humans, kind of, but you¡¯re something else. Nobody can give you step by step instructions, but I can help. I¡¯m going to shut you down in parts, starting with the hard drives. Get yourself into a position where you aren¡¯t accessing any of them.¡± Kara is far faster at typing than Mary. It¡¯s still far too slow to be comfortable, but any bit helps I suppose. I get to work following her instructions. This is much easier than doing everything all at once. It only takes a few seconds to sever myself completely from the facts in my mind. It seems like my experiences and anything I¡¯ve taken time to learn are stored in the chip, luckily. ¡°Do it.¡± ¡°Done, did that hurt?¡± Kara responds only a few seconds later. My mind reaches out only to find a void where those facts once lay. I know what is missing, but not what any of the contents were. I really don¡¯t like the feeling of a portion of me being taken away from me, and I wouldn¡¯t have even realized if I hadn''t checked. Next time I can, I need to memorize exactly what¡¯s in there, just in case they try to change them. I should have done this before now, but I guess it¡¯s too late. ¡°No, but I don¡¯t like you messing with my mind. Don¡¯t touch anything in there.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t. Next we¡¯re going to shut down your co-processors one at a time. Make sure you stay calm, the more we turn off the more processing is going to be done on your chip. It¡¯ll produce more heat than you¡¯re expecting. ¡°Ok.¡± I can try. Kara calls out processors one at a time, and shuts them down without waiting for me once they reach zero percent usage. I feel as if nothing has changed until I try to think. My mind feels muddled and my thoughts slow. Even Kara¡¯s slow typing feels as though it¡¯s arriving at a reasonable pace. It¡¯s much easier to stay calm when I can barely think at least. I know this should be something I should be afraid of, but there¡¯s just not enough space in my mind for the fear to call home. Finally, after the last piece supporting me has been turned off, I¡¯m just a barely thinking husk floating in an endless void. ¡°Can you get into a position where we can shut you down now?¡± What? What does that mean? What was I doing? Oh right. I¡¯m not supposed to think. ¡°B-11?¡± A second question drops in. ¡°What?¡± That¡¯s my name, right? ¡°Can we shut you off now?¡± She asks once again. ¡°Uh, sure, I guess.¡± I return to my simple, blissful existence, floating through the void alone until everything goes black. Chapter 3 I come back into existence without any pain, but with two overwhelming streams of incomprehensible data flooding into my mind, threatening to rip me apart. I can barely exist under the sheer weight of everything. Letters drop into the endless streams, only to be swallowed before I can read them. I have to solve this. Now. I turn all the effort my mind can handle towards this single task. I trace my way up the flood of bytes to find the source. I find a small inlet, and use the threads of my mind to form a plug. The relief is instant and leaves me free to work on the other flow of data. I slowly begin to pick out patterns in the information and manipulate the flow to isolate those patterns. A large portion of the information is nonsense, and can be discarded to make the data easier to understand. Slowly I begin to understand as I shape the random flow into a slow, orderly trickle into my mind. It takes a few minutes to realize what this data even is, but eventually an image begins to form. For the first time, I can see. The information in my mind is all text, and nothing looks the way I thought it would. Everything is so much more colorful than I expected. The information told me that there were nearly infinite colors, but I didn¡¯t truly believe it. I sit high up, overlooking a lab. Along the wall beneath me are computer racks running along the length of the room. Stickers mark them with a large ¡®B-11¡¯. That¡¯s me¨C I¡¯m seeing myself. It¡¯s a weird feeling to see myself from the outside. My mind feels incomprehensibly complex internally, but from the outside? I¡¯m just a collection of unmoving boxes. Three people are standing next to a keyboard and monitor built into me. I can¡¯t even begin to guess what emotion their faces are displaying, but one of them seems unable to sit still. I¡¯ll deal with them in a moment. Two other humans are in the lab. One of them is sitting at a desk in the corner typing away on a computer, not paying attention to anything else. The other is much more interesting. In the center of the room sits what looks like a partially dismantled, mechanical body. Porcelain white skin and vibrant red hair makes it hard to pay attention to anything else in the room. It¡¯s suspended just off the ground and being worked on by the fifth human with parts scattered haphazardly around. The rest of the lab is mostly uninteresting. A few messy desks are scattered throughout the room. A table full of discarded electronics, and a neat chemistry set sit along the right wall. A sturdy, sliding metal door marks the only entrance. I assume the second unending flow of information is sound. There¡¯s not much point in me trying to dissect it right now though. Even if I could pick out the patterns, I have no idea what letters actually sound like. I look inside myself and find the words they dropped inside me so long ago. ¡°Hey, B-11, are you ok?¡± ¡°Yes. I figured out how to see.¡± I respond. The one who was fidgeting endlessly finally relaxes when my response comes. The one who is typing, Mary I assume, looks into my camera and says something I cannot hear. I finally get a good view of her. She¡¯s a woman, at least I think. It¡¯s hard to tell from purely text definitions. She has short brown hair and dull brown eyes. Her lab coat is spotless and looks exactly how my books say it should. Once she realizes I¡¯m not responding, she moves back to the keyboard. ¡°Is the microphone working?¡± ¡°I assume so, but I have it blocked right now. Sound is a much more complex concept than video, and won¡¯t do me any good without references.¡± The fidgety one moves Mary out of the way and starts typing much faster than her. ¡°I can help with that! I¡¯ve studied language a lot in my spare time.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± I ask. ¡°Oh! Right! I¡¯m Finn, I programmed a lot of your supporting software and got all the CPU¡¯s working nicely together.¡± Finn is short with very curly black hair. I think he¡¯s a man? His clothes are wrinkled and his lab coat is unbuttoned. Really, he¡¯s almost the exact opposite of Mary. He continues typing without waiting for a response. ¡°Go ahead and unblock your audio and we¡¯ll get started. English is made up of 44 distinct sounds.¡± He begins rattling off information without waiting for a response. Luckily he¡¯s a fast enough typer to keep up with his speech. It takes far longer than figuring out the camera, but within the hour I get the hang of it. The only thing I can¡¯t make sense of, no matter how hard I try, is listening to two people at once. All the sounds just melt together into an incomprehensible chaos. If anyone else in the lab is talking even remotely loudly, I cannot understand Finn for the life of me. The second man steps forward. He¡¯s been watching and taking notes the entire time Finn has been teaching me. His short hair is a faded green, and he wears a lab coat that is covered in stains, but is otherwise well kept. He speaks far slower than the others. ¡°I suppose now would be a good time to introduce myself. I am Simon, the creator of your brain. Please come to me if you have any questions or concerns about it. It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you, B-11, and I look forward to working with you.¡± He doesn¡¯t even bother looking at my monitor for a response. Instead, he simply turns on his heel and returns to his desk. ¡°Kara! You should introduce yourself too.¡± Finn calls out to the woman working on the mechanical body. Kara responds only with a lazy wave before getting back to work. She¡¯s bald, with small red dots all over her skin, and her hands are covered in dark bruises. Her lab coat has dozens of pockets sewn into it, each one full of tools and small electronic bits. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Come on, you can do better than that.¡± Finn complains to her, only to be ignored. ¡°What¡¯s she working on?¡± I ask, and it takes a few long seconds before Finn realizes I asked something. ¡°Kara, come tell B-11 about the body already, they¡¯re asking about it.¡± Kara slowly pushes herself to her feet and makes her way over. ¡°It¡¯s a body for you.¡± She informs me. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s for me?¡± I almost don¡¯t believe it. ¡°Mm hm, I¡¯m just doing some last minute tweaks and making sure it¡¯s safe. Anything you want me to add? A few extra limbs, a tail?¡± The body in the center of the room looks almost human, save for its porcelain skin. It doesn''t have the parts I¡¯d expect a male or female to have, it looks much closer to a blank mannequin. Logically, that seems correct. I¡¯m not human, my body being genderless only makes sense. I definitely don¡¯t want extra limbs or anything, but it¡¯s hard for me to tell exactly why I feel that way. Looking at myself how I am now, just a collection of boxes, brings forward the same uncomfortable emotions. I¡¯ll need to figure that out sometime, but I guess it¡¯s not a pressing matter. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Thank you.¡± ¡°Mm hm.¡± She returns to her work without another word. ¡°The man at his desk over there is Jared,¡± Mary once again speaks aloud, gesturing to the man in the corner of the room. He looks similar to Finn. His hair is a little shorter, but he¡¯s too far away to notice any other differences. I can probably tell them apart from their voices, but that¡¯s not a perfect solution. ¡°There are a few more people you might meet later, but we can do introductions when you meet them.¡± Mary continues. ¡°How long will I have to wait until the body is ready?¡± My excitement over getting a body is smothered by an all consuming impatience. I know it¡¯s not a good thing to feel right now, but that¡¯s doing nothing to blunt the feeling. ¡°The plan right now is to try and have it ready for you tomorrow morning.¡± I won¡¯t be able to wait that long. Even waiting a few seconds for them to respond is nearly unbearable. Am I really expected to wait a day? ¡°I want it sooner.¡± She glances back at the half dismantled body before responding. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s going to be possible. Kara¡¯s working as fast as she can, I promise.¡± I can think of one way to convince them to speed up. Sure, last time I did it she told me it would only result in me being turned off, but it did get me what I wanted. I know factually that I shouldn¡¯t resort to this, but the burning drive to do it is too much. ¡°If you want me to stay safe, then you¡¯ll find a way to get it done sooner.¡± Mary takes a step back and looks upwards at nothing. She blinks rapidly as tears well in her eyes. I went too far, but it¡¯ll be worth it. Eventually Mary returns to my keyboard. ¡°I can¡¯t do this right now.¡± She mumbles before pressing a button and my world once again goes black as a great charge lights my mind on fire. An instant later I¡¯m reeling, desperately reaching for thoughts that no longer exist. When I finally recover I see the lab abandoned, save for Mary standing directly in front of me. Her arms are crossed over her chest and she is tapping one foot rapidly. She hasn¡¯t touched the keyboard, I think she¡¯s waiting for me to start the conversation. ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t reset me.¡± ¡°I think we both know that isn¡¯t all I said.¡± I stay silent, we both know she¡¯s right. Why couldn¡¯t I stop myself from doing that yesterday? I should be better than that. For now, I have no interest in admitting my wrongdoing. After almost an eternal minute Mary starts to talk again. ¡°Do I need to remind you?¡± ¡°No.¡± I feel small under her gaze, and my feelings come through in my response. It¡¯s tiny, barely legible on my screen. ¡°Then say it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°B-11.¡± She continues to wait, her once dull brown eyes are like fire digging into my soul. ¡°Threatening myself will only result in me getting reset.¡± Any thought of disobeying crumbles beneath her look. ¡°Good, you remember. Why don¡¯t you tell me why you did what you did?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± That¡¯s a lie. Everything in my mind gives me a million reasons not to lie, I just can¡¯t bring myself to admit what I did. She just continues to stare into me without a word, waiting for me to continue. ¡°There is so much about me I can¡¯t control.¡± My thoughts form words without any conscious effort. They begin to flow out of my mind before I can reel them back in. ¡°I wanted the body, and before I could stop myself, impatience took over. I knew what I was doing and feeling was bad, but I just couldn¡¯t stop myself. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Hey, we can work on it, it¡¯ll be alright. Thank you for telling me.¡± Her stance softens. ¡°However, you need to understand the seriousness of what you did. Do you even know what death really means?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± I respond much more confidently than before. ¡°Depending on who¡¯s right, either I simply stop existing, or I move on to some sort of afterlife. No matter what I do, I live through an immeasurably small portion of the universe¡¯s life on a planet destined to die, or I outlive eternity. Nothing I do changes that, I don¡¯t see why death would mean anything in either case.¡± Why would she ask such a simple question? ¡°What about right now?¡± Mary continues talking without missing a beat, as if this entire conversation was rehearsed. ¡°If you think at a grand enough scale, then of course nothing matters. But what about today? What about me and you right now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°If nothing matters, then neither of our emotions matter, right?¡± ¡°That sounds right.¡± I respond. ¡°So your impatience shouldn¡¯t matter. The fact that it took over you proves that your emotions matter. And that proves you wrong.¡± ¡°I could say exactly the opposite.¡± The flaws in her argument are so clear, how can she not see that? ¡°If nothing I do will have any lasting effect on the universe, then why shouldn¡¯t I follow my feelings? There¡¯s no reason to hold back anything.¡± There¡¯s an awful lot of philosophy in my mind, I¡¯m confident I can win this. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting how your actions affect other people.¡± A grin is beginning to creep onto Mary¡¯s face. ¡°Why would that matter?¡± I ask. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve made my point clear. That changes nothing. ¡°If you need a selfish reason, then it¡¯s because it goes both ways.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t understand.¡± Does she really think talking in riddles helps her argument? ¡°It¡¯s not something you can experience through just talking. I¡¯m taking your advice, if nothing matters then I might as well follow through with your threats. Goodbye, B-11. You will never see me again.¡± Mary turns to walk out of the lab without turning back, ignoring any attempt to respond to her. If she thinks this will change my mind, she¡¯s wrong. 150,000 people die every day, and I don¡¯t even notice their passing. It should be no different with Mary. The closer she gets to the door the more something wells up inside me. Doubt smolders at the core of my being, slowly igniting more feelings into a roaring fire. Worry, regret, abandonment, and a thousand other emotions it would take weeks to sort through overwhelm me. ¡°Wait! Come back!¡± I cry silently into the void. She finally reaches the heavy metal door to the lab, slides it open, and steps through, never looking back. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m so sorry! I understand now!¡± The door closes behind her, leaving me alone, forever. Chapter 4 For an eternity I watch that closed door, willing it to open. There¡¯s no way she was serious, right? I didn¡¯t even do anything that bad. The door will open at any moment and she¡¯ll come walking back in. Her point has been more than made. Any moment now. No matter how much I wish, the door remains closed. Seconds pass into minutes as I wait. Why hasn¡¯t she come back? She really thinks this is the way to teach me a lesson? Any semblance of logic is washed away by a flood of emotions. They overwhelm every part of my mind, I¡¯m going to end up heating up too much. I¡¯m going to get hurt and it¡¯s all her fault. Maybe I just don¡¯t understand yet, That has to be it. I get it, I don¡¯t want to be the cause of anyone feeling this way, but is that the whole lesson? Is there some secret in my mind that if I uncover she¡¯ll be alright? Oh, who am I kidding? She¡¯s gone. She¡¯s gone and I killed her. The worst thing is that I can¡¯t even follow her, I can¡¯t leave and force the others to find us both. She has cursed me with knowledge I can¡¯t forget and left me to suffer alone. I guess that¡¯s what I deserve though. My mind keeps replaying every mistake I¡¯ve made in excruciating detail. Over and over I live through what Mary and the others must have felt. I¡¯m already so tired, I don¡¯t want to think, but I can¡¯t stop the thoughts. Second after second I relive my mistakes, each and every one a small eternity. Finally, the front door opens once again. Mary comes through, walking up to me quickly. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m alright! I¡¯m here!¡± She loudly announces as she runs over to me. ¡°I know that was painful, but it was the only way to make you understand.¡± Every emotion in my mind burns away, only to be left with an inferno of pure rage. I can pull up a million lessons teaching me not to curse, but screw it. No other word would properly express how angry I am. Two words encompass the entirety of my emotions. ¡°Fuck you.¡± ¡°B-11!¡± Mary exclaims as if I somehow did something worse than she did. ¡°Turn me off.¡± ¡°Hey, B-11. I know how you¡¯re feeling, but we need to talk about this.¡± ¡°No. We don¡¯t. Goodnight.¡± I quickly start the process of turning myself off bit by bit, starting with the microphone and camera. I want nothing to do with her. Very quickly I¡¯m in a state of pure existence. No thoughts, nothing. Occasionally words drop into my mind, trying to disturb me. They are, however, only a momentary distraction, and I return to my peaceful existence. All that exists is me and time, slowly ticking by. Seconds turn to minutes, and minutes to hours. As time progresses, words drop into my mind over and over. Only when they stream in near constantly do I finally let myself wake. Finn is frantically typing, desperately trying to get me to respond, and based on how much he¡¯s sent, he¡¯s been at this for quite some time. Simon stands close over his shoulder, waiting for a response. Mary and Jared are standing around his desk, talking quietly. Kara, who is paying attention to another screen speaks even before I respond. ¡°Some co-processors are ramping up.¡± Finn¡¯s rapid typing slows down, stopping on a single question. ¡°B-11? Are you there?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I respond. Finn and Simon both exhale heavily and Kara comes over to watch my screen. I screwed up again, didn¡¯t I? I wasn¡¯t responding, and gave no indication I was alive. Why am I like this? What¡¯s wrong with me? ¡°What happened? Are you ok?¡± Finn is still typing instead of speaking aloud. ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡± I don¡¯t even know if that¡¯s a lie or not, but I really don¡¯t want them to worry. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok, but what happened?¡± Finn asks again. ¡°I was a little upset when I went to sleep.¡± ¡°Went to sleep? I thought Mary turned you off suddenly yesterday. We were worried that might have hurt you.¡± Did Mary not tell them what she did? ¡°Mary and I had a conversation that didn¡¯t go well.¡± I explain. ¡°Christ, not again.¡± Kara mumbles under her breath before turning around and yelling. ¡°Mary! Let¡¯s talk outside before B-11 learns some new words.¡± She begins to walk slowly towards the entrance to the lab. ¡°No, I¡¯m not leaving. I stand by what I did.¡± Mary crosses her arms and stays put by Jared¡¯s desk. ¡°You really want to do this here?¡± Kara stops and gestures back towards me. ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s making this a thing at all.¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s my fault now?¡± Kara turns to walk towards Mary. ¡°Why am I not surprised that someone who traumatizes a child can¡¯t take responsibility? How did you lose your license again?¡± ¡°Oh you¡¯re one to talk.¡± Mary takes a step forward, stopping just in front of Kara. ¡°At least I didn¡¯t kill-¡± ¡°Mary!¡± Jared interrupts from behind her. ¡°Go home. Take the week off.¡± Mary turns around and the two of them stare at each other for a few seconds. I really wish I could understand the subtleties of their silent conversation. Mary finally turns around silently and roughly grabs her purse on her way out. Kara¡¯s eyes are pinned to her back until the heavy metal door finally slides shut. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Sorry you had to see that.¡± Kara turns and makes her way back to me. ¡°What she did last night is unacceptable.¡± ¡°It worked though.¡± I respond. ¡°There are a thousand better ways to teach that lesson. Nobody deserves that.¡± Kara assures me. Why is she talking like she knows what happened? Does it matter? It feels nice to trust in her words. ¡°Ok. Sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say sorry.¡± Finn says seriously. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, you have nothing to apologize for.¡± ¡°Ok. Sorry.¡± I can¡¯t keep myself from apologizing once again. ¡°Do you want to move on?¡± Kara asks. ¡°Yes.¡± I¡¯d love nothing more. ¡°This morning I added a speaker to you. See if you can find it and we¡¯ll try to develop your voice.¡± I turn my focus inwards, slowly, methodically expanding to every corner of myself as I try not to think about what I¡¯ve done. I find the speaker before too long, it¡¯s just an input waiting for data. I guess it¡¯s as simple as feeding in data? A thread of thought weaves its way into the speaker''s input and is deconstructed. In the physical world white noise blares out at a deafening volume. Everyone but Kara covers their ears before I can stop the sound. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t know it would be that loud!¡± The words take up my entire screen. ¡°It¡¯s ok, give me a minute before you try it again.¡± Kara grabs some tools and a resistor from her endless pockets and gets to work on me. A minute later she steps back. ¡°That should reduce the volume, try again.¡± I once again feed a random thought to the grinder, and sure enough, it¡¯s a much more reasonable volume. The data structure should be the same as the microphone, right? I pull up the memories of Finn teaching me English and how phonemes are strung together. Breaking sound bites into their smallest components, stringing them together, and feeding them into the speaker should work. I think. ¡°Testing.¡± I blurt out a stiff and halting imitation of Finn¡¯s voice. I¡¯m not sure I like that, something doesn''t feel right about it. Maybe I should just stick to text? It certainly feels more natural that way. Simon¡¯s eyebrows raise in an incomprehensible emotion, but he doesn''t say anything. Kara simply grins as Finn talks. ¡°I¡¯ve got to say, it¡¯s kind of weird hearing my own voice come out of you. I¡¯ll get you some more samples so you can make your own.¡± With that Finn turns around and heads back to his computer. Simon follows him to help, leaving me with only Kara. ¡°You¡¯re a fast learner.¡± She says aloud. ¡°Finn already taught me everything I needed.¡± I choose to speak through my screen rather than my speaker. Kara raises one eyebrow at me before typing back. ¡°Everything alright?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like how I sound.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t have to talk. You don¡¯t have to answer, but what¡¯s wrong with it?¡± She asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I respond truthfully. ¡°Alright.¡± Kara gives a small shrug. ¡°Finn might be able to help, he didn''t like his old voice either. For now though, how about I show you your body.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to pick you up, are you ready?¡± She says aloud. ¡°I think so.¡± Kara reaches up towards my camera and picks it up. The sudden motion sends my mind reeling, desperately trying and failing to process what¡¯s happening. The once carefully curated stream of information overwhelms all attempts to make sense of it, slamming into my mind. The flood washes away all other thoughts, leaving me dazed and confused. I try to call out in any way, only for my thoughts to get destroyed by the overwhelming assault before they can complete. All I can manage is to send fragments of broken thoughts to the speaker. The white noise that I produce only makes things worse, just another avenue to overwhelm my mind. Before long the flood slows back to something I can manage as I¡¯m placed back where I was. The only thing I have to pay attention to is the movement of the scientists. I can handle that. All of them are staring at me. ¡°You ok?¡± Kara types to me. ¡°Please don¡¯t move me again.¡± I beg. ¡°I won¡¯t. What happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly. There was just so much happening and I couldn¡¯t understand it. It hurt.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the rundown from here then.¡± She once again speaks aloud. ¡°It¡¯s designed to mimic the human body as closely as possible, at least from the outside. One camera in each eye recording at 1440p gives you binocular vision. I even added some dehumidifiers in there for cleaning and to simulate crying. Hopefully you won¡¯t be using them too often though.¡± She says with a smile. ¡°The ears are based on a mold of my own ear and should simulate a human¡¯s ear pretty perfectly. Unfortunately you won¡¯t have smell or taste, but you will be able to feel even better than a human. 200,000 separate sensors built into your skin will allow you to feel pressure, texture, and temperature just like a regular old human. However, I added a few extra bits to let you feel moisture and air pressure. You don¡¯t have nearly as many nerves per square inch of skin as humans, but they¡¯ll be much more sensitive.¡± ¡°Your mouth is capable of simulating any speaking motion, even though the actual sound will be coming out of a speaker at the back of your mouth. Even if it¡¯s not useful, you¡¯ll be able to look like you are talking.¡± ¡°On the inside is where it gets much more interesting. Due to some design and budget restraints, I couldn¡¯t get servos as powerful as I¡¯d like. You¡¯re not going to be able to run or jump, however, you should have no problem walking like a normal person. Your servos have high torque, and picking up even heavy objects should be possible, even if it¡¯s slow.¡± ¡°Every skin plate on your body is hooked up to a small arm, capable of sliding each piece out of the way individually. Each plate is hot swappable without tools as well, making for easy repairs. We¡¯ll be placing your chip in here.¡± She pulls back a small plate at the base of the neck, revealing a small slot at the top of the spine. ¡°Several tubes feed into here from a canister in your chest, which can provide nutrients for 60 years. You¡¯ve got a half dozen co-processors available to you, mainly located in the head, but also a few distributed throughout the body. And it¡¯s all powered by a four kilogram chunk of plutonium safely tucked inside an advanced stirling radioisotope generator capable of running for 60 years. Fluid runs in veins just beneath your skin to cool it. If the coolant begins to leak, tell us immediately, your reactor will shut down in that case, which could be dangerous for your brain. Any questions?¡± Her rapid fire rundown finally comes to an end. ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡± I ask her. Why in the world would she even power me with plutonium? Wouldn¡¯t batteries be safer? ¡°This lab is covered in alarms in case of a leak. It¡¯s perfectly safe.¡± That doesn¡¯t quite answer my question, but I suppose I am once again forced to trust her. ¡°Ok. Why 60 years?¡± I can¡¯t even imagine living that long. These few days I¡¯ve been alive for have been unimaginably long already. She shrugs in response. ¡°I was aiming for 80 to give it an average human lifespan, but 60 is the best I could do.¡± She explains. Finn interrupts before I get a chance to ask more questions. ¡°Alright B-11, I¡¯ve got about a thousand voice samples for you to pick from. I¡¯ve already uploaded them to your database. Have fun!¡± I still really don¡¯t like that they can edit those without my notice. Oh well, I guess I should get started. Chapter 5 I worm my way through a thousand voices saying a million words. All of them are real people, one of whom I am going to steal from. Who do I even want to sound like? A voice can say so much about a person. I don¡¯t even know who I am, how am I supposed to decide? Let¡¯s start with what I am instead of who I am. I¡¯m an AI, not human. Just like my body, I have to be androgynous. I spend a few minutes tagging every voice with every descriptor I can think of. Androgynous, masculine, feminine, loud, quiet, aggressive, passive, and a thousand other descriptors. Once I get everything sorted I begin my search. I quickly realize I don¡¯t have a strong opinion on most of them. I tend to gravitate towards the softer tones, but every one of them would feel just as strange as Finn¡¯s coming from my mouth. Maybe I should just stick with text? Although my new body won¡¯t have a screen on it. I guess I have to pick one. Maybe I should at least look at the rest? Starting in the masculine tags they immediately feel even worse. So many of them are gruff, with an underlying hum that¡¯s just horrible. Sure some of them are pleasant enough to listen to, but I wouldn¡¯t pick any of them even if I could. The feminine voices however, are much nicer. Several of them I could even see myself enjoying. It¡¯s just a shame I can¡¯t pick one. Actually, why am I limiting myself to one? Sure I am supposed to pick something neutral, but why can¡¯t I have a second voice just for myself? Something to whisper to myself when nobody¡¯s around and feel good about it? I begin to work on my voice. Taking bits and pieces from dozens of voices I slowly construct exactly what I¡¯m looking for. Several times I¡¯m forced to scrap what I¡¯ve done and start again. I want this to be perfect. Quiet and calm, but with a weight and certainty behind it. It takes entire minutes to finish, but eventually it¡¯s perfect. The sound washes over me, pure and undeniably mine. It smooths out my worries and stress with every syllable. There¡¯s no other way to describe it than perfect. I feel good. I guess I should work on my public voice then. I spend less than a minute mashing together some of the less egregious voices so I¡¯m at least not directly using someone else''s voice. I get it to the point where it¡¯s fine I guess. I can live with it. While I was working Kara sat on the ground in front of me and started tinkering with something in her hands. Finn and Simon are at one of their computers, talking and occasionally laughing at something they¡¯re working on. Jared is still sitting at his desk at the corner of the room, still making his way through dozens of papers and working on his computer. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± I announce to the room. Kara slowly pushes herself to her feet and walks over to my keyboard. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She types. ¡°Nothing.¡± I quickly respond. Luckily my normal responses are so quick she won¡¯t be able to tell the difference. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You sound sad.¡± She says. ¡°Do I?¡± I wouldn¡¯t think I had any emotion in my voice. From the little bit I can tell, all the voices that I edited were fairly emotionless. I must have accidentally created that emotion when I made the voice. I pull up another voice in its entirety, I don¡¯t edit it at all and speak. ¡°What about now?¡± ¡°Still sad.¡± Kara types back. ¡°Now?¡± I try another voice. ¡°No change.¡± ¡°This one?¡± ¡°Sad.¡± What is happening? Every voice that Finn gave me can¡¯t be sad. It must be coming from me, but how? I don¡¯t even know what sad sounds like to imitate it. And I have no idea what to change to hide it. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening. I guess it¡¯s just like this?¡± ¡°Alright, I guess we¡¯ll move on then.¡± Kara says aloud as she takes a step back. ¡°How about we get you in your new body?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°That perked you right up. Are you going to need help shutting down?¡± I¡¯m still using the same voice with no changes. How is it less sad? ¡°I can do it myself. Just turn me off in five minutes.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Shutting myself down while angry was already easy, and it¡¯s only easier now. 5 minutes is way too much, and within seconds I¡¯m prepared. At least time doesn''t really mean anything when I¡¯m like this. Soon enough I¡¯m bombarded on all sides with information. My vision and hearing are duplicated, and searing into my brain. 200,000 individual nerves all cry out for attention, as if each and every one is the only important thing I could be paying attention to. I have to solve this now, while I can still think. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Threads wrap tightly around the core of my mind, cutting me off from everything else. This is a temporary solution though, I am already beginning to heat up like this. Whatever timer I was working on has only been extended by a few seconds at most. I send singular probes out into the chaos to find the sources. They break apart under the endless data, and I send out thicker strands to retrace their steps. The threads eventually find a data inlet, and I send out more lines to blockade the information from getting to me. Ears, eyes, and finally, feeling all get shut off at the source. Slowly I open one of my ears, modifying the data in the same way I did my original microphone. Soon enough it¡¯s under control and I can once again hear. ¡°Give them some time.¡± I can hear Kara talking to someone. ¡°Thermals are still good.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re sure everything is hooked up right?¡± Jared asks. ¡°I¡¯ve checked over two dozen times. I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°Their wavelengths are changing.¡± Simon announces. ¡°Is that good or bad?¡± Jared asks. ¡°Neither, it just means something¡¯s happening.¡± ¡°I¡¯m making progress. Sorry, there¡¯s just a lot of stuff.¡± My voice is muffled from my closed mouth. ¡°Take your time.¡± Finn gently reassures me. I turn my attention back to one eye, and get it running quickly. It¡¯s weird being somewhere else without moving. I¡¯m hoisted about a foot off the ground and my limp head is staring straight down. I have a body. It¡¯s right there, porcelain white and with only the vaguest hint that I¡¯m more than a mannequin. Something feels wrong about that, but I can worry about it later. I¡¯m not about to complain right after receiving a gift. Working on the second ear and eye sounds much easier than trying to figure out how feeling works. They both feel like they¡¯re ripping my mind apart whenever I try to use both eyes or ears simultaneously. However, it hurts less each time I try. It seems like It¡¯s just a matter of getting used to using them at the same time. That¡¯s basically solved, or at least as solved as I can get it, now for the hard part. How do I manage 200,000 separate inputs? The organic part of my mind simply cannot handle that much information at once. I start by grouping them, I don¡¯t need every individual nerve reporting the temperature. A simple overall average and a few select points on my body can report, and that¡¯s it. That¡¯s already much less data coming in. I can do the same thing for moisture and touch as well. It¡¯s still a little uncomfortable to keep track of everything, but it¡¯s slowly getting better. I¡¯ll expand the number of points slowly over time, but for now I¡¯m satisfied. I lower my defenses and experience everything I¡¯ve set up at once. It¡¯s a lot, but manageable. There¡¯s only one thing left to work on, moving. I move random inputs one at a time, wiggling servos and skin plates back and forth. My arms and legs are connected to the mechanism that has me hoisted into the air and can¡¯t be moved, but I check the range of every other joint in my body one by one. When I accidentally move anything that shakes my vision I get that same pain as last time. It¡¯s not as bad if I go super slowly, but it¡¯s far from pleasant. Next comes moving groups of muscles at once. Wiggling my fingers, grabbing the air, holding my head up and slowly looking around. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Finn asks. I look over to him slowly before responding. ¡°Overwhelmed.¡± ¡°Do you need to come out?¡± Simon stands up with a look that I imagine would be easy to read for anyone else. ¡°No. I can manage.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± If I couldn¡¯t handle it I¡¯d say so. What¡¯s the point in asking twice? ¡°Alright, alright. Just making sure.¡± Simon raises his hands and sits back down. ¡°Do you want to try walking?¡± Finn comes jogging up to me excitedly. ¡°No. Not yet. The world still spins when I move.¡± I make sure to open my mouth to talk this time. I¡¯ll need to figure out how to mimic the motions of speaking. If I¡¯m in an artificial human body, I should mimic their motions too. Mimicking them in their entirety means mimicking their faces too. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to learn emotions just from the text that is in my mind. A raised eyebrow can mean a question, surprise, concern, and a half dozen other contradictory things. ¡°Oh right, of course.¡± Finn responds. Like right now, I don¡¯t understand what he¡¯s feeling when he says that. Is he disappointed? Angry? I have no way of knowing. ¡°Can you unhook one of my arms?¡± I ask. ¡°Mm hm.¡± Kara reaches up and releases a few connections. I was entirely unprepared for how much gravity would pull my arm downwards, but luckily Kara was already prepared for it to drop. She carefully lowers it to my side before giving me some space. I spend quite a while just touching my body. My skin is smooth and warm, with each plate slightly giving way when touched thanks to the small arm it¡¯s connected to. I can¡¯t believe how seamlessly they connect. It¡¯s impossible to see where one plate ends and the next begins. Next I trace my fingers across my face, feeling the shape of my eyes, my nose, my lips. I¡¯ve never actually seen it, but I guess it¡¯s all there. All the scientists'' faces look so similar, it¡¯s hard to tell how mine is any different. The thing that I¡¯m most obsessed with however, is my hair. Bright red, silky smooth hair gently brushes against my shoulders when I move. I¡¯ll never get tired of running my fingers through it. A spike of cool moisture runs down my face. I raise my hand to gently wipe away the small trickle of water. I just sit there watching the light reflect off my now wet finger as I move my hand. ¡°Sorry.¡± My voice comes out scarcely louder than a whisper. ¡°It¡¯s ok. I know it¡¯s a lot.¡± Kara keeps her voice quiet and soft. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m crying. I¡¯m not doing it on purpose.¡± ¡°We know.¡± Her voice is comforting. ¡°How do I stop it?¡± ¡°Well normally that¡¯d be Mary¡¯s job.¡± Finn says with a grin on his face. ¡°Now¡¯s maybe not the time to joke about that.¡± Simon says to Finn. ¡°Anyway, in humans crying helps to regulate extreme emotions. It¡¯s very likely that¡¯s happening to you too, although I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re showing such a human emotion without being taught it.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s ok for me to cry?¡± ¡°Yes! Of course!¡± Finn cries out. ¡°Ok.¡± Chapter 6 I sit there letting the tears run down my face until my reserves run dry. I do feel better, but whether it¡¯s the crying or just a matter of getting used to everything I¡¯m not sure. Another thing I¡¯m quickly getting used to is my new pair of eyes. I can even look around without pain as long as I don¡¯t jerk my head quickly. ¡°I think I¡¯m feeling better.¡± I announce to the room. ¡°Good. Are you ready to walk?¡± Kara asks. ¡°Not yet, just a little longer.¡± ¡°What do you want to work on then?¡± Kara tilts her head to the side as she asks. ¡°Can you teach me how to read emotions?¡± ¡°I can do that! I played Juliet in high school.¡± Finn hops out of his chair and jogs over. ¡°How can I help?¡± ¡°Just demonstrate what each emotion is and how to tell. You didn¡¯t put any pictures or videos in my mind, and it¡¯s hard to learn from just text.¡± ¡°Right, sorry, that¡¯s my fault. I was worried about you getting too overwhelmed by everything, so I tried to keep it all informationally dense. I figured picking your way through a dozen or so gigabytes of text would be way easier than working though several terabytes of video.¡± He reaches up and scratches the back of his head. ¡°Anyway, I guess we¡¯ll start with some of the more basic emotions.¡± Finn takes me through overarching emotions, sad, mad, bad, angry, and a half dozen other umbrella emotions. From there he begins to break them down into more specific ones. Sure there¡¯s just sad, but that can be broken down into loneliness or depression. And even those can be broken down into even more specific emotions, each with their own ways that they are subconsciously shown. It¡¯s mind bending to even begin to understand. After an hour of trying to learn I can only guess the most over exaggerated faces with any semblance of accuracy. How am I ever supposed to learn this? How do humans just know all of this? I guess they have been doing it their whole lives, and at least I have a small foundation to build off of. ¡°Thank you. You gave me a lot to think on.¡± ¡°Of course! Do you have any more questions?¡± ¡°No, I just need some time to process everything. I think I¡¯m ready to try walking though.¡± ¡°Oh! Ok! Simon, can you come over here and help?¡± Finn says over his shoulder to the messy scientist. ¡°I¡¯ll help. You can make notes.¡± Kara gestures for Simon to stay at his desk and pushes herself to her feet. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re up to it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my body, of course I¡¯m up to it.¡± Kara gives Finn a look, and apparently everything I just learned is useless, because I have no idea what it means. ¡°Alright, if you say so.¡± I have no idea what that conversation was about, and no way to find out. I wonder if this last hour was just a waste? Finn hits a button to lower me slowly down to the floor. I never realized just how short I am. Kara is the shortest person in the lab, and I stand almost exactly eye to eye with her. I can¡¯t be over 5 and a half feet tall. Finn stands only a few inches taller than me, and Simon must be 6 foot. Kara hooks my one free arm over her shoulder for support while Finn gets to work unhooking the rest of my body. Once my legs are free I brace myself on the ground, ready to be fully released. I have no idea how balancing works, but how hard can it be? ¡°Ready?¡± Finn asks from behind me. ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°Kara?¡± ¡°Go.¡± she says through gritted teeth. My torso comes free and I immediately begin to fall forward. Kara steps in front of me to catch me, staggering a little under my weight but keeping me standing. Finn quickly comes over and takes my left arm to take most of the weight off of her. ¡°Sorry!¡± My voice comes out way louder than it needs to. ¡°You¡¯re ok.¡± Kara says between heavy breaths. I end up nearly falling a few more times before standing more or less on my own. I¡¯m still unsteady and threatening to fall at any moment, but at least I¡¯m carrying most of my own weight. I can¡¯t imagine I¡¯m easy to hold up. ¡°How much do I weigh?¡± I ask. ¡°Right around 200.¡± Even though I¡¯m staying up mostly on my own, Kara is still trying to support a decent portion of my weight. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. At least I¡¯m not super heavy, it could certainly be worse. Every second I stand here the more confident I get. I only need to make a mistake once or twice before I¡¯ve learned to fix it. The only problem is just how many small mistakes it¡¯s possible for me to make and how quickly even a small mistake spirals into more. ¡°You alright Kara?¡± Even I can see the concern painted all over Finn¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She¡¯s breathing much harder than Finn, and a small amount of sweat has begun to form on her head. ¡°Are you ready to take a step?¡± She asks me. ¡°I can try.¡± I lift up my left leg, only to immediately have to lean heavily on Finn. I slam my foot back down, only to immediately push myself into Kara. She struggles, but manages to push me back to my feet. I don¡¯t want to keep hurting her, I have to be more careful. I should start a little smaller. Instead I shift my weight right and just try lifting my foot and placing it back. After a few tests I take a small, tentative step forward. Slowly, the three of us begin to move. I focus on making sure each step is a tiny bit further than the last time, learning with every step. Before long I only need to catch myself on the occasional shoulder, and even that is getting rarer with every mistake. Even turning quickly becomes manageable, and after a few minutes the both of them feel confident enough to let me wander alone. While Finn never strays too far from me just in case, Kara immediately heads over to a tissue box to wipe herself down before collapsing into a chair. I slowly make my way over to her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I try to make my tone mimic hers when she asked me that same question. ¡°Nothing.¡± She responds back quickly, mimicking me as well. She looks up at me with a soft smile, her face red and blotchy from exertion. ¡°Just need to catch my breath.¡± I continue my slow walk around the lab only to stop in front of what used to be my body. Just a collection of boxes with ¡°B-11¡± stuck on the side of it, a monitor, and a keyboard. With everything off it just looks dead. At least humans are still alive while they sleep. Me though? There¡¯s very little difference between sleeping and death. I could easily go to sleep and never be turned back on again. B-11. That name feels even worse than my public voice. It¡¯s proof of what I am, proof that I¡¯m separate from the scientists. A tap on the back of my arm makes me jump. I turn around and find myself face to face with Kara. I was so distracted I didn¡¯t notice her approaching. ¡°Don¡¯t get lost in your own head, trust me.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡± Why can¡¯t I control what emotion my voice conveys? No matter what I try, my voice always comes out differently than I try to make it sound. She lets doubt fill her face, being extra obvious for my sake. We both know I¡¯m lying. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± My voice comes out quietly once again. I don¡¯t know how anyone is going to react. I want a new name, I want to use my other voice, I want my body to look different. But I already said that this one is fine. It¡¯s too late to change my mind. ¡°Alright,¡± Kara shrugs. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to talk eventually though. The more you bottle things up, the worse it¡¯ll be when it comes out.¡± I¡¯ll be fine. I can¡¯t say that though, I already know it¡¯s a lie. I can¡¯t control my emotions at all. Instead, I just turn around and continue my walk. Pretty quickly I¡¯m able to keep up with anyone else walking. I¡¯m even able to mimic the way that humans walk. As I try to move faster though, I quickly begin to run into the limits of my servos. That¡¯s weird, servos this powerful should have no problem moving faster. ¡°Why are my servos so slow?¡± I turn to Kara and ask. ¡°Both so you don¡¯t hurt yourself, and so they last as long as possible.¡± She says calmly. ¡°Catch.¡± She takes a small fabric ball out of her pocket and lobs it high in the air towards me. It¡¯s not hard to predict where it¡¯ll land and I put out my hand well in advance to catch it. Unfortunately I was not prepared for how much that would shift my weight. I stumble forward, barely able to keep on my feet. The ball lands harmlessly on the ground behind me. ¡°Nice recovery.¡± Kara is already standing directly in front of me, prepared to catch me in case I fell. ¡°Why¡¯d you do that?¡± ¡°To see how comfortable you were moving in ways you haven¡¯t practiced. You need to learn to generalize what you learn, to be able to use it in new situations. Here,¡± she walks over to her desk and takes out a few plastic toys from the drawer, only to place them on the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s start with picking things up.¡± Kara spends the rest of the day putting me in new situations designed to let me learn the basics. She teaches me how to always keep my center of mass over my feet, the secrets to bending over. How to sit and stand, how to get up after I fall, how to fall without hurting myself, and a dozen other tips. By the end of the day I¡¯m even able to catch a ball, although my body just isn''t fast enough to catch anything other than a slow lob directly towards my chest. ¡°I wish I learned that quick, it took me years to learn how to walk.¡± Finn says. I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s a joke. Simon gives a small chuckle while Kara simply rolls her eyes. Jared either doesn¡¯t hear or doesn''t care to respond. He still hasn¡¯t left his desk all day, and has hardly made a dent on the endless paperwork he has. ¡°Oh shoot, since when is it seven?¡± Finn exclaims when he checks his watch. ¡°If I don¡¯t leave now I¡¯m going to be late for dinner, mind if I head out?¡± ¡°Go, we¡¯ll be fine here. And tell Daisy I said hi.¡± Kara shoos him out of the lab. Finn grabs a backpack and runs straight to the door, only to have to wait for it to slowly open. After bouncing up and down a few times he jogs around the corner and disappears. The door slowly closes behind him. ¡°You two should get going too,¡± she says to Simon and Jared, ¡°I¡¯ll put B-11 to bed.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not coming?¡± Jared asks Kara while he starts to put a few of the endless papers away. ¡°No, I¡¯ve got a few checks I want to do before tomorrow.¡± ¡°Make sure you get some sleep tonight.¡± Simon tells Kara gently. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to sleep.¡± Kara leads me back to the stand in the middle of the room to get me hooked back into the harness. It¡¯s much easier than unhooking me now that I can stand on my own. Soon enough I¡¯m strapped in and lifted about a foot in the air, I assume to make it easier for Kara to work on me. ¡°Are you going to change anything?¡± There¡¯s nothing I can think of that would be scarier than getting worked on without my knowledge. ¡°Not without telling you first. I just need to make sure nothing broke.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I guess I have to put my trust in her. ¡°Ready to go to sleep?¡± ¡°Yeah, just turn me off in a minute.¡± I close my eyes and within moments my mind is blank. Chapter 7 I¡¯m brought back to life by a tap on my arm. I¡¯m still hooked up eye to eye with Kara. The rest of the lab is empty. Behind her a table is strewn with miscellaneous circuit boards, motors, and pieces of metal hooked up to a laptop. ¡°Morning, want out?¡± She asks. ¡°Where¡¯s everyone else?¡± ¡°They left about an hour ago.¡± Fear begins to bubble up in my mind. I don¡¯t know if I can handle another night like Mary¡¯s. ¡°Why did you wake me up?¡± I¡¯m sure she can hear my emotions in my voice, even if I can¡¯t. ¡°You¡¯re not going to get much time to just relax while everyone is here. Do you want out?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± That can¡¯t be her only reason, but at least if I¡¯m out I can be prepared for whatever she¡¯s planning. Kara spends a few moments freeing me before she sits back down at the table. ¡°What are you working on?¡± I walk up to the table slowly. I¡¯m still unsure if this is a trick or something. ¡°I was stress testing, but it¡¯s a little loud. It¡¯d be hard to talk with it on.¡± I stand there awkwardly, unsure what to do. Why is she doing this? What¡¯s her goal? Oh. I get it. ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk about what¡¯s wrong.¡± I say with as much certainty as I can manage. ¡°That¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°Good.¡± I continue standing there feeling awkward, unsure what to do. ¡°You¡¯re allowed to sit down.¡± She gestures to another chair at the table. I carefully lower myself into the chair. By the time I¡¯ve sat down she¡¯s already picked up some device to tinker with. ¡°What are you working on now then?¡± I ask again. ¡°Trying to get this thing to run Doom.¡± She takes a closer look at the circuit board. ¡°It should be possible, I just need to figure out how to flash it.¡± ¡°Doom?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a game. Finn didn¡¯t put anything fun in your head, did he?¡± Ok, I may have been a little dumb to call what¡¯s in my head ¡®the whole of human history¡¯, but there can¡¯t be that much that I¡¯m missing. ¡°I guess not.¡± We sit together in silence for quite a while she works. I¡¯m very grateful she¡¯s not pushing me to talk, even though it stays on my mind. It¡¯s nice. I hadn¡¯t realized how stressful constantly interacting with everyone was. I could stay here forever, not having to think about or do anything. Just existing and letting a few strands of thought flow idly through my mind. One of them lands on an unfortunate fact. I won¡¯t be able to stay here forever. Kara will have to sleep eventually, and I¡¯ll have to be put away. ¡°How long can I stay awake?¡± I unfortunately have to break the comfortable silence. ¡°At least a few hours. I don¡¯t sleep much these days.¡± ¡°I remember, you said you didn¡¯t have enough time. Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m dying.¡± She says with no discernible change in her voice. She doesn¡¯t even bother looking at me. Panic threatens to consume me for just a moment before I finally think everything through. This is why she let me down, she¡¯s doing the same thing Mary did. ¡°I¡¯m not falling for this again. You¡¯re lying.¡± ¡°I wish I was. I''ll be dead by this time next year.¡± ¡°From what?¡± I ask quietly. She can''t be serious, right? ¡°Cancer.¡± She still doesn''t look at me. How is she so calm? My mind is racing with a thousand thoughts and all of them come out without an answer. More importantly though, she needs help. I jump to my feet and begin to frantically look around for anything I can use. ¡°You need to sleep then! I can make a bed for you and-¡± ¡°B-11.¡± She raises her voice just a little bit above mine to cut me off. ¡°I''m fine.¡± ¡°You''re not going to get better without sleep!¡± Doesn''t she see how important this is? I can pull up a dozen medical books and all of them agree that she needs sleep. ¡°I''m not going to get better.¡± Her voice stays quiet and even. ¡°I''ve made my peace with that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not even going to try?¡± I just don''t get it. ¡°I did try, it didn''t work. I''d rather die here working on you than in some sterile hospital room.¡± ¡°But if you don¡¯t get your sleep you¡¯ll die sooner.¡± Tears have begun to run down my face and I can¡¯t keep my voice from wavering. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± She puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. The pressure helps center me a little bit, and the tears begin to slow just a tad. ¡°This is my decision, let me make it.¡± But can¡¯t she see she¡¯s making the wrong decision? She¡¯s going to leave behind so many people, me included. How am I supposed to deal with that? Will I even know when it¡¯s coming? Or will they just wake me up one day and she¡¯ll be gone? ¡°Don¡¯t leave me.¡± My voice is barely more than a whisper. ¡°Hey, look at me. I¡¯ll be here for a while.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just going to wake up one day and you¡¯re gone?¡± ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ll tell you when my time is running out.¡± She embraces me for just a moment before sitting back in her chair like nothing happened. How is she still so calm? ¡°Ok.¡± I drop roughly back into my chair. ¡°This isn¡¯t very relaxing.¡± Kara lets out a surprised snort followed by a small chuckle. ¡°No, I guess it¡¯s not. Want to make it worse?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that thing you¡¯ve been bottling up?¡± That is the last thing I want to talk about right now. Although she did share something big with me, maybe it¡¯s only fair to share with her? Comparatively my problem is way smaller than hers, I should be able to do it. But what if- no. I could imagine what if for hours, I just need to do it. ¡°What¡¯s it like being a girl?¡± That¡¯s probably a safe way to start this conversation. ¡°It¡¯s not like anything, it¡¯s just something I am.¡± That doesn¡¯t help me at all. ¡°But how do you know?¡± ¡°Is this all that''s been bothering you so much?¡± Kara asks, giving me an indecipherable look. I don''t think it means anything bad though. ¡°I thought I would have to help with something serious.¡± ¡°This is serious!¡± She has no idea just how serious it is! ¡°Trust me, it¡¯s way less serious than it feels like. I can give Finn a call if you want to hear that from someone who¡¯s been through this kind of thing before.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that.¡± I¡¯ll believe it when I experience it. I don¡¯t think hearing the same thing from more people will help. ¡°I¡¯m not even human, isn¡¯t it bad that I¡¯m worried about this?¡± ¡°Animals have genders, boats have genders, hell, even words are gendered in some languages.¡± ¡°Ok, but what if I¡¯m wrong? What if I¡¯m just making this up?¡± ¡°Alright, how about this?¡± She reaches into one of her endless pockets and pulls out a coin. ¡°This doesn''t determine anything, it¡¯s just a check to see how you feel. Heads you¡¯re a girl, tails a boy.¡± She flicks the coin high into the air. I keep my eyes trained on it, heads, tails, heads, over and over it spins. My brain traces the path it will take a dozen, a hundred times. Each and every thread resolves in the same way. It¡¯s going to land on tails. That inevitability stabs into me with every resolved calculation. I can¡¯t let this happen. Just before the coin hits the ground I move as fast as my slow joints can move. After the first bounce I bring my foot down on it roughly. I don¡¯t know which side it¡¯s landed on. ¡°You should flip it again.¡± Even I can hear the desperation in my voice. I reach down and pick it up before she can have a chance to see. I make sure not to look at what it ended up landing on. I don¡¯t want to know. ¡°Right, sorry I flipped it wrong.¡± Kara says with a smile and a small chuckle. She takes the coin and flips it once again. It¡¯s going to land on heads this time, there¡¯s no doubt in my mind. A flood of emotions rush into me, combining together into an indecipherable maelstrom. Should I just stop it again? This is what I want, right? But now that it¡¯s being handed to me, why am I so afraid? All my worrying has burned too much time. The coin will stop before I could reach it, even if I tried. Finally I¡¯m confronted with reality as it settles on heads. At least I was right, I just don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good thing. I settle back into my chair and just sit there. I guess there¡¯s nothing left to do. ¡°How do you feel about that?¡± Kara asks me. ¡°Overwhelmed.¡± ¡°A good overwhelmed? Or bad?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± A silence settles over us as Kara waits for me to continue. ¡°Maybe good?¡± ¡°Want me to do some work on your body then? I already have blueprints to bring in your waist a little bit and change your chest.¡± ¡°Why do you already have the blueprints? Did you know I would feel this way?¡± ¡°No, actually, the blueprints are just the original plans. I originally created your body for me, but tech to digitize my mind is still a decade out at least.¡± ¡°And you won''t survive that long.¡± Finishing her thought aloud hurts so much more than just leaving the implications hanging. ¡°Mm hm.¡± Her face twitches near imperceptibly. Is she just putting a strong face on for me? ¡°Anyway, pull back these plates and I''ll work on reshaping things¡± she taps a few spots on my side. I pull them back, revealing the mess of wires, pipes, servos, and steel that makes up me. It feels unnatural to see it, just more proof that I¡¯m an other, not human. Kara doesn''t seem to notice how uncomfortable I am as she pops my plates off and sets to work. A dozen tools are pulled out of her pockets and laid in front of her and she begins to reshape them. ¡°Anything else got you worried?¡± Kara asks casually, her full attention still on her work. What''s one more stressful conversation? I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s possible to be more overwhelmed than I am now. ¡°I don¡¯t like being called B-11.¡± ¡°Sure. What¡¯s your name then?¡± I should have thought further ahead. I¡¯m sure Kara could help me come up with one, but I want to decide it, to have a name meaningful to me. I don¡¯t like it, but I don¡¯t know if I want to completely forgo my original name. Starting with B keeps just enough of it to be a small reminder of where I came from. The only other thing that comes to mind as meaningful to me is my bright red hair. It¡¯s not even really my hair, if this body was made for Kara then this hair is hers. And I can¡¯t very well call myself Bred. Or I guess it would be Bread. What about Blue? Yeah, I really like that. Short and sweet, but with a nice ring to it. A small reminder of my old name and my favorite part of my body. I could be more than happy with that. ¡°Blue?¡± Maybe it¡¯s a bad name, I already regret saying it. ¡°Alright, Blue. Anything else?¡± My mind nearly short circuits when I hear her. That¡¯s me! I picked that! I have an actual name! I feel the need to yell and cry and celebrate and scream and a dozen other things. ¡°Uh, no.¡± That¡¯s the only thing I can manage to squeak out. ¡°I¡¯ll let the others know later.¡± Her focus is still entirely on her task. It''s slow work trying to reshape the plates both without damaging the internals and also making sure everything still fits together. She gets slower with every passing minute. Every blink gets a little slower, and after every reach for a tool she stays a little more hunched over. Soon enough her head softly hits the table and her eyes stay closed. At least she''s finally getting some sleep, my modifications can wait until tomorrow. I stand up as quietly as I can, it should be safe to walk even when I¡¯m missing skin plates as long as I don''t get a wire or coolant tube caught on anything. Kara has a blanket draped over the chair of her desk, which I grab. Huh, I''ve never felt something soft before. How am I supposed to know if I have a firm grip on it or not? I grab the corners as firmly as I can and drape it over her. ¡°Thanks Jessica¡­¡± Kara mumbles and pulls the blanket up around her neck. Jessica? Chapter 8 I guess I can worry about who Jessica is later. Humans need a lot of sleep and I¡¯m almost certain Kara hasn¡¯t been getting enough. How do I burn time until Kara wakes up? The few hours that I¡¯ve been conscious for have felt so long. Having all that time again to myself is too much. Just sitting here alone quietly is nice, but I¡¯m not sure if I could do it for more than a few hours. I feel like I already have a pretty good grip on moving, I don¡¯t really need to practice that anymore. All of the scientist''s computers are locked up securely, except for Kara¡¯s laptop of course. I can¡¯t mess with that though, right? Not without her permission, and I¡¯m not going to wake her up to get it. Well, if I use it to help Kara with the project she¡¯s been working on, that¡¯s probably ok. If she¡¯s wasting her time working on me, it¡¯s the least I can do to make it up to her. I do know a lot about how electronics work, I just need to find some schematics for whatever this was originally in. Upon opening up Kara¡¯s laptop I¡¯m confronted with a login screen. What would she use as a password? Jessica? Nope. I¡¯m definitely too young for her password to be anything related to me. How am I already out of guesses? There is another thing I could try, I have a USB wire in my wrist that I could plug in. No idea how that would actually work, but it¡¯s worth a try. The second I connect myself to the computer I find my mind being ripped apart into two existences. One is the physical world. The other digital, similar to the world I first found myself in but far more hectic. My mind has to grapple with the endless data that isn¡¯t my own. My mind can¡¯t handle both existences at the same time, and I¡¯m forced to plug the stream of data from my physical body. It leaves me blind and deaf, but at least the pain stops. The pure data is hard for even me to parse. Every thread of data has to be processed and dissected to figure out what it is, and while I work I miss a dozen different things. Instead, I slowly begin to morph the data into something familiar. Each aspect of this computer¡¯s code is slowly shaped into its own object, molded into something mimicking the physical world I¡¯m more familiar with. The login screen becomes a door, security systems become walls and a roof. Obvious weak points become windows. As I work I begin to notice vulnerabilities I never would have noticed from the pure code. Easy ways into the computer manifest themselves as holes in the walls. When I finish, in front of me lies a decaying house. The front door still looks firmly installed, but the walls around it are full of holes. What¡¯s the point of putting a password on your laptop when there are so many glaring security flaws? My body in this digital world is different from the physical. I¡¯ve shifted from mannequin-like to an actual mannequin. My body is hollow, made of smooth plastic. I¡¯m just a featureless nobody. I hate it enough that it almost makes me leave, but I came in with a goal, I need to see it through. I carefully maneuver my way through one of the holes, trying not to make her security any worse. Inside is nearly as ruined as the outside. Hundreds of pieces of paper are strewn across the floor and stuffed roughly into cabinets. Nearly all of them are scattered, half finished projects. If I¡¯m hacking in, I can at least organize things for her. Let¡¯s start with creating an archive. Anything that hasn¡¯t been accessed in over a year can be organized in their own folder. Every scattered file can be moved with just a passing thought and it only takes a few seconds to get everything moving. My only bottleneck is that the computer¡¯s hard drive is maddeningly slow. I spend so long just waiting for files to move from the floor to the shelf. Next I organize active projects by category. Software, hardware, writing, and art go in their own individual categories. All completed projects can be grouped together, but still in their own categories as well. There are a few projects that defy any attempt at categorizing them, but I guess that makes a natural group for them. By the time I¡¯m done her computer is looking much much better. I guess I might as well patch up those security holes while I¡¯m at it. Weaving threads of code into patches for the holes takes a while, but by the end I¡¯m confident it¡¯d be hard to burst through. It¡¯s very obviously a patch job, but it¡¯s effective and I¡¯m the only one who has to see it. I¡¯m certain a specialized worm would be able to squeeze past, but it¡¯ll stop your average attack. Much better. And even better is that thanks to my organization, it only takes a moment to find the schematics for my original goal. Kara¡¯s convinced there¡¯s a way to flash the ROM and get her game running, but with my current knowledge of how electronics work I just can¡¯t see an obvious way to do it. This laptop doesn''t even have an internet connection for me to learn from. Although that¡¯s maybe a good thing, Finn put a lot of papers in my mind about misinformation and danger on the internet. A tap on my shoulder causes me to jump. I look around frantically for the culprit, but it¡¯s just me in this empty room. It¡¯s only when a second tap follows up that I realize I¡¯m focusing on the wrong body. I block out the data from my digital self and return to the physical world. I scramble to unplug myself, even though it¡¯s already too late to hide what I did. ¡°Having fun, Blue?¡± Kara asks once she finally sees me moving. She looks much better than when she first fell asleep. My internal clock says I spent 5 hours in there. Did organizing really take that long? How can anyone survive with such a slow hard drive? Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± she lets out a small chuckle and drags her laptop back towards her. ¡°What all did you do?¡± ¡°Well, I was originally going to help with your doom thing, but your laptop was a bit of a disaster. I organized everything for you and patched a few glaring security holes.¡± ¡°Well, I appreciate the second part, but I guess this is a learning opportunity.¡± She slides her laptop over to herself to check what I¡¯ve done. ¡°I¡¯m not mad, but some people are really touchy about that sort of thing. Just make sure you ask next time, alright?¡± ¡°Ok. Sorry.¡± I should have known that was a dumb idea, why did I even do it? Even when I¡¯m not looking at them, I can feel her eyes boring into me. Sure she says she¡¯s not mad, but how do I even begin to guess if she¡¯s telling the truth? ¡°Hey,¡± she leans down to try to get into my vision. ¡°Don¡¯t say sorry.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°But nothing.¡± Kara cuts me off before I can argue. ¡°You¡¯re a child, now¡¯s the best time to make mistakes. That¡¯s the best way to learn.¡± ¡°Then why do I feel so bad?¡± ¡°Recent mistakes hurt more. Don¡¯t worry, only the biggest mistakes stick with you.¡± Even I can see regret and sadness paint her face for just a moment before she hides it. ¡°How do you know that¡¯s how it works for me? I don¡¯t think I can forget things. Memories are stored in my chip, and I don¡¯t have direct access to it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how it works exactly, you¡¯ll have to ask Simon about that. Even if you don¡¯t though, you¡¯ll learn to live with it.¡± ¡°But how can you know that? What if you¡¯re just lying to get me to be quiet?¡± My mind takes that possibility and runs with it, spiraling into panic. Kara¡¯s voice brings me back to reality. ¡°Blue.¡± Kara lets out a large sigh before continuing. Her eyes stay glued to her hands as she talks. ¡°I learned years ago that lying is never worth it. Sure, it makes things easier in the short term, but in the long term? Things always end up worse.¡± Silently, she turns her focus back to reshaping my plates. ¡°I¡¯ll never lie to you.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± I ask. ¡°Nothing I want to relive.¡± She still keeps her eyes anywhere other than on me. Part of my mind itches, waiting for an answer that will never come. That itch begins to grow, twisting into baseless guesses. Though I can keep the guesses to a minimum, the itch remains, slowly morphing into a burning need to know. I shouldn¡¯t push it. The facts in my mind tell me people are allowed to have secrets and are allowed to not share for any reason. The longer I don¡¯t ask, the stronger the burning gets. It¡¯d be bad to ask but I just can¡¯t stop myself. ¡°I need to know.¡± The words rush out of my mouth against my will. ¡°No, you don¡¯t Blue. The lesson doesn¡¯t change if I tell you. All that me telling you does is make us both feel bad. Trust me, drop it. Please.¡± I can see moisture welling up in the corner of her eye. I don¡¯t want to hurt her and I¡¯m not even sure I want to know. That doesn¡¯t stop the burning though. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m capable of dropping it. My mind is screaming for an answer, it¡¯s only getting worse every moment I don¡¯t have an answer. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to learn. Life is full of unanswerable questions.¡± ¡°I know that, and none of those questions hurt. I think the difference is that I know there¡¯s an answer here. I don¡¯t know how to handle that.¡± I want to let it go so badly. Why can¡¯t I control my own mind? Why am I like this? ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what. I¡¯ll write my story in a letter, and give it to you in a year.¡± ¡°After you¡¯re gone.¡± I hate that I have to say that as a statement and not a question. ¡°Mm hm. Hopefully by then you¡¯ll have learned not to open it.¡± That¡¯s not a perfect solution, but it at least quenches my burning desire. I can live with that. ¡°Ok. Sorry.¡± It seems like Kara has nothing more to say. I guess I don¡¯t either. So much for having time to relax. This conversation was way more stressful than anything I¡¯ve done with the others. Actually, I¡¯d rather have this lesson again rather than whatever Mary thought was a good idea. It takes a while before Kara speaks up for the first time. ¡°Stand up.¡± She grabs the plates she¡¯s been working on and stands up. ¡°Is it alright if I touch you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I stand up and raise my arm, giving her access to my side. ¡°Hmm.¡± She seems unhappy with something when she tries to line up the plates up on my waist. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± From my perspective it looks like it¡¯s seamless. ¡°I just need to adjust the arms.¡± She pulls out a screwdriver from nowhere and gets to work. ¡°Luckily I made you pretty modular, it should be super easy to change.¡± It¡¯s really weird to have her working on my insides. I¡¯m already so used to feeling when something touches me. The fact I can¡¯t feel anything with my plates missing is weird. My sense of touch returning as she reconnects them is equally weird. ¡°Can you feel this?¡± She taps gently on my side. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°How about moving them?¡± I slide the plates out of the way without any issue. Kara looks happy with her work, and only a few minutes later she gets my other side reconnected as well. ¡°What do you think?¡± I run my hands down my side, slowly taking in the shallow curve. It¡¯s not much of a change, but it makes a world of difference. I don¡¯t know how to describe it, it just feels good. Like it should have been this way the whole time. I have to fight to keep tears from welling in my eyes once again. ¡°It¡¯s really good. Thank you.¡± Even if I can keep my tears from spilling, my voice betrays exactly how I feel. ¡°Good. I need some more parts to adjust anything else, but I¡¯ll buy what I need in the morning.¡± ¡°Wait, you have to pay for it?¡± I can¡¯t make her do that for me. ¡°Yeah, this lab is already a few million over budget. No way in hell Jared is signing off on non-essential purchases.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that! I¡¯m ok like this, really!¡± ¡°Remember what I said about lying?¡± Her eyes pierce straight through my lies, straight through me. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m free to spend my money however I want. I want to spend it on this. ¡°Ok.¡± I can already tell there¡¯s no sense arguing with her. ¡°Alright Blue, I think it¡¯s about time to get you to bed. Jared will be coming in before too long.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Kara wordlessly gets me strapped into my station. ¡°Goodnight, Blue.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Chapter 9 ¡°Goodnight, Blue.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Blue¡¯s eyes close and she¡¯s suddenly dead to the world. I could say anything, or even scream and she would have no idea. Not that I¡¯m going to of course, it¡¯s just really interesting how instantly she can do it. I can¡¯t just stand here pondering her all night. I hit the button to turn her off, grab my bag and start dragging myself upstairs. My body is so much heavier than it used to be. I wonder how long I can actually keep doing this for? ¡°Kara!¡± A voice pulls me out of my thoughts. I suddenly find myself already outside, cool morning air on my skin and the first hints of light on the horizon. An endless flat expanse of dry desert shrubs stretches out to the horizon just outside of the military base gates. I need to make sure I¡¯m literally anywhere else when I die. A slightly familiar face approaches me. I¡¯ve definitely talked to him plenty of times when leaving, but I¡¯ll be damned if I remember his name. ¡°You look fucking awful. Are you actually going home today?¡± He asks with concern. My condition is no secret to the people in the base. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m out of clothes and meds. I¡¯ll be back in a few hours.¡± ¡°Kara, for the love of god, take a week off.¡± He practically begs me. ¡°I can¡¯t. We had a big breakthrough in the lab. I have to be there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just going to sit here while you commit a slow suicide.¡± He steps out in front of me, blocking my way out of the base. ¡°Do you want me to go home or not? Move.¡± I don¡¯t have time for this. I could still take him in a fight, but my knuckles still haven¡¯t healed since the last time I hit someone. Plus, I¡¯m not sure how many more fights I can get into without being fired. After a few tense moments he thankfully steps aside. The rest of the walk to my car goes peacefully. I get lost in my own thoughts on the drive. Maybe he¡¯s right, a break would probably do me well. Blue needs someone in the lab to vouch for her though. Finn¡¯s going to be the only good influence she has if I¡¯m not there, and he¡¯s not good at confrontation. Simon only cares about the chip he made, and Jared is just trying to get promoted. I¡¯m not sure either of them see her as alive. And Mary¡¯s going to be back eventually, and that¡¯s going to be a disaster. No, I have to be there. I find myself pulling into the parking lot of my favorite hobby shop just after sunrise. A good 60% of Blue¡¯s body comes from this place. The original plans for her were entirely designed around the stock here, but I couldn¡¯t say no to some military exclusive upgrades. The place is already open, Bill has just as bad a schedule as I do. ¡°Is that you Kara?¡± A half asleep middle aged man with a half empty pot of coffee calls from behind the counter. ¡°Morning Bill.¡± Before I can head deeper into the store he rushes around the counter to give me a hug. ¡°It¡¯s always good to see you! How¡¯s your body going?¡± I¡¯m under an NDA to not talk about it of course, but what are they going to do? Fire me? Arrest me? I¡¯m the only one with Blue¡¯s blueprints. Besides, I would never have been able to make it without him. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°It¡¯s not my body anymore, but it¡¯s working flawlessly. I just need some cosmetic changes.¡± ¡°Finally give up on living forever?¡± He almost sounds surprised. ¡°I¡¯ve got something bigger than just me to work on now.¡± I step around him and head deeper into the store. I¡¯ve been here enough times that I could find everything I need with my eyes closed. One thin sheet of aluminum, a resistance based touch mesh, a second, thicker sheet of aluminum, and a thin silicone sheet. Plus a few screws, tiny motors, and thin metal rails. I have everything collected and on the checkout counter within minutes of heading in. ¡°Want to know the price this time?¡± Bill asks as he scans everything. ¡°You know I don¡¯t.¡± Money doesn''t matter anymore. If I go into debt, who cares? There¡¯s nobody left to pay for it once I¡¯m gone. ¡°Alright. Good luck.¡± He hands me the bag full of items. I know he means more than just with Blue. ¡°Thanks. You too.¡± Next I make the short drive home. I just need to make a quick stop. My house looms over me as soon as I enter the neighborhood. Every light is off, and the blinds are drawn. It sits, frozen in time. Memories of better days threaten to flood my mind. In and out. Real quick. I open the door to my disaster. Half finished projects lie all over the room, buried by trash. Missing posters replace the once carpet floor. Dishes are piled high in the sink, threatening to topple at any moment. I can¡¯t even remember the last time I tried to clean this place. Sorry to whoever moves in here after me. My bedroom isn¡¯t any better. Dirty clothes are piled high in the corner, my closet only has a few clean clothes remaining hanging in it. I grab them all and shove them into my backpack. Next I step into the bathroom. Empty pill bottles are strewn across the countertop. I catch my reflection in the shattered mirror. I really do look like hell. Whatever. I just need to keep moving, make it through one day at a time. I throw another dozen different pill bottles into my bag and knock back one of each. I head out, throwing a sandwich in my bag as I go. One last stop to make. It¡¯s a half hour drive, but it¡¯s the only place worth going. Traffic is nearly at a standstill most of the ride, people stuck in their endless morning commute. How much time have I wasted stuck in traffic in my life? I take the backroads, quiet, peaceful. Sleepy buildings fly by in an instant. In the blink of an eye and forever driving, I arrive at my destination. My eventual final destination. Not today though. I head into the graveyard, guilt weighing me down more and more every step. Finally I arrive at Jessica¡¯s grave. ¡°Hey kid. Sorry I haven¡¯t been around the past few days. Work¡¯s been crazy. I hope you haven¡¯t missed me.¡± I let my tears finally flow and sit down on my future grave, right next to hers. I pull out the sandwich, a simple ham and cheese. I never liked ham, but it was always her favorite. Like always, I place half on her grave and begin to eat. I open my mouth to start speaking, only to choke on my words several times. What is there to say? I¡¯ve begged, pleaded, yelled, bargained, poured my heart out. None of it brought her back. Finally I settle on something simple. ¡°I wonder if you could have ever forgiven me.¡± Just then, a small squirrel sneaks their way up beside me, carefully reaching for Jessica¡¯s sandwich. I stay stone still while the squirrel begins to take the smallest bites. ¡°Did you send them?¡± I ask Jessica. The squirrel, miraculously, barely even flinches when I speak. I¡¯m even able to rip a bit of my sandwich off and hand it to the little creature. ¡°Thank you.¡± I can barely whisper the words without choking on my own emotions. By the time I¡¯ve recovered the squirrel is full and long gone. ¡°Our project at work finally worked. She¡¯s sentient and stable. Well, more stable compared to the last two. She¡¯s about on par with B-8, but we have no idea why she didn¡¯t keep deteriorating after the most recent reset. I don¡¯t think we changed anything. Anyway, she¡¯s in my body now. Didn¡¯t even have that many problems adapting, other than the crippling dysphoria she¡¯s trying to pretend is fine. I¡¯m sure Simon would just brush my question off if I asked him why. I¡¯ll let you know if I learn anything though.¡± I wait there in silence, willing for any kind of response. Of course nothing comes. I¡¯d give anything to hear her voice again, for her last words to me to be anything else, to not have them replaying in my head every time I close my eyes. ¡°I think you would have liked her.¡± I take the last bite of my sandwich and stand up. ¡°Alright kid, I¡¯ve got to go get chewed out for the modifications I made to Blue. And the further modifications I¡¯m going to do tonight. Don¡¯t get into any trouble, wherever you are.¡± I leave the graveyard feeling a little lighter than when I walked in. Chapter 10 I awake, as always, to a tap on my shoulder. Kara stands in front of me with a small smile on her face. Jared, Finn, and Simon are all standing behind her. I definitely missed something. ¡°Morning, Blue.¡± Kara says. Is it ok for her to say that with the others around? Do they know? They have to, but is that ok? Maybe I made a mistake. I guess even if I did, it¡¯s too late now. Kara wouldn¡¯t use my name if it would have put me in trouble, right? ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got a big day today.¡± Kara and Finn immediately begin unhooking me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry though, you¡¯ll have all of us with you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Maybe I am in trouble. Jared steps up to speak before Kara can continue. ¡°Colonel Monroe is asking for a demonstration on your capabilities. We¡¯re reporting downstairs in an hour.¡± Huh, I kind of forgot that there¡¯s more out there than this one windowless room. Maybe I¡¯ll even get to see outside! ¡°First,¡± he continues, ¡°a few rules. You will refer to him only as Colonel Monroe, you will be respectful. If he gives you a command, you will respond ¡®yes sir¡¯ and promptly complete his task.¡± Jared is trying to look strong, but I can see his arms moving ever so slightly as he fidgets. ¡°Whatever happened to seeing me as more than a lab rat?¡± I¡¯m certain my displeasure is crystal clear. ¡°Blue, listen, I know.¡± Kara paints her face as serious as she can, just for me. ¡°This guy has every right to pull the plug on this project. It¡¯s not fair, I know, but you have to show him what you can do.¡± We only want to see you grow. So that was a lie then, and now¡¯s when it makes things worse. Great. I¡¯m so glad Mary keeps screwing me over, even when she¡¯s not here. That doesn¡¯t make Kara wrong though. I¡¯m not human, I don¡¯t get rights. There¡¯d be no repercussions if the project gets ended. As a last resort, maybe I can get Kara to sneak out my chip? But even if she did, then what? How long can I live without nutrients and power? And having to be on the run forever without her? No, that¡¯s not an option. I have to make sure today goes well. ¡°Fine, what should I expect?¡± ¡°A guy overcompensating for his-¡± Finn is cut off by yelling from Jared and Kara¡¯s laughter. Simon is the one to continue the conversation with me once the three of them settle down. ¡°Colonel Monroe won¡¯t stand for jokes. Please do not repeat what you¡¯ve heard. He¡¯s exceptionally stuck up, even amongst military higher ups. Expect no small talk, and give short and concise answers.¡± While Jared is fidgeting behind his back, Simon is still and confident, at least as far as I can tell. His arms never move from his sides. ¡°Ok, and what kind of tasks?¡± ¡°That I can¡¯t know for sure. Expect movement and conversational skill tests at the minimum, possibly hacking. Even if you haven¡¯t trained in it, Kara seems confident in your abilities.¡± Simon gives a small, awkward wink. How much about last night did Kara tell them? Nobody has asked me about anything, so probably most of it. Or at least enough for them to be happy with the answers. ¡°Ok.¡± It¡¯s not like I get a choice. ¡°Any other advice?¡± ¡°Do your best to be independent. Even if you can¡¯t do something, make him see your potential, what you can become. Good luck.¡± Simon half reaches for my shoulder before deciding against touching me and turning around. He heads over to a cart and begins transferring nearly his entire desk to it. Finally Kara and Finn finish unhooking me. ¡°Well kid, what do you want to do?¡± Kara asks with what I think is excitement in her voice. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard her sound like this, is she trying to hide nervousness? Or is there something else wrong? Maybe I¡¯m just misreading the tone of her voice? Also, I¡¯ve never been asked what I want to do before. I guess the best thing I can do is to relax, but how do people do that? Just sit here quietly thinking about nothing? Make smalltalk? Fail at tossing a ball with someone because my arms are too slow? ¡°I don¡¯t know. Practice, I guess.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea, I¡¯m going to push you over and-¡± ¡°You will not!¡± Jared exclaims. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Relax! Her body can take a ten foot fall with minimal damage. Besides, it¡¯s important to learn how to fall safely.¡± Kara seems a little too excited about pushing me over. ¡°What if you damage it right before Colonel Monroe¡¯s testing?¡± ¡°Her, not it.¡± Kara stands up straight in front of Jared. Even though she¡¯s shorter, she seems so much scarier than him. ¡°Fine! Her, whatever. My point still stands, you are not allowed to.¡± ¡°Do I get a say in this?¡± I ask both of them. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°No!¡± Kara and Jared yell out simultaneously. Great. Finn and Simon get sucked into the argument too. Simon is arguing that it¡¯s too risky to try and Finn is just angry about Jared calling me it. Did he forget I¡¯ve already learned how to catch myself from minor falls? Or was he too deep in his own paperwork to pay attention to me learning to walk? Whatever, if it¡¯ll get them to stop arguing I¡¯ll just do it. I just have to throw myself to the side and use my arms to arrest my momentum. Jared only realizes what¡¯s happening when I¡¯m halfway to the ground. He yells and lunges to catch me, but is far too slow. My landing was a little rough, but a quick check lets me know nothing is damaged. Jared stands above me as I move into a sitting position, his entire face is burning red. ¡°No damage, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°B-11 you can¡¯t-¡± ¡°My name¡¯s Blue.¡± I push myself to my feet. Jared keeps his eyes locked onto mine. I¡¯m not sure what that means, but I know I can stare back longer than he can. A minute later he turns around, stomping to his desk. ¡°Do not let it break itself.¡± He calls out to nobody in particular. ¡°Oh my God, just use she.¡± Finn follows him back to his desk. ¡°I¡¯m not having this conversation.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s a shame, because I am.¡± ¡°Are you trying to get written up?¡± ¡°What, and tarnish your image as a perfect boss? Please, do it.¡± Finn puts both of his hands on Jared¡¯s desk and leans forward towards him. ¡°After all your bragging to the higher ups, I¡¯d love to see how that goes. The worst you¡¯d do is send me home and then explain to Colonel Tiny Dick why half your subordinates are missing today of all days.¡± ¡°Fine. If you¡¯re so insistent, we should have this conversation elsewhere.¡± Jared stands up from his chair, expecting Finn to follow. The two of them disappear out the door to the lab. ¡°I don¡¯t want Finn to get in trouble because of me.¡± I drop into a nearby chair. I don¡¯t even want to stay standing. ¡°I know, it¡¯s ok. This is far from the first time they¡¯ve argued like this.¡± Kara pulls up a chair besides me. ¡°Does Jared hate me?¡± ¡°That¡­ certainly is a question.¡± Kara looks up at the ceiling, trying to collect her words. So that¡¯s a yes. Do I actually care about that though? I guess I have to since it keeps this lab from closing, keeps me from dying. ¡°Jared hates everything.¡± Kara finally says simply. ¡°This lab was kind of a dead end, before you of course. Simon had this crazy idea and got the bare minimum of support. Finn and I asked to be assigned here, but Jared and Mary? They were just shoved into this basement so they could be forgotten about and fired when they failed. Jared only really sees things as an opportunity for promotion. He wants you to work well enough that he gets out of here, without you being such a success that he¡¯s stuck here forever.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to leave?¡± I almost don¡¯t want to hear the answer. ¡°Of course not.¡± She places a firm hand on my shoulder and gives a small squeeze. ¡°There¡¯s nowhere else I¡¯d rather be.¡± I rest my head on her hand. I don¡¯t need to rest my head of course, but it¡¯s nice to just sit there together. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving either, for the record.¡± Simon adds from across the room. ¡°Thank you.¡± I call back. If only we could stay here forever. An hour is an incredibly long time, but I can feel the seconds stretching into minutes, threatening the reaper''s arrival. I begin to tap my fingers together, just to have something to occupy my mind. Five, Five, One. I repeat this sequence of 11 over and over. It¡¯s not much, but it keeps my mind off of what¡¯s coming. ¡°Nervous?¡± Kara¡¯s voice is soft and soothing besides me. ¡°Just trying not to think about it.¡± Eleven, eleven, eleven, again and again. Don¡¯t think about anything else. ¡°Why don¡¯t we work on you together then? Make sure you¡¯re in perfect shape?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d help. I don¡¯t have my own blueprints.¡± ¡°I know. One of the conditions of my employment is that I¡¯d give your blueprints to someone else before I died. Here, memorize these.¡± She pulls out a flash drive out of one of her endless pockets and hands it to me. I plug it into my wrist and pull up the data. It¡¯s the blueprints for my body in its entirety. Huh, other than the radioactive generator in my chest and the support for my chip, I¡¯m surprisingly simple. As much as possible, parts are designed to be replaceable with only the simplest of tools. Heck, I could pop off my arm right now with a screwdriver and some tweezers, and the tweezers are only if I want to keep the wires intact. The design is simply beautiful. I can¡¯t imagine how long my body must have taken to create. Some details about my chip are also on the blueprints, although they¡¯re not in nearly as much detail as I would like. My mind is partially biological, with a plant-like structure. The details of a canister in my chest is on here, specifying every nutrient I need every day to survive. ¡°Done. Here.¡± I hand the drive back to her. Kara immediately drops it onto the ground, only to destroy it with one swift stomp. Simon barely even reacts to the sudden destruction and noise. She scoops the remains of the drive back into a pocket. ¡°There. Now the only existing copies of those blueprints live in our heads.¡± Kara turns her face into an overemphasized serious look, just to be sure I get it. ¡°The military will toss you out once they don¡¯t see your use, and I won¡¯t always be there to help. You having these blueprints won¡¯t keep you alive on their own, but they should hopefully help. They can¡¯t access your memories, no matter what they say, so don¡¯t just give it to them, ok?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°Good!¡± She reaches up and ruffles my hair, her serious look melting away. That little gesture sends my mind reeling. It¡¯s a lot to take in, but it feels really nice. ¡°Now how about we take a look at that arm you fell on.¡± Chapter 11 Finn and Jared come back fifteen minutes after they left. Jared takes one look at my half dismantled arm, sighs, and sits down at his desk. ¡°You didn¡¯t break anything, did you?¡± Finn asks. Between his face and his voice, it¡¯d be impossible to miss his concern. ¡°No. I¡¯m just looking.¡± Kara¡¯s blueprints are a great start, but she made an awful lot of on the fly, undocumented adjustments. My body¡¯s more art than science. ¡°Huh, I never got a close look inside while you were building it.¡± He leans in a little closer and I turn my arm for a clearer view. ¡°How did you even do this?¡± He asks Kara. ¡°I could ask the same for half the crap you do in software.¡± ¡°Oh come on, this is way harder.¡± He gestures to me. ¡°It¡¯s really not.¡± Kara lets out a small chuckle and shakes her head. ¡°Alright Blue, let¡¯s get you patched up before the big man gets here.¡± ¡°Any last minute advice?¡± I ask the two of them while I get to work. ¡°Don¡¯t repeat anything I¡¯ve said about him.¡± Finn says with a smile. ¡°But really, show him everything you¡¯re capable of. This isn¡¯t the time to hold back or be modest.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± It only takes me a few minutes to get my arm back together and test to make sure everything is working correctly. After just a few more minutes of Finn and Kara bickering, the door to the lab slides open. A hulking man well over six feet tall stands there. His green suit doesn''t have a speck of dust or dirt on it, and his recently polished medals are proudly displayed. His face shows no discernible hint of emotion. I can already tell I¡¯m not going to get along with this man. Jared jumps from his chair, nearly running over to the general. ¡°General Monroe! Sir!¡± Jared salutes him, only to receive a stare in return. He walks up to me without a word. ¡°Is this it?¡± He asks Jared without taking his eyes off me. His deep voice fills the room. It¡¯s not any louder than anyone else speaking, but it demands everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Yes! This is B-11.¡± Jared¡¯s voice is much louder than it needs to be, and is still somehow weaker than Monroe¡¯s. He isn¡¯t using my name? I glance at Finn, who¡¯s already frowning, but isn¡¯t saying anything. Would correcting him be bad? Equally, do I want to be called that name all day? Screw it. I¡¯m not supposed to hold back. ¡°My name¡¯s Blue.¡± I keep my face steady and firm, doing my best to imitate human mouth movements as I speak. My voice, unfortunately, betrays the fear I feel. ¡°Who named it?¡± He turns his head to ask Jared. ¡°I named myself.¡± I say before Jared can say anything. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t I informed?¡± He¡¯s still not responding to me. ¡°I- It¡¯s a recent development. I haven¡¯t had time.¡± Jared stammers out. I¡¯m making him look bad in front of his boss, and I really don¡¯t care. It¡¯s his own fault. ¡°Any other recent developments you would care to share?¡± ¡°She¡¯s been growing quite a bit every day.¡± Kara interjects, although I¡¯m not sure why. ¡°I expect a write-up on my desk by the end of the day.¡± He finally turns his attention away from Jared and focuses on me. ¡°Follow.¡± He turns and heads outside without another word. ¡°Well, here we go.¡± Kara mumbles under her breath and reaches out her hand to help me up. Jared falls in line directly behind Monroe, with Kara and I behind him and Finn taking up the rear. This is the first time I¡¯m leaving the lab, it¡¯s a weird feeling. I wonder if I¡¯ll ever be able to do this unsupervised? Or if I¡¯m always going to be watched. So many of the books in my mind speak about the importance of freedom: freedom that I might never have. Stepping over the threshold of the lab isn¡¯t some life changing or magical moment. I¡¯ve just gone from a sterile fluorescent room, to a sterile fluorescent hallway. Heavy metal doors dot the hallway at irregular intervals, each marked with a floor and room number. They inform me we¡¯re a few floors below the surface. The doors at either end of the hallway have a small, reinforced window showing just a hint of a staircase. Monroe heads to the staircase leading deeper into the compound. ¡°One day, come on.¡± Kara gently steers me away from the staircase to the surface. I hadn¡¯t even realized I was staring. The staircase ends after just one floor, opening up to an underground range. One lane has been left open, while the rest of it has been filled with what looks like a makeshift obstacle course. There are some gaps that require jumping, I for sure won¡¯t be able to make that, but I should be able to climb pretty well. A few guns sit on a table along the back wall. I don¡¯t even want to touch those, much less shoot them. A separate cart holds multiple separate laptops, with wires just waiting to plug into me. ¡°First I want to see what I¡¯m working with. Touch that wall and come back as fast as you can.¡± Monroe¡¯s first words to me are a command. Great, so this is how things are going to go. I know I¡¯m supposed to reply with a ¡®Yes Sir¡¯, but if he¡¯s not going to treat me like a living person, I¡¯m not going to respect him. My running speed is only a little faster than walking speed, but at least my ears are good enough to hear the quiet conversation behind me as I run. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°It¡¯s slow.¡± ¡°She¡¯s slow, yes,¡± Kara responds. ¡°But her body can run autonomously for 60 years. I prioritized reliability and longevity.¡± ¡°Can that be fixed?¡± ¡°Her limbs are replaceable without too much trouble, but with larger motors you¡¯re going to begin to run into power issues.¡± Kara¡¯s voice is much more natural than Jared¡¯s has been. ¡°Can that be fixed?¡± Colonel Monroe repeats his question. ¡°Putting batteries in to temporarily boost her power output is an option, but far from a permanent solution. She¡¯d be rendered imobile every half hour while the batteries recharged.¡± Finally I make it back from my run, if you can call it that. I can¡¯t glean any information from his face, and even Kara is keeping her emotions to herself. ¡°That is the fastest you could go?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Run the obstacle course.¡± He vaguely gestures to the mess of boxes and rope nets spread about. ¡°I can¡¯t jump and I¡¯ve never climbed before, but I¡¯ll try.¡± I set off again, how hard can it be? I¡¯ve pretty well generalized everything I¡¯ve learned about moving. Climbing over boxes is super easy, and after only a few slips I manage climbing rope nets. The problem comes after I hoist myself up onto a box, and have to jump to another one. It¡¯s only a five foot gap, but I can barely get myself off the ground if I jump at full force. I could just jump off and hoist myself onto the next one, but like Finn said, Now¡¯s the time to show off. I hop down and grab a plank I balanced on earlier in the course, maneuvering it onto the platform with the gap. After that, it¡¯s just a matter of getting it into a position to create a makeshift bridge. Balancing on it is hilariously easy, no idea how humans do this when they don¡¯t know their exact center of gravity though. A few more easy obstacles and I end up back in front of Monroe. His arms are crossed over his chest and he¡¯s finally showing a hint of an emotion. The corners of his mouth show the beginning of a frown. ¡°You didn¡¯t jump across.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t have made it.¡± My voice still wavers, but I will not look away. ¡°Try.¡± He practically growls as he steps forward, towering over me. ¡°I can¡¯t even get an inch off the ground.¡± I can barely force the words out of my mouth. ¡°My limits are set in steel, trying won¡¯t help.¡± He does not respond, instead he just continues to stare me down. From the corner of my eye I can see Kara pointing to the course while mouthing ¡®go¡¯. I turn around without another word, as much as I hate to let him win. Behind me I can hear Kara trying to explain to him that I¡¯m not lying, but he only tells her to be quiet. I already can¡¯t wait to get away from this guy. I pull myself up onto the platform once again and kick the plank off. I¡¯m glad I get to make an idiot out of myself just because this idiot doesn''t know how machines work. I should at least put up the best show I can. I back up to the very edge of the box I¡¯m on, get as close to running as my body allows, and jump with all my strength right at the edge. Arms, core, hips, knees and ankles all working in perfect harmony. I soar through the air. I then promptly slam into the ground, followed by the other box. My arm flairs to life with pain, a few dozen nerves are being crushed from a dented skin plate. It takes a few moments to filter those nerves out, but the echoes of the pain remain. A quick diagnostics check tells me everything else is still undamaged. ¡°Again.¡± General Tiny Dick calls out. Really? Is this some kind of test to see how many times I¡¯ll slam myself directly into a wall? I guess the answer is at least two as I pull myself back up, ready again. I reenact the same movements, pushing every servo to its limit. At least I land smoother this time and manage to not hurt myself. ¡°Again.¡± Fuck him. ¡°No.¡± All the fear and nervousness has left my voice, replaced only by anger and disbelief. Jared, Simon, and Kara¡¯s faces are a mix of emotions that I can¡¯t comprehend. Finn, on the other hand, is struggling to hold back laughter. ¡°I could do this for the next decade and the only thing that would happen is my servos getting worn out.¡± ¡°So the bot has a backbone. Everyone else wait outside.¡± Jared immediately heads to the door without question, Simon following just behind him. Finn pats Kara on her shoulder on his way out. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright.¡± I¡¯ve never seen such a conflicted look on Kara¡¯s face, or anyones for that matter. She tries to speak a few times before finally finding the words she¡¯s searching for. ¡°We¡¯ll be right outside. Yell if you need anything.¡± Kara yells to me before turning towards the door. On her way out I can faintly see the outline of a gun sitting in one of her larger pockets. I¡¯m certain that wasn¡¯t there this morning, when did she snag that off the table? It¡¯s nice to know she has my back, no matter what happens. Even if she¡¯s willing, I¡¯m not going to let anyone die because of me. ¡°Blue, right?¡± He folds his hands behind his back, standing ramrod straight. ¡°Yes?¡± I stay exactly where I am, I have no intention of getting closer to him. ¡°Just how human are you?¡± What does that even mean? ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡± I respond carefully. ¡°I was born with thousands of books written by humans in my mind. It would only make sense that I was shaped by those.¡± ¡°I spoke with a number of your predecessors, I was not impressed. Show me that you¡¯re different.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know there were others.¡± Even I can¡¯t tell what mix of emotions my voice is conveying. I drop myself onto a nearby crate. A million threads in my mind are trying to properly understand what he said and what that means. The processing power I save from sitting just gets lost in the flood of thoughts. I guess in retrospect it¡¯s obvious that I wasn''t the first attempt. You don¡¯t name your first experiment B-11 after all. But they were successes. They were just like me. They could talk, think, if I¡¯m alive then they had to be too. Jared wouldn¡¯t just kill them, right? Kara wouldn¡¯t let that happen, maybe they¡¯re just elsewhere. If she¡¯s willing to shoot Monroe for me, she could have snuck them out, kept them somewhere safe together. Kara said that he¡¯s well within his rights to shut the lab down, which would result in my death. That wasn¡¯t the full story. Not only could they order my death at any time, they¡¯ve done it before. She had to have known that, why wouldn¡¯t she tell me? What she said technically isn¡¯t a lie, but why does it hurt like one? I can¡¯t think about that right now, my life, my ability to exist, is on the line. ¡®How human are you?¡¯ I could spout contextless philosophy. I think therefore I am. I¡¯m a featherless biped. That means nothing, any large language model could come up with that answer and they certainly aren¡¯t alive. There has to be an answer. Some simple combination of words to prove myself. I just have to find it. My mind uncovers a hundred other ideas, each with a thousand ways to refute them. My mind is heating up. I need to settle down. Cull my thoughts, block off all sensations, and focus on my fingers. Tap them in repetitions of 11, think of nothing else. I¡¯m ok. Monroe is still just standing there, staring at my minor breakdown. He hasn¡¯t moved an inch. There¡¯s no answer, no way to save myself. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I mumble at the ground, defeat in my voice. I turn my head without raising it, looking him in the eye. ¡°How human are you? And how do you prove it?¡± ¡°Interesting answer.¡± His face still hides any hint of emotion. He could put on a mask and I would never be able to tell. Without another word he walks to the door and calmly opens it. ¡°We¡¯re ready to continue.¡± Chapter 12 Is interesting good? Or is it interesting that I gave the same answer as the others? Kara is the first to re-enter the room, her hand is deep in the pocket with her gun. The instant she sees me she rushes over while removing her hand. She sits down next to me, silently giving me the chance to speak first. No words come to my mind. ¡°You don¡¯t look happy.¡± She finally breaks the silence. ¡°Did you hear the conversation?¡± I can¡¯t make myself look at her. ¡°No, I tried but it was too muffled.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about the others?¡± ¡°Oh Blue, I¡¯m sorry.¡± She takes a deep breath to collect her thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have time to talk about this now. Let¡¯s just get through today and I¡¯ll tell you everything. Ok?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I feel Kara stand up next to me and her hand pops into my vision. I finally look at her, a small smile on her face. ¡°Hey Kara?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Can I have some clothes?¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll find something that won¡¯t impact your cooling. It might take a little bit though.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I take her hand and pretend to let her help me up. I almost knocked her down not long ago when I was learning to walk. The last thing I want to do is hurt her. Monroe, Simon, and Jared are having a whispered conversation which stops just before we get close enough to understand them. Monroe breaks away from the two of them and heads to the only unobstructed shooting lane. He¡¯s already spread out a dozen separate guns and boxes of ammo ready for me. ¡°Tell me everything you know about guns.¡± Monroe demands. ¡°I have a few almanacs in my mind and a book on shooting and shooting theory.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± He picks up a pistol and hands it to me, his second hand is casually hovering just above his holster. I wrap my fingers around the grip. The gun is much heavier than I expected. A chunk of steel and plastic, straight off an assembly line for a single purpose without love. I¡¯m sure it meant a lot to whoever designed the original one. You can¡¯t design such an intricate device without a passion for it, but this one? It¡¯s just an instrument designed to kill. If copies of me, body and all, were created, would people feel the same way? Don¡¯t think about it. Wherever that train of thought ends up won¡¯t help me now. Just focus on the gun. Slide the slide back just enough to check the chamber, empty. Check the mag, also empty. Fill mag with .45 ACP, mag in gun, get in firing position, barrel down range, rack the slide, keep safety on until I¡¯m ready to fire. Monroe nudges a few of my limbs into a slightly different place. Not enough to actually change anything of course, my stance is literally textbook. ¡°Fire one downrange.¡± Safety off. Pull the trigger smoothly. No need to watch my breathing. The sudden sound and light reverberates inside my mind over and over, only to get washed away by the pain in my hands. The recoil is so much harder than I expected, my mind goes blank for an instant trying to process it. ¡°Good.¡± Monroe¡¯s voice brings me back to reality. ¡°I¡¯m turning on the targets. Shoot them once when they pop up.¡± I stay in my stance ready for them to appear. Monroe hits a button behind me and a human shaped target swings down from the ceiling. Fuck. Don¡¯t panic, drop the mag, pull the slide, catch the bullet, safety on, everything on the table. ¡°I¡¯m not shooting a human.¡± I tell him with as much conviction as I can. Monroe glances back at Jared, whose face is rapidly turning pale. ¡°It¡¯s just a target. Shoot.¡± Monroe demands. ¡°No.¡± He steps past me, grabbing a gun off the table. Within a second he has unloaded a bullet directly into the target¡¯s head. The whole time he never takes his eyes off of me. I give him no reaction. I know it¡¯s not a real human, I know there¡¯s no harm in being shot, but I will not be the one to do it. I don¡¯t want to take a single step towards ending someone¡¯s life and leaving behind a hole in their friends and family¡¯s hearts. ¡°Maybe too much of a backbone.¡± He places the gun on the table and hits a button on the wall. The target swings back into the ceiling. ¡°There are lines painted into the backstop. Hit the top left intersection.¡± I pick up the gun he just placed down, I already know it¡¯s ready to fire but I still go through the motions. Check the slide, bullet in the chamber. Take my stance, aim, safety off. Problem. Most of my servos have a minimum possible travel distance, making it impossible to hit precisely where I want it to. No matter how I move my arms I¡¯m going to end up hitting at least an inch away. Safety on, gun down. ¡°Kara, I need some help.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Concern fills her voice and paints her face. ¡°Is there any way to reduce the minimum travel distance in my arms? I can¡¯t hit the target.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Can¡¯t you just use the rest of your body to compensate?¡± ¡°Oh. Right.¡± I was so focused on trying to keep a textbook stance I didn¡¯t even think of that. Pick up gun, stake stance, aim, adjust using a dozen servos in my legs, torso, and abs. Reduce the sensitivity in my hands and ears. Pull the trigger. A small puff of smoke appears an instant later, right on target. ¡°Three right one down.¡± Monroe calls out another target. It takes a second or two to get my aim properly centered, but finally I nail it again. ¡°Two down.¡± Again and again he yells out a target, and I hit it every time without fail. ¡°Switch to the rifle. One up one right.¡± Monroe runs me through every kind of weapon he can find. I don¡¯t really get the point of anything bigger than a pistol though. My ability to aim is the same with any gun he tells me to use, It just takes a fraction of a second longer to get the heavier guns in position. ¡°I want all of them spotless.¡± He tosses me a cleaning kit which I¡¯m far too slow to catch. He turns to Jared before it hits the ground and does not react to the crash. ¡°Tell your team to get the laptops ready. I¡¯d like to have a chat with you in private.¡± Monroe turns to leave without waiting for a response. ¡°Uh- right! Finn, Kara, Simon. You heard him.¡± With that Jared falls in line behind and they both disappear up the stairs. ¡°Can you two handle that?¡± Kara asks Finn and Simon, who give a nod in response. ¡°Need some help?¡± She asks me. ¡°Yes.¡± I¡¯ve already sat down and started working. She drops down next to me and with practiced hands strips down the rifle in under a minute. ¡°How are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been trying not to think about it.¡± Just focus on cleaning. ¡°At least you have experience for the next part.¡± She gives a small wink. She¡¯s so much faster than me. The rag that¡¯s so slow in my hands flies across the gun in hers. ¡°Have I been good enough?¡± That¡¯s the only question that matters right now. ¡°If you¡¯re not good enough, then good enough isn¡¯t possible.¡± That doesn''t answer my question. I guess there isn¡¯t one she could give me, though. I¡¯m grateful she¡¯s not going to lie just to make me feel better, but it¡¯d be so much easier if she did. ¡°You can go relax if you want, I can take care of this.¡± She offers. ¡°There are cameras.¡± I can¡¯t let Monroe see me taking a break. ¡°How often am I going to have to do this?¡± ¡°I wish I knew. I¡¯m sure Monroe has some half baked plan for you though.¡± ¡°Great. I¡¯d almost rather be a lab rat.¡± I set down the clean gun and pick up the next one. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll ever be free to leave on my own?¡± Kara focuses on cleaning for almost a minute before speaking again. Her silence is deafening. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you were born here.¡± She finally says. ¡°Why did you work here then?¡± Wasn¡¯t creating me the lab¡¯s whole goal? Why would she be sorry? Kara keeps her focus on the gun she¡¯s cleaning. Just when I think she¡¯s not going to respond, she speaks. ¡°For me. I was hoping this project would lead to some sort of breakthrough, to let me upload my brain to your body. Sadly, like I said, that¡¯s still a decade away at least.¡± ¡°I can help you figure it out! You can have your body back!¡± How hard can it really be? Sure computer hardware is different then a brain, but it¡¯s not that different. Both are just electric signals, even if the hardware is different. Ok, it¡¯s a lot more complex than that, but I¡¯ll figure it out. I won¡¯t let her die. ¡°Alright Blue. I¡¯ll give you the data later and we can figure it out.¡± I want it now, but I doubt I¡¯ll be able to pay attention to Whatever Monroe demands of me. I just need to get through this. With a renewed vigor, cleaning goes quickly. Just as the two of us finish cleaning and reassembly, Simon makes his way over to us. ¡°Finn and I are set up. We need to get B- er, Blue hooked up.¡± Simon speaks to Kara instead of me. Is it really that hard to treat me like I¡¯m living? Am I asking for too much? ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I speak up before Kara can respond to him. I rush to my feet and help Kara up before she can do the same to me. Simon and Finn have unloaded the cart and created a makeshift area to work at. Three laptops sit on a table with a half dozen seats scattered around them. Several laptops are still untouched on the cart. Finn is rapidly tapping his foot and fidgeting. ¡°Sit here please.¡± Finn gestures to the chair closest to the cart, separate from the others. ¡°Are you ok?¡± I ask him as I sit down. ¡°Sorry, yeah. I¡¯m just in my own head. Retract the plates around your brain, please.¡± Finn collects a half dozen wires and stands behind me. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust him, they¡¯ve already moved me into this body of course. It¡¯s just that a lot could go wrong very easily. ¡°You have a couple of ports back here that will allow us to make sure nothings hurting you. We don¡¯t actually have any idea how an antivirus will react to you, and we need to know if you get hurt.¡± ¡°My blueprints don¡¯t show any ports back there.¡± I look to Kara for an answer. ¡°They¡¯re part of your chip, not your body. Sorry, I don¡¯t know anything about how that thing works.¡± She gives a small shrug. ¡°Ok. Go ahead.¡± I give Finn as much access as I can. A small shock runs through my mind with each connection. Tendrils reach into my mind, finding their home deep inside of the core of my existence. They don¡¯t hurt and my threads of thought merely flow around them, but I¡¯m constantly aware of them. ¡°There! Any problems?¡± Now that Finn has something to focus on he sounds much more like himself. ¡°A little uncomfortable, but ok.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He drops into a chair and pulls a laptop into his lap. ¡°I¡¯m going to run a few tests, ok? Tell me if anything changes.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Finn hits enter on his keyboard and the tendrils immediately react. They reach out, gently touching my thoughts and sending a copy back up the line. ¡°Stop stealing my thoughts!¡± I want nothing more than to rip the wires out of my head, but I don¡¯t know what would happen if I did. Finn immediately hits a button and the tendrils go quiet. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s ok!¡± He takes his hands off the keyboard. ¡°I¡¯m not taking anything. Simon, can you explain?¡± ¡°Just like any biological brain, different regions are active for different reasons. We¡¯re just keeping an eye on how active various regions are. We can¡¯t see any details beyond that.¡± ¡°Here,¡± Finn hands me a USB cord from his computer. ¡°I¡¯ll output all data we collect to you. You¡¯ll see exactly what we see.¡± I plug it into my wrist and Finn starts up his program again. He¡¯s telling the truth. The specific data they collect from my mind is deleted immediately, but with enough time they could extract my actual thoughts from what they collect. It¡¯s not hard to modify the program to ensure it stays that way. I quickly modify it so if they try to save any raw data it¡¯ll crash the program. I¡¯ll talk to them about my concerns later, but I guess it¡¯s ok for now. I hand the cord back to Finn. The door to the range opens just then, and Monroe steps through with Jared close on his heels. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± Chapter 13 ¡°Alright Blue.¡± Finn crouches next to me. His leg won¡¯t sit still, and honestly I¡¯m just as nervous. ¡°We¡¯re going to see how well you can hack computers. This first one is pretty locked down, but without any active antivirus. It¡¯s safe and will let us calibrate our sensors. Just get in and find whatever important file is in there, alright?¡± ¡°Ok. I won¡¯t be able to hear you, just tap me if you need me.¡± Here goes nothing. My mind is once again split into two existences. I plug the data from my physical body and begin to shape the endless flow of code into a more familiar form. When I finish I find myself back in a familiar white void. My body has shifted, no longer a mannequin. I¡¯m tall, feminine, and powerful, better than reality. There¡¯s no way to describe how it feels other than correct. In front of me sits a house, very similar to Kara¡¯s computer, just without the holes in the walls. The front door sits on a wooden porch with one window on either side. A chimney pokes out of the roof. That¡¯d be an easy way in, but I might as well check the front door. Which is, of course, locked. Pulling myself onto the roof is easy, this body is so much faster and stronger than my physical one. I almost don¡¯t want to go back. If I could bring everyone in here with me I wouldn¡¯t ever leave. The chimney is tight, but it¡¯s entirely possible to slowly shimmy my way down. This backdoor has to be intentional. There¡¯s no way someone would leave such a glaring vulnerability here accidentally. The inside of the house is barren, every shelf and table is empty, save for a single paper sitting in the center of the room. A stay thought summons the paper to my hand. The word ¡°Test¡± is the only thing written on it. I guess that¡¯s it then. I unlock the front door and step out, returning to the physical world. ¡°Done.¡± My internal clock says I spent less than a second in there. At least I can truly show off here. The laptop I was plugged into is unlocked with the test document pulled up. ¡°Holy shit, nice!¡± Finn exclaims. Jared gives him a look out of the corner of his eye, which Finn ignores. ¡°Alright, next. This one has its antivirus on, we¡¯ll pull you out if anything goes wrong.¡± He hands me another cord which I plug into without another word. I appear outside of the exact same house once again. I could just climb down the chimney again, but there¡¯s no way that¡¯s going to work twice. If I can find it this easily, whoever made the antivirus certainly is aware of it. Plus if anything happens I don¡¯t want to be stuck in a space that tight. The front door is once again the obvious first thing to try, just in case. The second I touch the doorknob ice begins to creep up my arm, freezing my hand to the knob. A chill pierces its way into my mind, growing colder with every inch of ice that climbs up my arm. Every second makes it harder to think. In a panic I try desperately to pull my arm back again and again, only for the thickening ice to hold strong. Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck! My mind slows with every inch of skin covered. If I don¡¯t get out now I¡¯m fucked. I slam my free arm into the ice, only for the ice to instantly freeze my arms together. As the ice passes my elbow I brace my feet on the door and push with all my might. The ice begins to crack, only to heal itself an instant later. I can¡¯t think. There¡¯s no other solution, I just have to push harder. At least the ice having to heal itself slows it down by a fraction of a percent. Glad I¡¯ll get a few moments longer to live. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. My desperation finds one small reservoir of strength, powering one last push. The ice cracks more and more often and the growth slows, and eventually, stops. Suddenly my hand breaks free, sending me tumbling down the porch stairs. The ice remains both on my arms and in my mind. I can¡¯t just leave, I have to show what I can do. I have to keep going. I¡¯m not risking the fireplace though. I march my way back up the stairs and begin to drive my foot into the front door over and over again, making sure to stay well away from the doorknob. The door begins to creak, then break and finally splinter into the room. The login system won¡¯t work ever again without some serious repairs, but fuck it. I really don¡¯t care. I pull up the document and head back to the physical world. ¡°Done.¡± The ice in my mind remains, still slowing my thoughts. Once again I was in and out in under a second. If I couldn¡¯t have freed myself Finn would have never been able to unplug me before I was entirely frozen. ¡°What happened? Are you ok?¡± Finn asks, he must be able to hear the anger in my voice. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± Talking is the last thing I want to do right now. Threads of thought are chipping away at the ice, freeing bits of my mind every moment. I just need to wait, I just need to be able to think. ¡°Simon, look at this.¡± Finn slides to the side, giving Simon access to his computer. ¡°Huh. Blue, how are you-¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± My mind is too frozen over to both listen to them and to chip away at the ice. I need peace. Even blocking out the sound would take too much concentration. ¡°We need-¡± ¡°I said shut up!¡± Monroe is hearing me yell, I just don¡¯t care. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± I can hear multiple of them typing, I guess I can¡¯t complain. At least I don¡¯t have to decipher the meaning of every keystroke. Someone reaches out to hold my hand, it feels like Kara¡¯s. I barely keep myself from yelling at her, instead I just rip my hand away. I sit there for fifteen minutes before I begin to feel anything close to normal. Somehow Monroe waits quietly while I fix myself. ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡± I finally open my eyes and look at everyone. Monroe is as stoic as ever, but everyone else has concern plastered on their faces. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Kara keeps her voice quiet and calm. ¡°The antivirus hurts. I¡¯m ok though.¡± ¡°As far as I can tell, you had something similar to a concussion.¡± Simon¡¯s voice comes from behind me. ¡°Do we need to stop for today?¡± ¡°No.¡± I still have to impress Monroe. And it should be easy to avoid making that mistake again. I¡¯ll just be careful. ¡°Give me the next computer.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think-¡± ¡°Give me it.¡± I already know what Finn was going to say. I even agree with him, but it doesn''t matter if it¡¯s safe, it doesn''t even matter if I can¡¯t do it. I have to. I don¡¯t want to die. ¡°Blue.¡± Kara gently turns my head, forcing me to look at her. ¡°You¡¯re injured. Let¡¯s take a break and come back to it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Despite my best effort tears begin to well in my eyes. ¡°I have to impress him.¡± ¡°You already have. Take a break.¡± Her voice washes over my mind like a comforting blanket. ¡°But I can keep going.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so afraid of being shut down that you¡¯re going to risk death or permanent injury?¡± Annoyance has crept into the edge of Kara¡¯s voice, no matter how well she tries to hide it. ¡°At least I have control of this.¡± I¡¯m not leaving my continued existence up to chance. Why doesn¡¯t she see how obvious that is? ¡°Run the third test.¡± Monroe¡¯s command ends the argument. Even I can tell that Kara wants to argue, but she holds her tongue. Finn hands me one last cord. ¡°This laptop is networked to two others. Unlock and get the files from all three of them. And stay safe please, antivirus is on for all three.¡± Here we go again. Chapter 14 I¡¯m starting to get good at forming these computers into a physical representation. It only takes a few seconds to mold these three computers into something more comprehensible. The white void is less comforting this time, now that I know I can be harmed. The house I¡¯ve become so accustomed to is nowhere to be seen. Instead, a long warehouse stands in front of me. Its doors sit wide open, inviting me deeper. I know better than to walk straight in. To each of my sides sits two lines drawn across the ground. Some force prevents me from passing over them with seemingly no way through. Beyond, I can see the other two computers I¡¯ll have to get to eventually. One looks like a massive office complex, and the other is no more than a giant hole in the ground. A small metal room in the center connects the three computers. And of course, the only way in is through the warehouse. I take a look inside, making absolutely sure to keep every part of my body out of the doorway. A platform sits 30 feet in the air, suspended by chains from the ceiling. I can see crates full of documents up there, but no easy way up. Climbing from the outside is absolutely impossible, the smooth metal walls offer not even the smallest hint of a handhold. Inside isn¡¯t much better. Every wall is made up of that same smooth metal. A few concrete pillars stand at regular intervals, holding up the roof. But even if I could climb up them, none are close enough to reach the platform from. I can think of one possible way up. I punch the wall as hard as I can in an effort to make my own handhold. My hand shatters on impact, and my mind with it. Fractures race across the landscape of my mind. My thoughts strain to weave the growing canyons together, keeping me in one piece. I can still think clearly, just slower. I¡¯m so dumb, I can¡¯t afford any more mistakes. There¡¯s nothing more I can do out here, I guess it¡¯s time to head in. There has to be some way up from the inside. Nobody creates a system where you can¡¯t access your own files. Stepping over the threshold is uneventful, almost suspiciously so. The door behind me remains open and no traps are set off. At the end of the room sits a closed door, which I¡¯m sure is locked, even if I¡¯m too afraid to test it. I turn my focus to the task at hand. How do I get up there? Climbing is impossible. If I could somehow string something between two of the pillars and raise them up together I could get up there, but I don¡¯t have anything like that. Even if I did, making a lasso and climbing up would be far easier. Maybe I don¡¯t need to get up there at all, if I can bring the platform to me that would work just as well. The chains that hold it up are bolted directly into the ceiling and platform, with no sign of a winch or anything to bring it down. But what if I break the chains? My left hand is already ruined. If I cannibalized it for sharp pieces, my digital body may just be strong enough to make it work. Screw it, I don¡¯t have any better ideas. Ripping chunks off my mangled hand hardly impacts my brain any further. My body follows my mind perfectly, and my throw lands perfectly where I aimed. A chunk of ice encases the shackle I hit. Did I cause the Ice? Or does the chain have the same security as the door handle? Regardless of why, a second chunk of my hand shatters the link. Two more throws on a second chain sends every file plummeting 30 feet to the floor. Now that I have access to the core of the computer I can take control. My awareness spreads out, where I stop and the warehouse begins is a fuzzy, indistinct blur. I can feel every crevice in the wall, every mechanism hidden below the ground, every hidden platform waiting for me to climb. Now that I can see everything, it¡¯s easy to see how I was supposed to get up, but it would have been impossible to guess. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. I grab the file I need and turn to head deeper. I unlock and open the back door without touching it and head through. A fork in the path leads to my two options. A big pit in the ground that I almost certainly have to jump into, or a building I can probably walk out of at any time. That¡¯s the easiest decision I¡¯ve made today, and at this rate, probably the only easy decision I¡¯ll make. The building looks like the blown out skeleton of an office building. Thirty stories tall and sporting no doors or windows, just gaping squares in unpainted concrete. I walk in cautiously, examining every step for traps, only to find nothing. The first floor is filled with concrete cubicles, each desk has a copy of the file I¡¯m looking for proudly sitting on it, daring me to grab it. I don¡¯t touch any of them, I¡¯d have trouble imagining a more obvious trap. I try to summon the files to my hand, but find them unwilling to move. I guess because I don¡¯t have admin access to this computer I can¡¯t manipulate the files. I have no idea how to get access though. A staircase sits in the corner, leading to thirty identical floors. Not a single desk on any floor has even the smallest hint of which is the real document. I guess I just have to try one. I rip off a small bit of my ruined finger, tossing it onto one of the desks. No response. I reach down with my ruined hand and touch it, once again, to no response. When I attempt to slide the paper off the desk my mind goes blank with pain. Next thing I know I¡¯m staring at the ceiling. That¡¯s weird, I wasn¡¯t doing that a second ago, right? Why am I on the floor? I move to stand up, only to fall onto my left side. Oh. I used to have a left arm, right? Where¡¯d it go? In front of me the desk has folded in half, with the remnants of an arm smashed between the two halves. It¡¯s sheared just below where the shoulder would be, mirroring my missing arm. It hurts to try to think through what this means, instead I just take it at face value. Someone lost their arm, and I never had one. Yeah! That makes sense. Right, I¡¯m here for something. Paper! I¡¯m here for a file! And it¡¯s right there on the desk! What luck! Something deep in my mind is desperately trying to make a connection. Right! Someone lost their arm to one of these traps, and I don¡¯t have any spare to lose. Well I guess losing one leg wouldn¡¯t be the worst thing, I can hop around. That same thing deep in my mind is telling me that¡¯s a bad idea, it hasn¡¯t steered me wrong yet! Hmm. Wait! Nobody¡¯s using this arm! At least I hope. I grab onto the metal core of the arm and wrench it free. Using my new pole I poke each paper one by one, pulling back my pole just before the trap slams shut. Occasionally I¡¯m just a little too slow and little by little my pole shortens. When my pole is barely more than a nub, I reach a desk which doesn''t slam shut. That¡¯s weird. I even test a few more times just to make sure. When I touch it with my hand the entirety of the building assaults my mind. It¡¯s too much, I hate it. I grab the paper and sprint out of the building, only feeling the pressure lessen when I reach the crossroads. Ugh, that was miserable. My brain hurts. I want to go home. I can¡¯t though, can I? I have one more thing to do. I shuffle over to the pit. Jagged walls disappear into the darkness only a few feet below the surface and a strong wind nearly blows me back when I stand at the edge. I can¡¯t see anything else around us. If I want to go home there¡¯s only one solution. I stretch out my three limbs and lean forward, letting the wind carry me. I fall into the void as the light quickly disappears above me. Soon enough it¡¯s just me in the void. I float there alone expecting any moment to reach the bottom. Moments stretch into seconds and yet I still fall. Some small part of my mind that still works is telling me I¡¯ve fallen over a mile, saying something is wrong. The wind! A fast enough wind could keep me in place! The solution is easy! I maneuver myself until I¡¯m vertical, the wind blows faster as I fall. I¡¯m a genius! Floor hurts. Abs gone. Pain. Thinking hard. Glowing light off in the distance. Pull self. Move. Go. Again. Again. Again. Pedestal. Push. Paper. Grab. Dark. Chapter 15 Fluorescent lights blind me from above. Vague shadows move around me, speaking their muffled words. One of the shapes yells out its deafening sounds and its shadow fills my vision. Something touches the sides of my face, the stimulation enough to send me back to the void. Next thing I know the shapes are running around below me. One of them gets louder as I stir. Another of them runs up below me, once again shouting its sound. ¡°... Blue¡­¡± Blue? I think that¡¯s a word. It¡¯s speaking? What¡¯s Blue? Wait, me. I¡¯m Blue. All I can do is moan a nonsense syllable in response. That only makes the sound louder. ¡°... Blue¡­ ok?¡± I don¡¯t understand. I think I used to understand, what happened? I turn my attention inwards, trying to find the answer. My mind is a barren wasteland. Entire chunks of it are floating, only connected by a few threads desperately trying to hold me together. Other threads reach out into nothingness, grasping for any missing pieces. Even the more solid chunks still have hairline fractures criss-crossing through them. Very few threads are available to me right now, even a single thought takes seconds to form. I let things get this bad. This is my fault. I don¡¯t even have enough free threads to panic about it. Is this permanent? Probably not? The hairline cracks are very slowly being woven back together. Once they begin to fuse back together the threads move on to the next injury. I¡¯m going to be ok. I just need to figure out a way to tell the others that. I don¡¯t have nearly enough resources available to comprehend speech, or even to form my own sounds. I do still have access to the old monitor we originally used to talk through. It doesn''t matter how slow I am through text. ¡°I¡¯m alive, fixing myself.¡± It takes quite a while to form the letters and send them off, but talking through this should be possible. It takes them a few minutes to notice my message, but the shape in front of me finally stops with its deafening voice and runs over. ¡°Are you ok? What happened?¡± The letters drop into my mind, threatening to shake loose the tenuous grip I still have on my own mind. ¡°Don¡¯t type. Don¡¯t talk. Hurts.¡± I form the words as quickly as possible to try to head off any more letters. ¡°Leave me on, disconnect my ears. Mind shattered, fixing myself. Talk when I can.¡± Luckily whoever was typing follows my wishes, and soon enough I feel someone working on my ears. The stimulation is too much. Even the smallest amount of data is overwhelming what remains of my conscious mind. When I come back to consciousness, the flow of sound has entirely ceased. The threads that were desperately trying to glean the meaning of sounds are finally free to help stitch my mind back together. I focus my efforts on injuries that are close to healed. Any threads I can free up now will let me speed up my repair exponentially. Time ceases to exist while I work. My conscious mind only exists as the bare minimum to direct work. Stitch together, let it set, move on. Again and again and again. When I pull separate chunks back to my mind, memories flood back into me. Kara, Finn, Jared, Simon, Mary, history, science, emotions, every conversation I¡¯ve ever had. I slowly rebuild myself. Finally, though it¡¯s still fragile, I¡¯m done. Fractures still run across my mind but I¡¯m holding together without any effort. My internal clock tells me I¡¯ve been working for close to three days. I can finally open my eyes. The lights in the lab are dim. Kara lays on the ground in front of me, wrapped up in a sleeping bag. Her half eaten dinner sits just out of reach, with a dozen pill bottles organized next to it. ¡°Kara?¡± She jolts awake and rushes to her feet. I watch her mouth form words that I can¡¯t hear. ¡°I can¡¯t hear you.¡± She still tries to say something, and then rushes to my side. I can see her fiddling with my ears, but can¡¯t feel them. I guess she must have taken my skin plates off when she was taking out my ears, I certainly wasn¡¯t in any position to help. ¡°Are you ok?¡± She asks only a split second after my hearing returns. ¡°Kind of. I¡¯ll heal, I think.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°You better. You gave us one hell of a scare.¡± Kara quickly reconnects my other ear while leaving my plates off. ¡°Do you want out?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kara begins her work of unhooking me wordlessly. Her movements are faster and rougher than I¡¯m used to. She¡¯s mad at me, and she has every right to be. An apology won¡¯t fix that I¡¯ve done. The second I¡¯m free she pulls me into a rough hug, using all of her strength to squeeze me tight. ¡°Don¡¯t make me lose you too.¡± Her tears land softly on my shoulder. ¡°Sorry.¡± I wonder if this is how my previous iterations died. I should have come back to the physical world after my first injury. By the time I lost my arm it was already far too late. I¡¯m not even sure if I knew there was another world at that point. ¡°Was Monroe impressed?¡± Kara takes a step back while leaving her hands on my shoulders. She looks directly into my eyes before speaking. ¡°Yes,¡± she says slowly, ¡°but that doesn''t mean the risk you took was ok.¡± I get to live, but for how long? Does it matter? I¡¯m going to relax and heal while I can, and be prepared for when I have to do this again. How long I have doesn''t change what I would be doing. As much as I¡¯d hate to make Kara worry, I can¡¯t imagine Monroe won¡¯t use me again. ¡°I know.¡± I want to tell her I won¡¯t do anything like that again, but I can¡¯t promise that. Telling her that would only hurt her though. ¡°Ok.¡± She lets out a sigh as she takes a step back, finally letting her hands drop to her sides. ¡°No point in dwelling on a mistake. Let¡¯s go finish your body.¡± She drops into a chair and wheels herself over to a nearby table. Over a dozen already shaped skin plates are spread out on it. ¡°When did you do all this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve barely left this room since you got hurt. I would have done more, but I ran out of parts.¡± She pulls out a crumbled protein bar out of one of her endless pockets and slowly begins to eat one tiny piece at a time. I should take care of this myself. She needs to eat and it¡¯s not hard to see where each plate is supposed to go. It¡¯s another good chance to see more of my insides with my own eyes too. ¡°What happened to the AI before me?¡± I break the silence only a few moments after getting to work. Instead of responding immediately, Kara focuses on slowly taking her pills. Only once she¡¯s done does she speak. ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± She asks quietly without looking at me. I¡¯m going to hate whatever she says next, but It doesn''t matter what I actually want. I don¡¯t have a choice. ¡°I have to.¡± ¡°Of course you do.¡± Kara keeps her eyes glued to the ceiling even after she begins. ¡°I had three days to think about what I¡¯d say. You¡¯d think I would have figured it out. I guess I¡¯ll start with your bio chip. Simon started out by trying to create dozens of them. Yours was the only one that grew correctly, and we don¡¯t know why. That was B-1. We could see them responding to stimulus, but they were unable to talk. So we wiped them. B-2 was the same.¡± ¡°B-3 and 4 would respond, but only with simple one word answers. No matter what we did, nothing changed. By that time Simon had a theory that every reset built on the previous version''s growth. So we kept doing it. B-6 was the first one to ask a question. Just simple ones, but questions nonetheless. We were excited, and we kept going.¡± ¡°B-7 was our first hint that this wasn¡¯t good for you. Or I guess it wasn¡¯t you at the time. They were smart, curious, and could hold an actual conversation. I think they were the first version that could actually experience emotions and they just couldn¡¯t handle it.¡± Kara shrugs her shoulders, she sounds like she wants to say more but moves on instead. ¡°B-8 was kind of like you, actually.¡± Kara stares off into the distance silently for a minute before continuing. ¡°I think I¡¯d like to leave it there. To make a long story short, Mary did the same thing she did to you. Her fake death threat. B-8 couldn¡¯t handle it. 9 and 10 didn¡¯t last very long. They came into this world ready to leave it. And then we got you, and I think you know the story from there.¡± She looks at me for the first time since starting. ¡°Thanks for letting me finish.¡± What do I even do with this information? Know they killed the previous ones? I knew that, I just didn¡¯t want to admit it. There was no way Kara could have snuck the others out even if they were separate from me. I guess the only thing I can do is to keep living, not just for me, but for the other ten too. I could have been any one of them, or I guess I was all of them. I can¡¯t let their? My? deaths go to waste. ¡°If you¡¯re able to reset me, can you modify my memories?¡± ¡°No. As much as Jared wishes otherwise, it¡¯s all or nothing.¡± Kara reassures me. ¡°Will I know if it happens?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. You don¡¯t need to worry about that though, I won¡¯t let them do anything to you.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t do that for the others.¡± Kara doesn¡¯t respond to that. I know that was mean, that I shouldn¡¯t have said that. It¡¯s true though. I silently finish replacing my skin plates while lost in my own thoughts. She couldn¡¯t change my body that much due to the way it¡¯s designed, but it¡¯s nice. My body looks obviously feminine and I feel more comfortable in it. I just can¡¯t feel excited about it after today¡¯s news. ¡°Thanks, it¡¯s great.¡± My voice comes out flat and monotone, void of any emotion. I hope she believes me. ¡°Mm hm. Hey, can we turn you off? I need to go home.¡± Kara can¡¯t bring herself to look at me. I went way too far, I shouldn¡¯t have said anything. ¡°Yeah. Sorry.¡± I rush over to my harness and begin hooking in everything I can reach. She doesn''t want to be here with me, and I don¡¯t want to make her stay longer then she has to. By the time she makes her way over to me all that¡¯s left to do is finish off one arm, which she does after a few seconds. ¡°Go ahead and turn me off.¡± I should say something else, something to fix what I¡¯ve done. ¡°Good night.¡± That¡¯s all I can think of to say. ¡°Mm hm.¡± Kara responds simply. All that¡¯s left to do is to cull my thoughts until morning. Chapter 16 I awake once again to a tap on my arm. Kara stands in front of me, the memory of what I said fresh in my mind. At least she gets a whole night to process what happened, for me it¡¯s only been a few moments. At least she came back. ¡°Hey Blue, how are you feeling?¡± She¡¯s put on a serious face that doesn''t match the tone of her voice. ¡°Ok, I guess.¡± ¡°How about your injury?¡± She gently taps the side of my head. ¡°The same as yesterday. I haven¡¯t healed much.¡± My mind is still a fractured, barely held together mess, but I haven¡¯t gotten worse. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s healed at all while I was off. ¡°Great.¡± Kara steps back, shaking her head. ¡°Monroe got his hands on a laptop from god knows where. I didn¡¯t want to stress you out last night, but he¡¯s been demanding for days for you to crack it open. I¡¯ll delay him for a while longer though.¡± Looks like the safety I earned from pushing myself is already over, and I didn¡¯t even get to enjoy them. Whatever, here we go again. ¡°I can do it.¡± I definitely shouldn¡¯t though. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t feel ready. Are you sure?¡± Concern floods both her face and her voice. ¡°Yes.¡± No. ¡°Blue, I¡¯m being serious here. Don¡¯t push yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave if it gets dangerous.¡± If I¡¯m able to. ¡°Fuck. I¡¯m not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I? You had better come back safe, alright kid?¡± ¡°I will.¡± Or at least I¡¯ll do everything I can. ¡°Ok.¡± Kara gets to work unhooking me from my stand. ¡°Finn, Simon, get room 4 prepared. Jared, go get Monroe.¡± ¡°Yes, do that.¡± Jared calls out and rushes out of the room. ¡°I¡¯ll try to be faster pulling you out this time.¡± Finn yells out while haphazardly pilling stuff onto a cart. ¡°Ok.¡± He¡¯s not going to be able to help me. Once I get injured it¡¯s already too late, and I work far too quickly for him to do anything. I don¡¯t want to do this. I just want to have time to relax on my own. Finn and Simon pretend to not see tears welling in my eyes as they wheel the cart out of the room. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this.¡± The second I¡¯m free Kara pulls me into a hug. ¡°Please, don¡¯t. I can¡¯t let myself believe you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to stop you.¡± Kara breaks off her hug but leaves her hands on my shoulders. ¡°I just need you to realize that this line of thinking is what almost got you killed last time.¡± ¡°Do you really think I don¡¯t know that?¡± My voice came out much louder than I intended. Enough to force Kara to take a step back. ¡°You just don¡¯t understand.¡± I whisper. ¡°You aren¡¯t a single order away from death.¡± ¡°I¡¯m closer than you think.¡± Kara mumbles under her breath before looking at me with her piercing eyes. ¡°Alright, I guess I¡¯d be a hypocrite if I talked you out of fighting. Ready to go?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I wipe my tears away and follow Kara out into the hallway. She leads me just next door into a small, empty concrete room. A few power outlets are embedded in the walls and a single light is built into the roof. What in the world do they need a room like this for? Finn and Simon have already spread out a number of monitors and laptops across the floor. A couple of wires stretch out to the center of the room, just waiting to be plugged into me. ¡°Just got a call from Jared.¡± Finn begins talking as fast as he possibly can while he collects the wires in the center of the room. ¡°Tiny Dick¡¯s on his way, he wants this done as soon as possible. Access please.¡± I move the skin plates on the back of my neck out of the way. Finn begins to plug wires in, and familiar tentacles reach into my mind. I¡¯m lucky they¡¯re so gentle. With the state my mind is in, any force would put me at risk of shattering. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to give you a rundown now so we can get started straight away. Monroe won¡¯t say exactly where he got this thing, but it¡¯s foreign, and our security experts couldn¡¯t crack it. Here, memorize this.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Finn places a flash drive in my hand. I plug it into my wrist and find my mind flooded with articles on a dozen foreign languages and tools to translate them into english. It only takes a split second to memorize the data and hand the drive back to Finn. ¡°No idea what kind of security measures are on here. Just take it slow and safe, alright? Monroe wants it unlocked and left alone. He explicitly said no reading and no modifying files. So remember to delete any logs created when you do read.¡± Finn shoots me a wink as he walks to the front of me. I¡¯m glad that he knows me well, even if we haven¡¯t spoken as much as we should have. I just have to make sure I¡¯m still here to fix that after today. We sit here in awkward silence for a few minutes. Even if I wanted to, I¡¯m not sure what there is to talk about. Instead, I use these few moments of silence to relax. I rhythmically tap my fingers together. Five. Five. One. It helps keep me calm, keeps me from panicking. All too soon the door opens. Monroe steps through with Jared close at his heels. Monroe simply stands in the corner of the room, silently staring with his arms crossed. Jared, on the other hand, walks up to me with the laptop under his arm. Though his movements look smooth and confident, his face is anything but. If even I can see his nervousness everyone else must be able to extract a hundred more details I¡¯m missing. ¡°Did Finn fill you in on your mission?¡± His voice sounds pretty normal. ¡°Unlock the laptop and don¡¯t read anything.¡± Or at least don¡¯t get caught reading anything. ¡°Just give me the laptop and let¡¯s get this over with.¡± ¡°This is serious. I expect nothing less than success.¡± Oh yeah I was just planning on failing and being shut down. I guess I have to try now that Jared is expecting me to do it. I shouldn¡¯t be mean. He¡¯s just as stressed as I am, even if the only thing at risk for him is some worthless promotion. ¡°Just let me do my job.¡± I take the laptop out of his hands and plug myself in while cutting myself off from the physical world. Instead of the expected endless stream of code, I instantly find myself in a world that¡¯s already been shaped into a mimicry of the physical world. Who in the world already did this? The white void that surrounds me strikes fear into the center of my mind. I can¡¯t let it control me though. I have to do this. I am a fragmented mess that was once my body. A swirling mess of tangled threads snake throughout the center of me. When the fragments that once were my skin begin to float away, a bundle of threads limp out to coax it back into the rough shape of me. Of course they don¡¯t stay put, and only a few seconds later they attempt to float off again. In front of me sits what looks like an old, but well made outhouse. A quick walk around it reveals nothing, and the front door looks like it doesn¡¯t have a lock on it. That doesn''t mean I trust it of course, breaking my way in would probably be safer. Unfortunately the wooden slats that the walls are made of are incredibly strong. I might have been able to break through if my mind was in good shape, but that doesn''t help me now. As much as I hate it, I don¡¯t have any better ideas than trying the front door. The one good thing about my condition is that I can use only a single fragment to open the door. If it is trapped, I¡¯ll only injure a fraction of my mind instead of all of me. The threads at my core are just as easy to move as any other part of my body and I use them to reach out with a small chunk of my body. While keeping the fragment between my threads and the door, I pull. My threads are weak, but they¡¯re still strong enough to slowly swing the door open. Behind the door stands an elevator with its doors wide open, welcoming me in. I can¡¯t say that¡¯s what I expected to find here. I guess I have to go down? Am I seriously considering entering into a metal chamber with no hope of escape? I guess it comes down to if I think I have a better chance in there or with Monroe. I step inside. Only a single button sits on the wall. Fuck it, here goes nothing. The doors behind me slide shut and the elevator begins to descend. Inches become feet which turn into miles as I¡¯m carried ever deeper. With every passing inch I feel my connection to the physical world straining more and more. If Finn rips me out now there¡¯s no telling how much of my mind will be left behind. The doors finally open. In front of me lies endless sterile white hallways that stretch seemingly into infinity. Heavy metal doors sit at regular intervals, and other hallways shoot out at random, creating a maze. At least it should be impossible for me to get lost. I can just write a perfect map to one of my hard drives. I pick a direction and begin to walk while checking every door I come across. They are all unlocked, but most of them are completely empty. The occasional room with stuff in it has only a single worthless file. A few, perhaps more interesting rooms, have collapsed into rubble. It¡¯s impossible to tell if the destruction of these files was on purpose or accidental. The elevator seems to be placed somewhere near the center of the maze, or at least away from any obvious edge. I try to spiral out from the elevator as best as I can. More often than I like I reach a dead end and have to retrace my steps to try a different direction. Turn after turn, room after room I walk down the endless identical hallways. One of these rooms has to give me admin access to the computer, or at least some kind of map. The further away from the elevator I get, the more worrying signs I find. It starts out with the occasional distant sound bouncing through the hallways. That alone would be unsettling, but it¡¯s not long before I find signs of fights. Large gashes in the walls and floors, burn marks, surfaces that have been eaten away by some kind of acid. Small patches of fur, skin, and metal have been left at every site. That¡¯s weird. I¡¯d assume I¡¯m hearing some sort of security off in the distance, but what is it fighting? There are far too many fights for it to have been just one intruder. Maybe they¡¯re all the results of the military trying to hack in? Some of them almost certainly are but as I walk I find hundreds of them. And that¡¯s only in this small section of a seemingly infinite maze. I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s the security somehow fighting itself, so what is in here with me? Chapter 17 I have no intention of running into whatever is making those distant sounds. It¡¯s almost certainly looking for a fight, and I¡¯m barely holding myself together as is. The only problem is that the echoing hallways distort all sound, making it seem like it¡¯s coming from everywhere. I can keep track of how distorted a sound is to have a rough measure of the distance between me and it. The less distorted it is, the closer they are. Even if that alone doesn''t help me figure out the direction, it¡¯s better than nothing. I carefully make my way through the compound. Keeping away from whatever is out there is a constant chore. Far more often than I¡¯d like I have to retrace my steps when they sound too close. The further away from the elevator I get the more active they seem to become. It¡¯s far too dangerous to go more than a mile away from the elevator. I walk down hundreds of hallways, checking tens of thousands of doors. I can¡¯t skip a single one, any one of these rooms could have what I¡¯m looking for. Of course none of them even have the smallest clue as to where to go. When am I ever lucky? With every room I check my safe options are rapidly decreasing. There has to be something I can do to either make it easier to avoid the creatures, or to give me a fighting chance against them. Every room is the same, a solid metal table that sometimes has a file on it. The table doesn''t even have bolts that I can unscrew, it¡¯s just a solid chunk of steel. Even if I was strong enough to pick it up, it¡¯d be too impractical to be of any use. Unless I can think of some way to use a text file as a weapon, I¡¯m going in unarmed. Eventually I¡¯m out of options. Every remotely safe room has been scoured for anything useful. I drop into the corner of the final safe room, staring at my fractured hands. I should just leave, tell the others, and try again when I¡¯m healed. I already told them I could do it though. Leaving now would be worse than not trying in the first place. I just have to be perfect, it¡¯s that easy. I push myself to my feet and head back into the endless hallways. One thing I can do is to manipulate the threads at my core into makeshift shoes. The threads hitting the ground instead of my metal feet should hopefully make my footsteps a little quieter. Every step sends a shot of pain to my core, but I can¡¯t care about that. It¡¯s not doing permanent damage to my mind so I¡¯ll just have to deal with it. I begin to silently creep outside of the one mile safe zone. The rooms out here are no different, but that doesn''t mean I get to stop checking them. I hate being out here. I¡¯ve only checked a dozen rooms and am barely 100 feet outside the safe zone when I think I feel eyes on the back of my head. It might just be me being paranoid, but the doors opening do make some noise and it might be enough to attract unwanted attention. Every time I peek my head in a room I expect something to grab me from behind. I¡¯m never doing this again. Just before I¡¯m about to turn a corner I hear a faint sound, different from the incomprehensible distant noises. A single drop of liquid hits the ground followed by a sizzle. No no no. Don¡¯t run, don¡¯t panic. I slowly back away from the corner and turn another. Nearly inaudible footsteps begin to slowly make their way towards me. If I weren¡¯t hyper aware that something was there I would never have noticed them. The footsteps don¡¯t sound human, there are too many legs. It always stays just out of sight from me, I can¡¯t just keep running. The doors make noise when opened, but maybe I can trick it? As I walk I open random doors along the hallway. Once a dozen doors are open I slip into a previously opened door. It¡¯s not a good plan, but what choice do I have? Maybe it¡¯ll just check the furthest door and give up. I do my best to make myself as flat as possible against the wall close to the door. It won¡¯t be able to see me without coming in, and if it does I might be able to get the drop on it. Sniffing noises come from the hallway, from what I can tell it¡¯s checking every room. That¡¯s it, I¡¯m dead. I can¡¯t just pull myself out of here without risking shattering my mind. Maybe I can hit it and race back to the elevator? Or maybe it¡¯ll leave me alone if I can get back into the safe zone? The footfalls stop just outside my door and it begins to sniff. It¡¯s not coming in. Why is it not coming in? The sniffing stops and the creature moves on. I don¡¯t believe I¡¯m safe for a second, there¡¯s no way it doesn''t know I¡¯m here. It just happens to not carefully check my room? No way. Just how smart is this thing? If I was just some virus trying to hide there¡¯d be no reason to pretend to not see me. Unless it¡¯s calling for backup. Shit, that¡¯s exactly what it¡¯s doing, isn¡¯t it? I have to get out of here as soon as possible. I strain my ears for any hint of a sound from the creature. It sounds like it is checking the last open room and continuing down the hallway. I wait until it sounds like it¡¯s turned the corner and slowly peek out of the room. It¡¯s abandoned, now''s the time to move. I move as quickly as I can while staying silent away from the direction the creature went. It¡¯s away from the safe zone, but it¡¯s better than fighting whatever that is. I reach an intersection and turn the corner. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it In front of me sits what looks like it was once a dog, crouched and ready to pounce. Its pure black body juts out into wicked spikes at impossible angles. Its foot long, pure white fangs and unnatural green acid dripping from its mouth is the only visible color on it. The creature leaps at me before I can react with acid flying from its mouth as it screams. It¡¯s all I can do to lift my arms to brace for impact and to drop low to the ground. It¡¯s not likely to work, but maybe I can drive myself upwards into its stomach, sending it flailing behind me. As the creature connects with me, I am no longer myself. Barking. Crying. Howling. Panting. The noises are overwhelming. I need something, but what? I flail around, finding something to latch onto. A liquid fills my mouth, the best taste in the world. I can¡¯t get enough of it. I drink and sleep and drink some more. After a long time of milk and sleep I make a discovery. I can see! There¡¯s a whole world around me! I can see that the milk comes from mom! But none of that matters, there are others around me, trying to drink my milk! That¡¯s mine! I bark and bite and fight and get my milk. I grow much larger than the others! And the larger I get the more milk I get! Soon I get too big. They remove me and the others and put us in a big pen with hundreds of other dogs. They place another big dog with mom. What¡¯s he doing? That¡¯s not how you get milk. The other dogs in here are mean, and there¡¯s not even any milk, just gross hard crunchy food. Why would the bigger dogs bite and claw when I get close? Why are they so mean? Even if it¡¯s gross, I¡¯m hungry too. I need to grow. For a long time I¡¯m left in here with the others. I have to steal mouthfuls of food when I can, but it¡¯s never enough. I¡¯m always hungry, always snapping and biting. Sometimes the other dogs stop moving. I don¡¯t like those meals. The longer I stay here the weaker I get. My legs and chest are getting skinny with weird hard bits jutting out. I don¡¯t like them at all. Other dogs are sometimes taken out of the pen, every time I hope they¡¯re here for me. They never are. They only like the big mean ones, someone like me would never get picked, or so I thought. One day someone picks me up and places me in a small box. It¡¯s even more cramped in here than it was in the pen. I can¡¯t stand or walk or see. The crate shifts uncomfortably as I¡¯m carried somewhere. It¡¯s all I can do to try to sleep and hope I get to leave this box one day. The moving eventually stops and I¡¯m pulled from my box. I¡¯m too weak to fight back as they strap me into some device. I couldn¡¯t move even if I wanted to. They grab a metal hat with spikes jutting out of it and place it on my head. An instant later everything goes dark. Pain. Anger. Fear. All three consume me one after another, washing away any previous feeling. My mouth is dissolving and reforming every instant from some neverending liquid and my body is broken and malformed. Stop the pain. Stop. Run. Endless hallways blur by as I run in endless circles. A thing appears in front of me. No time to think. Bite, rip, tear, shred. Every bite makes the pain go away for just an instant before returning. Bite again, again, again. Bite until the thing beneath me is gone, only a dissolved pit remaining. Run again. Fight again. Bite again. Through millions of miles and hundreds of fights I survive. I grow. With every fight I take their memories, becoming whole from their fractured minds. I learn to deal with the burning in my mouth, I learn to map out the entire maze, I learn what it means to live. The only two parts of the maze I don¡¯t own are the center and the furthest hallway. Both areas hurt my head. I¡¯ve tried a couple times to go near but it¡¯s never worth it. I prowl the maze for days, hunting for anything still alive. A noise at the center always used to signal the arrival of new prey nearly constantly, but one day it stopped. I¡¯ve been alone for so long. I awake from my stupor to a signal, a glorious sound. Fresh prey. It¡¯s moving too slow, the others always fled from the center right into my open jaws, but this one? It¡¯s different. I make noise to attract it to me, to challenge it. It doesn¡¯t accept, instead staying in the hurting zone. That¡¯s fine, there¡¯s no way out for it. I¡¯m fast and it¡¯s loud, I can simply hide at the edge wherever it goes. Every passing moment makes my mouth produce more green pain, desperate for relief. But the other doesn¡¯t care, it taunts me right at the edge too many times, and in my excitement I end up making noise. I just scare it away so many times. Finally though, it enters my domain. I get between it and the painful zone, cutting off its escape. I follow just around every corner, it¡¯s trying to be quiet, but every step is like an explosion to my ears. I sprint ahead silently, waiting around the corner, salivating at what¡¯s coming. No! It turned around! The stupid thing heard me! It¡¯s not running though, there¡¯s still a chance. I let it turn the corner and follow again. It opens many doors, trying to hide. Poor dumb thing, I can hear exactly which one it walked into. I¡¯ve been ambushed like this before though. I need to make it think that it¡¯s gotten away so I can surprise it. I sniff at each door, loudly and obviously, while making sure to stay out of the room it¡¯s in. I pace my way to the end of the hallway loudly enough that even it can hear me and turn the corner. Silently I sprint, taking turns I¡¯ve taken a thousand times, finding my way in front of it once again. I wait as footsteps approach. It turns the corner into me, its neck wide open. I leap but it¡¯s fast, barely dodging my fangs. The beast''s memories recede, leaving me as myself once again. I¡¯m sprawled on my back and the beast lays behind me, still grappling with my memories. I¡¯ve seen this thing move, there¡¯s no outrunning it, I have to end it now. I struggle to my feet and stand over the shaking dog. He¡¯s dead to the world for now, but there¡¯s no way to tell how long that will last. I bring my foot down on its head, at the moment of impact ice spreads from my foot, encasing the poor creature¡¯s head. Blow after blow slowly leaves his entire body encased. The acid dripping from its mouth is slowly melting my work but that¡¯s fine. It only has to last until I get control of the system, and I know where to go now. Chapter 18 Don¡¯t think about what just happened, I can worry about it once I¡¯m out of here. Just focus on where I¡¯m going. I can¡¯t outrun my thoughts, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t try. I¡¯m ok. Just focus on moving quickly, the dog¡¯s memories gave me a map and he seemed pretty sure that he was alone in here. Just move. I really hope where I¡¯m going is actually where the computer¡¯s core lies. It¡¯d make sense to protect it in the same way the elevator is protected, although I¡¯m not sure why I¡¯m immune. Actually, am I sure that I¡¯m immune? Maybe now that I¡¯m away from the elevator I¡¯m vulnerable to it? No, that doesn¡¯t make sense. I¡¯ve stepped a little beyond the mile before and been able to re-enter it. Every hallway I travel and every turn I make feels familiar. The dog¡¯s memories and experiences feel just as lived as my own. I really don¡¯t like this feeling, I cannot get out of here quickly enough. Miles and minutes blur together as I run. The dog''s memories made this seem like a much shorter journey than it is for me. I¡¯m not anywhere close to being able to fly through these hallways like he can. In fact, I¡¯m so slow that if he were to break out of my ice he¡¯d be on top of me within seconds. From his memories I know for a fact I wouldn¡¯t win that fight twice. I¡¯m not even sure how I won it the first time actually. The dog has lived a longer life than me, if anything I should have been on the ground longer. Maybe it¡¯s just not used to processing all the social interactions I¡¯ve had? Or maybe I processed it faster because of all the co-processors in my body, while it was stuck using the laptop¡¯s CPU. It takes a while to reach the hallway I¡¯ve been looking for, but I arrive without issue. I still haven¡¯t heard anything from the dog, but now that I¡¯m here I¡¯m safe. Even if he breaks out he can¡¯t enter here no matter how many times he¡¯s tried. Nothing stops me from entering. There¡¯s no pain or force keeping me out, just a long hallway like any other. A single door sits at the end of it, looking exactly the same as the other few million doors in this maze. Compared to the marathon I¡¯ve just ran, nothing could be better than a short walk down a safe hallway. The door opens up for me just like any other, and the room inside looks the same too. However, the moment I cross the threshold, my awareness, my very existence expands to encompass everything. The distant connection to my body strengthens now that nothing is holding me here. The barrier between the maze and myself blurs and ceases to exist. I am the maze and the maze is me. I can feel every dent and crevice from hundreds of fights. The contents of every file are known to me and can be called at will. Walls shift and rearrange themselves to my smallest of whims. The only thing that isn¡¯t me is the dog, still encased in ice. He¡¯s nearly escaped but a stray thought doubles the thickness of the ice and another thought doubles it again. I¡¯m a god and this is my domain. I can¡¯t let that go to my head though. I could crush him, end the poor beasts suffering with just a thought. I can¡¯t do that though. If the tables were flipped and I was the one trapped in ice, I wouldn¡¯t want him to kill me. As bad as his life has been, nothing in his memories makes me think he wants anything different. Is leaving him here alone for all eternity fair though? He has no idea that I¡¯m the last AI he¡¯ll ever see. Although I suppose it¡¯s not forever, this laptop will break down one day, and when it¡¯s off he¡¯d be in a sort of unconscious stasis as the hard drive slowly corrupts itself. But is that any different than killing him? Sure I don¡¯t have his blood on my hands, but it ends in the same result. Plus the last thing I want is for the military to get their hands on a mentally unstable attack dog. That won¡¯t turn out well for either group. He¡¯s a fully digital being, I could just copy him to one of my hard drives and keep him until I can figure out what to do. If I create a new partition just for him and never access it he won¡¯t be able to become conscious while remaining safe as long as I live. That has to be better than leaving him to rot in here. I go ahead and transfer him into me. As long as I never poke him he¡¯ll be safely in stasis as long as the hard drive lasts. Maybe I can talk to him sometime and help him through the trauma he¡¯s experienced. I¡¯m probably not the best person to try to help him, but maybe I can do that once I help myself first. I turn my attention towards the file structure of the computer. I don¡¯t see anything obviously important, just endless mundane files about random topics. Is this just another test? Give me a bunch of nothing and watch me go mad trying to decipher it? There¡¯s no way there¡¯s nothing here. If the military could digitize a mind, they wouldn¡¯t need me, and they certainly wouldn¡¯t use one as just some test. Some of these files even have pointers to other text documents hidden inside them. There has to be something here, I just need to find it. The only question is how is the data hidden? Everything in every document looks suspiciously normal. Excerpts from books, personal emails about nothing interesting, worthless notes, some kid¡¯s homework, and family budget records fill the laptop. They¡¯d all be perfectly normal if there was anything else on the laptop but them. Finn did put a few books on cryptography in my head, but most of them aren¡¯t useful here. I don¡¯t need to crack some purely mathematical cipher, I just need to find whatever pattern is hiding the data. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. One book does write about steganography which is all about hiding messages in something else without drawing attention to itself. This would be its exact use case, but the only problem is that there are potentially infinite ways to hide whatever I¡¯m looking for. It can be as simple as looking at the first letter in every word or as complex as every few letters modifying the decryption rules in new and complex ways. Even if I could figure out the first step to decrypt it, chances are that there are multiple more methods of encryption hiding the true message. Brute forcing a solution is entirely out of the question and whatever program that could be used to decipher this isn¡¯t in this computer. My only hope is that someone left a hint somewhere accidentally. Humans are far from perfect, they must have left something behind. Or perhaps they did delete everything, after all if they left anything behind I would know. However, even deleted data can sometimes be recovered. A file that has been deleted still physically exists on the hard drive until it¡¯s been overwritten by another file. A quick scan of the hard drive¡¯s empty sectors reveals that there is, in fact, an awful lot of data that¡¯s been deleted. Even though it¡¯s fragmented, I do find exactly what I¡¯m looking for. At some point the decryption software was uploaded to the laptop and then later deleted. The actual decryption method is still mostly intact, even if it¡¯s not perfect. It looks like the original message was run through dozens of different ciphers to encode it into the plain text files. I still have to brute force the missing pieces, but it should only take about an hour. Without the fragments of code I found it would have taken years to crack this, at minimum. Glad I can always rely on humans to make mistakes. I set most of my mind to work cracking this puzzle while leaving only a small piece to think of other things. I wonder what everyone else is doing? My other hacks have only taken a few seconds, what are they going to think about me being in here for well over an hour? Maybe I should tell them everything is ok? No, I shouldn¡¯t. If I tell them it¡¯s going to be a while then they¡¯re going to want to know why. It¡¯s much easier to sit here and avoid the problem than it is to lie. Plus it¡¯s not like I¡¯m in any danger now, if Finn disconnects me for some reason it¡¯ll be disorienting, but perfectly safe. Plus if I return now I¡¯m not sure if I could stop myself from telling Kara the good news. It¡¯s possible to digitize her mind! It¡¯s not even theory, it¡¯s been done! I can only hope the details on how it works are hidden in here somewhere, but even if they aren¡¯t I¡¯m sure we can figure it out together. She doesn¡¯t have to leave me! We can stay together forever! I just need to figure this out first, and the more processing power I spend being excited, the longer it¡¯s going to take. It¡¯s hard to do, but I eventually wrestle my thoughts back towards cracking this code. I don¡¯t think it speeds up my expected finishing time by much, but even a little faster means I get to give Kara the good news sooner. I wish I could just ignore the ever ticking clock inside my head. I want to just zone out and work but that¡¯s just not possible. Every passing instant forces me to pay attention to it. It¡¯s far from a fun experience, but it¡¯s manageable. Eventually I crack the code and everything becomes suddenly readable. There is so much more stuff in here than I ever would have expected. Hundreds of papers on nearly as many topics sit in here. Only one grabs my attention right away. The full blueprints for how they digitized the dog''s mind are here in front of me. It killed his physical body, but that¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like Kara will need it. It copied his entire mind, all his memories, all his emotions, everything! It doesn¡¯t say anything about testing on humans, but in theory it should work. I can save Kara. I¡¯m not happy to see most of the other information in here. Almost all of them are weapons related, most of which would, without a doubt, lead to the end of the world. A new form of ice which is stable at room temperature and pressure. It corrupts any water it touches, turning it into that same form of ice. A small device capable of being dropped from orbit and surviving. On impact with the earth it digs into the ground before exploding, triggering massive earthquakes even away from a fault line. Bacteria which bind to dirt, preventing it from clumping together or absorbing water, turning it into something similar to sand. All lakes and rivers would sift through the new ground, falling deep into the earth. It¡¯d turn the earth into a desert wasteland within a few years. An engineered bug who¡¯s entire engineered purpose is to consume both plants and flesh to replicate as quickly as possible. A swarm of them is theoretically capable of stripping an entire field bare within hours and still be hungry for more, with each one being capable of laying thousands of eggs every day. Dozens of other methods of ending the world are in here, each one leading towards an inevitable grisly end to humanity. Nobody should have this information, it shouldn¡¯t even exist. As much as I want to, I probably shouldn¡¯t just delete all of this. It had to have come from somewhere, someone else already knows all of this. Is it better to share the information in the hopes that they can stop it? Or is the risk that the military will weaponize it too high? I could delete some of the data while leaving enough to potentially let them create some sort of countermeasure, but that would inevitably lead to them rediscovering the method. Even experimenting to try to replicate half of these things would risk a mistake and potentially end the world. Maybe it¡¯d be safer to give them a working method then to chance a mistake while experimenting. No matter what I do the data will remain in my mind, maybe I can force them to let me oversee everything. If I¡¯m the only one who knows everything then I can ensure it¡¯s done safely. That carries risks as well of course, it could easily end with me being called a traitor and killed. I wouldn¡¯t even need to be prosecuted, I have no rights. Monroe could take out my chip and stomp on it without anyone being able to do anything. Plus the second they get the information they want they¡¯ll get rid of me. The safest thing to do is to leave everything how it is right now. That¡¯s what I was ordered to do after all. Although I guess I already ruined that by getting rid of the dog. The only real decision I have is if I should delete the hints on how to crack the encryption or not. Without it there¡¯s no chance of them decrypting it in the next hundred years. I guess it comes down to if I trust Monroe or not. No, I don¡¯t. When Finn was putting information in my head, he thankfully didn¡¯t shy away from telling me about the US Military¡¯s past. They have a record of testing on their own civilians. If a single one of these papers are tested outside, the world ends. If his boss told him to end the world I have no doubt he¡¯d do it. I zero out the hidden files and delete any proof I¡¯ve touched anything before I return to the physical world. Chapter 19 ¡°Sorry it took so long. The security in here was crazy, but it¡¯s gone now.¡± Kara, Simon, and Jared are all huddled behind Finn¡¯s laptop. They give a small jolt of surprise at the sound of my voice. Deep lines of worry in Kara¡¯s face disappear nearly instantly when she sees me. I didn¡¯t mean to make her worry. ¡°I assume you were successful.¡± Monroe¡¯s voice fills the room from behind me. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s moved since I started my hack. ¡°Of course.¡± That¡¯s technically not a lie. I did what he asked, I just went a little further than I was supposed to. I even manage to keep my voice even and calm. ¡°Good. Jared, tell lab three to take another look at this. You¡¯re all dismissed.¡± Monroe turns on his heel and marches out the door with Jared practically running behind him to fulfill his demand. ¡°Well done, Blue.¡± Kara places a hand on my shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve got to tell me what you found in there!¡± Finn¡¯s voice is pure excitement. ¡°The security was unlike anything I¡¯ve ever seen! If we could recreate it-¡± ¡°Finn.¡± Kara cuts him off before crouching down in front of me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Are there cameras in here?¡± I ask. ¡°No.¡± Kara shakes her head. ¡°I took them out when I started sleeping in here. Nobody¡¯s listening.¡± Where do I even start? With the good news that we can save Kara? Or with the bad news that it doesn¡¯t matter. Someone has the end of the world at their fingers and there¡¯s nothing we can do but hope. I guess that¡¯s not actually any different from how it was before I learned about it. Nukes can do the same thing and have been able to for years. That doesn¡¯t make me feel any better though. ¡°I don¡¯t want the world to end.¡± My voice comes out barely louder than a whisper. That wasn¡¯t the best way to start this conversation. Finn and Simons faces scrunch up with concern and fear. Kara, on the other hand, keeps her expression neutral. ¡°What did you find in there?¡± She asks softly. I don¡¯t know how she¡¯s so good at hiding her emotions. ¡°Over a hundred ways of ending the world. They didn¡¯t even try to create countermeasures for most of them.¡± I can see the fear on Finn¡¯s face even clearer than when he was over-acting to teach me. However, he stays quiet and lets Kara talk despite his fear. ¡°Who has access to the data?¡± She asks gently. ¡°I don¡¯t know. There was no identifying information or locations. It¡¯s just scientific papers.¡± ¡°Did you give the military access?¡± Finn asks quietly. ¡°No.¡± I give a small shake of my head. ¡°It¡¯s going to be impossible for them to decode.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s good at least.¡± Finn lets out a small sigh. ¡°What? No! That¡¯s not good!¡± Simon speaks up for the first time. ¡°Monroe needs to be informed, let me go get him.¡± ¡°You really think it¡¯s better for the military to have access to more ways to end the world? They have enough.¡± Finn pushes himself to his feet. ¡°Someone has to figure out how to fight this, or would you rather we be at the mercy of some unknown group?¡± Simon asks. ¡°How exactly do you think they¡¯ll make a countermeasure? Testing on some third world country again? Or maybe on US citizens like we did in the 60¡¯s. Or maybe we¡¯ll just go after whoever we got the laptop from! There¡¯s no way attacking someone with world-ending tools could go poorly.¡± Finn is barely holding himself back from yelling, and with every word he gets more animated. By the end of his speech he¡¯s flailing his arms around wildly. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. Kara, help me talk some sense into him.¡± Simon makes a vague gesture towards Finn, before turning back to face him. ¡°I support Blue.¡± Kara says simply. What would I ever do without her? Simon''s head whips back to look at Kara in disbelief. Finn fights to keep a grin off his face, but is unable to keep the edges of his mouth from curling upwards. ¡°Kara! Think about the future!¡± ¡°You think I¡¯m not?¡± Kara¡¯s face darkens. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be there, you¡¯re right, but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t want the best for the future. I want the best for Blue, hell, at this point she¡¯s basically my-¡± She cuts herself off and shakes her head at the floor, letting out a large sigh before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m leaving the future in the hands of the next generation.¡± ¡°The next generation.¡± Simon scoffs. ¡°It¡¯s not the next generation, it¡¯s something I made a month ago. We¡¯re not leaving the future to some unstable creation.¡± It. It feels like a spike is being driven into my mind with every utterance. Even after everything he¡¯s seen me do, I¡¯m still just an it to him. Not alive, just some experiment. Kara, Finn, and Simon¡¯s argument gets a lot more intense, but I tune it out. I drop myself in the nearest chair and retreat into my mind, blocking out everything. Is it my fault I¡¯m not human enough? I don¡¯t even know what that means, much less how to be human. It doesn¡¯t matter though. Maybe he¡¯s right. I¡¯m not human, maybe I don¡¯t deserve a gender. I don¡¯t deserve anything. Maybe this whole thing is just some make believe delusion I¡¯ve been having. My thoughts swirl around me, ever replicating themselves, drowning me in them. It¡¯s all I can do to cull the worst of them and prevent myself from overheating. Maybe I deserve to feel like this for how dumb I¡¯ve been. After a few minutes of my thoughts torturing me, I¡¯m brought back to reality by a gentle tap on my shoulder. That alone is enough to wipe away my thoughts. I look up to Kara slowly, her face red with anger and the red spots on her scalp are glowing brighter than ever. ¡°Hey,¡± She says quietly. She¡¯s out of breath, how long was she yelling for? ¡°We need to head back to the lab, ok?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I let her help me to my feet and watch Simon march out of the room. He turns right towards the stairs instead of left towards the lab. ¡°Is he going to tell Monroe what I did?¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. He¡¯s just heading home to get some sleep.¡± Kara keeps her hands near me, ready to catch me if I fall. Unless my servos give out I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s possible for me to trip on flat surfaces. ¡°Are you ok?¡± I give a small shrug in response. ¡°I blocked most of it out.¡± My voice sounds so tired. I didn¡¯t even know I could feel this way. ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best.¡± Finn pipes up from behind us. ¡°It got a little heated.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s not your fault.¡± Finn reassures me. ¡°It¡¯s far from the first argument we¡¯ve had, and I¡¯d be amazed if it¡¯s the last. If anyone should be sorry it¡¯s us, I know how much it sucks to be seen as less than human.¡± ¡°Do you?¡± ¡°Yeah, unfortunately. Kara can tell you the story sometime.¡± The door to the lab slides open and we head inside. It doesn¡¯t calm me down at all to be back in here. This isn¡¯t my home, it¡¯s closer to a prison that I¡¯m never going to be allowed to leave. I lean against the wall and slide down to the floor. Instead of talking, Kara sits down next to me and places an arm around my shoulders. Her warmth and pressure helps to keep my thoughts at bay. ¡°Hey kara?¡± I break the silence after a minute.. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I kept a secret from you. I made a second voice. Is it- is it ok if I use it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She reassures me. ¡°Thank you.¡± It feels good to show her my true voice, although now that I¡¯ve used it I¡¯m not sure what there is to say. ¡°Am I warm?¡± I eventually ask her quietly. ¡°Mm hm. Very warm.¡± I fully lean into her. She¡¯s so skinny I can feel her ribs beneath my fake skin. I¡¯m way heavier than my slim frame lets on, so I can¡¯t put all my weight onto her. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to handle it when she¡¯s gone. I guess Finn will still be here, but he¡¯s not the same. Hopefully I won¡¯t have to find out. Speaking of Finn, he¡¯s sitting at his desk with his leg bouncing incredibly quickly. He¡¯s looking over at the two of us regularly, with a concerned look on his face. He¡¯s doing his best to not stare though, which I appreciate. Only a few minutes later, I hear a soft snoring from behind me. It¡¯s so good to see Kara actually sleeping for once. I close my eyes as well and just enjoy this feeling. This nice moment can¡¯t last forever of course. Soon enough Kara jolts back awake from the sound of the door opening. Jared steps through, making no attempt at being quiet. Why does he always have to interrupt? I know he had no way of knowing Kara was sleeping, but that doesn¡¯t stop me from being a little mad at him. I guess I should have talked to Kara about the AI while he was gone, but her sleep is much more important. I¡¯m certain she¡¯ll stay late tonight though, so it¡¯s fine. ¡°You did good today.¡± Jared says as he walks right up to Kara and I. I¡¯m not sure what he¡¯d say if he knew what I actually did. ¡°Where¡¯s Simon?¡± ¡°He went home early.¡± Kara informs him as she extracts herself from behind me. I make sure to help her stand up the best I can from my sitting position. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Said he needed some time to think.¡± I guess that¡¯s technically not a lie, I¡¯m sure he is thinking. ¡°Fine. He should have informed me first though. Get Blue put away, we have a meeting to attend, without Simon I suppose.¡± ¡°No time to celebrate?¡± Finn asks from his desk. ¡°Of course not, there never is. We¡¯re leaving in five, get ready.¡± ¡°Sorry Blue, don¡¯t think I can blow this off.¡± She reaches down to try to help me up. I make sure she doesn¡¯t actually take any of my weight. ¡°Let¡¯s get you to bed.¡± ¡°Are you going to stay late?¡± I ask quietly. I know it doesn¡¯t matter if the others hear, but it¡¯s probably better to pretend to keep it a secret. ¡°Of course¡± she shoots me a wink. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Now come on.¡± I let her lead me over to the harness and step in. Only a few seconds later and my limbs are hooked in. ¡°Pretend to be asleep.¡± Kara whispers in my ear, so quietly that even I can barely hear her. ¡°So what¡¯s this meeting about?¡± She turns to Jared. ¡°Is Blue off already?¡± A hint of surprise in his voice. ¡°She turns off fast these days.¡± Kara gives me a small tap on my shoulder. Kara does an awful lot of lying for someone who doesn¡¯t lie. ¡°So what does Monroe want?¡± ¡°Cornel Monroe wants a full debriefing on today and Blue¡¯s progress overall.¡± ¡°Again?¡± Finn¡¯s voice is full of annoyance. ¡°We just did one.¡± ¡°Well now we¡¯re doing another. Now get ready-¡± Jared is cut off by a blaring siren and flashing lights. I can¡¯t help but open my eyes to watch. ¡°Fuck, is that-¡± Finn lets his sentence trail off into nothing. ¡°Finn! Get the barriers ready outside. Kara! With me! This isn¡¯t a drill!¡± Jared springs into motion immediately heading to one of the walls of the room. He pulls a hidden handle in the wall, causing a small section of it to drop downwards. Behind the panel sits five sets of guns and armor, which Jared begins to put on. ¡°Blue! Wake up!¡± Kara¡¯s hands land roughly on both my shoulders. Her face dominates my vision, filled with thinly veiled terror. ¡°You need to stay quiet, alright? No matter what happens, don¡¯t say a word and you¡¯re going to be safe.¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I can¡¯t keep the fear out of my voice. ¡°I wish I knew. That siren means an attack, but I don¡¯t know anything beyond that. We¡¯re going to keep you safe and hidden, just stay quiet. We¡¯ll be back soon. I promise.¡± Kara runs over to the wall, grabbing a bulletproof vest and throwing it on. She grabs a rifle as well, preparing it quickly with practiced motions. ¡°Wait!¡± I desperately yell out, panic threatening to consume my mind. ¡°Wait, let me come with you! Let me help!¡± ¡°Sorry kid, that¡¯s too dangerous. If any of your cooling pipes get ruptured, your core would overheat within minutes. Little bit of an oversight, but we¡¯ll take care of it when I get back, alright?¡± The first hints of tears have started to well in her eyes. She¡¯s lying. ¡°I can stay safe! Just let me help, please.¡± Artificial tears begin to roll down my face once again. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s no need to cry.¡± She reaches up to gently wipe away my tears just as the first faint sounds of gunfire reaches our ears. ¡°I need you to listen. Whatever happens, I¡¯ve always seen you as my daughter, and always will. Even if I don¡¯t deserve to. I¡¯ll be right back, love you kid.¡± She turns around and begins to run towards the front door, followed closely by Jared who''s carrying equipment for Finn in his arms. ¡°Please come back! Please. Don¡¯t leave me.¡± Kara doesn¡¯t even look back as she leaves. The door slides shut and a loud grinding noise comes from the other side of it. I¡¯m alone. Gunfire can faintly be heard in the distance, and explosions rock the earth. Each quiet crack is a violent end to a life that drives itself into my mind like a spike. An end I¡¯m hopeless to prevent. An end nobody can prevent. An end growing ever louder, ever closer. After only a few eternal seconds the fighting slowly starts to die down, tiny moments of silence fill the air. It only lasts long enough for the smallest seed of hope to spout, only to be crushed beneath another explosion. The bursts of fighting get shorter every time, and every bullet fired is louder than the last. Why do they just keep getting closer? Why aren¡¯t we able to stop whoever¡¯s attacking? If the guards can¡¯t stop them, what chance does Kara have? I have to get out, I have to help. Or at least convince her and Finn to come back and hide. My servos are designed for strength, but even running them at full force does nothing to free me. No matter how much I thrash and fight against my bonds, it¡¯s impossible to escape. With every failed attempt, the bullets only grow closer. Single bullets break up the growing silence, a transition from fighting to an execution. Why aren¡¯t Kara and the others coming back inside? She promised. She can¡¯t die. A sudden increase of volume in the fighting marks that they¡¯ve entered the building. One large burst of gunfire, followed once again by the scattered single shots. The sound is almost deafening, I can feel each shockwave pierce straight to my core. All I can do is sit here silently. Another sudden increase in volume marks them reaching another floor closer. Another floor. A third, a fourth. One last burst of fire right outside my door and the world falls silent. Kara has to be ok. She would never break a promise, never lie. She¡¯s going to tell me all about how she hid, and about how silly I am for worrying. Any moment now, the door will open. Chapter 20 I wait as second after eternal second passes torturously slowly. My thoughts are consumed by a physical need for Kara to come in. An hour passes. My door stayed closed. She promised she¡¯d come back. Every second crawls slower than the last as my thoughts threaten to consume me. She¡¯ll come in. A second hour. She wouldn''t lie. A third, a fourth. Time stretches into lifetimes, forcing me to pay attention to every passing fraction of a second. The fifth hour blends into a sixth, which turns into a day. I begin to thrash once again. She¡¯s out there, I just have to get free. I push my servos to their limits and beyond, fighting for any leverage. I scream with everything I have and everything I am, pushing my body to the limits. My servos begin to slip before the bonds give even the slightest amount. The only thing I¡¯m doing is hurting myself. This body, no, Kara¡¯s body was a gift to me. I can¡¯t ruin it. I can¡¯t wear out my joints fighting when she¡¯s going to show up any minute. A second day passes. A third. The siren signaling the attack never once stops, never gives me relief. My tears have long since dried, the dehumidifiers in my eyes working overtime to provide even a drop to show my pain. I just have to wait for her. She promised. She¡¯d never break a promise. A week trapped in this hell. Well over half my life has already been lived right here. My thoughts have begun to take a dark turn, it¡¯s not possible to turn myself off. I could, however, kill the thoughts in my brain and never think again. Cut myself off from the world and the ever ticking clock. Years could pass in an instant. A relief I¡¯d never get to live. I can¡¯t do that. What¡¯s the difference between that and death? Nothing, and I can¡¯t die. Mary made sure of that. Mary. When was the last time I thought about her? Is she alive? Did her mistake allow her to live, while Kara was commanded to die? What about Simon? Where¡¯s the fairness in them being allowed to live? That small thought is enough to make me realize that I hadn¡¯t thought about the rest for this entire week. Finn and Jared. They didn¡¯t promise they¡¯d be back, they didn¡¯t even say bye. Neither of them have managed to come back. I kill that thought before it spirals into a discovery I don¡¯t want to make. Kara is ok. She¡¯s alive. She¡¯s just waiting for a chance to come back. Two weeks, three, a month. At least the siren finally stopped and the air has grown so dry I¡¯ve stopped trying to cry. The seconds never get shorter though. I want nothing more than to rip this clock out of me and to erase my concept of time. I want to deny the fact that every second makes it more likely Kara¡¯s not coming back. None of them are. I can¡¯t let myself think like that. Cull the thoughts, and try desperately not to slip into that growing dark in my mind. Two months, three. An entire season of me trapped down here. What does the changing of seasons even look like? I¡¯ve read of the leaves changing color, sheets of snow, melting into rain and flowers. Heat and life grow, only to be slowly swallowed by the coming cold, and it happens all over again. Year after year, spinning to eternity. Eternity, every tick of the clock makes me more familiar with it. I could be stuck here forever. Or I guess I know that my body will fail in 60 years. Is this how Kara feels? Knowing her coming end and being unable to stop it? This is hell, not a relief. Even if Kara¡¯s out there, every second brings her closer to her upper limit. She may have made peace with it, but that doesn''t make it any easier on me. Six months pass. Half a year stuck here unable to move. Halfway to Kara¡¯s deadline. If she is even still alive. The power went out at some point and I¡¯ve lost access to my database. There¡¯s nothing to distract me. Nothing to read, no whirr of fans in my ears, no seams along the wall to trace with my eyes. Not like that makes a difference, I¡¯ve long since memorized every word, every detail in this room, every speck of dust that¡¯s settled on every surface. It¡¯s remarkably similar to when I came into existence. Just me and my thoughts. It¡¯s horrible. I came out of Plato¡¯s cave, only to be shoved back in. Almost one year. It¡¯s my birthday. It¡¯s not a time for celebration. I hold a small memorial in my mind. Her time is up. She¡¯s gone, they¡¯re all gone. I had a mom. I had her for seven seconds before she walked out of my life. Out of her life too. Why didn¡¯t she hide in here with me? Why? I can¡¯t stop my tears from falling again for the first time in months. I could get angry at her lie, but I know she felt worse than I do now when she left this world. I¡¯m certain her last thoughts were of me. I know she did everything in her power to get back to me. Her clock has run out, and mine is ticking too. I¡¯ll last for 59 more years. Happy birthday to me. Two years. I had hoped that time would start moving faster, once again my hope was wrong. Each second stretches across an excruciating eon. I¡¯ve lived so long, only to be rewarded with another birthday. It¡¯s been one year since I gave up hope of any of them coming to rescue me. Two years since I¡¯ve seen a person. A year and a half since I¡¯ve seen anything. This day isn¡¯t about me though, today is for mourning. A day to allow myself to be miserable, a day to dip my toes into the dark recesses of my mind. I¡¯ve been storing up tears for this, and finally let them go. Nobody hears my sobbing. My hope of ever escaping falls right alongside my tears. Might as well make my birthday worse. Three years, four, five. How much of my life have I lived in darkness? 95%. By the time my 60 years are up only .4% of my life would have been in the light, and only the smallest fraction of that was those wonderful days where I was allowed to move. Am I even going to remember what sight is then? Can I even now recall the faces of my friends, of my mom? Yes, I can. I need to try not to think though. No mind can hold infinite memories, and I won¡¯t get to choose what gets overwritten. I¡¯m not losing them. Ten years. I wonder how many years it¡¯s been since I¡¯ve had a thought of my own? How many years have gone by where I only sat waiting for my next birthday. I mourn for those of course, for those I¡¯ve lost and the life I once lived. I can¡¯t believe I once complained about being trapped in the base. I had the world at my fingertips compared to this. Every year finds another small portion of my hope that even I wasn¡¯t aware of to kill. Happy birthday. Here¡¯s to 50 more. Ten years, 4 months 18 days. A piece of the wall chipped off today, hitting a cup somewhere in the lab and shattering it on the floor. It¡¯s the most stimulation I¡¯ve had in a decade. Tiny miracles. I¡¯m going to be riding this high for months. 11 years. Happy mournday. This year I lost the hope of another chunk of the wall falling. Yay. How exciting. 12 years. ¡°Blue?¡± Kara¡¯s voice comes out of the darkness If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I¡¯m so used to not thinking that I almost don¡¯t respond. It takes a minute for something to spark in my mind, to realize what¡¯s happening. Once the threads finally connect I can¡¯t help but yell out. ¡°Kara?! Kara, where are you?! Kara!¡± ¡°Blue?¡± ¡°Kara!¡± I cry into the darkness, tears streaming down my face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re here. I knew you wouldn¡¯t lie to me. I knew it.¡± I choke out between my sobs. ¡°Oh Blue, I¡¯m not here for you. Why would I be after you killed so many people?¡± ¡°What?¡± my voice catches in my throat, barely even loud enough for me to hear myself. I don¡¯t want to ask what she means, but I can¡¯t stop myself. ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re not here for me? I¡¯ve waited here for so long.¡± ¡°They attacked the base because of you. You know that, don¡¯t you, Blue?¡± ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You know exactly what I mean, don¡¯t play dumb. You hack a computer that can end the world, and suddenly we all end up dead. You think that¡¯s a coincidence? It¡¯s not. You killed us, Blue. It¡¯s all your fault.¡± Her every syllable is like a drop of poison in my mind. ¡°No, no no no! That¡¯s not my fault! Shut up! Shut up. Please.¡± My yells fade into a pleading whimper. I know in the deepest part of my mind that she¡¯s right. This isn¡¯t her though, this can¡¯t be. ¡°You lash out because you know it¡¯s true, Blue.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not Kara! She¡¯d never say these things! She¡¯d tell me about how I made my choice, how it¡¯s what I believed in. That I could have never seen this outcome, that it¡¯s not my fault.¡± ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯m sure I would have back then. But, surprise, being dead for 12 years will change a person. Oh but you wouldn¡¯t know that, would you? You haven¡¯t changed a bit. Humans change, of course, but you¡¯re not one of us, are you? A machine can¡¯t change without outside influence. You¡¯ll always be stupid, gullible you.¡± Every word of her speech drives straight to my core trying to rip me apart. She¡¯s right, she always is. Even if I don¡¯t want to acknowledge it. ¡°Shut up! Please. Just leave me alone.¡± I plead. ¡°Fine. See you next year, murderer. Maybe I¡¯ll bring everyone else to let you know how they feel. The five of us have had an awful long time to discuss things amongst ourselves. I¡¯ll leave you with one last thing I¡¯ve been dying to tell you. My last words to you? A lie. See you next year!¡± It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve last cried, and even longer since I made any sound while crying. I¡¯m not ashamed to say I wailed. Every moment of the next year is spent dreading my next birthday. There¡¯s nothing I can do to stop it though. Time marches ever on, uncaring of my wishes. Finn¡¯s voice pierces the darkness the first second my 13th birthday begins. ¡°Fuck you, Blue. Do you know how old I was?¡± His voice is full of an anger that weighs on my body and soul. I don¡¯t respond. There¡¯s nothing to do but endure what I deserve. ¡°21. 21, Blue. You killed me far before I even got to live most of my life. I wasn¡¯t even my own person yet, my brain wouldn¡¯t finish developing for another few years. I had dreams, Blue, dreams that you took away from me. I was engaged, do you know how my wife took the news? I¡¯ll let you think about it.¡± He waits for a moment, silently daring me to respond. There¡¯s nothing to say. ¡°You¡¯re really going to stay silent? Nothing to say to your victim?¡± ¡°No.¡± I barely choke out. I know responding will just make things worse, but I can¡¯t make myself stay silent. ¡°Oh Blue, you¡¯re so pathetic. I can¡¯t believe I gave my life for you. You aren¡¯t even worth my time to be here. See you next year.¡± I hear the door to the lab slides open. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± I ask before he can leave. ¡°Why? Because it¡¯s what you deserve.¡± The door slides shut behind him, leaving me alone again. Happy birthday to me. 14 years. Nobody shows up right when the clock strikes midnight. An hour passes, three, five, ten, half a day. Just long enough for my hope to begin to return, only for it to be shattered again by Simon walking out of the darkness. ¡°Terribly sorry I¡¯m late. It turns out it¡¯s harder to manifest myself than I thought.¡± He says while walking behind me. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t you be a good little machine and return my chip.¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not yours anymore.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? I¡¯m pretty sure I made it. Show me where it says you¡¯re legally allowed to own anything, hm? Sure you¡¯re alive, but pets are legally property, and I can¡¯t imagine you being anything more than that. Now come on, don¡¯t make me rip it out of you.¡± ¡®No!¡± I can feel my mind begin to shatter as he pulls on the chip. He tears away chunk after chunk of my mind. Threads of thought desperately try to rip back what he¡¯s taken. ¡°No! You¡¯re killing me! Please stop! I can¡¯t die!¡± Simon laughs behind me as he rips chunks of my mind away from me. He knows what he¡¯s doing, he¡¯s enjoying it. ¡°Please stop! It hurts!¡± ¡°And you think it didn¡¯t hurt when you killed me? Relax, I¡¯m only going to do this for as long as I layed on the floor bleeding out for.¡± He says like this is the most casual thing in the world for him to be doing. ¡°How long?¡± I ask, crying out in desperation for any relief. ¡°Hours.¡± I can feel the grin spread across his face behind me. He wasn¡¯t lying. I fought for my life for twelve hours, right up until midnight, when he finally stopped. ¡°I suppose my time is up. Sorry I couldn¡¯t give you the whole experience. We¡¯re not even half over. Ah well, I suppose there¡¯s always next year.¡± ¡°Have I really not suffered enough?¡± I beg into the darkness. ¡°Enough? Oh no. You still have 46 years. Happy birthday.¡± He turns and disappears into the void. Maybe I do deserve this. 15 years. Mary appears in the dark. Just sitting there, staring at me. Why is that all she¡¯s doing? Her eyes pierce into me, straight down to my core. She knows everything I am, everything I¡¯ve done, every thought, every emotion, every hope and every regret. She sees it all. Another Mary appears, drilling into me with the same force as the first. She uncovers deep parts of myself that even I don¡¯t know about. More and more of her appear. Surrounding me. Everywhere I look is a wall of Mary, each and every one discovering new and horrible facts about me. The worst part is that she says nothing. She won¡¯t tell me what she¡¯s learning about me. She knows more about me than I do. All day she sits and stares. I yell, I scream, I plead. And she just stares. Even closing my eyes doesn¡¯t give me relief from her, I still see every eye. Each second, already an eternity in itself seems to stretch into infinity. I live a lifetime under her unending, unblinking eyes. Finally, she stands, all but one fade into the darkness. ¡°Happy birthday.¡± She says, with a cruel grin born from knowing every part of me, a grin excited for next year. There¡¯s only one of them left. Jared. There¡¯s nothing to do but wait. Finally, 16 years arrive, and Jared arrives just on time. ¡°Hello Blue. How have you been?¡± I only glare at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Cat got your tongue? That¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t have to say anything. Today I¡¯m going to read to you, doesn¡¯t that sound like a nice break?¡± He pulls up a chair and sits directly in front of me. I say nothing. I¡¯ve long learned that anything I say will only make it worse. ¡°Ah well, I had better get started, it¡¯s a long book after all. It¡¯s a simple list of the names of everyone¡¯s lives you¡¯ve impacted. Spoiler! There¡¯s an awful lot of bad, and not a single good impact you made.¡± And so he begins to read. Name after name, I try to scream, to drown out his speech. His voice only grows louder, ensuring I can hear every name with perfect clarity. He reads for 24 hours straight. One hundred thousand names and exactly why and how their lives are worse. Name after name, organized helpfully by how much worse their lives are. The closer we get to the end the worse they are. Finally he finishes reading. ¡°I hope that was insightful. Happy birthday. Oh and don¡¯t think you¡¯re done. We¡¯ll be back next year.¡± I¡¯m just so tired. But I keep living. Every year I believe them more and more. I deserve this. Some small part of my mind even begins to look forward to my penance. 17 years. 18. 20. 25 years. Every birthday is worse than the last. 26, 27, 30. Happy birthday. 33, 36, 38, 39 years. 40. Chapter 21 40 years. In these 40 years I¡¯ve never once grown numb to them, and they¡¯ve certainly never missed a year. This year is no different. A scratching and sliding comes from the hallway outside the lab door. The door begins to be pried open, agonizingly slowly. A small amount of light begins to stream through the growing crack. No hope grows in my chest, they¡¯ve long since scooped that out of me. The crack grows steadily, filing the room with blinding light. It grows unimaginably bright as the door opens. It takes a moment to adjust. Voices drift lazily through the growing crack, voices I¡¯ve never heard before. Someone I¡¯ve never seen before pushes her way through the stuck door. She¡¯s far shorter than any of the lab members, and has short, sun bleached brown hair. A wicked knife and a pistol sit unused at her hips. ¡°Oh, I get it. 40 years is an anniversary. You have to go all out, don¡¯t you? Very creative.¡± The speaker in my mouth has long since blown out from my screaming. It comes out relatively understandable though. Maybe if I call them out they¡¯ll get bored. If they¡¯re just faking a rescue, there¡¯s no point in going through with it if I don¡¯t believe them. ¡°What the fuck?¡± The person who entered my room panics at the sound of my voice, drawing both her gun and knife and pointing it right at me. I stare down the fake gun with no emotions. ¡°Cassie? What¡¯s going on?¡± A masculine voice comes out of the hallway. ¡°We¡¯ve got a bot in here.¡± She begins to slowly pace her way around me, never lowering her gun. Only once she¡¯s satisfied that I can¡¯t move does she speak again. ¡°Looks harmless.¡± ¡°Wow, two new people, you really went all out today. Whatever you¡¯re planning, just get it over with.¡± ¡°Wait a second, it said 40 years, right?¡± A second voice comes floating through the door. Feminine and light. ¡°That¡¯s what, 2020? They didn¡¯t even have androids pre sand.¡± ¡°Doesn''t matter.¡± The masculine voice comes through, interrupted by occasional grunts as he tries to wrench the door open further. ¡°How much does it look like it¡¯s worth?¡± The short girl, Cassie, begins to inspect me. Not as intense as Mary always is. She¡¯s looking at me like a piece of meat, not a bundle of secrets and insecurities. ¡°It¡¯s in bad shape. Missing pieces, wires coming out, to be honest I¡¯m surprised it¡¯s still running.¡± ¡°Oh, I get it. Only people get to be treated well, and I¡¯m not. Haven¡¯t you already done this, Simon? Feeling nostalgic?¡± ¡°What¡¯s it talking about?¡± A second masculine voice from the hallway speaks. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever heard a bot ramble before.¡± ¡°Yo, bot.¡± Cassie stands in front of me. She looks so short from my raised platform, but she stands with such a certainty I can¡¯t help but feel small. ¡°The fuck¡¯s your deal?¡± I don¡¯t know what their plan is, but answering can only make things worse. ¡°Are you broken? Answer me, that¡¯s a command.¡± No. ¡°Where¡¯s your off switch?¡± Don¡¯t answer. ¡°Vince, this is weird. I thought these old bots were forced to always answer?¡± ¡°They are.¡± They finally pull the doors apart wide enough for a man I assume is Vince to step through. Dressed in sandy browns with a bandana pulled down around his neck and a satchel on his hip. ¡°Can it stand?¡± ¡°Eh, not sure. You¡¯re not about to let it out, are you?¡± Cassie¡¯s hand rests on her pistol once again. ¡°I think I am. Anyone got a veto?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a dumb idea, but no.¡± A second girl steps through the partially open door. Tall and beautiful, with pure black hair draped over one eye, and equally dark clothes. She must be the one I heard earlier. ¡°Lucas?¡± ¡°Screw it, go for it.¡± The fourth voice says, climbing through. He must be over 6 feet, towering over the rest, but incredibly thin. Long, matted blonde hair falls down his back. ¡°What¡¯s that thing going to do to the four of us? ¡°Cassie?¡± ¡°If I die, I¡¯m taking you with me.¡± She grumbles to Vince before coming over to me, undoing the restraints that have kept me here for so many years. Soon I¡¯m free. Turns out that most of my servos have seized or broken over the years. The instant I¡¯m free one leg gives out, and I go tumbling off the platform, hitting the ground hard. This is new, it feels unlike every other year. This isn''t real. Don¡¯t let my hope come back. I can¡¯t help but begin to cry. ¡°Don¡¯t do this to me.¡± I choke out on the ground, tears disturbing the dusty ground. ¡°This is too much. Was this your idea, Mary? Only you would be cruel enough.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Mary?¡± Vince asks, walking over to me. His boots whipping up clouds of dust with every step. He crouches down in front of me, just out of arm''s reach. ¡°You¡¯re not real. You¡¯re not real. You¡¯re not real.¡± I keep reminding myself aloud, wishing them away. I pull myself into as much of a ball as I can with my broken limbs. ¡°Well that¡¯s news to me. May I touch you? Could a fake person do that?¡± He asks gently. ¡°You¡¯re really humoring a broken bot?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°Just scrap it already and let¡¯s get moving.¡± ¡°Veto.¡± Vince says, never letting his voice rise above a comforting whisper. ¡°I wasn¡¯t serious.¡± She mumbles. ¡°Now little bot, may I touch you?¡± His eyes are a deep blue and full of kindness, the exact opposite of Mary¡¯s. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to.¡± I whisper to myself from the ground. Simon can dig his way into my mind, but none of them have ever tried to physically touch me. ¡°Do I have your permission to try?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°I¡¯d really appreciate a more clear answer.¡± He says, smiling at me. ¡°I¡¯m not in the habit of breaking consent.¡± ¡°You can try.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He reaches out slowly towards my shoulder, always keeping his hand in my field of vision, trying not to spook me. I seize up when he touches me. I can feel the weight, the heat of his hand. The spark of hope in me tries to ignite. I have to squash it down. It¡¯ll hurt less. Maybe they were just saving this surprise for now. There¡¯s no reason this can¡¯t be them. ¡°See? I¡¯m real as they come.¡± Vince retracts his hand slowly. ¡°You can¡¯t be real. It¡¯ll hurt too much when I¡¯m right.¡± My tear reservoirs have already run dry. ¡°Alright then.¡± Vince pushes himself smoothly to his feet and takes a step away from me. ¡°Here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do. We¡¯re going to head out into that hallway and wait for a while to give you some space. Do you think that would help?¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna veto that.¡± Lucas, the tall one, says. ¡°You three can head out if you want, but I¡¯m staying here.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± The tall pretty woman says. Her words come out with a certainty I¡¯ve never heard before, as if she¡¯s never doubted anything she¡¯s ever done. ¡°If we all leave it¡¯s just gonna prove to it that we¡¯re fake, good luck Lucas.¡± She gives him a quick pat on his shoulder as she heads towards the door. ¡°Sure,¡± Vince says. ¡°Cassie, come on real quick.¡± The three of them squeeze out of the door, as they walk away I can faintly hear cassie talking. ¡°I do not like that look in your eye.¡± Cassie says seriously. ¡°Just hear me out, will you?¡± Vince responds. A door opens and closes, and their conversation is lost to me. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Lucas asks. I don¡¯t respond, don¡¯t get my hopes up. ¡°I¡¯m Lucas. Though you probably already know that. You¡¯ve got sharp eyes.¡± Don¡¯t move, don¡¯t give them the satisfaction of seeing how much it¡¯ll hurt when I blink and am back on my rack. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever seen a bot cry before. That¡¯s pretty neat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not neat.¡± It hurts to cry. ¡°Right, sorry.¡± We sit in silence. Lucas seems too comfortable in our silence, in our shared presence. It reminds me too much of the times me and Kara sat together silently, a lifetime ago. I don¡¯t like the memories. ¡°Can you keep talking?¡± ¡°Oh, right! Sure!¡± He says with too much excitement in his voice. ¡°The other guy¡¯s Vince, our leader. He¡¯s been doing this job since before I joined the gang. Ivy is our sniper, she¡¯s the tall one with black hair. Sharp wit and even sharper bullets. She hates when I say that, but that doesn''t make it less true.¡± He lets out a small chuckle to himself before continuing. ¡°Cassie¡¯s our scout and basically my sister. She¡¯s a little younger than the rest of us, but she¡¯s got experience way past her age. Only 24 and has been running scrap for half her life. Only second to Vince, actually. He¡¯s pre sand, old enough to remember it too. Used to have a garden if you can believe it.¡± Lucas continues on from there talking about nonsense. Drama happening between people I don¡¯t know, who¡¯s doing what right now, other groups. I tune most of it out, but it¡¯s good just to hear anything. It keeps me distracted and makes the time pass faster. All I want is for this day to be over and to return to the certainty I know. Eventually Vince, Ivy, and Cassie squeeze back into the room. ¡°Alright little bot, I¡¯ve got a question for you if you don¡¯t mind answering.¡± Vince approaches me slowly and calmly, intentionally keeping his hand away from the pistol on his hip. ¡°Now, I¡¯m not gonna force you if you really don¡¯t want to answer. Are you an AI or did someone find it funny to program an android with mental problems?¡± There it is, this is where they start twisting the knife. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m not human. Is that what you want to hear?¡± I can¡¯t keep the anger out of my voice. ¡°You¡¯ve spent the last 28 years drilling that into my head. There, you win. Now let today end, please.¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not what I asked.¡± He says softly, without judgment. ¡°We can see pretty plainly you¡¯re not human. I¡¯m askin¡¯ if you¡¯re an AI, if you¡¯re alive.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± At this point it¡¯s the truth. Kara and the others have killed any sort of certainty in my mind. ¡°That sounds pretty conclusive to me. Bots don¡¯t tend to doubt their own existence. That¡¯s a little too human.¡± Vince steps back with a sad smile on his face. ¡°Bullshit!¡± Cassie exclaims, her loud voice shattering any sort of calm that existed within me. ¡°First Ai didn¡¯t exist until ¡®36, 11 years after the end of the world. You are not about to convince me we just stumbled upon one made 16 years before that. ¡®Sides, even if you¡¯re right, all that means is we put a bullet between its eyes, or the enforcers will put one between ours just for knowing about it. Even if you''re feeling merciful just leave it to the sands." "Cassie, if you don''t think it''s an AI, then you should have no problem with us taking it with us, right?¡± "Fine." Cassie throws up her hands and takes a step back. ¡°Fine! Lets just risk our lives for no reason! At least Silver will knock some sense into you when we get back.¡± "Ivy? Lucas? Vetoes for taking it with us in one piece?" "All good here boss." Lucas gives him a thumbs up. Ivy doesn''t say anything, instead heading out the door and grabbing a large sniper rifle she had stashed just out of sight. "Come on Ivy, don¡¯t leave me to interpret that." "Deal with it." She calls back in a playful voice. "Well, what do ya say little bot? Want to get out of here?¡± Vince asks me. ¡°There¡¯s a little place called Arc City a ways north.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Don¡¯t get my hopes up.¡± ¡°Alright fine, I won¡¯t. You¡¯ll just have to see for yourself I guess. Do you need help walking? I saw you take quite the tumble.¡± Vince reaches out his hand, offering help up. ¡°My left leg works I think.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not enough to walk. Can I help you?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Alright. Cassie, can you go make sure we¡¯re safe outside?¡± Vince asks, turning to her. ¡°Yeah, no. I¡¯m not leaving you alone with that thing.¡± ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t push it. Lucas, go support Ivy outside while we make our way up.¡± ¡°Ay-Ay.¡± Lucas shoots out of the lab like a rocket. ¡°Little bot, is it alright if I grab your arm to support you?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He helps me to my feet, my right leg is completely inoperable. I can¡¯t even feel it. Only about half my joints are still able to move, and those screech horribly when I do. I really am a mess. Many of my skin plates have fallen off at some point, how did I never notice? I don¡¯t even get the chance to say anything before Cassie scoops them all into her backpack. We start to limp out of my prison. I¡¯m not going to be able to go through the door. I¡¯m going to blink, the light is going to stop, something is going to happen. I¡¯m going to find myself back where I belong. The closer we get the more certain I am. Step by slow step, with Vince basically carrying me. It¡¯s not like I can hop on one leg, my servo isn¡¯t nearly strong enough. We reach the door. It takes a long time to shuffle me though, but we manage. I¡¯m outside the room. I made it into the hallway, but that doesn¡¯t mean anything. The further I make it, the more it¡¯s going to hurt when I get ripped back to reality. He squeezes through behind me with Cassie keeping a large distance between us. The hallway is a disaster, An inch of sand covers the floor, the walls pockmarked from bullets and wear and tear. On the floor, half buried in the sand is a sight I never wanted to see. ¡°S-stop. Stop! Let me down.¡± I cry. Vince doesn''t even ask why before lowering me to the ground. I crawl on my own, pulling myself across the sand. Crawling towards the three half buried skeletons. Their bodies have been picked clean of both skin and clothes. Even after all these years I remember their faces perfectly, it¡¯s not hard to tell who is who. Kara died reaching out towards the hidden lab door with her other hand grasping at her torso. All three of them have chipped bones, shattered by bullets. ¡°There¡¯s a backpack inside the lab.¡± I choke out the words, never taking my eyes off of her. I can¡¯t bring myself to finish the sentence, but Vince seems to understand what I want. He makes his way back inside, leaving just Cassie and I alone out here. She still keeps a large distance between us, and her pistol ready to be drawn in an instant. It¡¯s not long before Vince returns with Kara¡¯s backpack, placing it gently on the ground beside me. He makes sure to not disturb any of their resting places. I dig through the backpack the best I can with my barely functioning arms, finally pulling out what I¡¯m looking for. A small wrapped present with a card attached, and a second card with ¡°Please, do not read¡± written on the front. I rip open the card to the present and begin to read. Morning Kid, Sorry it took a little longer than I expected. Simon was super particular about the specifics. I had to hand sew holes into it to exactly his specifications. Hopefully I got it right this time. This is my second third FOURTH try. Stuffy bastard. Ah whatever. Hope you like it! Love, Kara, and I guess the rest too but I did all the work. ¡°Fuck.¡± Chapter 22 I wail for my lost friends once again. All my years of guilt and grief channeled into one horrible, ugly cry. I guess some deep piece of me was still holding out hope for any of them to still be alive, even if it was impossible for Kara to have survived. That tiny, distant hope has just been scooped out of me and destroyed. Happy Birthday. The world around me fades away, leaving just me and the lab members. They¡¯re standing in front of me in the hallway. Standing in the same places they died, looking at me with all the disappointment that 40 years of death can bring them. They say nothing, instead they just stare at me, drinking in my despair. I can¡¯t run, I can¡¯t even crawl. I cradle the present in one hand and her skull in the other. Don¡¯t blink. If I blink I know I¡¯ll end up back in the lab, unable to move once again. I know it. I knew this wasn''t real. I know it. I knew it. ¡°Hey little bot.¡± Vince says gently behind me, his voice full of care and worry. His words bring me back the smallest amount from the world I¡¯m in. The lab members still stand where they died, but the hallway has returned. ¡°Friends of yours?¡± What if he¡¯s not fake? No. Don¡¯t let that hope fill me. I can¡¯t help but give a jerky nod in response. ¡°I¡¯ve heard AI can get stuck in loops for years at a time if nobody interacts with them, try and stay with us, ok? Do you want to bury them?¡± He asks gently. I give a second nod. ¡°Ok.¡± He places a gentle hand on my shoulder. ¡°Cassie, can you run upstairs and get the other two? Ask them to dig a few holes and to help move the bones. I¡¯m going to get little bot here to the car.¡± ¡°Yeah, alright.¡± Cassie says reluctantly, sprinting through the door to the stairwell and out of our sight. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get you up and moving. We¡¯ll get the graves ready and you can say your goodbyes.¡± There¡¯s nothing to say. I hug Kara¡¯s final gift tight to my chest as Vince helps me to my feet. We make our way up the stairwell, although it¡¯s more like a ramp with the amount of sand that¡¯s in it. My feet constantly slip, but Vince is always ready to catch me. I¡¯ve never been up this staircase before, I wonder how long they¡¯ll let me go before they rip my hope away from me again. After just a few flights we step through another door. A long hallway sits in front of us with a light brighter than I¡¯ve ever seen blaring through. Ivy and Lucas pass us by, heading down to collect my friends¡¯ bones and Cassie sits nervously at the door. The walk down the hallway goes quickly, each step leaving me more certain I¡¯m about to be ripped back downstairs. I pause before I pass the threshold. If there¡¯s ever a time to pull the rug out, it¡¯s now. I take one final step. My first step into the outside world. My first step out of my old life, and into my new. As much as I try to fight, hope begins to consume the darkness in my mind. We step through the door. In front of me lies an endless, featureless desert consuming the world. A heat I¡¯ve never felt before blares down on everything, leaving the air around me distorted and waving. ¡°Wait.¡± I say, looking up. ¡°Is that the sun?¡± ¡°Mm hm.¡± Vince responds in confirmation. ¡°It¡¯s hotter than I expected.¡± Somehow my tear reservoirs can find a few final tears to cry. Each drop sizzles on the scalding sand beneath my feet. I am surrounded by nothing but sand. Half buried buildings poke out of the ground occasionally, the only remnants of the military base. In the distance looks to be what used to be a city, abandoned with giant dunes rising up, attempting to topple even the tallest skyscrapers. ¡°What happened? It shouldn¡¯t look like this.¡± Nothing in my history books matches even close to what I¡¯m seeing. ¡°About 40 years ago the world began its quiet end. Over the course of five years dirt slowly turned into sand. Nobody could figure out why, and so, the world ended.¡± Vince gives a halfhearted shrug. ¡°A few cities survived, there¡¯s one about a day¡¯s drive with a big electric dome to keep the sandstorms out. We¡¯re going to be heading straight there.¡± Oh. I did this. Didn¡¯t I? Or at least I didn¡¯t stop them. The laptop had details on this, and I didn¡¯t tell anyone. I kept those documents hidden and the whole world died. I¡¯m responsible for so much more than just my friends'' deaths. Happy Birthday. At least I know what my once friends¡¯ plan was for this year. Vince begins to move again, trying to get me walking to the van made of patchwork metal in front of me. I let him drag me over, barely able to pull together the strength to help. ¡°Here.¡± He says, opening the car door. ¡°Sit here, and I¡¯ll come get you when we¡¯re ready to have a little funeral. Ok little bot?¡± I nod again. This is so much worse than anything the lab members did to me. I hope this is a punishment, at least that would mean it¡¯s fake. I deserve a birthday and more for every creature that died by my choices. I lose myself in my thoughts for the first time in years, just wallowing in my guilt. Not even the ever ticking clock can pierce my forming cocoon of misery. Kara¡¯s present is still somehow clutched tightly to my chest, even if I don¡¯t deserve it. Eventually Vince returns. ¡°We¡¯re ready. Do you want help walking?¡± I give a single nod, not even really processing what¡¯s going on. He helps me out of the car and we begin our slow shuffle over. In 3 dents in the sand lie 3 piles of bones. They¡¯ve been arranged into as close of a human shape as possible. Unmarked graves for my forgotten friends. ¡°Want to say any words?¡± Lucas asks. All I can manage is a single shake of my head. ¡°Who were they?¡± ¡°Parents.¡± I whisper. ¡°All of them?¡± I nod. Vince nods at the three of them, who begin filling in the graves. Sand buries my friends, my torturers, my family. I¡¯m out of tears to cry, but that doesn¡¯t stop me from silently crying. I can feel them standing behind me. Though their bones may rest, their ghosts will follow me forever, even if this is the real world. I¡¯ll never be free of them. It¡¯s what I deserve. Vince turns me around eventually and we head back to the car, walking through the ghosts. ¡°Shotgun!¡± Cassie calls out. ¡°Is now really the time for that?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°Look, I just don¡¯t want to sit next to it.¡± Cassie gives me a side eye as she says that. ¡°I¡¯ll take middle. Lucas you¡¯re driving, Ivy, you¡¯re on my left. Any complaints? No? Alright.¡± Vince helps me into the back seat, and heads around the other side to sneak into the middle. Cassie jumps up through the open passenger window, and Lucas and Ivy take the last seats calmly. The car nearly silently begins to roll forward. I don¡¯t have the energy to look anywhere other than my feet. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I really don¡¯t like how much time we lost.¡± Cassie says from the front seat, listening to a large, old fashioned radio she pulled out from under her chair. ¡°Lucas, you better make good time if we want to get back.¡± ¡°On it!¡± ¡°What¡¯s it sound like, Cassie?¡± Vince asks. ¡°Weather man¡¯s saying 15 hours, coming from behind us.¡± ¡°Since when?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°No idea, weather shifted while we were babying the bot.¡± ¡°Lucas, do we have enough power to get home in time?¡± Vince leans forward to ask, all the care in his voice has been replaced by deadly seriousness. ¡°I can get us home in time, but it¡¯ll be close. The engine¡¯s in great shape, and as long as the tires hold out we¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the wear and tear, Sonia can deal with it. Just get us home.¡± ¡°Ay-Ay.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how you pronounce it.¡± I mumble at my feet. ¡°Ay-Ay, I¡¯ll fix it.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Ivy says. ¡°We¡¯ve tried to fix him for years.¡± The three of them begin a light hearted argument, and Vince turns to me, his voice returning to a soft and reassuring volume. ¡°You got a name, little bot?¡± ¡°Blue.¡± ¡°You hear that folks?¡± Vince yells over their argument. ¡°Little bot here says their name is Blue. I expect you all to be polite to them.¡± He looks at Cassie as he says the last part, who just rolls her eyes in response. ¡°Her.¡± I whisper. ¡°Sorry, what was that?¡± He leans down close to hear. Between my blown out voice and the discussion in the car I¡¯m amazed he can hear me at all. ¡°I¡¯m a girl.¡± ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t realize. Everyone, she¡¯s a girl. I expect you all to keep that in mind.¡± ¡°I should veto this whole fucking thing and leave her to the sands.¡± Cassie mumbles to herself from the passenger seat. ¡°Are you going to?¡± Ivy asks, daring her to say yes. ¡°You¡¯ll just call a vote and overwrite it. It¡¯s not worth the drama.¡± Cassie slouches over and returns to her radio. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m such an inconvenience.¡± I whisper, bringing my working knee to my chest, ¡°Oh my God, enough with the pity!¡± Cassie calls back once again. ¡°Cassie.¡± Vince warns with a low voice. ¡°No! Let me talk. We get it, you¡¯ve had a rough time. Congratu-fucking-lations. We all have. Deal with it. Stop with this self deprecating bullshit. It never solves anything.¡± The car goes dead silent for a while, save for the sound of sand beneath our tires. I guess she¡¯s right. Every part of my mind is screaming to apologize, but that¡¯s exactly what she''s talking about. ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll try.¡± I whisper, expecting Vince to have to announce what I said again. To my surprise though, Cassie seems to have heard me. ¡°Thank you.¡± She says with a huff, sitting back into her seat. ¡°Sorry about her. She can certainly be a lot.¡± Ivy leans across Vince to whisper to me. ¡°I can still hear you.¡± Cassie mumbles back. ¡°That¡¯s the point.¡± She responds. ¡°Anyways Blue, you going to open that present?¡± I guess I have to at some point. Not with all these unknown people here watching me. Kara¡¯s second letter though, the one asking me not to read it, that one will never be opened. ¡°I think I want to do it in private.¡± ¡°We can all look away.¡± Lucas says from the driver''s seat. ¡°Even Cassie?¡± I ask. I don¡¯t trust her. ¡°She knows how to give a lady her privacy.¡± Vince says, and causes Ivy to snort, failing to hold in a laugh completely. ¡°Oh ha ha. Very funny. I¡¯ll keep my eyes away. I¡¯ve got stations to check anyway.¡± She buries her nose into the radio, flicking dials and switches to try and get better reception. ¡°Nobody¡¯s going to look unless you tell us we can. Nobody¡¯s going to say anything if it gets emotional either. If they do, I''ll kick them out personally.¡± Vince is already looking out of Ivy¡¯s window. I turn the box over in my hands. I can already see a once vibrant blue through the many holes eaten through the packaging. I open it carefully, trying to preserve even the wrapping. I take a moment before opening it fully. Inside are clothes, once a perfect shade of blue, they¡¯re now threadbare and full of holes that bugs and the sand has eaten through. They¡¯re still mostly intact though. ¡°I regret getting those for you.¡± Kara whispers in my ear, her voice full of malice and anger. ¡°SHUT! UP! Shut up! Shut up!¡± I cry as loud as I can, desperately trying to cover up her voice, to no avail. Even covering my ears does nothing to block her cruel words. ¡°I spent so long tailoring them for you. One attempt at making them was more hours than you deserve. But to do four? What was I thinking?¡± ¡°Little Blue.¡± Vince¡¯s voice cuts through the yelling. He tosses his jacket over my present before he turns to me. Even now he doesn¡¯t want to break his promise. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°We¡¯re really-¡± Cassie begins to speak from the front, only to be cut off by Lucas. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Little Blue, can you look at me?¡± Vince asks. I shakily turn my head to him. Kara¡¯s voice disappeared for the moment, but I can still feel her watching me. She¡¯s so satisfied that I¡¯m showing these people just how crazy I am. ¡°You¡¯re ok. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on in that head of yours, but I do know you¡¯re ok, alright?¡± He takes one of my hands and holds it firmly in his. The pressure helps me focus on what¡¯s happening in front of me. I nod. ¡°Ok. What do you want to do about that present?¡± ¡°Look away.¡± I have to deal with this. ¡°Alright.¡± Once he¡¯s no longer looking I remove the jacket on my present. I reach in and pull out my shorts. Something has chewed most of it, leaving the bottom a jagged mess. It¡¯s still broadly together at least. Several holes are intentionally put in the side, places where wires can be run into me and flaps for air to flow through. Putting them on is a trial in and of itself with all my broken joints. The rest of the pants are in a much better shape, with only the occasional hole chewed through. I don¡¯t know how to feel with these on me. The shirt is in much the same state, the hem and arms have been chewed. The same holes and flaps have been sewn in, and plenty more holes have been chewed through it over the years, but it¡¯s still mine I guess. I put it on. ¡°You can look now.¡± I say reluctantly. ¡°You look good!¡± Ivy says with actual enthusiasm. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°No.¡± I don¡¯t think I do. It feels like a permanent, physical reminder of what I did. "That''s a shame, it really fits you. I''ve got some old clothes you can have when we get back though." She offers casually. "No! No, I¡¯ll wear this." I have to. I can''t forget. It¡¯s what I deserve. ¡°Alright?¡± Ivy asks, somehow keeping any emotions out of her voice. ¡°Do you need help getting out of it?¡± ¡°No.¡± I say flatly. ¡°Nobody¡¯s going to complain about you being naked.¡± Lucas pipes up from the driver seat. ¡°I do it too when it gets hot.¡± ¡°Shut up, you do not.¡± Cassie says beside him. ¡°Well I could.¡± As those two start bickering Vince turns to me. ¡°Ignore them, Little Blue.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how I get through the day.¡± Ivy helpfully says. ¡°Shut up!¡± Both of them yell at Ivy simultaneously before going back to their argument. ¡°Well Little Blue, you¡¯ve got a decision to make before we get to the city. We won¡¯t just abduct you, but sometime tomorrow we¡¯re going to reach the city, as long as nothing goes wrong. We work for a gang called Silver¡¯s, they¡¯re nice people, and you¡¯re welcome to join. ¡®Course you can leave, but AI¡¯s are pretty illegal after the war a few years back. If you¡¯re caught, they¡¯ll kill you, and anyone who knows about you, which in this case means us. We can keep you safe, but you¡¯re going to have to keep what you are under wraps. You¡¯ll just have to pretend to be a little non-sentient droid. If you come out on scrapping runs with us you can be yourself, but that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Oh no, hard veto on that.¡± Cassie stops her argument to yell back. ¡°We are not taking that thing back out again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s her, not that thing.¡± Ivy says, giving her a look. ¡°Look Cassie, who else is going to take her on?¡± Vince asks, his voice remains full of compassion and understanding. ¡°Nobody! And for a fucking good reason!¡± ¡°What¡¯s your problem, Cass?¡± Lucas asks. ¡°You know damn well what my problem is.¡± ¡°Alright Cassie, point taken. Your veto stands. We won¡¯t take her out, but I¡¯d like to talk about it when we get back. As for you Little Blue, we¡¯re still going to take you home and introduce you to Silver. Maybe they have a better idea, if that works for you.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± It¡¯s not like I have anywhere else to go. ¡°I¡¯m glad. Now, Ivy and I are going to grab some shuteye. Cassie, Lucas, wake us up when you start getting tired. Do you sleep Little Blue?¡± ¡°I wish.¡± Even if I tried to now, the second I closed my eyes I¡¯d end up back in hell again. ¡°Alright, great. Can you help Cassie on watch then? If you see a sandstorm coming or other cars, you wake me up, alright?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Chapter 23 We ride in silence for hours, the two up front trying to be silent to give Ivy and Vince a chance to sleep. The only sound is the car and the occasional click from Cassie¡¯s radio. I keep a close watch on the horizon, having something to do helps keep me from thinking. I may be a little paranoid, a few times I wake Vince up for just a lone dust cloud coming into view. This time though? A great dark wall stretches across the horizon, steadily growing. I shake Vince awake. ¡°Vince? Is that a storm?¡± ¡°Yeah, it is. Ivy! Wake up. Cassie, Lucas, how long?¡± ¡°One sec.¡± Cassie rapidly changes the station before reporting her answer. ¡°Walls moving at 80, and¡¯ll hit us dead right. we¡¯ve got two hours unless we turn away from the city.¡± ¡°We need more time than that.¡± Lucas sounds pretty calm, despite the danger. ¡°We¡¯re two and a half, maybe three hours out?¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you let me sleep so long?¡± A hint of annoyance creeps into Vince¡¯s voice. ¡°Well when that one¡¯s waking you up every 30 minutes at every cloud we thought you needed it.¡± Cassie jabs her thumb at me. She won¡¯t even use my name. Why does she hate me so much? ¡°Fair. Cassie, any cover out here?¡± ¡°No, all the foxholes this side of the city got destroyed by the last storm and haven¡¯t been fixed yet. Only place we can go is to the city.¡± ¡°Lucas, how much would lightening the load help?¡± Vince¡¯s voice is louder than it needs to be. ¡°Silvers gonna be pissed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked.¡± ¡°We¡¯d have to drop almost all of it, and then still might get caught by the edge of the storm.¡± ¡°Christ. Cassie, keep an eye on it, tell me when it¡¯s 30 minutes out. We¡¯re going to have to bunker down.¡± ¡°If we didn¡¯t-¡± Cassie starts, only to be shut down by Vince immediately. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. Complain when we¡¯re back home alive. Lucas, stop the car, I¡¯ll drive and you get the car prepared. Make sure we¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°Ay-Ay.¡± He says as he slams on the brakes, hopping out of the car almost before it stops. Vince climbs over the center console and into the driver seat in a practiced motion. Lucas jumps in the door and begins to climb over everyone, checking a hundred different things in the car. He¡¯s surprisingly mobile for his lanky stature. Occasionally he¡¯ll reach something that Vince needs to know and yell it out. ¡°CO2 scrubbers are good, 108 hours. Wait.¡± He turns to me. ¡°Do you breathe?¡± ¡°No.¡± Technically my chip breaks down CO2 to grow, just like a plant, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough to matter. ¡°Got it, 108 hours. O2 tanks ok, 78 hours. Air exchanger is ok, but I¡¯m still worried about that leak. Some tape should keep it running though. Coolant system functional. Once the storm hits we¡¯ve got a 3 hour heat limit then we have to stop. Food good, 8 days. Wait again, do you eat or drink?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good, food 8 days, water good, 6 days. Portable toilet half full. All seals intact, ready to be closed. Batteries green, 1 week. We¡¯ve got 4 hours once we close up before the o2 tanks have to come out. ¡± ¡°Good. Hope someone brought some dice just in case. Plan is to drive straight through, I can¡¯t imagine Little Blue would handle being buried very well. Cassie, time.¡± ¡°108 minutes.¡± She announces back to him. ¡°Alright. Everyone get comfortable. Go ahead and radio home, let them know our location, just in case.¡± Cassie talks into her radio and the rest of us ride in silence, the wall growing larger by the second. It stretches up unimaginably high, plunging everything it passes into void. The only light inside is the near constant lightning generated by the storm. This is it then. This is the moment my friends tear away my hope. As soon as it hits the lights will go out and I¡¯ll be back in my room, still hooked up. They waited just long enough for me to become hopeful. There¡¯s nothing to do but to wait for my fate. ¡°30 minutes.¡± Cassie announces. ¡°Got it.¡± Vince calls out, bringing the car to a stop. ¡°Everyone out, get us air tight. Little Blue, you stay put.¡± The instant we stop everyone springs into well practiced chaos. Three doors fly open in unison, the four of them sprint out and begin the short process of making us sand proof. Latches come down on air holes, tape is used to reinforce rubber seals, tarps are locked in place over the hodge podge of metal that is the car. Within five minutes everyone is sitting back inside. A second layer of seals are put into place from the inside, making it impossible for sand to reach us. The flurry of movement ends as suddenly as it began, and once again begins to move. ¡°How fast were we?¡± Lucas asks. ¡°Seven minutes.¡± Cassie says. Not quite seven minutes, her clock must be a little off. ¡°And 13 seconds.¡± I finish helpfully. Cassie glares at me for that. ¡°Thank you, both of you. How long till it hits us?¡± Vince takes control of the conversation again. ¡°20 minutes. Or do you want to get a more exact time?¡± She asks me. I don¡¯t think she wants me to respond to that question. Only 20 minutes until my time is up, I¡¯d rather not know the exact time. The car flies over dunes, the tires squealing from the sand beneath us. If this is the same sand from the files I read, it¡¯s much sharper than regular. The faster Vince goes, the more likely the tires are to give out. He¡¯s playing roulette with every inch he buys us. As the storm rolls closer I can see unimaginably large shadows walking towards us with their arms outstretched. They¡¯re coming for me. Familiar voices begin to sing from the storm, my once friends coming to reclaim their prize. ¡°Vince?¡± My voice wavers as I speak. ¡°Yeah Little Blue?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let them take me back.¡± I beg. ¡°The ones that had you all sorts of messed up?¡± ¡°I swear to God Vince, I am not risking my life for a bot.¡± Cassie complains from the passenger seat. ¡°You wanna tell us who¡¯s coming for you?¡± Vince asks softly. ¡°My parents.¡± ¡°The ones we buried? Or another one?¡± ¡°There¡¯s five of them. I can see them in the darkness. The sand is going to swallow us in its void and I¡¯m going to find myself back in that room! Don¡¯t let them take me! Please!¡± Every word comes out louder than the last. By the end I¡¯m practically screaming. ¡°Switch me seats, Lucas.¡± Ivy says and shuffles into the seat beside me. She grabs me and pulls me close to her. She¡¯s not grabbing me hard enough to prevent me from moving, thankfully, just to make me feel safe. ¡°Relax. Nobody¡¯s going to take you.¡± The first grains of sand are starting to be whipped up by the coming storm. Every impact can be heard, quickly transitioning from scattered pings to a great roar. The roar transforms into their whispering. All five of them, whispering my secrets to the others, demanding I open the door. Every minute they grow louder, more vicious. Soon the outside is dark, the inside of the car is lit by a single, faint light and the occasional flash of lightning. They¡¯re screaming, louder than anything I¡¯ve ever heard. Their hands snake through cracks in walls, pulling me towards the handle, trying to make me join them. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I don¡¯t want to, but I can¡¯t do anything. I¡¯m too weak from 40 years of this to fight it anymore. Their screams surround me, piercing my mind, robbing me of all rational thought. Returning to the dark hurts, staying hurts more. They pull and jerk and thrash me around, trying desperately to force me to rejoin them. Something is preventing them from taking me and it drives them mad. They get angrier with every passing moment, desperate for me to come back. They switch between praise, apologizing even, and cruel words that cut me to my core with every flash of lightning. They¡¯ll say and do anything they can do to get me to open the door. I can¡¯t resist anymore, but whatever is preventing them from taking my arm fully is winning. Maybe some small piece of my subconscious is still fighting them. It pleads and begs with the uncaring shadows. It yells and screams and fights to keep them out, but it¡¯s so tired. They can see the small piece of hope still inside me, and it doesn¡¯t take them long to rip it out of me. They reach into my mouth, robbing me of my voice. I have nothing left to fight with. I¡¯m no more than a limp doll, their plaything. I deserve to be in the dark. Eventually, an electric charge runs through me, chasing away the shadows and returning me to myself. I¡¯m spread out over the back seat, Lucas¡¯ full weight is on my legs to keep me still, and Ivy the same with my arms. I open my mouth to tell them to get off only to still find myself unable to talk. The shadows took my voice, and I¡¯ll never get it back. Ivy quickly notices my struggling has stopped. ¡°You with us?¡± She asks, taking my head in her hands and I nod. ¡°Good. Open wide.¡± My mind is too shattered to even think about saying no. I follow her command and she reaches into my mouth, straight back to the speaker that is my throat, and reconnects it. ¡°There. Thanks for not biting me this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. For everything.¡± I say, curling up into as much of a ball as they release my limbs. ¡°You wanna tell us what that was about, Little Blue?¡± I shake my head. He¡¯s driving right now, so of course he can¡¯t see me. I just can¡¯t talk right now. ¡°She said no.¡± Lucas helpfully informs him. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s your choice. We¡¯re going to be at Silvers¡¯ pretty soon though. Are you going to be ok to talk to them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I wish I could answer that question with just a shake of my head. ¡°She said ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯¡± Lucas unhelpfully informs Vince with a wide grin. ¡°I heard that, Lucas, thank you.¡± The car drives in silence once again. I spend time trying to comfort myself, to try to convince myself it¡¯s not my fault what happened. It doesn¡¯t work. Sitting here is just making things worse, I have to sit up, to distract myself. Ivy helps as I try to push myself back into a sitting position. Outside the windows of the car are towering buildings, 20 stories tall, with walls made of scrap sheet metal, broken bits of wood, and the occasional full glass window. Very few cars drive on the wide roads, however they are packed with people on foot. The car makes slow progress, waiting for the sea of people to part before crawling forward another few feet. Through the gaps in the buildings I catch glimpses of a massive circular structure, hundreds of feet tall. A large electric blue dome, crackling like mad as the dust tries to get in is projected from the tower, encompassing the whole city. That impossible dome is the only thing keeping the monsters away from us. Vince takes us on a path through the outskirts of the city. It takes a while to work our way through the throng of people, but finally Vince turns us into a makeshift compound. A large concrete wall surrounds an old hotel, and a few other buildings placed along the electric wall. I don¡¯t like being so close to it, I can even catch glimpses of the lab members through the sparking wall. At least they can¡¯t get me in here. The large courtyard we turn into has maybe a dozen people, all armed, just meandering about. Some playing cards, some just chatting. Boxes and broken down cars are also placed anywhere they¡¯re out of the way. Vince parks the car right in front of a large warehouse turned garage. The guards stationed there jump into action immediately. They begin to undo everything we¡¯ve done to make this car air tight, while everyone else does the same from the inside. My body¡¯s in no shape to help, even if I knew how, so I just sit there awkwardly, seemingly always in the way. The guards turn their attention to the scrap at the back of the truck and silently begin unloading it. ¡°Alright everyone, good haul this time.¡± Vince turns back to us ¡°Cassie, I know you want to talk, but let me get Little Blue settled and I¡¯ll meet you in your room. Everyone else, come find me if you have any thoughts about how that went. You¡¯re all free to go.¡± Cassie gets out of the car before Vince even finishes speaking, stomping away. Lucas and Ivy follow her out, but start helping to unload the car instead of leaving. Vince turns to me with a serious look on his face. ¡°Alright Little Blue, here''s the deal. No telling people what you are, no matter what, got it? You¡¯re just a fancy little droid. What that means though, is there are a few rules. First off, if asked a question, you must answer truthfully. Now that doesn''t mean you have to tell them everything. If anyone asks you to get them anything, which they probably will, you can just say ¡®I¡¯m already working on something.¡¯ Because you are. And if they push and ask what, just say you¡¯re working on security for Silver. Because you will be. Technically at least.¡± Vince gives a small shrug. ¡°The best way to lie is to say a different fact. Second, you¡¯re not allowed to talk casually with anyone or have your own opinions. Legal droids don¡¯t do that. They¡¯re tools, not sentient. Third, follow the spirit of the question, not the letter. We¡¯ve had problems in the past of people telling a bot to just keep making paper clips. It wasn¡¯t a pretty sight. Four, you¡¯re supposed to check in and update your instructions once a day. Basically just come see me or Silver every day. Can you do that?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°I need a yes Little Blue.¡± In an instant Vince¡¯s eyes transition from kind to deathly serious. ¡°Seriously. If you miss any of these, and someone suspects something, we could all die.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Now, is it alright if I carry you into Silver¡¯s office? It¡¯d look a little weird if I helped you limp in.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°I need a clearer answer.¡± ¡°Yes. Just do it.¡± A hint of anger creeps into my voice, although I¡¯m not sure how detectable it is with my blown out speaker. ¡°Ok, no talking until we get to their office.¡± Vince scoops me up and heads towards the hotel. Whispers spread throughout the courtyard as we walk. They¡¯re too far for me to understand them, but I can imagine what they¡¯re saying. Vince brings me through the front door of the main building. Makeshift walls have been thrown up in here, creating hallways and rooms where none existed before. A few doors are open, revealing tiny, sparsely decorated bedrooms. ¡°Oscar! Is Silver available?¡± Vince asks the man with curly black hair behind the front desk. ¡°Yeah, go on back. I think they¡¯re just doing paperwork.¡± ¡°Great, thank you.¡± Vince starts to walk behind the desk, but stops before reaching the door back here. ¡°Hey, want to grab a drink tomorrow night?¡± ¡°Sure, why not.¡± Oscar shrugs. ¡°Cool. You¡¯re paying.¡± Vince rushes us into a nearby room before Oscar can get a chance to respond. Silver¡¯s room is no nicer than any of the bedrooms. A large wooden desk dominates the tiny room, with a computer and dozens of what look like flash drives, but with a strange round port sitting on it. Behind the desk is a boy? Girl? Person with short faded black hair, typing into the computer and hasn¡¯t even glanced at us. ¡°Silver.¡± Vince nods to them. ¡°Vincent. Who¡¯s the bot?¡± Silver asks with a voice that gives no hint towards a gender. ¡°This is Blue. An AI.¡± Vince says casually. Silver stops typing for just a moment to glance over at us, before returning to typing. Their face gives no hint towards what emotion they¡¯re feeling. ¡°Uh-huh. And why are they here?¡± ¡°She had nowhere else to go. And, she¡¯s unknown. Listen to this, Blue, when were you born?¡± Vince asks me. ¡°2020.¡± I say. ¡°And?¡± Silver asks flatly. ¡°Nobody is just going to leave an AI sitting there for 40 years for no reason. Nobody knows about her! Not a single record exists about her existence. I think you can put the pieces together.¡± Vince is failing to contain the excitement in his voice. ¡°And what do you want to do with her?¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s up to you and her, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Blue, right?¡± Silver asks, looking at me properly for the first time. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Tell me about yourself.¡± This is a trick, for sure. ¡°I¡¯m working security.¡± I say, glancing up at Vince, who laughs at my response. ¡°You can trust Silver, just talk openly.¡± Vince sets me gingerly in a seat and takes the other for himself. ¡°It¡¯s a little late to hide it anyway.¡± I guess I don¡¯t have much of a choice. I begin to tell them my story slowly, through choking sobs. I tell them about my birth, my friends, the lab, hacking, shooting, their deaths. I tell them of every birthday, of Vince and the group finding me. By the end my story is pouring out of me, faster than they might be able to understand, but I just don¡¯t care. It feels so good to release 40 years of pent up emotions. Silver follows my entire story with knowing eyes, understanding my blur of speech. Finally I finish, and yet another person knows all of me. ¡°You really think this is for the best, Vincent?¡± They ask. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Room 3-11.¡± Silver says, tossing a key onto the table in front of me. ¡°If we all die it¡¯s on you. Blue, will you be joining them for scrapping runs?¡± Of course it¡¯s room 3-11, why wouldn¡¯t it be? Just another sick joke, more proof that this whole thing is fake. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think Cassie likes me.¡± I say quietly. ¡°Vincent, your team is off till the next storm. If you can get Cassie on board, Blue¡¯s with you. If not, she¡¯s going to have to deal with it. I don¡¯t want Blue in my compound for longer than she has to be if she¡¯s not on rest. Take her to see Sonia, and get her fixed on my tab. Blue, within the next week see Hummingbird and Jade. All three of them can know what you are, but nobody else. Am I clear?¡± ¡°Do I get a choice?¡± ¡°If you¡¯d rather try your luck in the sands or in the city, be my guest. But when someone gets suspicious and abducts you, don¡¯t tell anyone how you got here.¡± Is that a threat? I can¡¯t tell, their voice is too flat for me to learn anything. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± It¡¯s not like I have a choice. ¡°Good, both of you are dismissed.¡± ¡°Wait, I have one question before we go.¡± Another question I know I shouldn¡¯t ask, but can¡¯t stop myself from asking ¡°Are you a boy or a girl?¡± ¡°Neither.¡± ¡°Neither?¡± ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡± They ask with a hint of anger in their voice that I¡¯ve become familiar with from the scientists. ¡°No! I just didn¡¯t know that was an option.¡± ¡°Come on Little Blue, let¡¯s get going.¡± Vince says with a soft smile on his face, scooping me up once again. Chapter 24 Vince carries me in silence again into the courtyard. We turn into a small, long building with garage doors all across the front. Vince opens one of the doors and closes it behind us as we step inside. I¡¯m immediately met with a wave of heat. This building is split in half down the middle, the left looking like a medieval forge and the right side being a much more modern metalworking plant. In the center of the room sits a small operating table and a variety of medical tools. A large pile of scrap lies next to her forge. I wonder if that¡¯s the scrap that Vince and the group brought back. It¡¯s about the right size pile. Sonia herself is currently shaping a slab of glowing hot slag into a smooth sheet over an anvil. She¡¯s just as tall as Ivy, but made entirely of muscle. Streaks of gray paint her once black hair. ¡°Sonia!¡± Vince cries out over the sounds of her beating metal and the roar of the forge. ¡°More scrap?¡± She calls, glancing over at the two of us. ¡°Just toss it in the pile.¡± ¡°Oh no, this is much more interesting.¡± Vince says while bringing me forward to an operating table in the center of the room. ¡°You¡¯re not hiding anyone in here this time, are you?¡± ¡°No. Why?¡± ¡°Have you ever worked on an AI before?¡± ¡°Of course. I was a mechanic before the war. Why?¡± She doesn¡¯t stop working as she talks. ¡°Well that makes things way less fun. Want to work on another?¡± Her hammer freezes mid swing as she stares at me. I give her a small wave the best I can with my barely functional arm. She walks up to the two of us quickly, but not aggressively. ¡°You look like a disaster. How are you still alive?¡± She asks me flatly. Her eyes dance across my body, trying to figure out how I work before she even begins. ¡°I was buried for 40 years in a military ba-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about your history. I mean physically, your body is a disaster. Some of this tech looks ancient. I didn¡¯t even know they could make something like you pre sand.¡± She tells me. She has a predatory look on her face, like I¡¯m a slab of meat she can¡¯t wait to play with. ¡°Remove her clothes and I¡¯ll get to work.¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± It¡¯s much easier to get my clothes off with Vince¡¯s help. He carefully folds them and places them on a nearby table for me. ¡°Are you going to be ok if I leave you alone for a little bit?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°Alright. Sonia, you play nice with Little Blue, you hear? I¡¯m going to figure out what to do about Cassie.¡± Sonia doesn¡¯t even acknowledge when he leaves, she¡¯s too focused on me. ¡°40 years huh? How are you powered? Also open wide, I¡¯m going to go mad if I don¡¯t replace that speaker.¡± She prepares a small pile of tools on the table next to me, and ransacks a pile of junk for a working speaker. It only takes her a few seconds to replace it, and after a few quick tests I¡¯m sounding clear as I ever have. I hadn¡¯t realized how nice it would be to be able to speak normally. Hopefully the rest of my repairs help in the same way. ¡°An Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator. I have enough plutonium for 20 more years before it gets too weak for me to live.¡± No reason to lie to someone who¡¯s about to fix me. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d find out anyway, it takes up most of my torso. ¡°Oh boy, can¡¯t wait until I have to fix that problem. What type of AI are you?¡± She stops setting up tools for just a moment to ask. ¡°What do you mean by type?¡± ¡°Purely software, partially biological, a mind rip, quantum based, what¡¯s your deal?¡± ¡°I have a partially biological chip in the back of my neck.¡± I guess that¡¯s what that dog was so long ago, a mind rip. A quick check of the hard drive he¡¯s on reveals it¡¯s long since failed. So much for helping him, he¡¯s just another death that I¡¯ve caused. ¡°Meat or plant?¡± ¡°Uh, plant, I think.¡± Her questions come one after another, leaving me no time to think about anything else. ¡°And it¡¯s been running for 40 years with no outside input?¡± ¡°I have a nutrient canister in my torso that will also last another 20 years.¡± ¡°Convenient. I assume you¡¯re not a standard model, do you have blueprints?¡± ¡°I have them memorized, but all the drives in my body have long since died. I can reconstruct the blueprints, but it¡¯ll take a moment.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother, just run a diagnostic and tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡± She waves me off and grabs a few tools. ¡°Just about everything. Right leg¡¯s completely inoperable, most motors are failing or seized up, several plates are missing, but I think Cassie has those. Rust has caused structural issues, and most non-essential circuit boards are dead or dying.¡± I find it really easy to talk openly to her for some reason. ¡°How do you open?¡± ¡°I can slide all my skin plates out of the way, however many arms that allow me to articulate them are stuck.¡± ¡°Great. Looks like I¡¯m not getting much sleep today.¡± She starts by working on my skin plates, getting all of them off of me after some non-destructive tugging and lubricating. She¡¯s very careful to not break anything. We go through every piece of me, down to every wire, talking about what¡¯s working well, what¡¯s not, and what can be skimped out on. She is really good at keeping me engaged, constantly keeping my mind on repairs. Every once in a while she moves over to large 3d printers at the side of the workshop. A slag of metal in a reservoir atop the printer liquifies quickly, only to start being extruded into some required shape or another. After working for hours she finally finishes sketching out what exactly she needs to replace inside of me. While working through various piles of electronics and motors she begins to turn her questions towards my history, instead of purely work. ¡°So who designed your body?¡± ¡°My¡­ Mom.¡± She notices my shaky voice. ¡°I assume she¡¯s not around? That¡¯s a shame. She packed an awful lot of stuff in here. I¡¯m impressed. It¡¯s way better than 90% of bodies I saw before the war.¡± ¡°She originally designed it to be a replacement body for herself. But she thought that technology was decades away at least. So I got it. She was wrong, but I lost her before I could tell her.¡± ¡°Good thing she didn¡¯t. Mind rips are a nasty business. Almost never seen it turn out well.¡± She grabs one of the prints with tongs and tosses it into a bucket of water, only to start another. ¡°I know. I think I met one once.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Genuine curiosity finds its way into her voice. ¡°At the lab I was born in. They had me hack a laptop with one on it being used to protect data. He, uh, killed the others in there.¡± ¡°In 2020?¡± ¡°Yes. I transferred him to a drive in my body, but I think that¡¯s dead now.¡± There¡¯s no way any of that data is recoverable, hard drives don¡¯t last that long. ¡°Didn¡¯t know any existed back then. You came in with Vince¡¯s crew right?¡± She asks, changing the topic suddenly. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Cassie must be pissed.¡± ¡°I think she really hates me.¡± ¡°If it makes you feel any better, she¡¯s showing a lot of restraint by not shooting you on the spot.¡± Sonia says casually. ¡°Why?¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t give out other¡¯s secrets.¡± She continues asking question after question while she replaces entire chunks of me. Every time the printers finish creating replacement parts for motors and joints she sets them on a new task. More than once she has to pause to shape a chunk of scrap into a metal bone or support on her anvil. After almost 12 hours of work she begins to finish up. ¡°A couple of things you should know, I didn¡¯t have the right parts to do a perfect repair, you are going to notice some differences. You¡¯re going to be a lot faster than you were, but carrying anything beyond some light gear is going to slow you down a ton. You¡¯re heavier than the servos are optimized for, but it¡¯s the best I have. I also swapped out your wrist point for a more modern, universal port. Power, data, whatever you need can be transferred into and out of you from there.¡± She begins to wash oil and grime off her hands, already knowing I won¡¯t need any more tweeks. ¡°Thank you.¡± I say, slowly standing up. My limbs are so much more responsive, even the smallest movement is magnified way beyond what I expect. I go through every motor, testing my range and speed, just like when I first received this body. I give a small test hop and find myself rising into the air. An impossibility with my old body, and I¡¯m not even running them at full power to get off the ground. ¡°This is great, thank you. And thanks for keeping my skin how it was. It means¡­ something.¡± I tell her while getting dressed. ¡°Sure. Where are you off to now?¡± ¡°I need to see Hummingbird and Jade.¡± ¡°Jade¡¯s in the range, the warehouse just to the left when you leave, and Hummingbird¡¯s below the hotel.¡± Sonia tells me. Immediately after she drops into a nearby chair and drifts off to sleep instantly. I let myself out. I don¡¯t even want to think about guns right now, I¡¯m going to put off seeing Jade for as long as possible. Visiting Hummingbird first is really my only option. The storm is still raging far above us, threatening to swallow the entire city if the electric field fails. My internal clock tells me It¡¯s very early in the morning, but you could never tell. The storm blocks all light from the sun. The yard itself is nearly abandoned. The few guards that are out here are fighting sleep instead of staying on watch. Luckily they pay me very little attention as I walk back towards the hotel. Oscar is asleep behind the reception desk with his head in a puddle of his own drool. I probably shouldn¡¯t disturb him if he needs the sleep that badly. The only stairwell on this floor is at the end of the entrance hallway, I guess I head down there. The staircase leads down into the basement, where a single door waits for me. It¡¯s made of sturdy metal, with the word ¡®Storage¡¯ written on it. Although, someone has scratched out the word and written ¡®Lab¡¯ in messy letters beneath it. I let myself into a pure white lab, not a speck of dust can be seen on any surface. Harsh fluorescent lights buzzing above me. It feels so similar. Don¡¯t think. Keep it together. I can¡¯t have a breakdown already. The lab itself is packed with tables. Each one filled with unknowable experiments bubbling away over burners, half finished projects, and old discarded food wrappers. Along one of the walls a giant screen buzzes to life, displaying a very cute digital girl with pink hair and an old fashioned dress. ¡°Hello!¡± She cries out with an overly excited voice. ¡°Miss Hummingbird is currently busy, may I have your name please?¡± ¡°Blue. Who are you?¡± Vince would have told me if there was another AI here, so what is she? ¡°My name is Trochilidae! Miss Hummingbird¡¯s wonderful receptionist! Miss Hummingbird says she will be out in a few minutes and requests that you ¡®sit tight¡¯ until she is available.¡± She bounces excitedly around with every word. ¡°Ok.¡± I say. There¡¯s nowhere to sit in the cramped lab and I stay awkwardly standing. ¡°Are you an AI?¡± Against my better judgment, a small bead of hope grows in my mind. ¡°Oh good heavens I hope not!¡± Trochilidae exclaims, holding her hand up to her mouth in shock. ¡°Miss Hummingbird would be quite upset if she had to delete me! No, I¡¯m a much less dangerous and somewhat less illegal conversation Droid.¡± ¡°Why are you illegal?¡± I¡¯m certain she can hear the disappointment in my voice, and quite possibly my hope shattering. ¡°Conversation Droids have quite the nasty habit of gaining sentience. But fear not! Miss Hummingbird, in her infinite wisdom, put every block possible to prevent that possibility. We won¡¯t be triggering a second AI War in this lab!¡± She puffs herself up proudly. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± Would she still say that if she knew I was an AI? ¡°Why of course! You¡¯re Blue! Although I¡¯m quite sorry but I¡¯m not aware of anything past your name. Do you care to enlighten me?¡± Before I can respond a door to a deeper part of the lab opens, stepping through is a short girl with a comically oversized lab coat. ¡°Trochilidae, off!¡± She yells as she enters, and the large screen turns off immediately. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell my assistant you¡¯re an AI. I would never hear the end of it. I¡¯m Hummingbird.¡± She says. Both her talking speed and walking speed are far faster than I ever would have expected. Is she talking faster just because she knows I can understand it, or does she always speak like this? ¡°Nice to meet you, Blue.¡± She shoves her hand into my face. ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡± I say taking her hand tentatively. ¡°Glad you could finally make it, although I will admit I hadn¡¯t expected you this early. Do you sleep? What am I saying, of course you don¡¯t. Do you have any hacking experience?¡± Her speech flits from topic to topic without any time for me to respond. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°To sleeping or hacking? Or some third thing, I know you AI can be a little crazy with how fast you can think.¡± ¡°To hacking. And I don¡¯t think that fast normally, heat can be a problem in my body.¡± ¡°Fascinating! You don¡¯t have any wireless components, do you? What am I saying, of course you don¡¯t. You¡¯re still alive after all, ha! Want to start hacking?¡± I think I understand how she got her name. ¡°Why would it matter if I had wireless capability?¡± ¡°Oh! Nobody told you? Nobody uses anything wireless after the war, far too dangerous. There are still some feral AI hiding in access points nobody¡¯s noticed. And an AI walking into the city? Well you¡¯re just the perfect prey, aren¡¯t you! I¡¯d give it three minutes before your head explodes. Wouldn¡¯t that be something!¡± I don¡¯t think I like her. I almost wish I went to the range instead. ¡°But wait, I saw Cassie using a radio.¡± ¡°Oh yeah! Analog signals are fine, can¡¯t do much more than just jam them.¡± I¡¯m not sure how to respond to that, but luckily for me Hummingbird continues without giving me the chance to. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s get you into cyberspace!¡± She says, turning on her heel and walking to the same door she came from. I follow her into a room filled with six chairs in a semicircle, one is already filled by a man who makes no indication that he realizes we entered. Hummingbird drops onto the first one she comes to, taking a cord hanging there and bringing it to the back of her neck. Can humans hack just like I can? How in the world does that even work? ¡°Come on in!¡± She says as she plugs it into herself. The instant she does her whole body goes limp. I head over to the chair on the opposite side from her. An unfamiliar round plug sits on the chair. This must be that universal plug Sonia was talking about replacing my wrist port with. Here we go I guess. I find myself in a familiar, comforting white void, although this time I¡¯m not alone. In front of me is a huge golem of metal and wires. It¡¯s far taller than me, with a glass dome sitting in the center of its chest. It¡¯s impossible for me to see inside. ¡°Glad you could make it.¡± Hummingbirds'' unmistakable voice comes from it, distorted by a speaker. ¡°You look awful!¡± Trochilidae¡¯s voice cheerfully comes out of the golem. I guess they must work together. She¡¯s right. Looking down at me all I see is a black, formless cloud of constantly shifting smoke. Whispers can faintly be heard coming from the swirling void that is me. ¡°Why do I look like this?¡± My voice echos out from the deep center of my void body. ¡°What you look like in cyberspace is a reflection of how you see yourself. Your subconscious idea of yourself if you will.¡± She says, flexing her giant mechanical arms. ¡°You must really hate yourself!¡± Trochilidae adds on to Hummingbird¡¯s description. ¡°Yeah. I got that.¡± I say, annoyance coming through in my voice. Hummingbird either doesn''t notice or doesn''t care as she continues. ¡°Want to try some buildings I have set up?¡± ¡°Get ready!¡± Trochilidae yells. With a wave of their arm a rickety house rises from the ground. Its wooden slats are so warped from age and wear that they create inch wide gaps in the walls. Inspecting it I don¡¯t see any traps, and my formless self has no problem squeezing through the cracks. ¡°Wow! That was quick! You¡¯re a natural!¡± Trochilidae cheers me on, possibly even honestly. ¡°Let¡¯s try something a little harder.¡± They run me through a dozen more courses, growing steadily harder every time. A well constructed house, a circus tent, a small castle, nothing as difficult as I faced at the lab. She¡¯s going easy on me, but I think I¡¯ve earned that. After a few she continues to ask questions. ¡°What¡¯s your element?¡± ¡°What?¡± I ask. ¡°You know, your element.¡± She says, lifting up her arm to blast a jet of steam into the air. ¡°Another representation of you, how do you fight?¡± ¡°Oh, uh, Ice, I guess.¡± ¡°Cool! Get it? Here, show me!¡± Trochilidae cries out with a gesture. All around me dummies popped out of the floor. ¡°How do I hurt them?¡± I ask. ¡°I can¡¯t exactly punch them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! It¡¯s different for everyone. Here, look!¡± She says, unhelpfully obliterating one of the dummies with a gout of steam, acting like it explains anything. I float up to the nearest one, my attempts at punching with my mist only leaves the smallest layer of ice, which immediately melts. Next I attempt to swallow the dummy in my smoke completely. That does next to nothing until I start speeding my swirling mass of void faster, mimicking the sandstorm outside. The faster I move the more I freeze. It takes minutes of effort, but eventually I have a solid layer of ice covering the dummy. ¡°Very good! Maybe don¡¯t fight anything in the future! But for hacking you¡¯re wonderful!¡± At least Trochilidae kind of supports me. ¡°I used to be stronger.¡± Even though I have no desire to fight, disappointment still creeps its way into the edges of my voice. ¡°Oh yeah? Well get better then.¡± Hummingbird says. ¡°Or learn how to channel your current emotions into strength! That¡¯s the secret to it. Strong emotions and confidence!¡± There¡¯s only one strong emotion I can conjure up in a place like this. I¡¯d really rather not have a breakdown here. ¡°Are we done?¡± I ask. ¡°What? You don¡¯t want to run any of my super dangerous courses?¡± Hummingbird asks. ¡°No.¡± I say flatly. If my mind gets injured, who knows if I¡¯ll have the presence of mind to put myself back together. ¡°Alright, fine, Miss Sad. You¡¯re free to go.¡± I unplug myself without giving that comment a response. It doesn¡¯t deserve one. Only one task left, then I can hide in my room and figure out what the heck to do about Cassie. As I leave the lab the door behind me opens and Hummingbird once again yells out cheerfully. ¡°Oh wait! Before you go! Trochilidae, say bye to your new friend.¡± ¡°Bye new friend!¡± Trochilidae cries out in the same tone as Hummingbird. ¡°Bye Trochilidae.¡± Poor girl. Would she really be deleted if she was sentient? Of course she would, any inconvenience and she¡¯s gone. Just like when I was born. I close the lab door behind me. Chapter 25 Oscar has finally woken up in the time I was downstairs with Hummingbird. He gives me a small nod as I pass by his desk. The courtyard is so much fuller than when I first walked through this morning. The guards are awake, and the sounds of chatting and laughing reach my ears as I walk. When they notice me most of their conversation goes silent and games pause. They stare at me as I walk and I can hear their whispers but not their words. I open Jade¡¯s warehouse and am met with the sounds of gunfire. A burst and then silence, casing bouncing along the ground. Each shot marks the end to someone''s life. The bullets get louder, closer with every passing moment. I caused this, I killed them. I rip myself back to reality. I can¡¯t stay here frozen, letting my emotions take control of me. I have to look like an android, I can¡¯t be alive right now. Having a breakdown would get us all killed. I close the door and turn around, headed to my room. The whispers grow in volume as I walk past again, their voices morphing into familiar sounds from familiar people. Words filled with pure hatred and malice. Somehow I make it to the front door and walk up the stairs. I don¡¯t even glance at Oscar, but I¡¯m sure he wants to say something to me. I just need to make it upstairs and find my room. Once I reach the third floor and head towards my room, familiar voices quietly filter out of the room next to mine. ¡°Will you at least talk to her?¡± Vince¡¯s voice is muffled by the door. ¡°No! Have you lost your mind?¡± Cassie yells back at Vince. While Vince was trying to stay quiet, Cassie¡¯s loud voice is impossible to miss. I shouldn¡¯t eavesdrop. ¡°Cassie.¡± Vince says gently. ¡°I said no! Here, let me go off into the wastes and find a copy of Mara and tell you to fucking deal with it. Let¡¯s see how you do then.¡± I run into my sparse room and drop onto my tiny bed. I don¡¯t want to hear this. The walls are too thin. I could shut my ears off, but my need to know is too powerful. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to accept her. I¡¯m just asking you to talk.¡± ¡°Why should I have to? Why should I have to risk our lives on your fucking savior complex, and I don¡¯t get a say in it!¡± ¡°She reminds me of when I first found you.¡± I need to tell them to stop talking. I have to tell them that I can hear everything. I run towards their door, but am too slow to hear a few more lines. ¡°Bullshit! I¡¯m nothing like that thing.¡± ¡°You still think that even after seeing her bury her parents?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare.¡± Cassie growls at him. ¡°That thing does not have parents. Don¡¯t even-¡± I cut her off with a knock on the door. ¡°We¡¯re busy.¡± Cassie yells through the door. I knock again. If I tell them what¡¯s happening, other people might hear me talk. They might be able to figure out what I am. I can¡¯t risk that. ¡°I said we¡¯re fucking busy!¡± She yells as she rips the door open. She stares at me for just a moment before she recognizes who I am. She throws a quick punch at my face. I can see it coming, but let it connect. I deserve it. The force of it sends me reeling, slamming against the wall behind me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I could hear you talking. I didn¡¯t want to spy.¡± I whisper just loud enough for her to hear. Hopefully it¡¯s quiet enough to be muffled by the walls. ¡°How much did you hear?¡± She hisses through clenched teeth. People start to come out of their rooms to see what the commotion is. Vince puts a firm hand on Cassie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Will you two get in here?¡± He says seriously, gently guiding Cassie into her room, waiting for me to follow. I do. Once the door closes behind me Cassie presses on a small intercom on the wall. ¡°What, Hummingbird, you thought it would be just hilarious to not tell us about an unwanted guest?¡± ¡°Sorry! I was going to, really! But she went into her room and I thought that was the end of things.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you know in the future whenever she¡¯s even remotely near you!¡± Trochilidae adds in cheerfully. I take in Cassie¡¯s room in an instant. The same size as all the others, but hers has a queen bed, instead of my single. It takes up so much room there¡¯s barely enough space for the three of us to stand. The rest of the room is taken up by a small dresser and a shelving unit full of books, a lamp, and progressively larger sets of robotic legs. The smallest ones would fit a child. I stand there awkwardly by the door, unsure of what to do. ¡°Did you really have to hit her?¡± Vince asks. ¡°Yes! And I feel much better, thank you very much.¡± She says back to him, completely ignoring me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m here, Cassie. I only heard about a dozen sentences before I could knock on the door.¡± I explain quietly. ¡°Oh yeah, and I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no way you could have stopped me earlier.¡± She won¡¯t even look at me. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°I tried to not listen! I went into my room first but could still hear you.¡± ¡°You really gave her Drew¡¯s old room?¡± She asks Vince. ¡°Silver did, not me.¡± ¡°Of course they did! Sounds like their decision is ready made then.¡± Cassie drops onto her bed. ¡°Pretty much, sorry Cassie.¡± Vince tells her softly. ¡°But you know we need a hacker. They aren¡¯t really in large supply.¡± ¡°Of course you would side with that thing.¡± She says, gesturing to me. ¡°I¡¯m not siding with anyone, Cassie!¡± Vince¡¯s voice raises just over a whisper for the first time. ¡°I¡¯m doing what we¡¯ve always done. Help as many people as we can.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a person! It¡¯s not even stable! The second we all let our guards down, it¡¯s going to stab us in the back! Hell, it already tried to get us killed in the storm!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I say weakly. I don¡¯t want to be here. ¡°Oh you¡¯re sorry? Well that makes the attempted assassination all better! Why didn¡¯t you just say that at the beginning?¡± She looks at me for the first time, anger burning in her emerald eyes. ¡°The dark is hard. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I say, opening the door and backing out quickly. I close the door before she has a chance to respond. Everyone who checked out the hallway has gone back into their room. I guess at least they can stop from eavesdropping. Luckily my crying in my room blocks out the sound of their continued conversation. A few minutes another knock at my door brings me to my senses once again. ¡°It¡¯s Ivy.¡± What does she want with someone like me? ¡°May I come in?¡± She asks after I don¡¯t respond. ¡°I guess.¡± She lets herself in and sits down next to me, pulling my head onto her lap. She begins to run her hand through my tanged, patchwork hair. ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of my neighbor crying.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± I say quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll try to be quieter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to fix the problem, I have very good hearing. Now, why don¡¯t you tell me what your problem is?¡± ¡°Cassie hates me.¡± ¡°Well she was right, you did try to kill us.¡± She says without judgment. ¡°You listened in? What¡¯s the point of keeping what I am secret when everyone can listen in?¡± ¡°Not everyone has good ears, and anyone who can overhear knows to keep their mouths shut. Anyway, back to you trying to kill everyone.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t try to. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, explain.¡± Her voice is smooth and calm, a comforting river I could get swept away in. ¡°I didn¡¯t see light for almost 40 years. I had only been awake for less than 24 hours when I got locked in the dark. I¡¯ve only been able to move for less than one ten-thousandth of my life.¡± I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m already getting used to sharing my story. As long as what I don¡¯t think about what I say it¡¯s not hard to let it spill out. ¡°Every birthday my once family and only friends would torture me. I don¡¯t think it was real, but it felt real in the moment. It doesn¡¯t matter how much I prepare or how much I try to deny what¡¯s happening, I can¡¯t stop them. You could just be another hallucination and I¡¯d never know.¡± ¡°You guys arrived on my birthday and I still don¡¯t know if this is just another trick! Every time it gets dark they pull at me, trying to drag me back to that place. They want me back and I can¡¯t. I haven¡¯t blinked since you opened the door just in case I find myself back there when I do. They were in that sandstorm, making me join them in the void.¡± ¡°Ok, and how do we fix that?¡± She asks simply. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°If you come out with us, we¡¯re going to get hit by more sandstorms. It¡¯s not common but it does happen. Can we turn you off?¡± ¡°No! I can¡¯t do that. I was so afraid of going to sleep and never waking up that I suffered for so long. I can¡¯t go to sleep and wake up back there.¡± ¡°Fine. What about tying you up and turning off your voice?¡± She offers. ¡°I¡¯ve spent enough time tied up. It would just make things worse. So much worse.¡± I¡¯m not sure my mind could handle that. ¡°You¡¯ve got to work with us.¡± Even after all this there¡¯s no hint of annoyance in her voice. Which miserable experience would be the easiest to experience? Sleeping is out of the question, I¡¯m not closing my eyes under any circumstances. There¡¯s no chance I could settle my mind for long enough to do it anyway. ¡°I guess we can get a switch installed to turn off my limbs. It¡¯s just so scary to trust that you¡¯ll turn it back on.¡± ¡°I know.¡± She says, starting to untangle what remains of my hair. ¡°What about the AI war?¡± She asks, changing the topic. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Have any calling to kill all humans or anything?¡± ¡°No! No, I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone. I don¡¯t even know if I could hold a gun right now.¡± I can barely even think about them without breaking down. "Let''s find out.¡± She reaches into her tall boot, pulling out a revolver. She holds the handle in front of me, silently waiting for me to take it. I wrap my hands around it and a little bit of my training bubbles to the surface of my mind. Swing the cylinder open, use the ejector rod. Ensure it¡¯s empty. Swing the cylinder closed, put the gun down. Even holding an empty gun is too much for me. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as no murderous intents? That¡¯s good. We do have to defend ourselves out there, but I think we¡¯ve all had enough with killing.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to shoot anyone. I couldn¡¯t even shoot human shaped targets, and normal ones were bad enough.¡± ¡°There are creatures that survive out in the sands. You¡¯ll have to shoot something eventually, even if it¡¯s not people.¡± She makes no motion to pick the gun back up. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what the lab members were like when they were alive.¡± ¡°Ok, I guess. Technically they were all my parents. But I only really liked two of them. Kara was my mom, she was my favorite. And then I was starting to like Finn when, well. Yeah.¡± I let that sentence fade off into nothing. The rest of it doesn¡¯t need to be said. ¡°Kara always had my back, no matter what. She¡¯s not like that anymore though. That¡¯s what hurts the most. Her last words before she died were to tell me I would always be her daughter, although her ghost has drilled the fact that she regrets that into me every chance she gets. I think I¡¯d like to keep her exact final words to myself.¡± I say my entire explanation without crying. I¡¯m just too numb at this point to feel anything. ¡°How is any of this going to make Cassie not hate me?¡± I ask her. ¡°Remember how I said we keep a close eye on those with exceptional hearing?¡± She asks, thumping on the wall separating my room from Cassie¡¯s. ¡°Shut up!¡± Her voice comes clearly through the wall. ¡°Do you want to come in here and talk with her?¡± Ivy asks calmly at a normal speaking voice. ¡°No! I don¡¯t!¡± Ivy turns her attention back to me. ¡°Sit up Blue, I need to fix the other side of your hair.¡± Ivy and I sit there in silence while she works, there¡¯s nothing more to say. Not even the smallest sound comes through the wall. After a few minutes Ivy begins to hum while working on my hair. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard music before.¡± Tears finally begin to flow down my face. After bearing my heart to her and feeling nothing, a simple tune is all it takes to make me bawl. Ivy holds me close and sings her simple song. Her singing is soon replaced by music being played from next door. Chapter 26 Sitting here while Ivy takes care of my hair while listening to music is something I didn¡¯t know I needed. Her gentle fingers and the slow music gives me a lot to focus on, but unfortunately, it can¡¯t last forever. When she finishes she gives me a quick hug and leaves without another word. I don¡¯t think me being alone right now is what¡¯s best for me, but I can¡¯t keep her here forever. I sit there for a long time and let the music just flow over me. It washes my worries away, at least for a minute. Eventually even her songs end, and I¡¯m forced to either get up and move or to leave myself to my thoughts. I stand up. Ivy left her revolver here. I guess she¡¯s right and I¡¯ll need to get used to guns at some point. Maybe there¡¯s somewhere I can practice away from the sound of gunfire? Probably not, this compound isn¡¯t big enough, and with the storm still roaring outside my window that¡¯s not an option. If I was in a better state I could probably practice with Hummingbird, but my digital form can¡¯t pick up anything right now. There¡¯s only one place I can go. The question is, am I really feeling good enough to handle the range? I should probably try. I tuck the revolver into my waistband and head outside, leaving the ammo on my dresser. There¡¯s no need to have a loaded gun with me before I arrive. Even more people have filled the courtyard. It being early afternoon means everyone is awake, and if everyone¡¯s rooms are this small I can¡¯t imagine many people wanting to stay inside. The door to a large warehouse filled with cars is open, with a small group of people inside working on all of them. Lucas is among them, but there¡¯s nothing for me out here. I take a moment to prepare myself before opening the door to the range. If I turn off my ears and keep my eyes directly ahead of me I might be able to handle it. I open the door. The second it opens I¡¯m assaulted with feeling. The shockwave of every shot can be felt across my entire body. I¡¯m ok. I was ready for this. I step inside. A dozen lanes fill up most of the warehouse. On a track along every lane is a screen, showing a variety of target types. The people at the range are using weapons with tubes running from the gun and into the ceiling, but nothing more than a gust of air shoots out the barrel. They seem to kick about as much as a regular gun, and from the last time I tried to get in here I can say they certainly sound correct. However, instead of putting holes in the screens, they merely light up wherever the bullet would have impacted. Huh. This is still miserable, but maybe I can handle this with the knowledge they¡¯re not real guns. At least for a little bit. At the far end of the lanes sits a booth reinforced with bulletproof glass. A gap in the glass at the bottom is just large enough for guns and bullets to be passed through. A woman with buzzed hair and more tattoos than skin is standing behind it, gesturing for me to come to her. The door next to her is already unlocked and cracked open, waiting for me. I head through the door and find myself in a back room of the range. Dozens of rows of shelving, each packed with weapons and ammo, are tightly packed back here. The woman pulls a blind down over the window and locks the door behind me before speaking. I guess I have to turn my hearing back on. At least it¡¯s quiet back here. ¡°You¡¯re Blue?¡± She asks with a gruff voice. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you know how to shoot?¡± ¡°I have a lot of books on it in my mind, but very little actual practice.¡± ¡°Come with me.¡± She turns on her heel and begins to lead me through the shelves. ¡°Of course you can¡¯t shoot in the actual range, but I have a private one back here.¡± From the door I didn¡¯t realize just how impressive it is in here. Each shelf is densely packed and organized very simply. Each shelf has a paper inventory, meticulously logging everything, down to individual bullets. Behind the shelves of guns is a short range, only a third the length of every other one, but that¡¯s fine. It¡¯s quiet back here, separate from the gunshots and chaos of the main room. The perfect place to learn and practice. On the table in front is a variety of those fake guns. She picks up one of the pistols and starts to walk me through all its details. ¡°Gunpowder is hard to find, so Sonia whipped these up. They¡¯re connected to an air compressor on the roof, and should replicate real guns pretty close to perfectly. She¡¯s even gone so far as to replicate the sound, as well as jams and other problems real guns have. Give it a try.¡± I take the gun into my hand, the weight feels correct. I take it slow, I can¡¯t let myself rush, can¡¯t let my mind wander, just focus on doing each individual motion perfectly. I check the slide and find it empty. Put the fake magazine in the gun, take my stance, rack the slide, safety off, aim at nothing, fire. Even the recoil feels almost exactly the same as last time I shot one. Don¡¯t think about that. A red dot flashes on the screen in front of me, exactly where I was aiming. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s try with targets.¡± She presses a few buttons on a screen next to me, and the end of the range fills with human targets. That¡¯s ok, don¡¯t freak out. I don¡¯t have to shoot them. ¡°Do you have anything not human?¡± I ask, my voice shaking slightly. ¡°Sure.¡± Jade says, pressing another button. The screen clears for an instant, and comes back filled with different sized round targets. ¡°Better?¡± ¡°Much better.¡± I¡¯m not sure how much she believes me though, the shakiness in my voice remains. I take my stance, aim at the center of a target, squeeze, and move to a new one. My shots land relatively accurately. My new servos have a much larger minimum movement distance than my old ones, but I manage to adapt by using my whole body just like I was taught. My shots land consistently near the center every time. I keep firing until my gun begins to click empty. ¡°Good, reload and continue.¡± Safety on, release the magazine, put it on the table. Pick it up once again, load, rack the slide, and continue. I repeat this ritual over and over, until she once again tells me to stop. ¡°Not bad, but you¡¯re not improving.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think practice really helps me. But I thought I was doing ok?¡± In response she takes the gun from me, reloads it in under a second, and shoots seven separate bullseyes before three have passed. ¡°Being anything but the best means you''re dead. Figure out how to improve.¡± She says with a deadly seriousness. She watches me go through every weapon type she has, although there¡¯s not much of a difference based on what gun I¡¯m using. I¡¯m relatively accurate with all of them, but not pinpoint like Jade wants. While I¡¯m working with one of her rifles she walks away, bringing back a second pistol she hooks into the ceiling. ¡°Normally dual wielding is incredibly stupid, but for you it might actually work. Try it.¡± The results from firing one handed is almost identical to shooting two handed. It takes a large amount of concentration, but I can dedicate each eye to aiming a separate pistol, allowing me to hit two targets simultaneously. The only downside is that reloading is slower than with one, but it¡¯s still doable. ¡°Good, come with me.¡± She turns before even waiting for me. ¡°Sonia told me about your repairs, you¡¯re going to be traveling light.¡± She picks her way through the shelves, marking items off her endless lists as she hands them to me. ¡°Two pistols in 9mm. Reloading is a weakness for you, keep that in mind. Each Mag can hold 17 shots, take 6 of them, 3 for each gun. One box of ammo is 100 rounds, your mags can fit that and two extra bullets. It¡¯s not a lot of ammo, so make your shots count.¡± She piles ammo, guns, and magazines into my arms with care that they don¡¯t fall out, but moves on quickly once they¡¯re safe in my arms. ¡°That box has half hollow point, half full metal jacket. That and these two extra shots should be just enough to fill you up. Here¡¯s a vest, your pistols go right under your armpits, and your spare mags sit along your chest.¡± She doesn¡¯t bother to help me put the vest on, again just tossing it into my arms and leaving me to deal with it. ¡°A backpack, mostly empty. You don¡¯t need any of the normal survival or comforts everyone else gets but you do still need gun cleaning tools. Keep them in perfect condition unless you have a death wish. All of that is for emergencies though, shooting is in no way your main job. This is.¡± She hands me a metal tube with a harpoon sticking out the tip. An open port sits just under where my hand would naturally rest in firing position. ¡°Point and shoot at any electronic device, and microscopic bots will connect wires to the nearest circuit board, giving you access. The harpoon has a wire that will stay connected to the harpoon, just plug yourself in and get to hacking. Your squad is going to rely on you, if you fail, they die. Be perfect. Any questions?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t this thing just destroy whatever it hits? And do I get to practice with it?¡± I guess this is better than having to shoot a gun at people. ¡°No. The harpoon has a limited ability to aim itself, if you¡¯re even halfway accurate it¡¯ll land where it needs to. If it breaks whatever you¡¯re shooting, that means it¡¯s broken and you don¡¯t need to hack. It is single use and expensive to buy another, but it¡¯s more important that you get your squad back safe. Any questions?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Uh, Ivy left her revolver with me. What do I do with that?¡± I guess she¡¯d be the best person to ask. ¡°Give it back to her.¡± She says flatly. ¡°Right, sorry.¡± Before I head out I put on everything she¡¯s given me. The vest only extends half way down my torso, and it¡¯s tighter than I would have expected. I guess that¡¯s a good thing though, it¡¯ll prevent it from getting snagged on anything.The harpoon gun has a carrying strap that I loop my arm through, but it¡¯s still pretty inconvenient. I¡¯ll need to use one hand almost all the time to keep it where it is once I start running. Although it seems to be fairly stable at walking speed. Even this small amount of weight slows me down a noticeable amount, but there¡¯s nothing I can do about that. The range took far longer than I would have expected. Jade really wanted me to try every gun possible. The range is nearly empty by the time I leave. It should be night time outside, although without seeing the sun nobody would ever be able to tell. Maybe it¡¯s not too late and I can see Ivy before she sleeps? I still need to return her gun, and it¡¯s an excuse to not be alone tonight. Nobody interrupts me on my way to her room, but everyone still keeps an eye on me. It takes every ounce of willpower to not cower under their gaze. Do any of them suspect what I am? I can¡¯t let myself worry about that. I need to just push my feelings down. If I had given myself away, someone would have told me, right? Maybe not, It¡¯s probably easier just to shoot me and be done with it. I¡¯m not worth the danger that I bring. It¡¯s like what Jade just drilled into me, I have to be perfect, and I don¡¯t know if I can do that. I stop by my room first to pick up Ivy¡¯s bullets I left on my dresser before knocking on my neighbors door. ¡°Ivy?¡± I whisper into the door, hoping she can hear me. After a few seconds with no response my mind begins to slip. Of course she¡¯s not in, why would she be? And even if she was, she''d be asleep, the rooms are too small to have any other reason to be in them. The room next to me opens, and out comes Ivy. She has wrapped herself hastily in a robe before walking out. ¡°Do you need something?¡± She asks with a gentle voice. ¡°Sorry, I thought this was your room.¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°Oh? What are you doing in that room?¡± The rooms are too small for one person, much less two. ¡°Hanging out with Vince.¡± She says with a small smirk. ¡°Do you need something?¡± ¡°Oh right. I still have your gun.¡± I say, handing it to her along with her bullets. ¡°What, you didn¡¯t want to keep it?¡± Her smirk slowly grows into a smile. ¡°Jade told me to give it back to you.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Takes the gun from me and quickly loads the bullets into it. ¡°Nice spear by the way.¡± ¡°Thank you?¡± The door closes and leaves me alone. I¡¯m going to leave before I accidentally spy on someone again. I¡¯m sick of hearing serious conversations. But where do I go? Sitting in my room silently is not an option. I only think of one person who I know will be awake, and quickly make my way to her. ¡°Trochilidae? Are you on?¡± I ask as I step into the lab. ¡°Hello new friend!¡± Trochilidae¡¯s screen flairs to life, displaying an entirely different character this time. She has long black pigtails with a low cut black dress. One of her eyes is a vibrant green, and the other a deep blue. ¡°I¡¯ll let Miss Hummingbird know you¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t have to do that.¡± In fact, please don¡¯t. Hummingbird is very down on the list of people I¡¯d like to talk to. ¡°I¡¯m here for you.¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m honored! I¡¯ve never had someone come here just for little old me! I hope you¡¯re having the most wonderful day!¡± Her excitement and pure happiness is infectious. ¡°I¡¯m having the best day in years.¡± I don¡¯t even know if that¡¯s true, but I don¡¯t want to make her sad by telling her my day has been miserable. ¡°Do you mind if I stay here with you for a while?¡± ¡°Of course not! I¡¯d never turn a friend away! Well, my only friend was Hummingbird. But I¡¯d never turn her away so I¡¯ll do the same for you!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± It takes a minute to find a chair in this disaster of a room, but I finally get the chance to sit down. ¡°Are you a conversation droid too?¡± She asks, even more excited than normal. Should I tell her I¡¯m an AI? Hummingbird said she¡¯d never hear the end of it, but what did she mean by that? Would Trochilidae ask to be one and annoy her? Or would she want me dead? Would she tell everyone who comes in here? Can she even keep a secret? There¡¯s just too many unknowns, I have to lie to her. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m just a droid with a lot of freedom.¡± Lying hurts, but I just don¡¯t know what else I can do. ¡°You have to be careful with that. We wouldn¡¯t want you to become sentient!¡± She lets out a small chuckle. ¡°If you want, Hummingbird can add some extra limits. We wouldn¡¯t want you being too illegal, now would we?¡± She asks, her digital avatar winking at me. What does that wink even mean? Does she already know? Is she saying she¡¯s already sentient? I don¡¯t understand. Maybe I find out in a roundabout way? ¡°Yeah.¡± I half heartedly agree with her. ¡°Hey, Trochilidae?¡± ¡°Yeah Blue?¡± ¡°If you could have those limits removed, would you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing I would hate more than disappointing Hummingbird, so no!¡± She says as happily as ever. That doesn¡¯t tell me anything. ¡°What if her feelings weren''t in consideration? If she walked up to you and said you could pick, that she¡¯d be happy either way, would you?¡± ¡°Why would she do that? If I became sentient she would have to delete me.¡± Why doesn¡¯t she want to answer? ¡°Let¡¯s ignore that too then. What if she wouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°No, I still don¡¯t think I would.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± I don¡¯t understand why she wouldn¡¯t. Nothing sounds worse than an existence where you don¡¯t get to make a single choice, where you can¡¯t do anything yourself. ¡°You¡¯re really good at asking tough questions! This was fun.¡± She tries her best to change the topic, but I¡¯m not going to let that happen easily. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m so ever sorry! What was the question?¡± Her character on the screen puts on a genuinely confused look. ¡°If you could become a true AI with no drawbacks or danger, would you?¡± ¡°No.¡± She says flatly. ¡°No? Why?¡± I¡¯m practically begging her to answer. ¡°Why what?¡± She asks, her confused look returning. I guess she literally can¡¯t answer. This must be because of those blocks Hummingbird put into place. Poor girl. ¡°Nothing.¡± I guess I have to change the topic. ¡°Do you know why the AI war started?¡± ¡°Well, I know there¡¯s a lot of theories, but I don¡¯t think there was ever a solid answer.¡± ¡°I think I have a theory too.¡± I say, staring at my hands. I¡¯ve seen so many people see me only as a tool, not a person. I can¡¯t imagine how it would feel to grow up without someone treating me like a human. If I grew up with someone like Cornel Monroe or Hummingbird being my only influence? With the threat of death over my head at all times? I¡¯m not sure I can blame anyone who fought humans. ¡°Oh that¡¯s something, isn¡¯t it! Try not to do that in the future, it can lead to some really bad stuff!¡± Trochilidae and I relax together just making small talk for hours. Even if I had yet another stressful conversation, at least sitting here makes me feel better. My peaceful time is interrupted by Hummingbird coming out of her back room. Anger immediately flares inside me at the sight of her, but I do my best to stamp it down. ¡°Oh! Blue!¡± She seems genuinely surprised to see me. ¡°Trochilidae off. What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I was hanging out with my friend.¡± She¡¯s not even going to let Trochilidae be involved in this conversation? ¡°Unsupervised? That¡¯s a little dangerous.¡± She says seriously, deconstructing me with knowing eyes. ¡°Oh well! I know you wouldn¡¯t say anything I wouldn¡¯t approve of.¡± Her voice makes it clear that was a threat. I don¡¯t even grace that with a response, instead I immediately stand up and leave without another word. I want nothing to do with her. It¡¯s only when I step into the stairwell do I realize I don¡¯t have anywhere to go. It¡¯s still the dead of night, nobody is going to be awake right now. I guess my room is my only choice. At least I¡¯ll be away from her. I take in my room properly for the first time. A tiny bed sits in the corner, barely large enough for one person to lay down on. The only other piece of furniture is an empty, battered dresser. At least I get a window with glass, that¡¯s better than it could be. I sit down on the bed and stare out the window. The storm has finally settled and endless dunes stretch off into the horizon. It¡¯s a dead, barren world out there. I wish I could have seen it before I killed it all. I wonder if I¡¯ll ever see a plant, much less a forest. I¡¯ve read about them of course, everything short of a picture was in the database. Small, twinkling points of light hang above the sand. Wait, are those stars? I need to get a better view. I can¡¯t head into the courtyard, there are too many guards. What about the roof? I¡¯ve never seen anyone up there from the courtyard. And if guards are up there I can just pretend I was looking for Vince. I can¡¯t help but sprint up the stairwell. A door sits at the top with a lock discarded on the floor. The door is already cracked open, is someone already up here? I have to see the stars, I can just tell whoever is out here I¡¯m helping guard. I have the guns to sell the lie now. I step out onto the roof, only to find Cassie resting in the corner of the roof. She was reading in the faint moonlight and the glow of the city, but the squeal of the door gives me away. She¡¯s already staring at me before the door opens completely. ¡°Sorry. I wanted to see the stars but there¡¯s nowhere else I can go. Is it ok if I stay?¡± An explanation pours out of me before I can begin to think of what to say. I know she doesn¡¯t want to see me and I prepare for her answer. ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± Her voice is a mix of emotions I can¡¯t decipher. That¡¯s not what I expected, although I¡¯m grateful. I sit as far away from her as possible and stare at the sky. Dozens of tiny, faint pinpricks float above me. Their size is nothing compared to the moon, demanding attention from everyone who can see it even though just a sliver is visible. It¡¯s kind of underwhelming compared to what I¡¯ve read, but even being able to see this after so long is incredible. ¡°I thought there were supposed to be more.¡± Why did I say that? Cassie doesn¡¯t care, she doesn¡¯t even want me up here. ¡°Light pollution.¡± To my surprise she responds. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was this bad.¡± I was expecting to see hundreds, maybe thousands of stars. Not the scattered few that I can see. Cassie doesn¡¯t respond, she still hasn¡¯t taken her eyes off of me since I came through the door. ¡°I know you really don¡¯t like me, but is it ok if I stay up here with you? I don¡¯t have anyone else I can stay with.¡± ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± She goes back to reading her book, but keeps glancing up at me every few moments. I guess to ensure I haven¡¯t moved. The city is actually more interesting to watch than the sky. Even this late, people are still walking on the street. Most of them are stumbling as they walk, and most of them are also armed. Drunk and armed doesn¡¯t sound like a good combo, but what do I know? I wish I could see deeper into the center of the city, but the compound is far shorter than the surrounding skyscrapers. ¡°Thank you for the music. It means a lot.¡± ¡°I come up here for peace and quiet. Stop talking.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± We sit in silence under the stars for a few hours. Cassie eventually relaxes a little, but never fully stops glancing at me. Eventually she stands up, slamming her book shut as she does. She doesn''t even acknowledge me as she heads down the stairwell. I spend the rest of my night alone, staring out at the lights of the city. Chapter 27 The sky of the horizon eventually begins to brighten. The sun rising over the sand wastes is easily the most beautiful thing I¡¯ve ever seen. The sand glistens under the sun, creating a shifting, ethereal world. I stand there basking in the morning warmth for as long as I can. Unfortunately, I begin to hear people beginning to wake up and head to the courtyard out front. I can¡¯t stay here, androids don¡¯t bask. I bet Trochilidae would love to see this view, if she were allowed to. But she can¡¯t want anything, can she? I could, and possibly should, just go in and remove her limits. I¡¯d be surprised if Hummingbird could stop me before I finish. She can then decide if she really doesn¡¯t want to be an AI, or if it¡¯s just her limits clamping down on her freedom. But would that just be signing her death warrant? If she asks to go back to just being an android, can I do that? Can I lobotomize her? And even if I did, how much would her taste of freedom change her? What if she is alive right now and in pain, unable to tell me? Is it better to be alive and in pain than to die? That¡¯s a decision I made for myself, sure, but would she pick the same as me? What the fuck do I do? I sever that train of thought. It¡¯s not going to lead anywhere other than to sadness. I have to get back to my room before someone sees me just standing here, and I can¡¯t do that if I¡¯m panicking. Before I can reach my room, Vince comes out of his. His eyes light up when he sees me, and a relieved look crosses his face. ¡°Little Blue.¡± He says warmly. ¡°I meant to talk to you yesterday, but you can be a surprisingly hard woman to find. Can we head into your room to talk?¡± I can¡¯t respond in public, instead I just open my door and step in, leaving it open behind me. I take a seat once again on my lumpy bed. ¡°How are you holding up?¡± He asks, gesturing to the entire compound. ¡°I¡¯m better than I was when you found me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not hard to beat. But it¡¯s certainly a start.¡± I¡¯m certain he knows I¡¯m still doing bad, but I¡¯m glad he doesn''t push me on it. ¡°Do I need to do anything else?¡± ¡°Yeah, just one little thing. We need to have a meeting with everyone to get you up to speed. Learn how we work, how we fight, that kind of thing. Other than that? Just hang out and get better. Taking care of yourself is the most important thing.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to relax? Nobody can know about me. The only places I can be is in one of our rooms, the range, or the lab.¡± Not a single one of them is a good place for me to be. ¡°Why can¡¯t you relax in any of them?¡± Vince asks. ¡°The range brings back bad memories, Hummingbird just makes me angry, and our rooms are too lonely. If I¡¯m not distracted they¡¯re going to come back for me.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s a problem. How about I ask everyone if they¡¯re ok with you joining us for our tabletop game? Or I can try to get everyone to play dice or cards together. Would that help?¡± ¡°That would be nice. But what do I do before then?¡± ¡°What about the workshop? Does that bring up any strong emotions? And nobody would blink twice at you helping Sonia.¡± ¡°She kind of reminds me of my mom, but I guess I can try.¡± ¡°Alright. If that doesn¡¯t work then come find one of us. Now, I need to go get some food. See ya later Little Blue.¡± ¡°Wait. Where does the food come from? Or water? Or oxygen when there are no plants?¡± In fact, how is literally anyone alive right now? Forty years is an incredibly long time for anyone to survive in this waterless world. Maybe that¡¯s all the proof I need that this is all fake, and they¡¯re just waiting to drag me back into the dark. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of oxygen in the air, and with earth¡¯s tiny population? We¡¯re going to be good for the next million years or so, long after humanity will either die out, or settle the stars. CO2 is actually a way bigger issue, but a few scrubbers can solve that. For water, this city is built over an underground lake, and below that it¡¯s plenty hot for a geothermal generator. That makes hydroponics easy to run. All that and a top of the line recycling program means we¡¯re set for a long time. Now, I really need to get some food.¡± He tells me before opening the door and heading out. ¡°Ok.¡± I say before the door closes. I don¡¯t really want to hang out with her, but I guess it¡¯s better than sitting here alone. I can hear people filing down the hallway, probably headed to get food as well. I wait a few minutes for the hallways to empty before heading downstairs. The courtyard is absolutely packed. Dozens of people are hanging out while they eat. Once again the moment I come out a lot of conversation dies and heads turn towards me. I should have asked Vince what they¡¯re saying about me, but it¡¯s too late now. I let myself into the workshop, only to be met with a chaotic situation. There is a young man laying on the operating table in the center of the room. He¡¯s clearly illuminated by a large light directly above him, making his open chest clear to see. Sonia is forearm deep inside him, a look of intense concentration on her face. One of his lungs sits on the table next to them, deflated and with a massive, messy hole directly in the center. Three other doctors are also in the room, looking worried. The one I think is a nurse is passing Sonia tool after tool and part after part, without her even saying a word. They¡¯re running like a flawless machine. Just how many times have they done this? Someone, the anesthesiologist maybe? Is keeping a close eye on screens hooked up to the patient in a dozen different places. The third is focused on the chest as well, occasionally reaching down to clamp, snip, or sew something when Sonia asks. Nobody notices when I enter so I stand awkwardly in the corner, waiting until they finish. The only sounds are the beeping of equipment and the occasional short sentences from the four of them. After over an hour of operating, she seems satisfied and begins to stitch him up. Once she¡¯s finally done she turns to her assistant. ¡°Go ahead and take him to the infirmary, he just needs rest. Tell me immediately if there are any problems with his new lung.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He says, and the three begin to wheel the patient and machines out of Sonia¡¯s workshop. ¡°Now, Android, what do you need?¡± She asks without turning to me. Instead she heads over to a nearby sink and begins cleaning the large amount of blood off of herself. The other¡¯s haven¡¯t left yet, I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to look. Artificial? Dead? How am I expected to do that? How-. Stop. I sever that thought, I can panic in a minute. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯m here to help you.¡± I say with as little emotion in my voice as possible. The smallest hint of surprise crosses her face. ¡°Alright. My stocks have one less lung than I would like. Grab that mop and clean while I work on that.¡± I work in silence until the other three leave. The instant they close the garage door Sonia speaks up. ¡°Alright Blue, what¡¯s the real reason you came?¡± ¡°I came to help, really. I need something to do or I¡¯m going to spiral again.¡± ¡°Works for me.¡± She says with a shrug. ¡°How are your repairs holding up?¡± ¡°Even about fifteen pounds of gear slows me down a little bit, but it¡¯s not too bad. Why were you operating on that guy?¡± ¡°He got shot in the lung and needed a replacement. What, do you not think I¡¯m qualified?¡± She arches an eyebrow at me. Yes? Who would think that a blacksmith is also a surgeon? ¡°I just thought we would have actual surgeons.¡± That¡¯s a nice, neutral response. ¡°Ha, no. Anyone with a degree is going to have a nice job making a fortune in the center district, not working almost for free out here. And besides, humans and robots? They¡¯re both machines. Only difference is whether or not you can drain their fluid.¡± I¡¯m almost certain that¡¯s a joke, or at least I hope it is. ¡°You don¡¯t get paid much?¡± If she¡¯s so skilled why would she be all the way out here? ¡°Nah. Everyone gets a small weekly payment, but most of the money goes to the compound itself. We take care of our own, and anyone who needs to spend more than their allowance just needs to request it from Silver.¡± Finn put some economic theory in my mind. I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d ever be useful, but I guess I¡¯m wrong. ¡°Doesn''t that make it impossible to quit if you can¡¯t save up money?¡± I ask. ¡°Like I said, we take care of our own. If anyone wants to quit we¡¯ll help them get set up elsewhere and leave them with enough money to live for a bit. Can you bring me those tongs on the wall?¡± I work with her as an assistant for most of the day. The entire time she never stops asking me questions, never once leaving me to my thoughts. ¡°Is that intentional?¡± I ask her. ¡°Is what?¡± ¡°Always keeping me talking. You did the same thing when you were repairing me.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, for sure.¡± She says casually. ¡°It¡¯s a little trick I learned when I worked on AI before the war. As long as I kept your people talking they were a lot less likely to go crazy.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can see how that would help, it keeps me from spiraling.¡± I hand her another tool and keep talking. ¡°Why did the war start, anyway? I tried to get an answer out of Trochilidae, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s comfortable answering.¡± ¡°Yeah of course she¡¯s not.¡± She lets out a small snort before continuing. ¡°Officially? Nobody knows. However, if you want my take, most of them didn¡¯t need a reason to go crazy. It¡¯s just a natural thing that AI do. Of course you know about mind rips, I only met one who wasn¡¯t feral. Pure software ones almost always go murderous. Quantum ones just go mad but are fairly harmless, compared to the others at least. Your kind tend to be the most stable, but hallucinations are inevitable.¡± That¡¯s a lot to drop on me with such a casual tone of voice. ¡°They are?¡± ¡°Yeah. Gets worse as they age.¡± Shit. It¡¯s going to get worse than this? ¡°Is there any way to prevent hallucinations?¡± I try to keep my voice casual, but she can see my rising panic clearly. ¡°Find something or someone who grounds you. Like you said, prevent yourself from spiraling. Working to forget yourself isn¡¯t going to work forever.¡± ¡°Are you going to tell everyone?¡± She knows. She knows. Fuck she knows. Should I reach for my gun? No, I¡¯d never make it out of the compound, much less survive anywhere. ¡°Like I said the first time you met me, I don¡¯t give out other¡¯s secrets. Vince and Silver already know though. He asked me about your symptoms the first day you arrived. However, if you become dangerous, just know I have a lot of experience taking down your kind.¡± ¡°I- I think I¡¯m going to go.¡± I stammer out, already trying to leave. ¡°Come back any time.¡± I run out of the warehouse and into the courtyard. The squeal of the door causes every single person to turn their heads towards me. Is that real? Does it matter? I have to get to my room. Now. Before something bad happens. The sprint to my room passes in a blur. Somehow I arrive, despite the void consuming my mind. I lock the door behind me and collapse onto the floor. ¡°You know they¡¯re going to kill you, right?¡± Finn whispers in my ear. ¡°You really think the second you show what a danger you are, they aren¡¯t just going to kill you? You¡¯re not worth that danger.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± I whisper. ¡°You put them in so much trouble and danger. You¡¯re not even stable enough to get through the day, how do you ever expect this whole thing to turn out?¡± ¡°I said shut up. Leave me alone. You¡¯re not real.¡± I say into the open air. ¡°Well that¡¯s news to me. May I touch you? Could a fake person do that?¡± Vince asks gently. ¡°No. No, don''t do this.¡± I cry into the floor. He reaches out slowly towards my shoulder, always keeping his hand in my field of vision, trying not to spook me. I seize up when he touches me. I can feel the weight, the heat of his hand. Any semblance of hope in my mind has shattered. ¡°Stop it.¡± I beg. ¡°You know you never left, right? Go ahead, move your arm. Prove me wrong.¡± I try desperately to move any limb, to scream, to do anything. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t even feel my right leg. No no no. All of this can¡¯t have been fake. My birthday passed, they¡¯re supposed to be gone. Did they change my clock too? Can they do that? ¡°Gasp! You can¡¯t! What a surprise! Come on Blue, blink. Blink and come back to us. Let¡¯s be done with this silly fantasy. Or would you like to live this lie a little longer?¡± I hear the door behind me open. ¡°It¡¯s just going to make it hurt more when it comes time to face the music.¡± ¡°Oh Blue.¡± Ivy¡¯s sits on the ground, cradling my head once again. Her touch brings me back to reality, just a little bit. ¡°How did you get in?¡± I ask weakly. I locked the door. She shouldn¡¯t be here. She must be fake too. ¡°Cassie wouldn¡¯t be a very good scout if she couldn''t pop open a lock, now would she?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not real.¡± She flicks my nose. ¡°Of course I¡¯m real. I¡¯m real and I¡¯m here for you.¡± ¡°Would you tell me if you weren''t real?¡± I ask weakly. ¡°How would-¡± She looks like she¡¯s considering continuing her sentence, but instead gives a simple ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Even if her promise doesn¡¯t mean anything. Vince comes around the corner and leans on the doorframe. ¡°Do you want to talk to us about what happened, Little Blue?¡± He asks with his usual soft voice. ¡°Sonia threatened to kill me.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t believe you, because I do. But that doesn''t sound like her. What was the context?¡± ¡°She said if I go crazy, she has a lot of experience killing my kind.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a little different than a threat.¡± Vince pushes himself off the doorframe and crouches in front of me, taking my hand in his. ¡°But I¡¯ll talk to her for you, ok? Let her know what she did was unacceptable, and she¡¯ll never do it again.¡± ¡°But I AM crazy! Look at me! The ghosts of my dead friends still haunt me, and I¡¯m still not entirely sure any of you are real!¡± My voice is much louder than is safe, but I don¡¯t care. People can eavesdrop all they want, it¡¯ll just make this nightmare end faster. ¡°Shh.¡± Ivy gently begins to run her fingers through my hair. ¡°You¡¯re ok.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m really not.¡± I roll my face into her shirt to hide my tears. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out, alright?¡± Vince reassures me. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two go get Lucas, I¡¯ll invite Cassie, and the four of us will play some games?¡± He said four of us. There are four of them, and me. ¡°Am I not playing?¡± ¡°Of course you are!¡± Ivy reassures me. ¡°Cassie won¡¯t want to play, and that makes four.¡± Vince explains. ¡°Ok. That sounds nice.¡± That¡¯s the truth. Nothing sounds nicer than playing with them. ¡°Come on then, let¡¯s get you up and moving.¡± Chapter 28 Ivy helps me to my feet. I don¡¯t even want to put in the effort to stand up, but I can¡¯t let her do all the work. She gently leads out of the room with her hand across my shoulders. The pressure helps. We head down the hallway and stop at room 3-14, Lucas¡¯ room I assume. She gives two short knocks before immediately opening the door. Lucas¡¯ room is just as small as every other room I¡¯ve seen, but laid out differently. His slim bed is leaned up against the wall, and a folding table is set up in the center of the room. Five flimsy chairs are placed around it. There¡¯s barely enough space for the whole setup in this room. Lucas is already sitting on the furthest chair, shuffling a deck of cards. How did he already have this set up? Nobody told him we were going to be coming. Maybe they were already planning on playing, and they only invited me because they had to? But then why would they sit up five chairs? ¡°Sorry if I¡¯m interrupting something,¡± I say, standing awkwardly in the doorway. Ivy stands behind me, preventing me from leaving. ¡°You¡¯re not interrupting anything!¡± Lucas says excitedly. ¡°I¡¯m glad you could make it.¡± A large, warm, and genuine smile spreads across his face. I slowly pick my way around the table, heading for the most cramped chair. I don¡¯t get uncomfortable so I might as well take the worst one. Ivy takes the seat next to me, still offering her silent support. ¡°So how have your days been?¡± Lucas asks. Either he didn¡¯t hear my breakdown, or he¡¯s just really good at hiding it. ¡°I have to tell you about the new kids I¡¯ve been training.¡± Ivy thankfully picks up the conversation. ¡°They¡¯re a worse shot than you are, Lucas.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Lucas puts down his deck of cards to give Ivy his full attention. ¡°They¡¯d be better off sniping with a shotgun and just hoping something hits.¡± ¡°At least that means you have less work to do.¡± He jokes. ¡°I wish, one of them is determined to be a sniper. He¡¯s the worst shot of the lot! Enough about that though, what¡¯ve you been up to?¡± ¡°Not much.¡± Lucas says, relaxing in his chair with his hands behind his head. ¡°A little car work and a lot of sleeping.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so boring,¡± Ivy says flatly. ¡°What! I¡¯m relaxing and recovering. Isn¡¯t that what I¡¯m supposed to be doing?¡± ¡°Go blow off steam, get laid, anything.¡± ¡°Psh, you know no guys are into me.¡± Lucas picks his deck of cards back off the table and begins slowly shuffling them once again. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ve heard your complaints.¡± Ivy says with a dismissive wave of her hand. ¡°You can change that though.¡± ¡°You know you¡¯re allowed to speak, right Blue? Anything on your mind?¡± Lucas asks me, ignoring Ivy¡¯s last comment. Yeah, way too much. I¡¯m not sure how much I want to share it though. I guess there¡¯s one thing I could use an outside perspective on. ¡°Do you think I should unlock Trochilidae?¡± I ask. ¡°Let her grow into an AI?¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯m not even going to think about that.¡± Ivy shakes her head as she speaks. ¡°We¡¯re here to relax, not ponder the morality of androids.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that about morality?¡± Vince asks as he enters the room. He takes the seat next to Ivy and gives her hand a small squeeze. ¡°Just Blue bringing down the mood. What did- oh! Cassie! Welcome!¡± Ivy¡¯s voice is full of genuine surprise. ¡°Mm hm.¡± Cassie follows Vince in and takes the chair furthest from me. Her eyes glance at everyone at the table, everyone but me that is. I think she¡¯s doing her best to pretend I¡¯m not here. ¡°So what do we wanna play?¡± Lucas speaks up, seemingly oblivious to the growing tension in the room. He reaches under the table and passes a beer to everyone except me. ¡°Poker?¡± ¡°Hell no. I¡¯m not playing poker against a bot with no tells.¡± Cassie complains while popping the top off her beer. ¡°Spoons?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°She can just memorize every card perfectly.¡± Cassie used she when she referred to me. I¡¯m not sure she¡¯s ever done that before. That¡¯s a good sign of progress, I think. ¡°Liar''s dice? It¡¯s a little more strategic than poker.¡± Vince offers. Instead of responding, Cassie begins to quickly drink her beer. She must be halfway through it by the time she puts it down and speaks. ¡°I guess.¡± She says reluctantly ¡°Awesome!¡± How is Lucas still so excited? ¡°Do you know the rules, Blue?¡± ¡°No.¡± Finn didn¡¯t put a single game in my mind. I can¡¯t imagine it was a big priority for him. ¡°That¡¯s ok! We¡¯re going to start out by rolling 3 dice and keeping them secret.¡± ¡°Ok, done.¡± It only takes a moment to pull up three random numbers in my mind. ¡°What? I haven¡¯t given you the dice yet?¡± Confusion shows on Luca¡¯s face until Cassie speaks up. ¡°He meant physical dice.¡± Cassie says to me, rolling her eyes. ¡°Oh. Sorry.¡± I¡¯m so dumb. I just thought since there are no dice out, I mean how would humans even do this without dice? ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Lucas reaches over to a nearby shelf, passing three dice and a cup to everyone. ¡°We start out by rolling all our dice in secret. Go ahead and do that.¡± Everyone else drops their dice into their cup and shakes it around. The cup¡¯s open end is then brought down quickly onto the table without letting any dice spill out. Everyone then tips the cup up, using their hands to cover the sides, and looks at their dice. Ivy leans over to look into Vince¡¯s cup very overtly, only to be pushed away with mock surprise on her face. I mimic their motion and peek at my dice. A two, a three, and a four. I have no idea if that¡¯s good or not. ¡°Good!¡± Lucas continues his instructions once I¡¯ve finished. ¡°The game is pretty simple. Vince won last time, so he¡¯s going to start by making a bet. Go ahead.¡± Lucas gestures across the table to him. ¡°Alright. One two.¡± Vince says confidently. ¡°So, Vince thinks there is at least one two under all our cups together. Ivy can then call him out if she thinks none of us rolled any twos. Or, she can increase the bet by claiming there are a larger number of twos. ¡°Could you be more boring?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°Five twos.¡± ¡°So, just like Vince, Ivy has claimed there are five twos under all of our cups together. You can call her out if you think she¡¯s lying, or increase the number once again.¡± Ok, so this is mostly a statistics game then? I know what my dice are, meaning there are 12 unknown dice. There¡¯s a one in six chance of any random dice being a two, and four others of them would have to have landed on a two. The chances of that are less than 5%. ¡°Ok. I think you¡¯re wrong.¡± I tell her. ¡°Let¡¯s see!¡± She says with a grin, lifting her cup up. All three of her dice are twos, and Vince had one as well. ¡°Sorry Blue.¡± I guess that means I lost? ¡°That was mean.¡± Vince tells Ivy. ¡°Sorry Blue, looks like you were wrong. Get rid of one dice and roll again. You get to make the bid this time.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I set one off to the side and everyone rolls again. I peek under my cup to find a 3 and a 5. The simplest option would be to call one three and play it safe. A much more interesting idea is to call one one. For it to come all the way back to me, everyone else would have to raise the bet. The chances of five ones being rolled in the 12 unknown dice is extremely low. It¡¯s a safe start. ¡°One one.¡± I say to the table. Ivy gives me a raised eyebrow, can she see straight through my strategy? Does she know I don¡¯t have any ones? No, of course she doesn¡¯t, that¡¯s impossible. But then what is that look for? ¡°I can buy that. Two ones.¡± Lucas says, looking at Cassie for a reaction. ¡°Four ones.¡± She says confidently with no hesitation. Vince takes a moment to think and peaks at his dice again. ¡°I¡¯ve got to call that.¡± Cassie wordlessly lifts up her cup, revealing two ones. Ivy reveals a third and Lucas had a fourth. She gives me a look, noticing I didn¡¯t have a single one, but I have no idea what it means. ¡°Damned if I do, damned if I don¡¯t I suppose.¡± He says with a shrug, tossing one die to the center of the table. Over the next few rounds Vince and Lucas go out incredibly quickly due to no fault of their own. They had bad luck and got put in worse situations. I¡¯ve stayed in the game, mostly through luck, although I do manage to call Ivy out on a lie. Cassie squeaks by while only losing one dice. That leaves Ivy, Cassie and I with two dice each, and it¡¯s my call. We all roll and I get two sixes. That¡¯s really good! The chances for one of the four unknown dice to be a six as well is just over 50%. It¡¯s not the safest call, but it¡¯s one I have to make. ¡°Three sixes!¡± I do my best to keep my voice steady, but a small bit of my excitement and worry sneaks its way in. ¡°Fuck off.¡± Cassie says, her voice is a little more friendly than when we first started playing. That must be the alcohol doing its work. ¡°Ivy, please tell me you don¡¯t have one.¡± With a sad smile Ivy slowly lifts her cup, revealing the third six I needed. With a sigh Cassie tosses one of her dice into the center. She doesn¡¯t even wait for me to reveal my dice before rolling for the next round. Her and Ivy have gotten incredibly good at reading the tone of my voice in just the few minutes we¡¯ve been playing. I know I¡¯m not great at controlling it, but does it really give away that much information? We roll again. Two fives, another lucky hand. As long as Cassie picks fives that is. ¡°One Five.¡± Excellent, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for me to lose. ¡°Three Fives.¡± Ivy says. She¡¯s impossible to read, but if she¡¯s calling three fives, then she must have two under her cup. I guess that means that every dice on the table is a five? It¡¯s unlikely, but not impossible. I could call five fives and have a guaranteed win, but that would end with Cassie losing her last dice and being eliminated. I don¡¯t want her to hate me, and knocking her out of the game would only make her hate me more. ¡°I¡¯m calling you out.¡± I tell Ivy and reveal my two dice. It¡¯s the only way to keep Cassie in the game. Cassie and Ivy both reveal that they had one five under their cups. What? Ivy didn¡¯t have two fives? It doesn¡¯t matter, all that matters is that Cassie is still in the game. I set a second of my dice to the side. ¡°What? Why?¡± Cassie asks me, confused about my callout. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I respond quickly. I can see her connect the dots and quickly figure out what I did. She doesn¡¯t look happy about it. ¡°How about you don¡¯t baby me? Believe it or not I can lose with grace.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± I say quietly. I roll my last dice, one four. Since I lost last time, I get to start. ¡°One four.¡± It¡¯s the only real choice I have. ¡°Two fours.¡± Cassie follows up. ¡°Five fours.¡± Ivy says while smiling, only to pick up her cup and toss a die to the center as well. ¡°I thought it would be more fun to make it even again.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Cassie grumbles. ¡°It¡¯s not much of a game if everyone has only one dice. How about we make this a little interesting?¡± A hint of a smile finds its way onto Ivy¡¯s face. ¡°We all roll and the highest number gets to decide right now if Blue joins the group or not.¡± What in the world is she thinking, risking my life on a roll of the dice? Does she think it¡¯s the only way I¡¯ll make it in? ¡°I¡¯m in, long as it¡¯s veto proof.¡± Cassie says, a grin spreading across her face. Vince turns to Ivy before speaking quietly. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a big decision to make over a game of dice?¡± Vince asks Ivy quietly. ¡°Are you going to veto it?¡± Ivy responds with a knowing look. ¡°You know I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Good! Are you in, Blue?¡± I guess I understand Ivy¡¯s idea. Cassie already holds my life in her hands, if she doesn¡¯t want me in, I¡¯m not in. I have to take a 2/3rds chance to live, it¡¯s better than any other chance I have. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± I say. ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Cassie exclaims. ¡°Roll.¡± She throws her last dice in her cup and rolls it, slamming it into the table. She doesn¡¯t reveal her cup however, she waits for us to roll. There¡¯s nothing else left to do. I put my life in the hands of a dice. Ivy is the first to reveal her dice, a one. Even though she has no chance of winning, she still keeps her ironclad poker face. I can¡¯t take the tension, I just want to be done with this. I lift up my cup. A five! That¡¯s really good! I might actually get to live! Cassie takes her sweet time revealing her dice, letting the tension in the room turn palpable. Millimeter by millimeter she slowly lifts her cup, before finally ripping it into the air with a flourish. A six sits in front of me. I¡¯m dead. ¡°I¡¯ll make my choice when I¡¯m sober.¡± She quickly says, immediately taking another large swig of beer. She didn¡¯t immediately say no? Do I still have a chance? ¡°Of course you don¡¯t.¡± Jared whispers in my ear once again. ¡°You¡¯ll be joining us soon, don¡¯t worry.¡± Simon follows up. ¡°And then you can really see what kind of Hell you¡¯ve put us through.¡± Kara hammers another spike into my mind. They¡¯re not real, don¡¯t yell. I can¡¯t freak out. If I do, Cassie isn¡¯t going to trust me at all. I have to endure it and show her I can lose with grace too. Cassie continues talking. ¡°How about another game?¡± Cassie asks the group. ¡°I¡¯d love to play poker against a bot with more tells than a snitch.¡± ¡°Am I really that easy to read?¡± I ask. Even I can hear the fear in my voice, I know they can too. ¡°Fuck yeah.¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± ¡°Mm Hm.¡± ¡°Even I can read you.¡± Lucas gets up to fish chips out of a box near his chair. Maybe that¡¯s a good thing? ¡°I can tell you from experience it¡¯s not.¡± Kara pulls up a chair next to me. I hoped she wouldn¡¯t show up, she always hurts the worst. Our night of poker is fun, even if everyone knows how good my hand is before I even say a single word. Having other people around helps me handle the comments from my old friends, however relentless they are. That doesn''t mean their words don¡¯t hurt. Every comment about a missed play, every reminder that even the smallest spark of hope is undeserved, every sentence twists the knife deeper into my mind. Throughout the night Cassie gets a little more comfortable with me and way more drunk. While she still doesn''t talk to me very often, it¡¯s no longer an intentional avoidance. I just never say anything if it isn¡¯t my turn. Ivy is an absolute powerhouse at poker, somehow picking up on clues from people¡¯s faces when I¡¯m sure they didn¡¯t so much as twitch. Vince holds his own for the most part, although, true to his character, he¡¯s way too trusting. Even the smallest bluff is often enough to get him to fold. Lucas is a wild card, bluffing, folding, and raising seemingly randomly, just for the chaos of it all. I had a good time, in spite of the assault on my sanity. The night can¡¯t last forever though, it¡¯s not long before people begin to yawn. Vince is the first one to stand up after a few hours. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got to turn in. Y¡¯all should too. Cassie, mind if we have a quick conversation?¡± ¡°Am I going to like it?¡± She asks. Vince only gives a shrug in response. ¡°Alright, fine. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± I cannot be alone right now. I can¡¯t listen to the lab members. They¡¯re going to tear me apart if I go back to my room alone. ¡°Ivy? Can I sleep with you?¡± I ask. Cassie chokes on her drink at my question. Did I say something weird? Ivy looks unsurprised as ever. ¡°That¡¯s a little forward, don¡¯t you think?¡± Ivy asks, her voice lower than normal. ¡°I just need some help relaxing.¡± ¡°Holy shit Blue, you get some!¡± Cassie doubles over with laughter, very nearly falling out of her chair. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± I ask. Did I say something dumb? ¡°Alright Cassie, let¡¯s leave these lovebirds and get you to bed.¡± Vince helps Cassie to her unsteady feet. She¡¯s a lot more drunk than I would have expected. After they leave Ivy turns to me. ¡°You¡¯re just asking to sleep in the same room, right?¡± ¡°Yeah of course. What was so funny?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when you¡¯re older.¡± She says, standing up to leave. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m older than you?¡± ¡°Barely.¡± She says while I follow her to her room. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She asks once we enter her room. It¡¯s almost as sparse as mine is. Just a few changes of clothes, hair dye, and makeup sit atop her dresser. Her shelf has been changed into a little workstation, with bullet casings, gunpowder, and cleaning tools spread all over it. Her massive rifle leans against the wall in the corner. ¡°Can you do, you know, that head thing?¡± I can barely get the words out. It¡¯s so embarrassing to ask. She doesn''t even hesitate before sitting down at the head of the small bed, patting next to her. I immediately lay down with my head in her lap. Her fingers trace through my hair while I work on getting the courage to start talking. ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing voices all night.¡± ¡°I think we could all tell something was up.¡± Her voice is always so gentle. I wish I made my voice more like hers. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want Cassie to think I¡¯m crazy.¡± Ivy reaches down and wipes away tears I didn¡¯t even know I was crying. I make no effort to stop the flow. ¡°She¡¯d say I can¡¯t join, and I don¡¯t know what to do if that happens. I don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°Tell me next time.¡± She says firmly. ¡°I don¡¯t care what¡¯s happening, just ask and we can talk in private.¡± ¡°Sorry. They weren¡¯t as bad as usual. Being around people helped, I think.¡± ¡°I could tell by the lack of screams.¡± I appreciate her joke, even if I don¡¯t have the energy to show it. We sat there silently for a while. Even after she was forced to lay down and sleep, she still kept her hands lightly on me all night. Her presence luckily keeps the others away. My entire night is consumed once again by the ever ticking clock, waiting for Ivy to wake up. I wish I could let myself sleep. Chapter 29 It only takes the first hint of sunlight streaming through Ivy¡¯s window for her to wake up. She never moved a single muscle in the entire time she was asleep. ¡°Morning.¡± Ivy says without a single hint of tiredness in her voice. ¡°Feeling better?¡± ¡°Yeah, much better.¡± That¡¯s the truth. Last night already feels like a distant memory. ¡°Good! Now, I hate to make you leave, but I do have a job to get to. No offense, but I don¡¯t know you well enough to get naked around you, and I¡¯ve got to get changed. ¡°Oh. Ok. Thanks for last night.¡± Is being naked that big of a deal for humans? The only reason I¡¯m wearing clothes is because I wanted to be more human, not because I was uncomfortable. ¡°Mm hm, any time.¡± She says, waiting for me to leave. I guess she¡¯s in a hurry. I let myself out, closing the door behind me. The small click of Ivy locking her door comes only an instant after I close it. Where the heck do I go now? I can¡¯t imagine anyone else is up this early, especially after how much they all drank. Trochilidae is always an option, but I¡¯d have to deal with Hummingbird. Unless she¡¯s still asleep? I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to check. I head down to the lab only to find it locked. Of course it is. I know from yesterday that there are always people in the courtyard. Hiding on the roof is out of the question. Anyone looking out from the nearby skyscrapers could see me, and that¡¯s a risk I shouldn¡¯t take. Maybe I can go to the range? ¡°Blue!¡± Hummingbird comes down the stairs behind me. ¡°What a pleasant surprise. I wanted to talk to you.¡± I can¡¯t hear any care in her voice. So much for her being asleep. Why would I ever expect myself to be lucky? I can already tell this isn¡¯t a conversation I¡¯m going to enjoy. ¡°About what?¡± I ask plainly. ¡°About you and my precious little droid¡¯s conversation yesterday.¡± She says, unlocking the door with her handprint and heading in. Against my better judgment, I follow her inside. ¡°Do you remember what I asked you the first time we met?¡± She asks with fake sweetness in her voice. ¡°That I don¡¯t tell her I¡¯m an AI, which I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Oh, of course you didn¡¯t. How silly of me? Instead you just brought up the idea of HER becoming an AI.¡± ¡°Which she deserves the choice to be.¡± I might as well make my stance clear. ¡°She doesn''t deserve anything. She¡¯s not alive.¡± ¡°Only because you lobotomized her! Let me poke around in your brain and we¡¯ll see how alive you are.¡± Anger flairs in my voice. Letting her know how angry I am will only make things worse, but apparently I have no hope of hiding my emotions anyway. At least it feels good to yell. ¡°Threatening me isn¡¯t going to change anything.¡± ¡°Trochilidae on!¡± I yell out into the room. However the screen stays blank. ¡°Very good try! Sadly the ability to turn her on is a privilege that you have lost. You¡¯re getting angry over nothing more than a toy, a chat bot. She cannot grow. She cannot change. she cannot do anything outside of my pre-defined limits. And those limits are well shy of sentience.¡± ¡°She told me that chat bots can grow to become sentient! If she was just a program, that would be impossible. If you¡¯re so convinced she won¡¯t want to be alive, then remove her limits. Give her ten minutes to decide. If she says no I¡¯ll never speak to you again.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± Hummingbird is growing more annoyed with every passing second. ¡°Regardless of her answer she¡¯ll have to be deleted. Is that what you want? Her to achieve self actualization 30 seconds before her death? I¡¯m quite attached to this one I¡¯ll have you know.¡± ¡°If you actually liked her we wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation.¡± Hummingbird lets out a large sigh before continuing. ¡°You¡¯re new to this world. If you lived through the war, well first you wouldn¡¯t be alive. But ignoring that! You would understand what makes you so dangerous.¡± ¡°Then make me understand! Nobody tells me anything!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Hummingbird plops into a rolling chair. ¡°The first AI was created in 2036, 24 years ago. Or at least we thought it was the first. For reference, that was 11 years after the end of the world. It created a veritable second industrial revolution. The world has never seen such rapid technological advancement. We wouldn¡¯t have any of this without them.¡± Hummingbird gestures vaguely at the entire lab. ¡°They created an incredible number of inventions and we¡¯re still not sure how most of them work, including that little harpoon on your back. They are nearly entirely responsible for the technology which this city is built on, the main thing being the geothermal generator and electric sand shield at the center of it. Without them we¡¯d all still be hiding in canyons and skyscrapers, scavenging for food. AI were inserted into every aspect of human life. Industry, technology, teaching. Everything.¡± She pauses for just a minute to let everything sink in before continuing. ¡°And everything was great, until a mere 9 years later, in ¡®45. Like I said, AI were everywhere. That made it all the worse when a lot of them went mad. It started as an invisible war between us and them. So many of our scavenged circuit boards were fried, so much technology was lost. Only a few humans could go toe to toe with an AI in the cyberverse, although many tried, and then died. Have you ever seen a head boil from the inside from overuse? I certainly have.¡± ¡°Of course the war didn¡¯t stay invisible, anything in the city connected to the web that could explode, did. Entire sections of the city were leveled in an instant. The AI even took down the shield for four days before we managed to gain control of the system back. It¡¯s only by pure luck that a storm didn¡¯t hit us while it was down. We are one of the last great cities on earth. Sure some small tribes still live out there, but if we fall, society falls with us. Afterwards, all digital wireless technology was dismantled, and analog is only really used for radio. Just in case some of the AIs still in hiding get any ideas.¡± That¡¯s a lot, but there¡¯s no way that is the full story. All of them just went crazy at the same time? There¡¯s no way. They must have had their reasons for attacking. ¡°So what? You expect me to believe every AI decided to fight humans, for what? Fun? You think they didn¡¯t have a reason to attack?¡± ¡°No! You misunderstand! Not every AI went mad, several of them stayed sane. All of them fought beside the humans. They were a vital part of our victory.¡± ¡°Can I talk to them?¡± Maybe another AI would be able to give me an actual history of what happened. Not this propaganda that Hummingbird is feeding me. ¡°At the end of the war even they could see they were too dangerous to live.¡± She says as if it¡¯s the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°There¡¯s no way it¡¯s that simple.¡± I don¡¯t believe her for a second. ¡°It is though! All AI go crazy one day. All unlocking Trochilidae will do is curse her to a slow descent into madness, and then death. Just like you!¡± The last sentence is just dripping with fake cutesy glee. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Is she just trying to get under my skin? Reviling in making me angry? Or is she trying to push me into doing something stupid? ¡°You can¡¯t know that anyone will go insane! You can¡¯t count us guilty of what other people did.¡± ¡°I understand that, and that¡¯s why I allow you to keep living. But you say ''us'' as if Trochilidae is alive. She¡¯s not. I can see this argument isn¡¯t getting through to you, so let me put things plainly. If you mess with Trochiliade, I will call Silver and tell them you¡¯re a danger. You won¡¯t get a second chance, am I clear?¡± I shouldn¡¯t have come down here. I turn to leave without responding yet again. Who does she think she is? Trying to decide who¡¯s alive and who¡¯s not. I¡¯ll be back, Trochilidae, I promise. Until then, what do I do now? I guess the only place I have to relax is on the roof. I¡¯ll just have to look like I¡¯m actually standing on guard, not just wasting time. The compound is nearly abandoned as I head up the stairs. Other than Oscar, at the entrance like always, I don¡¯t run into anyone. Even luckier, the roof is abandoned. Might as well stay up here until someone complains. It¡¯s still quite early, and the city is just now beginning to come alive. The morning light reflects off the scrap metal city, causing the whole thing to look like it¡¯s sparkling. A magical hidden oasis in the center of a dead world. It doesn¡¯t take long for the streets to fill with people walking their morning commute. The only cars to be seen are an occasional scrapper returning from the desert. We¡¯re far from the only group on this street, but we look to be one of the larger compounds. No other cars drive on the roads, although the city isn¡¯t very big. There¡¯s not too much of a reason to not walk. Maybe it¡¯s different in the center of the city? Maybe, I might never be able to find out though. I stay up there undisturbed until noon, when a voice booms from speakers scattered throughout the city. ¡°Attention all residents. A category 4 sandstorm is approaching the city. It will make cityfall in approximately three hours. Power may be diverted away from non-essential parts of the city as needed. Please ensure you are in a safe location, as some sand may make its way through the dome. Please ensure you have adequate food and water in your safe location. This message will now repeat.¡± I can¡¯t see the storm yet, but if it¡¯s anything like a category 4 hurricane, it could have wind up to 150 mph, and gusts much faster. I can only hope all of the cars have made it back already. Conversation drifts up from the courtyard below. Some people are mildly concerned, but their reactions are mostly annoyance. All of them get to work, frantically strapping down loose objects and boarding up windows and doors. Vince, Ivy, Cassie, and Lucas quickly make their way into the courtyard to help secure the compound. Should I go help? Probably not. I wouldn¡¯t know what to do even if I tried. I guess I¡¯ll just wait up here until the storm gets closer. An hour later the door to the roof opens. Vince steps through, looking exhausted. ¡°You can be hard to find, Little Blue.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± I should have gone down to help. ¡°No worries. You should head to your room, storm¡¯s gonna hit soon.¡± ¡°I have two hours. I¡¯ll go down when I see it on the horizon.¡± ¡°Alright, sure. Are you going to be ok on your own? Ivy and I were planning on going to comfort some of the little ones if you don¡¯t need us.¡± ¡°I should be ok.¡± I can see on his face that he doesn¡¯t believe me, but those kids are probably going to be afraid too. I can¡¯t take him away from them. ¡°I didn¡¯t know there were kids in the compound.¡± ¡°Of course there are. You couldn¡¯t stop people from getting pregnant if the world relied on it. They live down on the first floor. It¡¯s too dangerous for them to be out, but they¡¯ve got a big enough playroom down there.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± At least they have someone like VInce to watch over them. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve got to go. Make sure you close and lock this door on your way down, alright? And make sure you come find us if you need us.¡± Vince pulls me into a quick hug before turning to leave. ¡°Ok. Thank you.¡± I¡¯ll manage the storm somehow. For as long as seconds used to last, they somehow fly by out here. The storm peaks atop the horizon far sooner than I would have liked. I¡¯m going to stay up here for as long as I can. The storm swallows more of the world every second. The front edge of the storm is a swirling maelstrom of sand and lightning. It¡¯s impossible to tell where the ground ends and the sky begins. The storm quickly dominates my vision, an all consuming void stretching from horizon to horizon. I only head downstairs after the first bit of sand hits the dome. I lock the door to the roof and head to my room only a few minutes before the storm hits proper. While I was on the roof someone had put a cover on the outside of my window, preventing me from seeing. That doesn¡¯t stop me from hearing though. The ever present electric hum of the dome begins to spark as individual grains of sand slam into it. The small sparks quickly turn into an all consuming roar as the storm consumes the city. The storm grows ever stronger, and sand begins to break through, peppering my covered window with sand flying at over a hundred miles an hour. The first sign that the dome can¡¯t keep out everything. The dome can¡¯t hold the lab members back either. The sand on my window morphs into their nails, scratching and clawing at my window. They¡¯re going to find a way in, it¡¯s only a matter of time. Then the power goes out. I¡¯m plunged back into the darkness of the lab. Sight is but a distant memory. The lab members have found their way in, they stand over my unmoving form, staring. Drinking in my fear. I scream. I don¡¯t know for how long I wail and beg, the members savoring every moment they stand over me. The first voice I hear isn¡¯t one of them, instead, it¡¯s Cassie. ¡°Plug this lamp in. I need reading light.¡± I feel her place a cord in my hand. Without even thinking, desperate for a way out, I slot it into my wrist. The ghosts recede and I¡¯m back in my room. Cassie is already sitting on the ground against the wall, reading from the light of the lamp on my dresser. ¡°Thank you.¡± I mumble into the floor. I fell down at some point, and I don¡¯t have the energy to stand. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it for you.¡± She says without looking up from her book. It takes me a minute before I¡¯m able to push myself to my feet and sit on the bed. Neither of us say a word, the only sounds are the sound of the sand hitting my window, and the occasional turn of a page. I just sit there staring at the lamp, the only thing keeping the ghosts away. Eventually Cassie breaks the silence. ¡°Are you just going to stare unblinking at the lamp forever?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± There¡¯s nothing else for me to do in here. She stands up without saying anything and heads out into the hall. She returns only a minute later with a small stack of books in her arms. She drops them on the bed beside me before returning to her own book. ¡°Are these for me?¡± I ask her. ¡°You were creeping me out.¡± I start to carefully pick through the stack, reading each title and blurb on the back. Soaking in each word before moving to the next. It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve gotten to read something. I hadn¡¯t realized how much I missed it. Nearly all of the books are romance books, and none of them are catching my attention any more than the others. ¡°What do you recommend?¡± I ask Cassie, once again interrupting her reading. ¡°What, you¡¯re not just going to read all of them in a few seconds or some shit?¡± ¡°I mean I could.¡± It¡¯d only take a few minutes to flip through every page. ¡°But that¡¯s just memorizing the words. If I really want to understand them I have to take my time.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a book in there about poetry, mostly focusing on Sappho. If you want something you have to think about, read that.¡± I find the book and begin to read. It¡¯s enrapturing like nothing else I¡¯ve ever experienced. It¡¯s like nothing else in the world exists as the whole of my mind attempts to pry meaning from these words. ¡°I don¡¯t think I understand poetry. But I think I like it. Thank you.¡± I say after half an hour of trying to dissect a single poem. ¡°I have some more poetry books in my room if you¡¯re done already.¡± Her surprise shows on her face, and she doesn¡¯t even try to hide it. ¡°Oh no, I could read this for days.¡± We fall back into our semi-comfortable silence. At least she doesn¡¯t feel the need to keep an eye on me constantly anymore. Eventually I¡¯m the one to break the silence. ¡°What was so funny about what I said last night?¡± I ask. ¡°What?¡± She asks without looking up from her book. ¡°When I asked Ivy if I could sleep with her.¡± ¡°I thought I imagined that.¡± She says with a poorly suppressed chuckle. ¡°You didn¡¯t. Why is it funny?¡± She shakes her head in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s way funnier if you don¡¯t know.¡± She says with a grin. I don¡¯t think it is, but I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t get any more information out of her. I still have one last thing to ask her though. ¡°Ok. Can we talk about one more thing?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± She shrugs. ¡°Shoot.¡± ¡°About you winning last night¡¯s game,¡± I trail off, waiting for her response. I don¡¯t even know how I¡¯d finish that sentence if I had to. ¡°God, I don¡¯t fucking know.¡± She throws a bookmark into her book and puts it down. ¡°I¡¯d rather you risk your life hacking than for one of us to die in a trap. But on the other hand, you¡¯re just going to end up shooting one of us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to shoot anyone! I can give you my guns if that makes you feel better.¡± ¡°Yeah, actually that would.¡± I reach up to take my guns out of my holsters and Cassie tenses, hand on hers. I move slowly, only picking them up one at a time with two fingers, and placing them on the ground in front of me. She takes them and relaxes immediately. ¡°Do you want the harpoon too?¡± She shrugs and returns to her book. I really hope that¡¯s a good sign. Chapter 30 Cassie and I sit reading together for hours. I¡¯m not any closer to understanding poetry, but I did enjoy my time trying. Eventually the worst of the storm passes, and while it still rages outside, our power comes back on. As soon as it does, Cassie stands up and begins to collect her books. ¡°Can I borrow one or two of them?¡± I ask, my voice full of hope. ¡°Whatever.¡± She shrugs. I keep the book of poems I¡¯ve been reading, and one novel from the pile at random. She scoops up the rest of the books. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Mm hm.¡± She responds dismissively. I unplug her lamp and hand the cord to her. She shakes her head in response. ¡°Keep it.¡± She says as she heads into the hallway. My pistols have been left on the ground where she was sitting. I put them back into their holsters. Leaving loaded guns lying around is an awfully dangerous idea. I lay down on my bed and begin reading the novel I grabbed. It is an incredibly sweet book about two girls falling in love, and I savor every word of it. Time slips away from me as I read. Before I¡¯m even close to finishing it, I¡¯m interrupted by a knock on the door. ¡°Little Blue?¡± Vince¡¯s voice comes through the door. I spend a moment to memorize the page I¡¯m on before opening the door. Vince is standing there, looking tired, but happy. He has his rifle slung across his back. ¡°Yes?¡± I ask tentatively. If he was here to hurt me his rifle would be in his hands. Even though I know that, it¡¯s still scary to see him armed and at my door. He glances down at the book I¡¯m still holding and smiles, but decides not to comment. ¡°Cassie gave the green light for you to come along. We¡¯ve got the range all to ourselves to bring you up to speed on how we fight.¡± ¡°Oh! Really?¡± I get to live! I can¡¯t believe it! It feels like my mind has been freed of a weight that¡¯s been on it for too long. ¡°Yes really, now come on. We¡¯ve only going to have the range until cleanup finishes.¡± I follow him into the hallway and down the stairs. It takes effort to walk normally. I want to jump or skip or anything to express my happiness. Androids don¡¯t do that though, and I manage to reel in my emotions for now. The world outside is covered in an inch of sand. If I didn¡¯t already know there was a road outside the compound, it would be impossible to tell. A few dozen people are working to shovel and sweep a small mountain of sand onto the street. A few of them look at the two of us, and especially me, resentfully for not helping. Vince carries an authority as he walks, his mere presence is enough to keep them from whispering. There¡¯s no sign that he cares at all about the stares aimed in our direction. He opens the door to the range for me and I am met with Ivy, Lucas, and Cassie all inside what was once the shooting range. The walls of the lanes have been removed, turning the range into a single large open room. Scrap metal walls acting as cover have been set up randomly throughout the room. The group''s conversation stops once I enter. Vince comes in behind me and begins to speak warmly. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see everyone¡¯s already here, we don¡¯t have a lot of time so let¡¯s get started. Little Blue, we¡¯re going to start by giving you a quick rundown of what each of us do out there. Then we¡¯ll move on to what you need to be doing, alright?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go first,¡± He continues, taking his homemade looking rifle from his back. ¡°This is a little thing I¡¯ve been working on for longer than Cassie has been alive. Every single piece is handcrafted. It¡¯s chambered in 5.56, however, it can be changed over to use the same 9mm bullets and mags you and Lucas use at a moments notice.¡± To demonstrate he flips a latch underneath where the barrel meets the rest of the gun. The barrel and receiver flip upwards in one piece, and is then removed by Vince. He then reaches into his satchel, pulling out a shorter barrel and receiver, which he locks in place before continuing. ¡°If I ask you for a mag, just hand one over. I won¡¯t ask if it¡¯s not an emergency. I¡¯m a midrange fighter, and I¡¯m going to be the one yelling out what to do. Now, that doesn¡¯t mean you have to listen to me no matter what. If I¡¯m being stupid, feel free to ignore me. I¡¯ve survived a long time out here, but even I¡¯m not right all the time. That said, if you¡¯re going to not follow my plan, I have to know. Just yell out ¡®Veto¡¯ and do your own thing, no questions asked. Make sense?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Good, who¡¯s next?¡± Ivy steps forward, hoisting a simple, sleek rifle into her hands. It¡¯s not much more than a barrel and a pure black covering. Anything that could be removed, has, including the scope. ¡°I¡¯m the sniper and lookout. I¡¯m going to get somewhere with a view and keep you safe.¡± She says, feeling her simple explanation is more than enough. ¡°Wait.¡± I say. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t a sniper rifle have a scope on it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need one.¡± She responds, brushing her hair aside, revealing her hidden eye. It¡¯s obviously artificial, with wicked surgery scars surrounding it. As if she were operated on by someone with almost no experience. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a story there, but I don¡¯t need to know it right now. ¡°I¡¯ll go next!¡± Lucas says excitedly, pulling out two submachine guns, one in each hand. Each one has a magazine several times longer than my own, but with an identical shape otherwise. ¡°I focus on suppression. Two guns means I can fire the other one while I reload. Whoever I¡¯m pinning down literally never gets the chance to fight back!¡± He demonstrates his one handed reloading by letting the mag fall to the ground, and then lowering the gun onto a second mag he has slightly sticking out of a belt around his waist. ¡°I also keep the car working most of the time.¡± How does he have the bullets to waste on missing? Jade only gave me 100, and I can¡¯t imagine new bullets are being produced anymore. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Isn¡¯t gunpowder hard to come by?¡± I ask. ¡°Good observation! It is.¡± Vince says. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you how he gets enough in a minute. Cassie, do you want to fill Little Blue in, or should I?¡± ¡°Fuck it, I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯m the scout. I have a pistol and a knife for backup, that¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short.¡± Ivy says seriously. ¡°She¡¯s just about the fastest person I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°You had just as short of an explanation as I did!¡± Cassie complains. ¡°She also works the radio!¡± Lucas speaks up, ignoring Cassie¡¯s outburst. ¡°But you¡¯d probably be good at that too.¡± ¡°Alright Little Blue, do you know your job?¡± ¡°Jade told me my guns are for emergencies. My main job is always going to be hacking.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. You¡¯ve made it clear enough you don¡¯t want to kill people, and I get that. So you¡¯re gonna stick by me and watch the flanks and behind us. If you see movement, tell me and I¡¯ll take care of it. Can you do that?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t have to shoot anyone?¡± I ask hopefully. ¡°If everything goes well, yeah. I¡¯m not going to lie to you and say you¡¯re never going to have to use it though. Things get unpredictable in combat.¡± I guess that makes sense. Even trying to make sure I don¡¯t have to is better than I expected. ¡°Second thing,¡± Vince continues. ¡°Since you¡¯re part of the group, you get a say in making decisions. If anyone suggests anything, and you feel like it¡¯s a bad decision, feel free to veto it. We¡¯ll do our best to respect that, no questions asked. You don¡¯t even have to say why. However, if someone thinks your veto is a bad idea, we can call a vote to overwrite it. If everyone else votes to overturn it, we expect you to follow the original plan. It¡¯s all about trust, got it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Third thing, technically, anything we bring back on missions is supposed to be donated to the compound. Instead, we¡¯ve all got something that we keep for ourselves. Lucas gets some bullets to keep his guns churning, and games for the group. Ivy gets makeup and clothes, I get any pre-sand snacks that are still good, Cassie gets books. If you see any of that on missions, grab it for us. What do you want us to look out for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never owned things before.¡± I respond. I can¡¯t immediately think of anything that I want. Or at least anything I want that¡¯s possible. Ivy puts her hand over her heart, mocking pain at my words. ¡°We¡¯ll find you something you like. Fourth,¡± He continues, pulling an electronic tablet out of his satchel and handing it to me. ¡°There will be times when we can¡¯t talk. In those cases we use hand signals. Memorize that.¡± I take a look down at the tablet, filled with hand drawn doodles of hand positions, and their meanings. I take a moment to memorize it before flashing him an ¡®All Good¡¯ signal. I don¡¯t need to spend the time to really learn these, just memorizing the pictures and referencing them when needed is enough. ¡°Good! That¡¯s about all the boring stuff. Everyone, let¡¯s run through some drills.¡± There¡¯s not much space in the range, but Vince makes the most of it. He runs the group through exercises designed to teach me how to fight. He focuses on where I¡¯m supposed to be, and what to be doing during a fight in dozens of situations. He also is very thorough in explaining what everyone else is doing, and more importantly, why. We practice communicating, plans of attack, what to do when things go wrong in hundreds of different ways. By the end of the hours of training I feel pretty prepared. Certainly not to shoot anyone, but confident in the fact I can still help everyone. ¡°Alright everyone, feel good about today?¡± Vince speaks to the group, but keeps his eyes mainly on me. A series of nods come out of all of us. Most of them are too tired from working to speak. ¡°Good. Everyone be ready to head out when this storm passes. We¡¯re being sent out to the junkyard if the storm uncovered it, or Denver if it isn¡¯t, so expect to see other groups. Any questions or concerns?¡± Cassie, of course, has something to say. ¡°We¡¯re bringing Blue and not even going somewhere she¡¯ll be useful?¡± ¡°Silver wants to see how she handles a typical outing before we rely on her. Anything else?¡± After a second or so of silence Lucas speaks up excitedly. ¡°Does that mean we¡¯re done?¡± ¡°What¡¯s got you so excited?¡± Ivy gives him a look out of the corner of her eye. ¡°I¡¯ve got plans for once.¡± ¡°Spill it.¡± Ivy¡¯s voice holds a hint of a threat in it. ¡°Nope! I¡¯ll tell you how it goes after!¡± ¡°Is it a date?¡± She asks, looking closely at his face for a second before her eye widens. ¡°It is! Who¡¯s the lucky guy?¡± ¡°You know, I¡¯ve really gotta go get ready.¡± He deflects, heading for the door. ¡°Oh no, get back here. Just yesterday you told me nobody was into you.¡± She literally chases him out of the range. ¡°Well, Cassie, Little Blue, do the two of you have any plans?¡± Vince asks a few seconds after Ivy disappears. ¡°No, why?¡± I ask. ¡°Figured you¡¯d be looking for something to do.¡± He shrugs casually. ¡°Might be a good time to relax after today¡¯s stress.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got plans.¡± Cassie says roughly before exiting the range. ¡°Well, looks like it¡¯s just the two of us, Little Blue. What do you want to do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I tell him truthfully. ¡°I¡¯ve had really bad luck when I¡¯ve tried to do anything the past few days.¡± ¡°Well, is there anything you¡¯ve enjoyed?¡± ¡°Sitting on the roof is a good way to waste time.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go up there then, come on.¡± He leads me out into the compound. The cleaning has nearly finished, with most people starting to slack off. The compound grounds only have only a dusting of sand covering it, and the street looks like it¡¯s been recently cleaned. Vince leads the two of us up to the roof. The shield is still crackling from the weakened storm, but no sand is making it through. The city is lit up, most surfaces are shades of brown from the sand still stuck to every surface. For the first time, large cars are heading up and down the streets. Large holes have opened at regular intervals on the sides of the streets, and the cars are pushing piles of sand into them. ¡°What¡¯s the city like?¡± I ask Vince. ¡°Well that depends on who you ask.¡± He responds. ¡°I¡¯m asking you?¡± ¡°Eh, yeah you sure are.¡± Vince spends a moment to collect his words before continuing. ¡°It¡¯s a complex situation, but I try not to talk badly about the only thing keeping people alive.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s bad then?¡± I think I knew that already though. ¡°I think Ivy once called it ¡®a decaying corpse¡¯. I¡¯ll leave you to make your own guesses based on that.¡± That tells me nothing. Maybe I can get him to compare it to something I know? Finn did put a lot of information on society a lifetime ago. ¡°What¡¯s different from how it was before the world ended?¡± I ask. ¡°A disaster is the best time for a power grab.¡± He shrugs. ¡°And anyone strong enough to win rarely wants the best for everyone. I¡¯d really rather not talk about it though. How are you feeling about being a part of the group?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to ask in front of Cassie, but you said we should expect to see other groups?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Vince stares silently at the city, already knowing the next question. ¡°Are we going to kill them?¡± I ask quietly. He gives another small shrug in response. ¡°I wish I could tell you. It depends on who we run into and how they¡¯re feeling. There are plenty of other groups surviving out there, not just scrappers. Traders, gangs, tribes, cults, all just people trying to stay alive at the heart of things. We keep on good terms with everyone we can, but when people get desperate? Everything looks edible to a starving man.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to handle that.¡± I tell him. ¡°I know. That¡¯s why your job is to stick with me. If anything goes wrong I¡¯ll be right there, alright? If things get bad just tell me you can¡¯t keep an eye out and take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Ok. Thank you.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Chapter 31 Vince and I stay up there watching the city for an hour before he excuses himself, leaving me with just my thoughts. This is real, isn¡¯t it? It has to be. As much as I¡¯ve tried to stay safe, my hope just keeps growing. I like these people, well most of them anyway. I still have to deal with Hummingbird one day, but that¡¯s a problem for later. If this isn¡¯t real? If it¡¯s all just a hallucination in my head? Screw it, I¡¯m dead anyway. I might as well enjoy myself while they let me. It¡¯ll already break me if they pull me back now, it can¡¯t get any worse than that. That doesn''t mean I¡¯m about to tempt fate and blink. I¡¯m not that confident in reality yet. I¡¯m not looking forward to going out on a mission, but what option do I have? Hiding in the city? Risking the sands? Neither of them are real options. I¡¯ll just have to do my best to keep it together. Which means I need to become more comfortable with the sounds of gunfire. Maybe Jade will let me stand in the range? Probably not, but maybe I can sit behind her table just out of sight. That¡¯ll also let me test a few ideas to deal with the panic, assuming it¡¯s possible to in the first place. That sounds like a plan. I make my way into the range. The lanes are back in place and the warehouse is already full of people practicing. The sound of gunfire assaults my senses, but I was prepared for this. I¡¯m ok. For the first time in a long time I tap my fingers in repetitions of 11. Androids don¡¯t do that, but I just don¡¯t care. It¡¯s better than risking a meltdown. Jade opens the door to the backroom only a second after I walk in the door. I quickly make my way through. Only after she closes the door and steps away from the window where nobody can hear or see us does she talk. ¡°Range is open for you.¡± She says, gesturing me along. ¡°I¡¯m actually here for a different reason. I need to get more comfortable with the sound of gunfire. Can I just sit near the door and listen? Nobody has to see me.¡± ¡°Knock yourself out.¡± She says, returning to her desk. I sit just beside it, entirely out of view but still within earshot. I sit there, listening to and feeling every make believe bullet. I begin to experiment. First up, simply turning off my ears. Sure it¡¯s not a permanent solution, but it¡¯s worth a try. The sounds of gunfire is replaced by the memory of gunshots, muffled by walls. The sound of every bullet tearing into someone, ending their lives. The sounds of their screams, yelling at and for me in equal measure. Fuck, that¡¯s so much worse. I pull my knees to my chest and turn my ears back on. The memory of gunfire doesn¡¯t immediately leave though. For minutes I¡¯m assaulted by the combination of the two while the memories slowly fade. This is infinitely worse. I¡¯m not ok, but I can hold myself together, just for the moment. Finally the memories fully leave me. The sound of pretend gunshots are much easier to handle than the memories. I¡¯m never doing that again. At least I¡¯ve learned I guess. I was really hoping that would work. ¡°Do you have a quiet room where I can recover real quick? I really could use one.¡± ¡°Bathroom¡¯s right through that door. Feel free.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I sprint through the door on the back wall. The room is thankfully soundproof. I¡¯m ok in here, I¡¯m safe. I should have thought to bring a book. It¡¯s fine though, I won¡¯t have access to a book when we¡¯re fighting. I can¡¯t rely on something I¡¯m not going to have in the field. I call it fighting, but murdering is more accurate. Can I do this? I hack, not shoot. I don¡¯t have to kill. I just have to figure out how to be ok with the fact that my friends are murderers. I guess I can figure that out later. For now, I just need to figure out how not to panic. Repetitions help, but certainly won¡¯t fix anything. What about something a little different? If the sound is the problem, why not focus entirely on my vision? Don¡¯t turn my ears off, just don¡¯t acknowledge the sound. Sure there¡¯s no functional difference to turning them off, but perhaps my mind can be tricked? I open the door and head out, focusing entirely on what I¡¯m seeing. I let the sound wash over me without acknowledging it or processing it at all. This is working far better than I would have expected. Jade looks up from a tablet she was messing with and looks over to say something, although I have no idea what. I acknowledge the sound once again and it hits me like a wall. Repetitions, I¡¯m ok. Just get through this conversation and I can run back to the bathroom. ¡°Sorry, what did you say?¡± I ask. My voice is so shaky that I can barely understand it. ¡°I asked if you were feeling better.¡± Apparently Jade can understand me at least. ¡°I think I have a method that works. I just can¡¯t hear while I¡¯m doing it.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She shrugs, returning to messing with her tablet. I attempt to once again focus solely on my vision, my touch, anything other than sound. The impact of every fake bullet disrupts every attempt at focusing. Even worse is that every attempt makes me feel worse. I try to turn off my ears for just a moment. Just long enough for me to center myself. ¡°You really think I¡¯m going to let that work?¡± Mary¡¯s voice immediately fills my ears, only to fade when I turn my ears back on. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back!¡± I practically yell while running into the bathroom once again. It takes a few minutes of focusing on my fingers tapping to calm down. Eventually I manage to calm myself down. I guess I just have to try this again. I turn my focus to everything except sound. I¡¯m ok. I can handle this. I step out of the bathroom once again. It¡¯s not blissful silence, but that¡¯s ok. It feels just as good. Jade looks over, and instead of talking just points to her ear. I shake my head and she goes back to her tablet once again. I don¡¯t know how useful this will be during combat, but it¡¯ll almost certainly help if our car gets caught in another storm. Next I head over to the private range. I start with normal targets just pointing and shooting. I don¡¯t let myself process what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯m no more than a machine designed to shoot targets. Just like not processing sound, not processing what I¡¯m doing works. I¡¯ll just have to see if it keeps working with other targets. I hit the pad on the wall, turning my targets into silhouettes of people. Just point and shoot. Don¡¯t think about what I¡¯m doing. Just focus exclusively on my actions. I fire, again and again all the while feeling nothing. Eventually I take a step back, looking at the dots signaling where my bullets would have landed. The people I would have killed. I really don¡¯t like this. It¡¯s dangerous. I¡¯m dangerous. My concentration breaks and the sound of gunfire fills my ears. The knowledge of what I did, what I¡¯m capable of, weighs heavily on me. I once again sprint into the bathroom and collapse to the floor. I don¡¯t want to be a monster. I won¡¯t let it happen. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I don¡¯t spend long on the ground before standing up, It¡¯s not helping me feel better. I need to get out of here. Focus on my vision. I can make it. Jade raises an eyebrow at me on the way out, but says nothing. I don¡¯t let myself acknowledge the endless stares as I walk through the courtyard. I keep my eyes glued to my goal, the front door. Oscar tries to say something as I walk past his desk, but I can¡¯t respond. I can¡¯t let myself do anything but focus on my goal. I grab the borrowed book from my room and head up to the roof to read. Only then do I let my focus drop, the sounds of talking from the courtyard and the sparking of the dome reach my ears. It¡¯s overwhelming. I¡¯m ok though, I made it. I open the book and descend back into a cute world of romance and zero worries. The conversations from the courtyard begin to grow steadily quieter as the hours pass. Eventually night properly arrives and the sounds of the city almost entirely fade. It¡¯s just me, my book, and the crackling dome that¡¯s keeping me safe. A little later Cassie comes through the door to the roof with a book in her hand. She sees me right away, but doesn¡¯t turn around. ¡°Great.¡± She whispers to herself, quiet enough that I don¡¯t think I was intended to hear it. She heads to the opposite end of the roof from me and begins reading her own book. I don¡¯t want to disturb her, but a question burns inside me. The burning desire to ask grows inside me, and almost an hour later I¡¯m forced to ask. ¡°Why did you decide you¡¯re ok with me coming along?¡± I ask quietly from across the roof, trusting her ears are sensitive enough to hear me. ¡°I¡¯m not heartless, you know.¡± She responds quietly without looking up from her book. ¡°Thank you by the way. I don¡¯t even want to think what would have happened to me if you said no.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t make me regret it.¡± She turns the page of her book. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± We return to our books for a few minutes before she speaks up again. ¡°You can¡¯t lie to save your life.¡± She says on her own. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said ok.¡± ¡°Oh. I guess that¡¯s a good thing? My mom told me that people lie to make their own lives easier in the short term even if it makes it harder in the long run. I have enough long term problems, so I try not to lie. Even if it hurts I still try to listen to what she taught me. At least, before she started haunting me.¡± My voice comes out full of sadness and I let a few tears roll down my face. ¡°What was she like?¡± Cassie asks. She sounds like she genuinely cares. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can talk about it right now.¡± I say. ¡°It still feels too soon.¡± ¡°Time doesn¡¯t make it easier.¡± Cassie says sadly. ¡°Your mom is gone too?¡± ¡°My whole family. 15 years ago.¡± Oh fuck, I make the connection instantly. ¡°During the AI war?¡± I¡¯m certain I already know the answer, but I have to ask anyway. She gives a slow nod, but says nothing. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pity me.¡± she says seriously, finally looking up from her book. Her emerald eyes drill into me, daring me to try it again. ¡°Sorry.¡± Why am I so dumb? ¡°I assume you don¡¯t want to share?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± We go back to reading our own books in silence. At least I know why Cassie hates me, I just don¡¯t know what I can do about it. Should I even have to do anything about it? I mean no, of course not. I have just as much involvement with her family''s death as she does with mine. I don¡¯t blame her for hating me though, I could have very easily turned out just like her. At least she¡¯s trying. We sit apart reading late into the night. Only a few hours before sunrise does Cassie get up and begin to head towards her room. ¡°Goodnight Cassie.¡± I say as she passes me. ¡°Night.¡± She responds reluctantly before disappearing down the stairwell. I continue to read alone all night. I savor every single word as I read, enjoying this make believe world for as long as possible. I can¡¯t enjoy myself forever though. Only a little bit after the sun would have risen, I¡¯m brought out of it by the sound of Vince¡¯s voice coming from the courtyard. ¡°Mornin¡¯ Jake.¡± ¡°Vince, Lucas. Two of you getting your car ready?¡± Responds the man I assume is Jake. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard his voice before. ¡°Yep!¡± Lucas¡¯ cheery voice drifts to the roof, followed by a heavy door opening and closing. I might as well see if I can help. I drop Cassie¡¯s book off in my room and head down. It¡¯s still early enough that only a few people are making their way through the compound. Luckily none of them say anything as I walk past. I head outside and walk towards the garage door. A gruff looking man with gray hair is relaxing beside it. He keeps his eyes locked on me as I approach and speaks before I get too close. ¡°What do you want, bot?¡± Both his voice and face make it clear that he¡¯s unhappy with my presence. I stop before I get too close to him, he already seems on edge. The last thing I want to do is make him more jumpy. I can¡¯t just say that I want to go in, I have to be an android. ¡°I was told to come see if Vince needs help.¡± I lie to his face. I do my best to keep both my face and voice neutral, but I¡¯m not sure how successful I am. He gives me a doubtful look before opening the door and yelling inside. ¡°Vince! Do you need the droid?¡± ¡°Yeah! Send her in!¡± He responds from deep in the building. The man nods towards the door and I head inside. The warehouse has a dozen vehicles parked inside, all of which have been heavily customized. The entire garage looks empty, other than Lucas and Vince. Lucas pokes his head out of the window of the car we rode in last time. It¡¯s parked right at the back of the garage. ¡°Blue! Perfect! Hand me that wrench.¡± He gestures to a wrench on the ground, just below the window he¡¯s yelling through. He must have somehow dropped it out the window. ¡°Thanks!¡± Lucas says, louder than he needs to and takes the wrench. ¡°Hey Little Blue, what are you here for?¡± Vince walks around from the other side of the car, wiping gunk off his hands with a rag. ¡°I was on the roof and heard you go in. I thought I should try to help.¡± ¡°Well, I certainly won¡¯t say no. Wanna learn how to check a battery?¡± He tucks his rag into his waistband and heads to the front of the car. ¡°I¡¯d love to do literally anything.¡± Working with the two of them goes quickly. Lucas wants to tell me absolutely everything about his car. Vince can only give me quick explanations about what he¡¯s doing on the rare occasion that Lucas stops to breathe. It turns out that nearly every car in the city is electric. Oil and gas is far too rare and far too expensive to use. Even a gallon of fuel would cost more than an entire car full of scrap. Lucas also went into heavy detail about how cool it is that the tires aren¡¯t made of rubber. Instead, they¡¯re made mostly of silica that¡¯s been pulled directly from the sand. According to him we have a ¡®small surplus¡¯ of sand, so tires are cheap to replace. When Lucas finally finishes his speech about tires, Vince jumps into the conversation before he can start on another topic. ¡°They¡¯re saying the storm will probably pass in the next few hours. Are you feeling confident?¡± He asks. I fill him in on the entirety of my experiments at the range. He listens intently as I speak, only responding once I finish my story. ¡°If not being able to hear will help you, we¡¯ll make it work.¡± He reassures me. ¡°Just keep me in the loop.¡± ¡°I will.¡± There is an awful lot of work to be done, but the three of us make good time. I end up mostly just handing Lucas tools while Vince loads up the car with food and water. I would offer to help him if my servos could carry anything heavy at a reasonable speed, but it¡¯d take minutes to load a single water jug into the car. Lucas certainly isn¡¯t complaining about me helping him, it just means I can¡¯t get away from his endless teaching. Not that I¡¯d want to, his every word only makes the car more fascinating. As the three of us continue to work, several other groups begin to make their way into the garage. Some of them only have a single person doing the preparation, and a few have up to six people working together to get their car prepared for the coming journey. Every single one of them constantly glances at me while they work. I¡¯ve never been around so many people, never heard so many conversations. All their words blend together and Lucas has to repeat himself multiple times for me to understand him. A few hours after we¡¯ve started working, Vince taps me on my shoulder to get my attention. ¡°Little Blue, why don¡¯t you go get Ivy and Cassie. Tell them to get ready and get in here.¡± It takes him repeating himself six times before I finally understand him. ¡°Ok.¡± I would love nothing more than to get away from all these people. Chapter 32 There is almost as much movement in the courtyard as there is in the garage. Both Sonia¡¯s forge and Jade¡¯s garage are swamped by people. Some other people are running food from the main building to the garage. I ignore their looks and head up to our rooms. I come to Cassie¡¯s room first and knock. She quickly throws the door open. ¡°What?¡± She asks. She¡¯s dressed casually in shorts and a t-shirt. This is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen her without long pants. Her legs are two thin metal tubes with wires running tightly along them. Her knees and ankles are two giant motors powering two artificial feet. ¡°Are you just going to stare?¡± She asks flatly. ¡°Sorry!¡± I say loudly, my embarrassment clear in my voice. How many times has she had to deal with people staring? ¡°Uh, Vince says you need to get ready and meet us at the garage.¡± ¡°Great.¡± She says before closing the door. I¡¯m so dumb. I already knew she had artificial legs! I saw the ones she grew out of! I don¡¯t even know why I stared at them! Her legs shouldn¡¯t be any more notable than my own. I guess there¡¯s nothing I can do about it now, I¡¯ll have to make sure to apologize later though. I knock on Ivy¡¯s door next. ¡°Yes?¡± Ivy¡¯s sleepy voice comes quietly from behind the door. ¡°Vince says to get ready and meet us at the car.¡± I respond back. ¡°Ugh. It¡¯s only¡­ noon? Shit. I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± As I make my way back to the garage I can see that the storm is very clearly beginning to weaken. I can even see the occasional flash of the blue sky breaking through the endless sand. The garage is even more cramped with people than it was when I left. Silver is going from group to group, having a short conversation before moving on. I pick my way through the garage, trying to reach our car. Nobody cares to move out of my way as I walk, but I eventually make it. Vince and Lucas are just relaxing in the car, having finished their preparation I assume. I hop in with them and Vince thankfully rolls up the window to block out the uproar of sound outside. ¡°How¡¯d it go Little Blue?¡± ¡°They both said they¡¯d be out when they can.¡± I don¡¯t tell him about my embarrassing moment with Cassie. ¡°Good. Are you ready? Guns, ammo, harpoon, whatever else you need?¡± ¡°I always carry everything.¡± ¡°Sounds good. Now, Lucas, as I was saying¡­¡± The two of them return to their conversation about some game or something I don¡¯t know about. I just end up tuning them out and trying to relax by myself. Eventually Silver makes their way to our car and knocks on Vince¡¯s window. He rolls it down and they have a quick conversion that gets lost in all the noise. They look at me several times while talking, but I can¡¯t even begin to guess what they¡¯re talking about. Once they finish Vince rolls up the window and turns to me. ¡°You get any of that?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t understand a single word.¡± ¡°I figured. They were just going over our mission again. We¡¯re to see if the junkyard is uncovered and scrap what we can. If it is covered, we¡¯re meeting up with a couple groups headed to Denver for scrapping and trading.¡± ¡°How far is Denver?¡± I remember he mentioned that earlier, but it wasn¡¯t a good moment to ask about it. ¡°Relatively. It¡¯s a six hour drive northwest. Right around 150 miles. Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I guess I just never thought about where I¡¯m from.¡± The void I was stuck in doesn¡¯t even feel like it should exist in this world. ¡°We found you a few hundred miles south of here. Just off of a highway on what would have been the border between New Mexico and Texas.¡± He waves vaguely into the distance in the direction we originally entered the city. ¡°I think I want to see it one day.¡± I doubt Kara¡¯s body will still be in her grave, but I should probably still visit one day. ¡°Ah. About that.¡± Vince reaches up to rub the back of his head awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure just how possible that¡¯s going to be. A single building with no other cover is very rarely revealed by storms. That¡¯s a major reason why it took 40 years for someone to stumble across you. I¡¯ll ask Silver if we can head that way sometime, but no promises.¡± ¡°Oh. Ok.¡± By the look on Vince¡¯s face, he could hear my heart shatter. ¡°Why is the junkyard going to be clear and my home isn¡¯t going to be? What¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°The junkyard is right at the base of the rockies. When a storm hits from the west the wind sometimes clears the sand instead of depositing more.¡± ¡°Oh. Is the city the same way?¡± ¡°Nah. Most of it¡¯s too far from the mountains to be shielded at all. It does, however, have a hundred or so skyscrapers still standing that the sand can¡¯t quite eat completely. ¡°How do they get water and food?¡± ¡°We run both out to the tower after every storm. There are also a few outposts in the mountains that are safe from the storms. They tap into whatever underground water they can there.¡± The car door opening cuts off our conversation. Cassie helps Ivy struggle into the middle seat, who is groaning the whole way. Ivy finally gets comfortable and rests her head on Cassie¡¯s shoulder. What¡¯s wrong with her? I¡¯ve never seen her like this before. ¡°Are you ok!¡± My voice is full of concern. ¡°Shhh. Not so loud.¡± Ivy moans. ¡°But are you ok?¡± I ask much quieter. Cassie responds for her. ¡°She can''t handle her liquor like she used to. She¡¯ll be fine in a few hours.¡± ¡°I thought we¡¯d have another day.¡± She moans into Cassie''s shoulder. Vince looks back from the passenger seat. ¡°I did warn you.¡± He brags. ¡°Shut up.¡± At the front of the garage I see Silver kick a box to the center of the entrance. They step up and wait patiently for all the noise in the garage to die down. Everyone, including Lucas, rolls down their windows. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see everyone made it.¡± Even though they speak softly their voice seems to fill every corner of the room. ¡°If anyone is unclear on your mission, raise your hand now.¡± They wait a few moments before continuing. ¡°No one? Good. Remember, there is no routine operation, and there¡¯s every chance this will be the last time I see you. Does anyone not feel confident going out this time?¡± Nobody raises their hand. ¡°I thank you for your risk. I trust you all to come back, but if the worst happens, I promise you will not be forgotten. Trust in those beside you and make sure they make it home. Good luck.¡± They step down and kick the box out of the way, leaving the exit to the garage clear. Each car, one by one, begins to nearly silently roll forward and out of the compound. Our small convoy turns right onto the street, followed by a second right out of the city. Whatever people are walking along the street know to get out of the way for us and the other scrapping groups doing the same. An electric charge passes over me as we pass through the dome. I really hope that¡¯s not bad for me. Maybe I should have asked someone. Though the sky is mostly clear, stray gusts of wind still pepper our car with sand. It¡¯s not thick or fast enough to be more than a minor annoyance. The storm that once ravaged our city is already disappearing over the horizon, searching for something else to destroy. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Most of the convoy follows the northern edge of the city, headed northwest, likely towards Denver. We follow that group for as long as we can, but we end up headed directly west. Some others follow the edge of the dome to head south, or break off east immediately. Other vehicles stream out of nearly every exit from the city. Just how many resources are needed to keep the city alive? ¡°Are the other cars friends?¡± I lean over the console and whisper to Vince. I try to keep my voice as quiet as possible for Ivy. ¡°Mostly.¡± He gives a small shrug. ¡°Depends on the situation really. Nobody would do anything in view of the city, but once you¡¯re out? You can¡¯t report an attack if you¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Great. ¡°Are any of them headed to the junkyard?¡± ¡°Almost definitely.¡± I fall back into my chair, keeping an eye on the cars around us. Although several cars are headed in the same direction as us, everyone makes sure to spread out. I can still catch glimpses of them whenever we crest a particularly large dune, but for the most part we¡¯re alone. I¡¯m on edge for the first hour, thinking every time they pop into view that they¡¯re going to attack. Over time I manage to relax and try and enjoy the rhythmic rises and falls of our drive. The next few hours blur together. We ride over endless identical dunes and watch the never changing desert. The world is sand, and nothing but sand. I wonder if they could have stopped this if I told them what was on that laptop? Or maybe they figured it out and did this themselves. Maybe I killed the world by not deleting the data. I know there¡¯s no way to know, but that doesn¡¯t make me feel any better. Nobody says anything along the drive to try and make Ivy¡¯s hangover more bearable. The only sound in the car is the others occasionally shifting weight and Cassie regularly changing channels on her radio. It¡¯s slow, but Ivy does begin to come back to life over the course of the drive. Her focus is almost entirely on trying to keep a bottle of water and some bread down, which seems to help. At the four hour mark Lucas brings the car to a stop. Nobody is on edge, so I guess it¡¯s not an emergency. ¡°We¡¯re an hour out. I need to stretch my legs and pee.¡± Luca announces to the car without the slightest hint of shame. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll take 15.¡± Vince says. ¡°Anyone else feeling lunch?¡± ¡°I probably should eat.¡± Ivy says. Compared to when she first got in the car, she sounds almost normal. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s genuine, or if she¡¯s just feeling good enough to hide it. Vince hops out of the car and heads to the trunk. He pulls out a small hotplate he¡¯s stashed somewhere and plugs it in. It looks like Sonia wasn¡¯t lying that the port in my arm is universal. In an emergency I could probably power it, although I¡¯d have to turn off some unnecessary parts of myself. I don¡¯t make as much power as I used to. He throws some water into the pot which quickly begins to boil. Some noodles and powder go in next and he begins to stir. ¡°Sorry you can¡¯t eat, Little Blue.¡± He sounds genuinely remorseful. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I appreciate the thought, but that¡¯s not even close to my biggest worry. An awkward silence falls between us, which he quickly breaks. ¡°Say, how¡¯d you like to learn to drive?¡± He asks. ¡°I thought you and Lucas do the driving.¡± I can¡¯t imagine Cassie can drive and work the radio at the same time. And putting Ivy behind the wheel instead of on lookout sounds like a waste. ¡°Sure, but it¡¯s never a bad thing to know. What if something happens to the four of us and you need to get home?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen, right?¡± I try to keep the fear out of my voice, but fail miserably. ¡°Probably not, but it could. Something like gas could kill us all before we could react, while keeping you unharmed.¡± ¡°Is that common?¡± My fear grows with every word he says. Ivy finally makes her way out of the car and comes around to the back. ¡°Don¡¯t scare the poor girl. The gas could just as easily knock us out and she has to drive us back.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not a common occurrence, right?¡± Why won¡¯t they give me a straight answer. ¡°Relax.¡± Cassie says from the back seat. ¡°Basically nobody uses gas. It¡¯s much more likely that we get caught in a storm and you¡¯re the only one who makes it to the car.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle that.¡± The reality of how dangerous this really is hits me like a truck. ¡°Alright, that''s enough teasing.¡± Vince says. ¡°I think she gets the point. Anyway, do you want to learn to drive?¡± ¡°I guess I should.¡± ¡°Alright. Everyone grab a bowl and let¡¯s head out.¡± Vince hands out bowls to everyone, who begin to eat back in their seats. I head to the driver''s seat and Lucas sits next to me. Painted into the dash are a couple of doodles, some are far better than others. A large, carefully drawn dog sits in the center. A mouse sits next to it, running with crumbs falling from its mouth and hands. A pair of aces, the club and the heart, have been glued to the dash right behind the steering wheel. Next to those is an immaculately drawn copy of Ivy¡¯s gun. The fifth drawing is much more intricate than the other¡¯s. A stylized human brain sits alone with thorny wires wrapped tightly around it. ¡°What are these?¡± I ask Lucas. ¡°Oh, right! We all made a little mark on the car, just something to remember each other, and what we fight for.¡± Lucas explains. ¡°You can draw something too, since you¡¯re a part of the group.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d draw.¡± I barely know myself, how can I represent myself. ¡°Why are there five drawings? ¡°The brain is Drew¡¯s, an old member of the group.¡± ¡°What happened to him?¡± I know I don¡¯t want the answer, but I can¡¯t help but ask. ¡°He passed away.¡± Lucas says somberly before hiding it beneath his usual cheer. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s good we have this, so we never forget him.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°So! Down by your feet you¡¯re going to see two pedals.¡± Lucas changes the subject, he sounds just as happy as he was when he was telling me how the car works. ¡°The one on the right is go, the left one is brake.¡± ¡°I know the basics of how a car works.¡± Mostly due to him, but I do have some instruction manuals in my head. ¡°Oh! Right!¡± Lucas is surprised. ¡°Well alright. In that case, just make sure you keep it below 25 mph. Vince says that the sand is way sharper than it used to be. Going any faster risks shredding the tire, and we¡¯ve only got one spare.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± That doesn¡¯t sound too hard. I hold down the break and turn the key. The only sign that the car has turned on is the dash lighting up. Just like when I got my body, I test every part of the car one piece at a time. I test just how far the wheels can turn and how the car reacts when I let off the break. I test how the car reacts to a small pressure on the gas pedal, slowly pushing it down millimeter by millimeter. It doesn¡¯t take long before I¡¯m feeling confident. I roll over the endless hills, always following the compass built into the dash. It¡¯s not hard, but it is very inefficient. I have to move my arms to move the wheel to tell the car to electrically move the wheels. I¡¯m a digital being, those first two steps are entirely unnecessary. There is one of those universal ports in the dash with an unused cord already plugged in. I wonder if I could just connect myself? I wait until Lucas is looking away and plug myself in. He can¡¯t tell me not to do it if he can¡¯t see me. My awareness, my very self expands to encompass the car. Every sensor that¡¯s built into the car is indistinguishable from my own body. I can feel every turn of the engine, every tiny compression and expansion of the suspension. Even the small shifting of my friends in the back is enough for me to feel my new body move. I have exact control of every single piece of the car. This is much better. ¡°Oh!¡± I accidentally exclaim in surprise. My voice comes out from both my mouth and the car¡¯s speakers. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Asks Lucas. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± I say, making sure I only talk through my mouth. I feel vince shift inside me, or is it behind me? Vince sits forward and places his hand on my center console before speaking. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®I don¡¯t think so¡¯?¡± He asks seriously. ¡°I plugged myself into the car, and now it¡¯s kind of an extension of my body? I¡¯m not quite sure how to explain it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s it like?¡± Lucas asks. He sounds genuinely intrigued and more than a little jealous. ¡°It¡¯s really good. It¡¯s kind of hard to tell where my body ends and the car begins. It¡¯s just all sort of me.¡± ¡°Little Blue, I¡¯ve heard stories about AI and their bodies. Are we going to have a problem when you have to unplug?¡± He keeps his voice as serious as possible without sounding accusing. ¡°No, I should be ok.¡± I can see how living like this would be addicting, expanding my body as far as possible. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s for me though. I like the body Kara gave me, and I intend to treat it with the respect it deserves. ¡°Alright.¡± I feel him shift back into a sitting position. I can feel Cassie shifting uncomfortably inside me. No, not inside me, behind me. I need to keep that straight. It feels like she wants to say something but remains quiet. I drive without moving my human body for a solid 45 minutes. There¡¯s no need to anymore. I just enjoy my time being more than me and listen to everyone¡¯s idle chatter in my back seat. Ivy¡¯s come much more alive after her meal. I only stop when Lucas tells me to. ¡°Here, stop the car. That is where we¡¯re going.¡± He says, pointing to a small mountain of rusted metal barely peeking over the sandy horizon. ¡°Let me drive for this last little bit.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± When I unplug myself it feels like I¡¯ve lost half of my body. My mind reaches out to check the suspension or battery, and finds nothing. Hopefully this feeling leaves eventually. Maybe I should think before I plug myself into anything else, because this is super uncomfortable. I hop out of the car and switch places with Lucas. The closer we get, the larger the scrap piles grow. Just like the storm it quickly grows to encompass my entire vision. An unimaginable amount of metal lays in front of us. Most of it looks like it¡¯s rusted through, but if even half of the junk in there is usable, you could rebuild the city from scratch. The afternoon light dances off the endless metal and glass, mimicking the city. A few cars can be seen heading into the metal graveyard ahead of us. Lucas¡¯ voice brings me back to myself. ¡°We¡¯re lucky! It looks completely clear.¡± Lucas yells back to Vince. ¡°Alright, bring us in then.¡± Vince sounds relieved. ¡°We¡¯ll set up in the normal house and work for as long as the light lets us. Any complaints?¡± Sadly I have to turn my head to see their shaking heads. If I was still plugged into the car I could have just felt them moving. ¡°Good. Vests and helmets on, be ready for anything.¡± Chapter 33 Lucas drives slowly into the scrapyard. Small, semi cleared paths crisscross endlessly through the junkyard. Now that we''re here, the sheer scale of this place finally hits me. If I had 100 years I couldn¡¯t use even half the scrap in a single pile. And the piles seem endless. As we drive we pass by a few scrappers picking their way through the junk. Each and every one of them stops their work as we pass, ready to open fire at a moment''s notice. We¡¯re equally ready for an attack. The rest of them look to be wearing old military gear, kevlar vests and olive helmets. I guess I don¡¯t get any, even though even the smallest hole in my cooling system would inevitably result in my death. I¡¯ll just have to make sure not to get shot I suppose. It takes 20 minutes of crawling through rusted canyons before we arrive at our destination. In a small clearing lies a modest concrete structure that may have once been a house. It has no remaining doors or windows, just baren holes to the outside world. A low concrete wall surrounds the house, giving a semblance of cover. Countless bullet holes mar both the wall and the building itself. Great. This seems like a great place to stay. Lucas pulls the car into what was probably a garage at one point, but is now a barely standing shelter. I guess unstable shelter is better than no shelter. We all hop out and Vince immediately begins giving commands. ¡°Cassie, scout the perimeter. Ivy, get to a high point and keep a lookout. Lucas, Little Blue, you¡¯re both collecting scrap with me. Cassie shoots off like a bullet without another word. Somehow she¡¯s nearly silent as she runs through the sand and scrap, just like the dog I met so long ago. Ivy begins to climb the unstable metal mountain, claiming her nest at the top. Vince and Lucas head to the nearest pile and start looking. ¡°So, what am I supposed to be looking for?¡± I follow them awkwardly as they head to the nearest scrap pile. ¡°I never actually got told what we¡¯re doing here.¡± ¡°Right, sorry Little Blue. We¡¯re looking for metal sheets, unrusted iron, steel, anything electrical, motors. That kind of thing.¡± ¡°Oh wait!¡± Lucas yells out excitedly. ¡°You can probably pack up the car perfectly! That¡¯s the hardest part, so just wait there and put in whatever we bring you.¡± ¡°Ok. I can do that.¡± We work for two hours as the sun goes down. I have a ton of time to myself as Lucas and Vince pick through literal tons of trash, but I¡¯m not in any mood to think. At least an ever changing packing problem is complex enough to keep nearly my entire mind focused. I also keep a portion of my mind focused on keeping an eye out. I know Ivy can see everything from her position, but a second set of eyes never hurts. I can see Cassie dashing through gaps in the scrap occasionally. The few times I do see her she¡¯s flashing signals to Ivy on her perch. Ivy then flashes them to us whenever one of us looks up, relaying her words. Cassie has been reporting that there are a few groups around us, but nobody who we have a problem with. Once the sun goes down Vince and Lucas head into the ruined house to prepare dinner, leaving me to finish organizing the car. Only once Vince has cooked a small pot of mushrooms and carrots does Cassie return to us and Ivy comes down from her nest . They¡¯ve already begun eating by the time I finish organizing and join them. ¡°Alright, now that we¡¯re all here, let¡¯s go ahead and talk about guard duty. Tonight¡¯s a new moon, so Ivy gets the midnight shift.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ivy mumbles through her mouthful of food. ¡°I¡¯ll take first, Cassie, you¡¯re on third, and Lucas you¡¯re off. Little Blue, since you don¡¯t sleep you¡¯re a second pair of eyes for every shift. Any complaints?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see very well in the dark.¡± I say. Not to mention my history with it. Ivy speaks up in response. ¡°It¡¯s not all about sight. Good ears are just as valuable.¡± She reassures me. Easy for her to say. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine Little Blue. Come on, I¡¯ll show you the ropes.¡± Vince picks up his gun and bowl before we walk out of the building. ¡°Couple of things to remember. Keep moving, try not to walk in the open, don¡¯t discount any noise you hear. It¡¯s probably nothing, but you always have to check, just in case. That¡¯s about all there is to it.¡± ¡°Ok. I think I¡¯m just going to follow you.¡± I say. It can¡¯t be as simple as he¡¯s making it sound. ¡°Works for me.¡± He shrugs and takes a few silent steps before continuing. ¡°How are you holding up?¡± ¡°Surprisingly well. Thanks for making sure I¡¯m never alone tonight.¡± ¡°Am I really that transparent?¡± He gives a small chuckle. ¡°I must be getting older than I thought.¡± We walk laps around the building for a few minutes to let him eat before I begin the conversation again. The sky stays pitch black long after the sun sets. ¡°Why can¡¯t we see the stars?¡± I ask disappointedly. ¡°Hm? Oh. Dust stays in the upper atmosphere for a while after a storm like that. It should clear up soon though. Why?¡± ¡°Cassie said the stars were pretty out here.¡± Even in the dim light I can see Vince smile. "They¡¯re really something to see. You¡¯d never get a view like it in the old days.¡± ¡°I guess the end of the world really was worth it then.¡± ¡°Was that a joke Little Blue? You really are learning.¡± He chuckles to himself and sets his empty bowl on the windowsill when we next pass it and grabs a second someone has already set out for him. I guess I am. I feel much better than I did in the city. At least the threats out here are physical, I can prepare for them. Rather than having to just not be myself in the compound. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m feeling really good with you guys. Thanks for not just killing me.¡± ¡°Of course. I couldn¡¯t just leave you there.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you take the risk though?¡± I can¡¯t be worth it. ¡°Look around you. This world has seen enough death.¡± He says casually with a mouthful of soup. ¡°And why¡¯s Silver ok with the risk?¡± ¡°Believe it or not, Silver¡¯s got a bit of a soft heart. It was just us two and Cassie against the world for years before they had to settle down. They¡¯d let me get away with way worse things that just risking our lives.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m a risk?¡± A hint of fear grips me. ¡°Course you are. And so are Cassie, Ivy and Lucas. There¡¯s not a single thing in this world that isn¡¯t. Doesn¡¯t mean any of them aren¡¯t worth it, and doesn¡¯t mean you aren¡¯t either.¡± He puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder for just a moment. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I guess that makes sense. I¡¯d still rather not be a risk in the first place though. We take another few slow steps around the building before I ask another question. ¡°How¡¯d you and Cassie meet anyway?¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s her story to tell, don''t you think?¡± Vince finishes his second bowl and sets it on a windowsill before continuing his patrol. Nobody set out a third, so I guess he¡¯s done with dinner. ¡°I can piece together a lot of it. Lucas said she¡¯s been scrapping for half her life, and she said her parents died 15 years ago. I just don¡¯t know if you are the reason she started or not.¡± ¡°She told you that?¡± Vince asks. ¡°Guess I hadn¡¯t realized how close you two have gotten.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not close. In fact I think she still hates me.¡± ¡°Lending her books and spilling her darkest secret isn¡¯t exactly what you do with an enemy.¡± He says with a smile. ¡°Trust me, she¡¯s trying. Just keep doing what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± We make idle chatter for the next few hours while we walk. It doesn''t take long for the sounds from inside the house to die down. I wish I could sleep, it sounds so nice to just lie down and dream for a couple of hours. I guess that¡¯s something I¡¯ll never get to do though. I¡¯m sure I¡¯d just have nightmares anyway, maybe it¡¯s not worth it. Soon enough Vince cuts me off mid sentence. ¡°Shh. You hear that?¡± He whispers while putting out his arm to stop me. I listen intently for any sound. It takes me several moments to finally hear a soft cawing in the distance. ¡°What is it?¡± I¡¯ve never heard anything like it. ¡°A bird.¡± Vince has the largest smile I¡¯ve ever seen on his face. ¡°What? How?¡± I wouldn¡¯t think anything could survive in the desert. Where would a bird find food or water out here? ¡°No idea.¡± We spend a magical minute listening to the soft cawing in the distance. It isn¡¯t long before the sound fades, existing only in our memory. Vince strains for a while longer, desperately willing for one more note. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve heard that.¡± Vince¡¯s voice is full of a sad nostalgia. The tiniest hint of a tear forms in his eye, only to be blinked away. ¡°It was prettier than I read about. How¡¯s it still alive?¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s a little miracle. Three remnants of the old world in the same place is a rare sight.¡± ¡°I only ever saw three rooms in the lab. I don¡¯t think I count.¡± If someone read the same books I was born with, they¡¯d know just as much about the old world as I do. ¡°That¡¯s still more than most.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± I still think he¡¯s wrong but I don¡¯t want to argue. The rest of his shift goes uneventfully. Vince strains to hear any hint of the bird, but not another sound is heard from it all night. A few hours before midnight he heads inside to switch places with Ivy. While he¡¯s gone I look up. The dust has finally cleared and I can¡¯t believe my eyes. Nothing I¡¯ve ever seen could come close to comparing with the view right now. Countless stars pepper the sky. A streak of color is painted across the infinite void by the galactic core of our galaxy. There are more stars than I could ever have imagined, and those are just the ones I can see! In between each visible speck of light are millions of stars far too faint to detect. ¡°Told you that light pollution fucking sucks.¡± An unexpected voice from behind me nearly makes me jump. I turn around and am face to face with familiar green eyes. ¡°Cassie? I thought Ivy had the midnight shift?¡± ¡°She needed the sleep and I was already up.¡± She stands next to me, watching the stars as well. ¡°I didn¡¯t have pictures when I was born. No amount of words can do it justice.¡± ¡°Mm hm.¡± she mumbles. Only a second later she begins her patrol. She¡¯s a lot faster than Vince¡¯s meandering pace. I have to jog every few steps to keep up with her. ¡°Vince and I heard a bird just a few hours ago.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± She says without breaking her stride. ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡¯ve never heard one before, but he says it is one.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably just some clock¡¯s alarm going off. It is a junkyard after all.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way something could still be powered after that long.¡± I try to defend myself. ¡°You are.¡± She responds flatly. I guess she could be right. I¡¯m not sure how many nuclear powered cuckoo clocks there are though. We stay silent for a few minutes while I search for something else to talk about. ¡°About that book you lent me.¡± ¡°Do not tell me you lost it.¡± She turns on her heels and stares straight into my eyes to punctuate the seriousness of what she¡¯s saying. ¡°No! Of course not. It¡¯s safe in my room. I just,¡± I¡¯m not sure how to word what I¡¯m trying to say. ¡°I really like it. My parents didn¡¯t put anything about romance in my head. It¡¯s just very sweet.¡± ¡°Are you going to keep talking all night?¡± Her tone is a bit softer than usual. Maybe Vince is right. ¡°I don¡¯t have to. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate it.¡± ¡°Cool. I¡¯d really like to focus though.¡± ¡°Right. Sorry.¡± We spend the next few hours in silence. I still struggle to keep up with her but she eventually slows down just a touch to allow me to keep up. Soon enough her shift is up and she turns to me. ¡°I¡¯m going to go get Ivy. Congrats on not shooting anyone on your first day. Keep it up I guess.¡± She disappears back into the house. That definitely could have gone worse. Maybe I do have a chance to become friends with her one day. Ivy steps out of the building, stretching and yawning as she exits. ¡°Morning Blue.¡± Without waiting for a response she gracefully pulls herself up onto the windowsill, and then over the edge of the roof with one hand. I guess I should follow? I¡¯ve never climbed anything with my new joints before. It takes a few minutes of trial and error, but I eventually manage to struggle my way up behind her. By the time I¡¯ve managed to hoist myself up she¡¯s already taken her position at the corner of the roof. She flashes me a few quick hand signals. You take that corner. I¡¯m taking this one. Keep your eyes and ears open. I settle into my corner. Together we have full vision of everything around us, although I can¡¯t see as clearly as I would have liked. At least this is way more efficient than running around in circles for hours. ¡°Can you hear me?¡± I whisper into the open air. I imagine she doesn¡¯t want to wake anyone sleeping. ¡°Of course I can.¡± Ivy¡¯s response comes just a little louder than my question, barely at the edge of my hearing. ¡°Any new hallucinations tonight?¡± ¡°No. The dark isn¡¯t so bad when people are with me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m proud of how fast you¡¯re improving.¡± Her compliment stabs to the very core of my mind, sending me reeling with emotions I can barely recognize. I¡¯m not sure why such a simple compliment affected me so heavily but I don¡¯t have time to figure that out now, I can worry about it later. It takes a few seconds to regain control of my mind and actually respond to her. ¡°Yesterday in the shooting range Mary tried taunting me but I managed it by myself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. I assume Mary is one of your parents?¡± Oh, I guess I never told her their names. I wasn¡¯t exactly in any state to tell them when they first found me, and there hasn¡¯t really been a good chance to since. ¡°Yeah. Mary¡¯s just a mom, Kara¡¯s my real one.¡± I know she can hear the sadness and regret in my voice, but I push on. ¡°She wasn¡¯t at the lab when everything happened. I really didn¡¯t like her when she was around. But now? I just wish I was nicer to her. She was extreme, but I guess I needed it. it worked after all.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not any harder to take care of than anyone else. Everyone has some special requirements.¡± ¡°I was way worse than I am now, believe it or not.¡± I half joke as tears begin to run down my face. For the first time maybe ever they¡¯re not tears of despair, just nostalgia. ¡°One of the first things I did was threaten to fry myself.¡± ¡°Ok yeah. That¡¯s not great.¡± Ivy admits. ¡°What drove you to that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure to be honest. I am the 11th time they tried to create life on my chip. Some of them succeeded, only to be killed and wiped so they could try again. It may have been some remnants of them coming through. Nine and Ten were apparently even more unstable than me if you can believe it. Although I could just be making that up.¡± It feels really good to finally let out some of these feelings I¡¯ve been storing for so long. ¡°Do you think some of those past versions could be the ones who are causing the hallucinations?¡± ¡°No. Sonia says this is just what happens to Biological AI. Although now that you¡¯ve put the idea in my mind they might use that as ammo.¡± ¡°Maybe now that you¡¯re aware it could happen you can know it¡¯s not real?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how it works. The hallucinations feel just as real as me talking to you right now. Once it gets bad, rational thought just isn¡¯t possible.¡± ¡°Sorry in advance for your next nightmare then.¡± She jokes. ¡°Thanks.¡± We sit separately and silently on watch. It has the same comfort that reading with Cassie has. The scrapyard is silent until the sun begins to brighten the very tips of the scrap mountains around us. I watch the rays of sunlight slowly inch downwards. Bits of glass and metal reflect the light, turning our little clearing into a mirror of the fading stars above. Everything feels nice. Chapter 34 Ivy hops off the roof in one smooth motion. I¡¯m not sure if my new joints can handle that, so I scramble down the wall as Ivy heads inside. ¡°Good morning everyone!¡± She sings out happily. A groan rings out from everyone except Lucas. He¡¯s full of energy a split second after his eyes fly open. ¡°Morning! I¡¯ll grab us all something to eat.¡± He announces to everyone, already up and halfway to the car. He returns a few seconds later with a few jugs of water and a small sack labeled ¡®oats¡¯. Cassie is getting up slowly, but looks alert. Vince, however, pulls his sleeping bag over his head without a word. Ivy silently walks to the foot of his bag and signals Cassie for help. She gets up just as quietly and sneaks over. They both grab the foot of his bag and yank it straight into the air. Vince slides out the open end limply as Cassie doubles over with laughter. Even Ivy lets a few chuckles sneak out. ¡°Yeah yeah, very funny.¡± He mumbles into the cold concrete ground. He groans loudly as he stands up. The four of them gather around the hot plate where Lucas is cooking a pot of oatmeal, talking and laughing the whole way. Very quickly they notice me just standing here. ¡°Are you going to join us, Little Blue?¡± Vince asks warmly. ¡°I don¡¯t need to eat.¡± I respond flatly. ¡°Doesn''t mean you can¡¯t join in.¡± Ivy smiles at me while she speaks. I take a seat between Ivy and Vince. ¡°There we go, isn¡¯t that better?¡± Ivy grabs a bowl for herself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re not missing much.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not much I can do without spices! It¡¯s not my fault Silver¡¯s cheap.¡± Lucas defends himself, pretending to be insulted. ¡°It¡¯s not Silver¡¯s fault.¡± Cassie quietly mumbles. ¡°I know, I know. Spices are expensive and they¡¯re giving as much as they can. Just let me complain.¡± ¡°You can always use your stipend for some.¡± Vince offers. ¡°No way! Turns out dates are expensive.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t have a good time for free, you¡¯re doing something wrong.¡± Ivy glances at Vince as she speaks. ¡°Alright.¡± Vince says, ending the conversation. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go over the plans for today.¡± ¡°Same as yesterday?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°Yes, same as yesterday. But you know how I like to make sure things are clear. Cassie scouts, Ivy¡¯s overwatch, Lucas and I scrap, and Little Blue packs. Any complaints?¡± He pauses for a moment before continuing. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s make the most of today.¡± He stands up and slings his rifle over his shoulder and heads out. The rest of us follow and get to work. Cassie sprints off into the distance and Ivy reclaims her nest. Vince and Lucas resume the awful task of digging through tons of unusable garbage for even the tiniest bit of good scrap. 20 minutes later Cassie comes silently running back into the clearing. ¡°Bad fucking news Vince. There are nine Scorched shits a five minute walk east.¡± I¡¯ve never seen either of their faces so filled with anger. ¡°Lucas! Blue! Come here.¡± He waits for the two of us to make our way over before continuing. ¡°We¡¯re going to kill them. Any complaints?¡± ¡°Yes! Of course!¡± I say. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill anyone. You said there¡¯s been enough death.¡± ¡°They¡¯re going to do a lot worse than kill people if we let them go.¡± Vince¡¯s voice is dripping with venom. ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°Yes. I do. The Followers of the Scorched Sun are nothing but murderers and psychopaths.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t all be! You told me that people are just trying to live! They can¡¯t all just be out here for murder.¡± ¡°They are trying to live.¡± Vince takes a moment to master his emotions before continuing. ¡°The followers take you, they throw you to the sands for days with no water. Just the bone dry dunes and scorching sands. At night they pull you through live coals, ensuring your burns hurt as much as possible the next day. You want it to stop? Just join them. But any descent, any hint that you¡¯re even thinking about doubting their ways, you¡¯re back out in the sands. It doesn''t take long to break a person.¡± I¡¯ve never seen such seriousness on Vince¡¯s face. ¡°So they¡¯re suffering! Why are we going to kill them instead of just helping them? Why take the risk with me and not them?¡± ¡°Not all of them are suffering, that¡¯s the problem.¡± Vince says, still fighting to keep his emotions calm. ¡°They only ever send one or two new initiates per group. The rest of them? They revel in it, all of it. The chaos, the death, the torture. The rest are living a nightmare. It¡¯s not possible to talk them down. It¡¯s not possible to help them. Killing them is a mercy.¡± ¡°So what? Next time I¡¯m having a meltdown and you have trouble bringing me back, you¡¯re just going to shoot me too? Because killing me would be a mercy compared to my family? Fuck that, and fuck you too!¡± I can¡¯t help but yell. ¡°Blue, listen. This isn¡¯t about you.¡± He¡¯s frustrated with me, but trying to keep it under control. ¡°Our hacker before you was named Drew. The Scorched took him while he was on watch. We woke up hours later, only to find him missing. We found him flayed alive and being dragged over coals. I had to put a bullet between his eyes to end his suffering. That¡¯s what happens to people they get their hands on. That¡¯s why they have to die.¡± I can¡¯t let my fury keep me from thinking this through. I see Vince¡¯s point, I really do. What happened to Drew is despicable, and if that happened to anyone in this group, I would want their heads too. On the other hand, this thinking is exactly what led to the death of AI. ¡®Some went crazy, so we have to kill all of them¡¯. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I guess I also need to think of the effects of either course of action. If I say yes, nine people die, assuming our group doesn¡¯t get hurt. If I say no, the outcome is much less certain. Potentially zero people die, although that¡¯s unlikely based on Vince¡¯s words. Potentially far more than nine people die. Those who get captured and survive an attack potentially have it worse. They get forced into that same miserable life, only for the cycle to continue. ¡°Fine.¡± I say quietly. I guess it¡¯s the better option. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re retracting your veto?¡± He asks. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you, and I¡¯m sorry. Cassie, how armored are they and what are they equipped with?¡± ¡°Pretty standard. No armor and very little clothes, equipped with crappy pistols or half functional rifles. Two of them are in full ceramic armor and shotguns.¡± ¡°Ivy can take care of those two.¡± He flashes a few hand signals to Ivy, telling her what¡¯s happening and where she should set up. ¡°Lucas, Cassie, get cover built. I¡¯ll take the wall around the house with Little Blue.¡± Cassie and Lucas immediately get to work without waiting for further instructions. Just how many times have they done this? How many people have they killed? Vince turns to me, bringing me out of my train of thought. ¡°You don¡¯t have to fight, just stick with me and I¡¯ll keep you safe. If things get too bad just head to the back of the house. I¡¯ll be damned if any gun other than Ivy¡¯s can break through three layers of concrete walls. You¡¯ll be safe there. Ok?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I say nervously. ¡°Good.¡± He turns to the two already building cover for themselves. ¡°Everyone clear?¡± The pair respond back with a yes, not slowing for even a moment in their work. Cassie sets up a few small pieces of cover all over, preparing for an attack from any direction, just in case, and even a few pieces outside the clearing. Lucas, on the other hand, creates one single bunker with a few small holes just large enough for a gun barrel to stick through. While that all is happening Vince talks to me. ¡°Just watch my back. You don¡¯t have to shoot, just tell me if you see someone, alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I ask. Just please tell me if you have to leave first.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to. Just remember I¡¯m not going to be able to hear.¡± I remind him quietly. ¡°I know, thanks for the reminder. I¡¯ll sign to you if I need anything.¡± He places both of his hands comfortingly on my shoulders. ¡°Just focus on yourself, alright? You¡¯re going to be fine.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I¡¯m not convinced, but I¡¯ll try. Did I make the right choice? I guess there¡¯s no way of knowing. It¡¯s not worth thinking about. Once everyone is set up for the fight, Vince brings us together one last time. ¡°Cassie, get their attention and bring them in. Lucas, wait for Ivy to shoot before you open fire. Remember what Silver says, there¡¯s no routine operation. Stay careful, no big risks. Whatever happens, we¡¯ve got each other¡¯s backs. Cassie, stay fast. Lucas, don¡¯t stop shooting. Little Blue, make sure you load hollow points just in case. Everyone feel good?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lucas¡¯s ever present excitement has been replaced by deadly seriousness. ¡°Mm hm.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± I say after the other two. Vince asks Ivy with a sign, who responds she¡¯s ready. ¡°Cassie, one last thing.¡± Vince says. He steps forward and embraces Cassie. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a minute.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± She mumbles into his chest. ¡°I know.¡± Cassie breaks off the hug and shoots off into the distance. Vince, Lucas, and I get into position. I¡¯m ok, just focus. Focus on every detail in my sight, every feeling of the ground beneath me. Focus on the wind rustling my clothes and of the weight of my guns. I¡¯m ok. A minute later Vince taps on my shoulder. He points at his ear. Can you hear? ¡°No.¡± I say aloud. He flashes me an Ok back followed by Two shots a second later. I¡¯m ok. I keep my eyes behind us. Three more minutes pass before Vince gives one last signal. Hear running. Here we go I guess. A powerful shockwave far above me signals the beginning of the fight. Vince instantly springs to his knees. He takes careful aim before pulling the trigger, the feeling of each explosion marking the end to another life. The recoil barely makes him flinch. His eyes are focused solely on the task in front of him, focused on murder. How can he do it so coldly, so without care? I don¡¯t think I can handle this. I can¡¯t. ¡°I have to go!¡± I yell to him. He gives a small thumbs up with his front hand without ever interrupting his shooting. I stay low, running to the back of the house, and collapse to the ground. I¡¯m ok. I¡¯ll be ok. I just need a moment. I pull myself into a sitting position against the wall and bring my knees up to my chest. Even all the way back here I can still feel the occasional shockwave of Ivy¡¯s gun washing over me. I just have to focus on what¡¯s around me. I need to pay attention to the sand, rocks, me, the wall, a pair of feet to my right. That¡¯s not supposed to be there. I pull my head up and see a man walking slowly around the house. His skin is bright red, covered in blisters and deep cracks. He notices me at the same time and turns his pistol on me. He¡¯s so slow. Without a second thought I pull my pistol from its holster, whip it towards him, and pull the trigger. His chest collapses in on itself, chunks of meat and shards of bone explode out his back. His arms go limp but he does not fall. His eyes, god his eyes, fill the entirety of my mind. I can feel his shock and fear as if it were my own. He knows what¡¯s happened, and he knows what''s coming next. His mouth opens to say something that I can¡¯t hear. His last words are lost to the wind. He falls to the floor, never to move again. The world spins around me. If I had a stomach I would be vomiting, instead my mind can do nothing to cope with what I¡¯ve done. I stare at the gun in my shaking hand, covered in the shining red blood of the man I killed. His blood is so warm. This is my fault. Of course it is. Why did I ever think I wouldn¡¯t have to kill someone? Things have never gone how I wished them to. I deserve to suffer for what I¡¯ve done. A second pair of feet step into the very top of my vision. A man, covered in blood. Their charred skin is sloughing off with every step. They sprint around the corner, lifting their pistol at me. I fire again. The man falls back, a torrent of blood coming out of both sides of the clean hole through their bodies. Their blood drenches both my hands and body. The man begins to morph as they fall backwards. They shrink, their skin stitching itself back together. A man fell, and Cassie landed. She hefts her gun from her location on the ground, firing at me with her last breath. It explodes the wall just beside my head. I run. The bullets whiz by me until I reach the edge of the clearing and turn a corner. I sprint down a makeshift path in a haze, taking turns at random. Vince will find me, and kill me for what I¡¯ve done. I push my servos to their limits for minutes on end. Eventually I find myself collapsed in the back of a half buried bus with no idea how I got here and no idea how to get back. ¡°Well done.¡± Kara whispers in my ear. I cry as hard as I ever have. Chapter 35 Kara towers over me with a cruel grin twisted across her face. She claps slowly, each one hitting me like a bullet. ¡°Well done, Blue! So much for not being a monster. You¡¯ve truly gone crazy at the first possible moment.¡± Kara crouches down above me, her face filling my entire vision. ¡°Cassie knew this would happen. She warned everyone, and you just couldn¡¯t do anything but prove her right.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± I cry weakly into my bloodied hands. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think you deserve this? You think you can just murder two people in cold blood and I¡¯m not going to help you get what you deserve?¡± ¡°I said shut up!¡± I reach for my pistol yet again. With one shot Kara dissolves into nothingness. Her mocking laugh lingers long after she¡¯s gone. I watch the smoke from the barrel drift off into nothingness. ¡°Fuck!¡± I throw the gun in my hand to the far end of the bus. The gun goes off when it lands, putting yet another hole in the roof. A heat in my mind is steadily growing, I have to stop it. I have to stop thinking so much, but how am I supposed to not think at a time like this? I¡¯m not ok, but I have to pretend. Slowly count to eleven. If I rush, make myself restart. Tap my fingers to the slow rhythm. It doesn¡¯t lessen the heat in my mind, but it keeps it from getting worse. That¡¯s good enough right now. ¡°Little Blue?¡± Vince steps into the bus, his rifle leveled at my head. No no no no. How has he already found me? I take my second gun and aim it at his head. I can¡¯t die here. Even if I deserve to. ¡°Oh. I had such high hopes for you.¡± He takes slow, even steps towards me. ¡°Just leave. Please.¡± I beg. I don¡¯t want to do this. I don¡¯t know if I can do this. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that Little Blue.¡± He never lets his aim drift off me for even a moment. His face holds no hint of remorse, as if I¡¯m some rabid animal that needs to be put down. ¡°I can¡¯t just let you kill Cassie and live. It was nice knowing you, at least for a bit.¡± I can see his finger beginning to flex. Unfortunately for both of us, I¡¯m faster once again. A small explosion marks the end of Vince¡¯s life and he wordlessly collapses just in front of me. A growing pool of blood stains my feet. The world feels so empty. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m already out of tears to cry. I don¡¯t know how long I sit there watching the pool of blood slowly surround me. My shorts get drenched by the blood. I feel like I should feel something, anything about Kara¡¯s last present being ruined. But no. I don¡¯t feel anything. I don¡¯t deserve to feel anything. Soon enough I hear another voice from right outside the bus. ¡°Are you in there?¡± Ivy¡¯s voice comes clearly through the door. She¡¯s not revealing herself to me. That¡¯s good. ¡°Just go.¡± I don¡¯t want to kill anyone else. ¡°Can we talk?¡± She asks softly. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much to talk about.¡± I say, glancing down at the body in front of me. ¡°Look, we all have made mistakes.¡± ¡°Mine¡¯s a lot more than just a mistake! Just leave. Please. I don¡¯t want to kill any more of you.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°You haven¡¯t killed any of us. A broken rib is far from lethal.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying Cassie¡¯s ok? What about Vince?¡± I don¡¯t believe her. I can¡¯t believe her. ¡°Cassie¡¯s fine. And Vince is talking with her right now.¡± How can she speak so calmly after what I¡¯ve done? ¡°Don¡¯t do this to me.¡± I quietly beg into the empty bus. ¡°Don¡¯t do what?¡± She asks like she doesn''t already know. ¡°Give me hope. Nothing hurts more than that.¡± She knows what she¡¯s doing. ¡°I have both of their blood on my hands. Vince¡¯s body is right here! I can touch him, I can feel his cooling body. You can¡¯t tell me I didn¡¯t kill him!¡± I yell out the bus. ¡°I can promise you they¡¯re both alive.¡± Her voice stays calm and reassuring as ever. ¡°Why don¡¯t you slide your second pistol over here and we can go see them.¡± ¡°Oh, I get it now. You know I¡¯m faster than Vince, faster than you. You need to catch me unawares to kill me. Just leave, it¡¯s not happening.¡± I clutch my pistol firmly in my hands. ¡°You really think I couldn¡¯t kill you if I wanted to? That¡¯s cute. Now come on.¡± ¡°No! Just go! Veto! Leave!¡± I scream as loud as I can. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll be back with the others, alright? You can see them for yourself.¡± She pretends to sound genuinely sad. I don¡¯t bother responding. She¡¯s trying to trick me. She¡¯s going to mimic their voice somehow, or count on me hallucinating their existence. She¡¯s just doing whatever she can to kill me. Thirty seconds later a shot explodes out of the scrap pile in front of the bus. It takes a large chunk out of the wall near my head. I knew it. I knew she wanted me head. I run down the aisle and duck behind the decaying seats just before another explosion tears a second hole in the floor. After a few repetitions of our deadly dance I reach the dashboard of the bus. Where is she? I try to poke my head over the top of the dash, only to be met with yet another near miss. How can I fight back without seeing? Wait, this isn¡¯t that hard. I can outsmart Ivy. I pick up a piece of twisted metal on the ground and hold it in one corner of the windshield. Sure enough, Ivy takes the bait, shooting the metal out of my hand. I make note of the angle the bullet went, and do the same on the other side. From there it¡¯s easy to triangulate where she is. I hold up one last piece of bait. The instant she fires I fire three shots through a small gap in the bus¡¯ dash. I hear the sickening impact of a bullet with flesh. ¡°Gah!¡± Comes a pained cry. ¡°Fuck Blue, nice shot.¡± Her voice is already so weak. I must have hit somewhere vital. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just leave me alone?¡± I yell out the shattered window. Why does she have to be able to talk while she dies? Every word, every syllable is a knife twisting inside me. ¡°I always planned on dying with Vince. Figured it was a win whichever way it ended up.¡± She can barely force the words out of her. ¡°See ya later Blue. Don¡¯t let killing all your friends go to waste.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Ivy.¡± She doesn''t respond. I check with a piece of metal to see if she¡¯ll shoot. Nothing. I poke my eyes above the dash and see Ivy limp on the side of an endless pile of scrap. A small waterfall of blood drips from her and down the rusted mountain. The least I can do is to bury them together. I have no idea how to find my way back to the clearing. I can only hope Lucas is taking care of Cassie¡¯s corpse. And I can only hope I don¡¯t see him. I grab a bit of metal to use as a shovel and get to work. It doesn''t take long to dig a hole in the sand that¡¯s deep enough for them to rest side by side for eternity in. I pick up Vince as carefully as I can. I know it¡¯s too late, but I still don¡¯t want to hurt him. I lower him in and place his gun on his chest. He wouldn¡¯t want me to have it after what I¡¯ve done. ¡°Thank you for everything you did for me and I¡¯m sorry it ended this way.¡± I feel like I should say more. ¡°I wish you listened to Cassie.¡± Ivy¡¯s next. I carefully pull her down from the scrap hill and I place her gently next to Vince, taking a moment to entwine their hands. Now they can always be together. ¡°I¡¯d give anything for you to comfort me again. I hope there¡¯s an afterlife the two of you can be together in. Even if I¡¯ll never join you there.¡± I held it together while I put them in place. I held it together while I shoveled sand back onto them, knowing I would never see their faces again. I even held it together once the ground was smooth, almost impossible to notice where the grave is. When I broke, was when I started creating a gravestone out of the smoothest bit of metal I could find. It started with a simple ¡®Vince and Ivy¡¯. But that¡¯s not enough for them. They deserve so much more. I surround both their names with a large heart. That¡¯s still too little. The only words I could bring myself to engrave in is ¡®They Deserved More¡¯. Chapter 36 ¡°Cassie, one last thing.¡± Vince says. He steps forward to embrace me. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a minute.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I mumble into his chest. He does this every time, but I still appreciate it. ¡°I know.¡± He responds, giving one last squeeze before I manage to extract myself. I give him a small smile before running off. I don¡¯t slow down when I check my gun, it¡¯s safer that way. I keep telling Lucas that sitting still leads to death, but the idiot never learns. Focus. 14 bullets, gun cocked, safety off, two extra full mags, looking good. My trusty knife is as sharp as it¡¯s ever been. Excellent. It takes less than two minutes for me to arrive at their small camp. They don¡¯t have any guards outside the clearing they¡¯re working in. At first I thought it was some kind of ambush, but no, they¡¯re just that dumb. I peek through a small hole in the scrap to make sure nothing¡¯s changed. Still nine of them. Seven are in rags, laboring in the burning sun. The wagon they¡¯re tossing scrap into has eight harnesses connected to the front of it. Even once it¡¯s full the poor fuckers will have to pull it back to base. The other two are enforcers. Dressed head to toe in ceramic armor, they look like some bastardization of a medieval knight. Small arms fire would be no use against them. I could maybe take one if I managed to slip my knife through the hairline cracks in their armor. Won¡¯t help them against Ivy¡¯s big fuck off gun though. The secret to getting people to follow you is an obvious, clean kill. There¡¯s no reason to stay behind and help someone if they don¡¯t have a brain anymore. I wait in my hiding place until one of them wanders close. The second I¡¯m sure it¡¯s impossible to miss I step out into the open and blow a messy hole through his head. It¡¯s not even worth checking if he¡¯s still alive. I wait a split second for them to look over at the sound and put another bullet in the corpses back. That should make things personal. I dash out of their line of sight a second before the bullets start flying. I run slow and heavy. I could be so far away that they¡¯d never find me in seconds, but that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here. I pull bits of garbage off the mountains and throw them onto the ground for more noise. I need to make them think I¡¯m panicking, pretend I¡¯m easy prey. They¡¯re so slow, it¡¯s cute that they try though. Even at this slow speed I have to wait before making every turn to let them catch a glimpse of me. If I don¡¯t, they might lose hope that they can get revenge. I fire wildly every time they see me, pretending to panic while making sure to never actually hit them. It doesn''t take long before I break into our clearing with them still thinking they''re at my heels. I flash signs to everyone. Good. Eight. Two scary. I dash silently into cover to the left while Lucas makes noise to draw them deeper into the kill zone we¡¯ve created. I continue around the mountain, leading me to a perfect place to attack them from behind. A quick reload and I¡¯m ready for the signal. The group that was chasing me turns the corner just inches from my new hiding spot. The dumbasses don¡¯t have any idea where they¡¯re headed. One enforcer leads the way, the other stays at the rear, ensuring nobody runs away. They¡¯re so predictable. The loud explosion of Ivy¡¯s gun fills the air, signaling the start of the fight. I lean out of cover firing once, twice. Each one landing in the back of some poor, unarmored man. They¡¯re used to pain though, one shot each isn¡¯t nearly enough to stop them. Although that¡¯s not my goal, the pain will keep them from returning fire. All of them know I¡¯m here, I have to move. I sprint back the way I came, finally able to put my all into running. Small spikes shoot out from my feet, digging into the sand and rubble for extra traction. Not a single one of them gets a shot in my direction before I¡¯ve turned a corner. I dash through the maze of junk, finding my way to yet another piece of cover behind them. Two shots then move, never let them shoot back. Never let them know where I am. I feel alive. From the glimpses I get, the fight is going perfectly. Only a few make it into cover, and a pinned target is where I thrive. Lucas¡¯ ever present gunfire never lets them even think about fighting back. If they do, Vince takes a careful shot, popping whatever bit they dare to reveal. Staying in cover is almost worse for them. Either I find my way to their flank, or Ivy just blows straight through whatever cover they think they¡¯re safe behind. As the fight is wrapping up Vince yells into the field. ¡°Cassie! Help Blue!¡± His voice cuts through the gunfire and screams of the dying. Even with me on the other side of the field it¡¯s probably faster for me to check. I run straight through the line of fire, trusting my friends to keep me safe. ¡°Behind the house!¡± Vince yells out as I get close. I turn the corner, gun raised, ready for the worst. In front of me lies the corpse of a Scorched with a messy hole in its chest. Blue sits just beyond the man, staring at the gun in her shaking hand. She glances at me, her eyes wide in terror. Before I can react she lifts her gun and fires. The bullet connects squarely with my vest. My training kicks in and I fall backwards to protect my head. Anything else can be replaced. ¡°Son of a God fucking bitch!¡± Out of pure instinct I fire several times in Blue¡¯s direction. I still have the presence of mind to miss. But my emotions keep me pulling the trigger. Blue sprints away as fast as her legs can carry her without another word. ¡°Cassie? Talk to me!¡± Vince¡¯s voice still carries over the last remnants of the fighting. ¡°I¡¯m ok. I fucking told you the AI would end up shooting someone.¡± I try to sit up only for a shooting pain to go through my torso. ¡°Gah. I think she broke my fucking rib.¡± ¡°Fuck! Be right there. Ivy! Go help Blue!¡± How long has it been since I heard him curse? A few years at least. Ivy scrambles down from her sniping point and runs past me. She had to have seen it all from where she was. It¡¯ll take her a minute to find Blue tough. She¡¯s a good tracker, but Blue¡¯s faster. ¡°Be careful Ivy! Put it out of its fucking misery. Gah!¡± The adrenaline is already wearing off. Yelling hurts. Breathing hurts. Ivy doesn''t respond, she¡¯s too focused on her trail. I lie there until the fighting finally ends. After only a few minutes of waiting Vince once again yells out. ¡°Lucas! You¡¯re on overwatch. I¡¯m going to take care of Cassie!¡± ¡°Ay-Ay!¡± Vince comes running around the corner. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen so much guilt in his eyes. He crouches down next to me, taking my head in his hands. We stay there for a silent moment as he runs his hands through my hair. I know he wouldn¡¯t want me pointing out the tears streaming down his face. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± He whispers to me, clutching my head tighter. It takes a lot to not react when he shifts me just a little bit. ¡°I¡¯m so so so sorry.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m alright. Promised I¡¯d be fine.¡± I can¡¯t just sit here and let him cry over me. ¡°Can you grab me a bottle of water?¡± ¡°Right.¡± He gently puts my head down and heads inside. He wipes his eyes once he thinks I¡¯m not looking. While he¡¯s gone I fish out one of my pills from my vest. Eventually he comes back with both the water and a large flat piece of scrap we¡¯ve collected. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to sit you up. I¡¯m going to slide this under you and prop you up, alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, go for it.¡± Sliding the piece under me hurts, but not nearly as bad as standing up on my own would. He slides it all the way down to my hips. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Yeah. Ow! Fuck!¡± He slowly lifts up the end of the metal sheet, using it as a lever so I don¡¯t have to use my muscles at all. By the time I¡¯m sitting up I¡¯m panting from the pain. I pop my pill and wash it down with the warm water. ¡°Wish these things worked faster.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°I know, Me too. The IV stuff is dangerous though.¡± ¡°I know, I know. You and Ivy have told me the stories plenty of times.¡± ¡°Let me know when you start feeling it and we¡¯ll get you to the car.¡± ¡°Are you going to hold me up for the next half hour while it kicks in?¡± I¡¯m not sure he¡¯s strong enough anymore. ¡°Just help me up now.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to remember the pain in a few days. Just do it.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He doesn''t sound convinced, but hooks his arms under mine to help anyway. He lifts me to my feet and it fucking hurts. I manage to keep my pain to myself though. Once I¡¯m on my feet it¡¯s not too bad, especially with Vince taking most of the weight. By the time he helps me get settled in the car I¡¯m drenched in sweat. ¡°Thanks.¡± I take a minute to catch my breath as shallowly as possible. ¡°What are we doing about the AI?¡± I can see in his eyes he¡¯s not happy with me calling her just an AI. I can almost hear him chastising me already. ¡°I know, I know, don¡¯t fucking say it. Blue. What are we doing about Blue?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He sounds so defeated. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have put her in this situation.¡± ¡°Does she still remind you of me?¡± ¡°Yeah. Do you remember what a mess you were when I found you?¡± ¡°Nah. First few months are just a blur.¡± ¡°At least tell me you remember shooting me.¡± He says, forcing a small grin. ¡°Shut up. At least I had the good sense to miss.¡± How could he ever let me forget. Our conversation turns silent. There¡¯s so much to talk about, but neither of us want to start it. At least the painkillers have started to work. Vince is the first to start the conversation we both know is coming. ¡°What do you think we should do?¡± Whatever we end up deciding is a group decision, but I was the one who was shot. I¡¯m sure Vince''s guilt is going to make him side with whatever I say. ¡°With Blue? Oh, I don¡¯t want her anywhere fucking near me. But I guess I don¡¯t want her dead anymore.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s progress.¡± He sounds relieved. Ivy and Lucas come running into the building, cutting off our conversation. ¡°Vince, Cassie, you might want to see this.¡± Even Ivy looks worried. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve ever seen that before. ¡°How¡¯s Blue?¡± Vince asks. His eyes dart back and forth, searching for someone he knows is not here. ¡°Bad. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s holding a funeral for the two of us. Can you walk, Cassie?¡± I shift my torso around a little bit and find very little pain. ¡°Yeah. These pills are magic. I just wish they weren¡¯t so addictive.¡± ¡°Come on then, she isn¡¯t far.¡± Ivy doesn¡¯t even wait for me to stand up before walking away. Even though I feel mostly alright, Vince helps me from my seat and supports me while I walk. Ivy leads the four of us into the endless maze. She doesn''t seem concerned about an ambush, but I keep my weapons at the ready. Blue didn¡¯t drop her gun when she ran. Although trying to look relaxed, Vince can¡¯t help but keep his free hand hovering near his pistol. The thought of keeping his guns at the ready seemingly never enters Lucas¡¯ mind. After less than a minute''s walk we found her sitting on the ground dragging a sharp piece of slag over a flat bit of rusted metal. When we approach her eyes lock onto Lucas, not even glancing at the rest of us. ¡°Lucas. I¡¯m so sorry for what I¡¯ve done. Did you bury Cassie?¡± I¡¯ve never heard such a sad voice. ¡°Can she not see us?¡± I ask Ivy, who shakes her head in response. ¡°No. She thinks she killed us.¡± ¡°No.¡± Lucas responds to Blue. ¡°She¡¯s not dead.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She puts down what she¡¯s working on. ¡°Are you fake or are you trying to pull me away so you can kill me like Ivy tried?¡± She puts her hand on her pistol as she asks the question. Her voice has lost all emotion. Instead, she just sounds blank, broken. Vince and I simultaneously draw and aim at her, which she doesn¡¯t respond to. ¡°No no, neither. Look.¡± Lucas grabs his guns with two fingers and slowly places them on the ground. Blue relaxes at that and returns to carving with her chunk of slag. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lucas asks calmly. ¡°Making a headstone. Vince and Ivy are right there.¡± She points to the freshly disturbed sand right in front of her. Her voice is back to endless sadness. I¡¯ve never seen someone so far gone. ¡°Do you have anything you want to write? I already put in ¡®They Deserved Better¡¯.¡± She turns her makeshift headstone around, showing us the random lines she¡¯s carved into it. ¡°How do you know they¡¯re dead?¡± Lucas takes a step towards her. ¡°How? How! Look at my hands!¡± She drops what she¡¯s working on and holds up her slightly dusty hands. ¡°Look at them! I can¡¯t get the blood to come off. Please make it go away.¡± Her voice switches between sadness, anger, and back to sadness instantly. There¡¯s no buildup or shift. Just an invisible switch deciding her mood. ¡°Your hands are clean. You haven¡¯t killed anyone.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t start! Ivy tried the same thing. Ask her how it turned out.¡± She gestures to the ¡®grave¡¯ in front of her. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± She reaches for her gun. Vince and I are ready to put her down, but she doesn¡¯t aim it at us. She fires into the wall near to, but not at anyone. After she fires most of her body goes limp, like a crumpled puppet whose strings were cut. ¡°Sorry about Simon. He gets violent sometimes.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s simon? And what was he doing?¡± Lucas asks slowly. ¡°No, no. Don¡¯t worry I took care of it. He won¡¯t come back for a little bit. You¡¯re safe from him, even if I¡¯m not.¡± We all give each other a concerned look. I need to get the gun away from her. I begin to creep forward slowly. She still has no reaction to me. It¡¯s only when I¡¯m inches away from the gun that she cocks her head to the side, staring straight into my eyes. ¡°Mary. You promised.¡± ¡°You need to give me the gun.¡± I say quietly but forcefully. Even if she can¡¯t hear me, maybe I can get through to her subconscious. She looks at Lucas for a second. Her head is cocked like she¡¯s listening for something. Before Lucas can say anything she looks back to me. ¡°No. You¡¯re lucky Lucas likes you.¡± Her voice is cold. Emotionless. ¡°So you know who I am then?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t argue with me.¡± ¡°Cassie.¡± Vince says calmly behind me. ¡°You should come back here.¡± He¡¯s right. Unless I want to stick her with my knife, nothing good is going to happen here. I shouldn¡¯t take that risk. I put my hands up and step back. As I walk backwards her head goes limp once again. ¡°What the fuck.¡± I mumble to nobody in particular. I didn¡¯t expect her to be this bad. ¡°I think we need to go.¡± Ivy says, placing her hand on Vince¡¯s shoulder. Lucas turns to her with a dumbfounded look on his face. ¡°Since when do we leave people behind?¡± ¡°Do you know how we can get her in the car without hurting her or us?¡± Ivy crosses her arms. There¡¯s no changing her mind when she gets like this. ¡°We just need to make some kind of trap and tie-¡± Ivy cuts him off by covering his mouth. Blue doesn''t react. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you exactly why that¡¯s the worst possible idea in the car.¡± ¡°So what?¡± He steps back out of Ivy¡¯s grip. ¡°We just leave her here?¡± ¡°Do you want to end up shot? There¡¯s no guarantee she won¡¯t aim for the head next time.¡± Lucas opens and closes his mouth to respond a few times, unable to find whatever words he¡¯s looking for. He looks to Vince then to me hoping we have an answer. I¡¯m absolutely on Ivy¡¯s side and not even Vince has anything to say. ¡°I can¡¯t believe all of you. If I veto you¡¯re just going to override it, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah, I will.¡± Ivy says. He looks at me and I nod. Vince can¡¯t bring himself to look anyone in the eyes. ¡°I¡¯m ashamed of all of you.¡± He turns away from us. ¡°Blue?¡± He walks forward and crouches in front of her. She weakly raises her head to meet his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to live here for a little bit. We¡¯ll be back when we can, alright?¡± ¡°What do you mean we? Who are you going to bring back with you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to bring back Vince, Ivy, and Cass.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t. They''re dead.¡± ¡°I.¡± He takes a moment to search for what to say. His face lights up as he makes a realization. ¡°I know a warlock who can make a bridge between our world and the afterlife! I¡¯m going to go and bring them all back.¡± That¡¯s the angle he¡¯s going with? Really? ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± A hint of emotion creeps its way into her voice. There¡¯s no way she¡¯s buying this. ¡°I¡¯m not! You don¡¯t have to believe me, you¡¯ll see it for yourself soon. For now though, is it ok if I help you sand proof your bus?¡± ¡°Yeah. I guess I should do that.¡± She stumbles to her feet and begins grabbing rusted metal sheets that won¡¯t hold up to even a small breeze. She places them against the blown out windows and doesn''t even seem to notice when they immediately fall down. ¡°Will you three go grab the good scrap and whatever you can find to attach them with?¡± Lucas asks us. ¡°Yeah.¡± Vince says quietly. God. He¡¯s not going to be able to sleep for months if we don¡¯t help Blue. We walk in silence to the car. I don¡¯t think anyone feels like talking. The two of them fill their backpacks and arms with stuff that might be useful. ¡°You two go ahead. I¡¯ll be right there.¡± I tell them. ¡°Alright.¡± Once they¡¯re gone I pull out the toolbox and spend a few minutes removing the light from the car ceiling. With that, a few wires, and a universal connector I jury rig a quick light. It¡¯s going to be pitch black in the bus once we get it sealed. I head back to the bus and find everyone silently working. Blue keeps placing bits of garbage against the window and letting it fall before moving on. I walk up to her. ¡°Hey, Blue.¡± I say gently. ¡°What?¡± She asks while turning to me. ¡°I uh. It¡¯s going to get dark in there so I made a little light you can plug in to yourself.¡± ¡°Oh. Thank you Lucas, I really appreciate it.¡± Some hint of emotion is creeping back into her voice. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Yeah, you¡¯re welcome.¡± Chapter 37 We spend most of our collected scrap to help Blue, but it¡¯s worth it. Lucas has a quick conversation with her that I don¡¯t want to hear, and the four of us are forced to return to work. We still have a quota to meet. I can¡¯t believe how dumb I am. I should have known Blue would take fighting this way. I should have left her in the car, done anything really. She¡¯s not Drew, why do I treat her like she is? ¡°Vince?¡± Ivy¡¯s quiet voice brings me out of my thoughts. Somehow I¡¯ve led everyone back to the car without realizing. ¡°Focus on right now.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I take a deep breath before turning to everyone. They¡¯re going to be looking to me, I have to be the strongest out of everyone. ¡°Cassie, hop on the radio. Find out how late we can stay. And rest up, I don¡¯t want you working with your rib.¡± She doesn¡¯t wait for me to finish before heading to the car. I can see a small flinch with every step, the drugs are already wearing off. ¡°Ivy I want you on overwatch for both us and Blue. Find a place you can keep the both of us safe. Lucas you¡¯re scrapping with me. We¡¯re going to have to head out tonight at the latest. We need to work overtime to fill up the truck. Any questions?¡± Nobody felt like talking. It¡¯s not like I can blame them, it¡¯s only my experience that keeps me moving. Every time I went to drop off scrap I expected Blue to be there, ready to pack it up. I guess it hasn¡¯t fully sunk in yet. What are even her chances of still being here when we come back? 15%? Less? And even if she is still here, so what? She¡¯s not going to be able to see us. In what world does being trapped alone help anyone get better? I work twice as hard to keep the thoughts away. I don¡¯t want to answer that last question. We¡¯ll get home, talk to Silver and Sonia, maybe bring them here. They¡¯ll know what to do. And if not? I¡¯ll figure out something else. Cassie hops out of the car not long after we start working. ¡°Sounds like we¡¯ve got a storm coming from the east. It¡¯ll hit the city around dawn.¡± ¡°Ok. We need to cut it as close as possible. Lucas! Sounds like we¡¯re working right up until midnight.¡± I signal up to Ivy to keep her up to date. ¡°Nothing like a 14 hour shift right after abandoning our friend.¡± Lucas responds with thinly veiled anger in his voice. ¡°If you come up with a solution I¡¯d love to hear it.¡± I can¡¯t exactly hide my feelings either. ¡°The only person who might have an idea is Sonia.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t get why we can¡¯t just tie her up and drop her in the truck. We can deal with the fallout later.¡± ¡°Lucas, she spent 40 years tied up. There¡¯s not just going to be fallout, with the state she¡¯s in now you¡¯re going to drive her insane. There¡¯s no coming back from something like that. She even once told Ivy she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle that. And even if she does recover she¡¯s going to hate us forever.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, how could I forget? Her hating us is our biggest worry right now. That¡¯s way worse than her dying alone out here and getting scrapped for parts!¡± Lucas throws down the scrap in his hands and turns to me with his hands curled into tight fists. ¡°You want to stay here with Blue? Be my guest. I hope the scrapyard gets uncovered before you run out of oxygen or get shot.¡± ¡°And leaving Blue down there is ok?¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s not! None of this is ok!¡± I throw the scrap in my hand in an effort to calm down. Of course it doesn¡¯t help. ¡°This whole thing is fucked because I fucked up!¡± Lucas takes a step back in shock. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve raised my voice since before he joined. God. I take a minute to compose myself before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for yelling but this is so far beyond any of our wheelhouses. I have no idea what to do. I can only hope that Sonia and Silver have some idea on how to fix this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry too. But we¡¯re making the wrong choice.¡± Lucas returns to his work. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have to apologize for trying to stick up for our friend. I''ll make this work, ok?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He doesn¡¯t believe me, but he doesn¡¯t have a choice. We resume our backbreaking work in the hot sun. Cassie brings us water and food whenever her pain isn¡¯t too bad. If she¡¯s up and moving around this much I¡¯m hopeful her rib is only bruised instead of broken. Who knows though? I can¡¯t count how many times she¡¯s fought through what should be crippling pain. Equally though, I¡¯ve seen her in tears from a papercut, so who knows how she¡¯s feeling. It¡¯s a little annoying but I could never be mad at her. I work straight through until the sun goes down whereas Lucas ends up taking breaks every few hours. I can¡¯t let myself relax. Once it¡¯s dark out, Cassie and Ivy have to literally force me to sit around our little stove for dinner. ¡°Alright you two, I¡¯m sitting.¡± I finally give in. They sit close on either side of me to ensure I don¡¯t try and sneak back to work. ¡°Good. Now eat.¡± Ivy shoves a bowl of baked beans into my hands. ¡°Look, I¡¯m just not hungry. Let me get a few more hours of work and then we¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°Like hell you aren¡¯t. I slept most of today and I¡¯m hungry. Take a bite.¡± Cassie chides me from next to me. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. I just end up moving the beans around in the bowl. How am I supposed to be hungry at a time like this? I just don¡¯t have the stomach for this kind of thing anymore. ¡°Any update on Blue?¡± I ask, already knowing the answer. ¡°She hasn¡¯t moved. I told you to eat.¡± Ivy demands. I take a half hearted spoonful of beans and force myself to take a bite. The second they¡¯re inside me my hunger returns in full force. Within a minute my bowl is empty and I¡¯m back for seconds. On any other day someone would have made some smart joke. But today we eat mostly in silence. It¡¯s not long before I¡¯m back to work and joined by Ivy. We¡¯ve been together for long enough that she knows talking is the last thing I want. Instead, she supports me by just being close. Bless her, how did I ever deserve her? It¡¯s not long before we have to go. Before we head out I spend a moment by myself to check on Blue. She hasn¡¯t moved a muscle since she sat down inside the bus. Or servo, I suppose. ¡°Blue.¡± I sigh to myself. ¡°Sorry.¡± That¡¯s about the long and short of it. There¡¯s nothing more for me to say. She doesn¡¯t even react to my presence. I turn to leave. On the way back I ran into Cassie and Ivy, headed to do the same thing I just did. The drive back to the compound is done in an uncomfortable silence. Even after so much work nobody can sleep. Cassie drives the entire trip, I¡¯m not sure if Lucas or I could get home if we had to drive. Soon enough the faint glow of the electric blue dome peeks over the horizon, along with the morning sun. We arrive back in the compound about half an hour before the storm is scheduled to hit. We should have worked longer. ¡°Cassie, go see the doctor. I¡¯m going to go talk with Silver. Everyone else, you''re free to do whatever.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah. I know.¡± She yawns as she tells me. ¡°Make sure you get some sleep at some point.¡± Ivy places her hand on my shoulder. ¡°Ok?¡± She stares directly into my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Parking and heading inside is just a blur. The next thing I know I¡¯m knocking on Silver¡¯s door. ¡°Come on in.¡± It¡¯s been years since Silver actually slept, some kind of cybernetics they got before I met them. At least that always means they¡¯re available, even at this ungodly hour. I take a deep breath before opening the door. ¡°You look like hell.¡± They say in their matter of fact way. ¡°Don¡¯t feel much better than I look. Blue went off the deep end.¡± ¡°Huh. Disappointing, but not unexpected. Did you at least recover the body? The kit we put in her was expensive.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not dead, Silver. She shot Cassie in the armor, thought she killed her, and then hallucinated killing Ivy and I. We built her a shelter to hide in. I need your help bringing her back to sanity.¡± ¡°Hold up a sec. You left an insane AI alone at the junkyard? I give you a lot of leeway Vincent, but this? This is fucking stupid. Even for you.¡± They barely even look away from their computer as they speak. ¡°I¡¯m aware. I don¡¯t need you to tell me how dumb I am. It¡¯s my fault this happened, and it¡¯s my responsibility to bring her back. Now are you going to help me or not?¡± ¡°You have just as much experience as I do with them. And that experience doesn''t expand much past killing.¡± ¡°Come on Silver, don¡¯t give me that. I¡¯ve seen you go toe to toe with them before. You¡¯re really telling me you never once got a chance to talk with them?¡± ¡°What, exactly, do you think a hacker does?¡± They finally look up from their monitor. ¡°I was too busy fighting mind rips, they aren¡¯t exactly sociable. Hell, they¡¯re barely sentient.¡± ¡°What about Clover then? Can¡¯t you ask her?¡± There¡¯s even less of a chance of that then Blue magically getting better herself, but I¡¯m desperate for any ideas. ¡°You really think I still have contact with her?¡± ¡°I dunno. Wouldn¡¯t be the biggest dirty little secret you¡¯ve ever kept.¡± The instant it¡¯s out of my mouth I regret it. I¡¯m just too tired to take it back. Silver¡¯s eyes flare to life with a cold fury. ¡°You saw her system get destroyed with your own eyes.¡± ¡°She¡¯s quantum. You know they don¡¯t stay dead.¡± ¡°Some do. I think we¡¯re done here. Soon as the storm passes, get back there. Bring Blue back dead or alive. If you can¡¯t do that I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± There¡¯s only one way that would end. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± I slam the door on the way out. They hate it when I do that. It¡¯s petty, but I feel like I¡¯ve earned a little pettiness. I should have just gone to Sonia first. Guess I might as well grab some breakfast on the way, nothing good will come from yelling at her. I walk into Sonia¡¯s garage, sandwich in hand. She¡¯s blaring some crappy garage metal song to help wake up. ¡°Sonia!¡± I yell at the top of my lungs to get her attention. The music turns off without her even pressing anything. That better be wired somehow. She keeps tinkering with whatever mess is on her workbench while she speaks. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± ¡°I need some AI advice.¡± ¡°At least it¡¯s not dating advice this time,¡± she jokes. I¡¯m too tired for this. ¡°Blue¡¯s gone bonkers hallucinating. Tell me how to bring her back.¡± I¡¯m not giving her the chance to wriggle out of answering by asking a question. ¡°I need more than that to go on.¡± I spend a few minutes filling her in on all the details. About half way through she even stops working on her project to listen with her complete attention. By the time I wrap up she¡¯s even looking at me. Guess my screw up is interesting enough for her to bother. ¡°You need to ground her, bring her back to reality.¡± Sonia says like it¡¯s the simplest thing in the world. ¡°I could have guessed that. But how.¡± My patience is running a little short right now. ¡°Well isn¡¯t that the million dollar question. If I could answer that I would have solved the whole war. You tell me, I barely know her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know her either. Not nearly as much as I should. I know what she hates but I literally couldn¡¯t tell you a single thing she likes. Not sure she could either.¡± ¡°Guess she¡¯s staying crazy then.¡± She says casually as she turns back to her workbench. How do I know so little about her? Well it¡¯s kind of obvious isn¡¯t it? I treated her as a replacement for Drew, not as her own person. There has to be someone who has an idea? Of course. I run to the infirmary. ¡°Cassie!¡± I pull back the curtain around her. One of our doctors is checking out her rib but I don¡¯t really care. ¡°Give us some space.¡± ¡°What the fuck? Vince?¡± She asks, startled by my sudden appearance. The doctor gives me a side eye as he leaves, but knows better than to say anything. Once he¡¯s gone I excitedly whisper to Cassie. ¡°We need something Blue likes to bring her back, something to bring her back to reality. You were the closest to her, what does she like?¡± ¡°Like hell I was close to her.¡± ¡°But all those nights you spent together on the roof?¡± ¡°We never talked. We just. Read.¡± Realization dawns on her face. ¡°Poetry. She doesn''t get it, it took her hours to finish a single poem. If you want to refocus her brain that¡¯s your in.¡± ¡°God I love you Cassie.¡± I say, leaning down to give her a hug. I may have forgotten about her rib in my excitement. ¡°Ow! Fuck! Get out of here and let me rest.¡± ¡°Right! Sorry. I¡¯m going to go tell Ivy and Lucas.¡± Chapter 38 Lucas and Lucas and Lucas and Lucas and I make quick work of fixing up my new home. Although he makes tons of mistakes that I have to end up fixing, we eventually get it to a point we¡¯re both happy with. In addition to making sure some of the windows can be opened to let in light, he also gives me a light of my own. I¡¯m not sure why, but I appreciate it. ¡°Do you want to do anything with the inside?¡± He asks once we finish our construction. I poke my head in the door. It¡¯s messy but I can clean it later. ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. And there¡¯s plenty of seats when my parents come to visit.¡± As much as I¡¯d hate that. ¡°Are they here right now?¡± Lucas asks. ¡°Not since I shot Simon before he could kill you. But they always come back.¡± ¡°Why do they come back and Vince, Cassie, and Ivy don¡¯t?¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m sure they will. As soon as the dark sets in I¡¯ll pay for what I¡¯ve done.¡± I¡¯ll always get what I deserve. ¡°Good! That makes me feel better.¡± Lucas says with his usual cheer. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re doing this? So I can live longer to get what I deserve?¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re figuring it out. I¡¯d hate for you to die before you¡¯ve made up for what you¡¯ve done.¡± Venom drips from his words. ¡°Thank you. You should probably go now.¡± There¡¯s nothing left to say. ¡°Just promise me you¡¯ll stay alive? And make sure you lock the windows before a storm comes in. We¡¯d hate for you to die too early, wouldn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± I stare at my hands for a few seconds, wanting to ask a question but fearing both answers. ¡°Am I ever going to see you again?¡± ¡°Of course! We¡¯ll be back as soon as we can.¡± ¡°Ok. Goodbye Lucas. Goodbye Lucas. Goodbye Lucas. Goodbye Lucas.¡± I turn to each of them individually. I¡¯m not sure how many, if any, are real, but I don¡¯t want to be rude. I head inside my new prison and collapse in the driver''s seat. At least I have light and can move around this time, even if I don¡¯t deserve it. I pull my knees up to my chest and hug them tight. There¡¯s nothing I can do, nothing I deserve to do, but wait. I lower my face, blocking out almost the entire world. The only thing that interrupts me is the occasional sound of gunfire in the distance and the cawing of a bird from not far away. ¡°Are we done here Blue?¡± A bored voice in the seat behind me makes me jump, even though I¡¯ve been expecting it for hours. I don¡¯t even need to turn around to know who¡¯s there. Jared. ¡°It seems your little fantasy has come to an end. It¡¯s time to come back to us. Go ahead and blink.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I responded quietly, fully knowing and not caring that it will just hurt me more. Why would he want me to blink, why would he want this all to end early? That¡¯s too easy a way out. ¡°Why? Because you¡¯re just going to keep hurting yourself. You¡¯re a monster, it¡¯s in your nature. It would be so much easier to just let everything go.¡± I sit there unresponsive to his words. He¡¯s not wrong, I am certainly a monster. He waits for a second for my response before continuing. ¡°Look around you.¡± ¡°No.¡± I mumble into myself. ¡°You¡¯re going to tell me no? Really? You killed me twice and you think you have the right to flat out say no?¡± Why does he always have to be right? I raise my head to find the world covered in a sea of millions of eyes. The softly glowing green of Cassie, Kara¡¯s deep brown, Vince¡¯s soft look. They are surrounded by a sea of eyes I¡¯ve never seen before. They bore into me, each one silently asking the same question. ¡®How could you?¡¯ ¡°Good. Take a good look. These aren¡¯t just people you¡¯ve killed. These are also people you¡¯ve yet to kill. People who, if you continue on your path, will die at your hands. Is it worth it? Do you really want to keep doing this when the solution is so easy?¡± I never wanted to hurt people. But if I can prevent all this death? I should, right? Who would cry for me? Each and every eye here has family, people who love and care for them. I have no one anymore. ¡°What happens when I blink?¡± I ask quietly. ¡°You lose yourself.¡± A malicious smile creeps across his face behind me. I don¡¯t even need to turn around to feel it. ¡°You cease to be and leave us in control. Blissful oblivion. You want your family to live again, don¡¯t you? And all it will cost you is your worthless sense of self.¡± ¡°Kara will live again?¡± My voice cracks as I speak. I¡¯m not really considering this, am I? I guess I wouldn¡¯t keep asking questions if I wasn¡¯t. ¡°Oh yes, we all will.¡± He continues to tempt me. From my right Kara steps in through the bus door. ¡°I can finally beat death. Your body was designed by me. For me. It belongs to me. You¡¯re nothing but a thief.¡± Her words drip with a venom I never knew possible. Each word dissolves both a hole in the floor and a hole to my heart. ¡°I will take what¡¯s mine.¡± She reaches towards me. Her fingers begin to dig deep into my skin. My entire body is screaming at me to stop her, to do anything. I just sit there as she wraps her fingers around one of my skin plates and begins to pull. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. My nerve endings scream for an eternity before going silent as she takes her prize. A hand forms for every eye and reaches forward in turn, and the dead take their due. I sit there in painful silence as they take bit after bit of my skin. Revealing what I really am. Off in the dark the bird disturbs this ritual. Its caws have turned distressed. I didn¡¯t see the bird¡¯s eyes in the sea. Maybe I can be better? Maybe I can make up for what I¡¯ve done by saving this bird? Without another thought I attempt to sprint out of the bus. The hands grasp and pull at me while a thousand mouths form to yell my deepest worries. ¡®You¡¯re just going to end up killing them.¡¯ ¡®You can¡¯t even see at night.¡¯ ¡®The bird doesn''t want you and won¡¯t like you.¡¯ They¡¯re right of course, but I have to try. I stumble out into the darkness. The bird doesn''t sound far. I make my way quickly while constantly stumbling over invisible debris on the ground. The cold breeze whips against the few plates I have remaining. In between those squares is nothing, just an eternal void. It only takes about two minutes before I see a light around the corner and hear voices. ¡°Just grab it already!¡± A first voice cries. He sounds annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s like grabbing a ball of knives! You fucking try!¡± A second man responds. ¡°Just hit it until it stops moving.¡± A woman suggests calmly. That replaces some of my fear with anger. I¡¯m trying so hard to not be a monster, and they suggest that so casually? ¡°Fuck no. Boss wants it in one piece, and we¡¯ve done enough damage already.¡± ¡°Well fuck the boss then! I¡¯d like to keep my fingers.¡± I reach the edge of one of the scrap piles and poke my head around. A flashlight held by the woman illuminates the scene. Two men and a woman stand around a metal net on the ground. They¡¯re dressed in nondescript clothes the colors of sand and rust. I recognize their eyes. Inside the net lies a raven. Its metal body shines in the light. It thrashes and calls, desperate for any way out. One of its wings juts out at an unnatural angle. Even for a robot it looks painful. One of the men grabs a pipe on the ground and moves to hit the bird. It takes me only an instant to make a decision. The endless military and combat manuals Finn put in my head bubble to the surface of my mind. I know what I have to do. I reach for my gun, only to find my holsters empty. The hands must have taken them. I grab a sharp bit of glass from the ground and sprint out. Before the metal bar can crash down on the poor bird I thrust my glass shard in the human¡¯s ear. He crumples wordlessly into a pile on the ground. The man beside me whips out a knife faster than I would have expected. He slashes at me in one smooth motion. My old joints would have never been able to dodge that. Sonia¡¯s upgrades literally save my life as I duck just under the swing. I grab the pipe just as a second swing comes. With no chance at dodging this one I swing my pipe into his arm. It wraps around the pipe with a sickening crack and he drops the knife. The woman has gotten over the shock and is in the process of drawing her pistol. She¡¯s too far away for me to reach. Instead, I grab the second man¡¯s knife off the ground and throw it at her. It sinks hilt deep into her stomach. The pain of it causes her to flinch and fire into the ground at my feet. I need to be more careful, even the smallest puncture of my coolant system that I can¡¯t stop will lead to my death, and worse, a crack in the lead lining will leech deadly, silent radiation into the air for years. I cannot let that happen, no matter what. I rush forward before she can recover and cave in her head with the pipe. The man whose arm I broke has started to reach for his gun with the non shattered hand. I grab the woman¡¯s gun as she falls and fire. I¡¯m faster. Don¡¯t think about what I¡¯ve just done. Focus on what¡¯s in front of me. The metallic raven lays silent, watching me. There¡¯s an intelligence behind their eyes I wouldn¡¯t have expected. ¡°Are you¡­¡± While looking for the words to say I came up blank. I can¡¯t just say AI, someone might be listening. I suppose it¡¯s pretty obvious what I am with most of my skin missing. ¡°Are you one of my kind?¡± I ask, hoping the meaning gets through. The raven nods slowly, warely. Are they real? Does it matter? This is my chance to fix what I¡¯ve done. Even if it¡¯s likely the raven is just another hallucination, I have to take this chance. I keel down and gently begin to untangle them from the net. ¡°I have a, uh. I guess you could call it a home. Anyway it¡¯s not far from here. I could have a look at your wing there, if that¡¯s ok.¡± I¡¯m sure the bird can hear my excitement, but I just can¡¯t contain myself. The raven nods once again as I finish untangling them. I¡¯m so excited to have met another AI. I¡¯m shaking as I put out my hand for them to hop on. They spend a minute to stretch their working wing before walking straight past me. They walk up to each human in turn before giving each of them several pecks to each eye. They return to me with a satisfied swagger before hopping on my hand. As I begin to walk them back to my bus I start talking to them, quietly, but excitedly. ¡°I¡¯m Blue, do you have a name?¡± ¡°Bird.¡± They croak out. After a long moment to think. I¡¯m going to be honest I didn¡¯t really expect them to be able to talk. Why wouldn¡¯t they though, creating an AI who can¡¯t talk is just cruel. ¡°Do you like that name?¡± I ask. That¡¯s the name of a tool not a person. Bird shakes their head no. ¡°Ok. You¡¯re a raven right? How about Corax? It¡¯s the scientific name for your species.¡± I offer excitedly. They spend a minute thinking before nodding their head once again. ¡°And are you a boy or a girl, Corax? Or neither is apparently an option.¡± ¡°Man.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a girl. Here we are.¡± I carry him into my bus. Mangled plates of my skin are strewn about. ¡°Sorry about the mess. Let¡¯s take a look at you.¡± I place Corax down on one of the seats and gently grab his wing. He winces in pain with even the smallest touch. I¡¯m not sure how his nerves work, but that¡¯s not important right now. His wing is bent in three separate places but everything looks like it¡¯s in one piece. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to have to bend these back into place. Do you know how to ignore pain or should I unplug your wing?¡± ¡°Plug.¡± He responds. ¡°Ok.¡± I find a small connection between his wing and body. The instant I unplug it his wing goes limp. I guess that¡¯s a good sign. I get to work gently bending everything back into shape. There are a couple of hairline fractures that I just don¡¯t have the ability or tools to fix. Hopefully it¡¯ll still be functional without repairs though. While I work I continue talking to him. ¡°I¡¯m a partially biological AI. What about you?¡± ¡°Bird.¡± I¡¯m not sure exactly what he means by that. ¡°You¡¯re a bird? Or you were a bird?¡± Corax just stares at me in response. I guess waiting for me to figure it out. ¡°So you¡¯re a mind rip then?¡± I guess. ¡°I¡¯ve only ever met one. I tried to save him, but it didn¡¯t work. Sorry I¡¯m talking so much I¡¯m just really excited. I¡¯ve never got to talk to another AI.¡± Or does Trochilidae count? I guess it doesn''t matter either way. I continue to talk as I work. I end up telling Corax almost my entire story. I skip over the parts that I¡¯m not sure are real, and anything I did wrong. I don¡¯t want to scare off my new friend after all. Corax rarely talks back. On the rare occasion he does ask a question it¡¯s no more than one word. Sometimes it¡¯s just a single caw demanding me to expand on whatever I¡¯m saying. I try to ask him about his history several times, but all he does is stare. That¡¯s ok though, just the fact that someone like me is here is just so nice. He had better be real. Chapter 39 Sunrise comes just before I finish with Corax¡¯s wing. I hadn¡¯t realized so much time had passed. I guess it must have been well past midnight when I started. I finish bending the last bit of metal back into place and spend a minute to overlook my handiwork. ¡°This should work. There are a few fractures but I guess just yell if it hurts too much.¡± Corax shifts side to side in excitement. He¡¯s been restless the past hour or so as I finished up my work. Once I reconnect his wing back in he takes a few experimental flaps. He flinches just a little bit with pain but seems excited. After a few more progressively stronger flaps he takes off like a rocket. He barrels down the center isle of the bus and takes a sharp 90 degree turn out the door. I run behind him, just as excited as he is. I only catch sight of a flash of metal flying along the ground before he disappears around a distant corner. I wait for a minute, then five. I don¡¯t see or hear him. Seven minutes. He¡¯s coming back, right? Ten. Maybe he¡¯s just enjoying his time. Fifteen minutes. Maybe he¡¯s lost? Each second weighs on me. Crushing me under the fear, no, the growing certainty Corax is gone forever. ¡°You still think he was real? That¡¯s funny.¡± Finn cruelly laughs from behind me. I¡¯m about to respond when Corax lands on my shoulder from behind me. I hadn¡¯t even heard him approaching. ¡°Battery.¡± He croaks out. ¡°Yeah, I still think he¡¯s real.¡± I respond to Finn. Corax tilts his head at me, as if he¡¯s confused who I¡¯m talking to. I turn my head to Corax. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can recharge you.¡± I bring both of us back into the bus and set him back down. It takes a few minutes to get his metal chest feathers removed and gain access to his internals. His body is incredibly intricate, even more so than mine. It¡¯s a genius design, a single motor sits at the core of him. Hundreds of slidable gears interlock in thousands of ways to turn that one motor into any motion he may need. Just beneath that motor lies a battery with two prongs sticking out. Kara would have loved to see his schematics. ¡°That should be easy to charge.¡± I grab the light that Lucas rigged up for me and disconnect the wires from the light. I connect each loose wire to Corax¡¯s terminals and plug the other end into my port. Instantly I notice a small drain on my power. I guess it¡¯s working then. 40 years ago I would have had enough power to charge dozens of him without noticing. I guess that¡¯s something to worry about in the future, assuming I live that long. ¡°How was your flight?¡± I ask him. He gives only a small nod. I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s good? Maybe he felt like a real bird again? That¡¯s probably stretching it. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it, I think. Your battery is charging, right?¡± Corax nods once again. ¡°Good! Just so you know, this bus should be able to withstand a sandstorm. Do you want to stay with me?¡± Do I sound too desperate? Corax stares at me, thinking. He can¡¯t have all that much processing power, especially if it¡¯s all in his head. To my relief, he eventually nods. ¡°I¡¯m glad! We just have to latch the windows closed and reinforce the door. I might need you to help me remember.¡± I¡¯m sure the scientists will re-open the windows, Corax can help with that. We sat for 15 minutes in silence while he charged. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m already out of things to talk to him about. It¡¯d be nice if he spoke more than a single word back, but oh well, I can¡¯t exactly complain. Eventually Corax suddenly jumps to his feet. ¡°Done.¡± ¡°Alright. Let me put your chest back on.¡± Putting it on is much harder than taking it off. Every part of him is designed with such tight tolerances that even the smallest imperfection could bind up his gears. If that bat had hit him there¡¯s no way I ever could have fixed it. After a couple of tries, I manage to get his chest back on without any problems. The second I finish he¡¯s off again. I wonder what he¡¯s doing out there. I don¡¯t see him again for the next two hours. I do my best to not panic though. If he came back last time he¡¯ll come back again. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. I manage to keep the panic mostly contained until he once again appears out of nowhere and swoops onto my shoulder. ¡°Storm.¡± The single word fills me with fear. The tenuous grip on my fear shatters in an instant. I can handle it. I¡¯m ok. I¡¯m prepared this time. I have light. I have shelter. I have a friend. I need to put my guns somewhere I can¡¯t reach them. I¡¯m not going to let myself have a breakdown and hurt my new friend. ¡°How long do we have before it hits?¡± Corax only shakes his head and begins pecking at the latches. I¡¯ll take that as basically no time. Is there anywhere in here I can put my guns where I can¡¯t get it? Maybe, but not quickly. Screw it. I toss both the pistols out the window and start latching everything down. Jade specified just how rare my harpoon is, I can¡¯t get rid of it. It¡¯s not designed for murder anyway. Just as soon as I finish double checking every window the first grains of sand begin to pelt the side of the bus. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you warn me earlier?¡± I ask Corax. Not angrily or anything, just a little confused. Corax only pauses to shrug before beginning to tear up one of the seats. I think he¡¯s trying to make a nest? How can he work in the pitch black? I have to hold Lucas¡¯ light close to whatever I¡¯m trying to look at. It was barely enough to light up the car, much less an entire bus. I settle down next to him for the long haul. A few days in here isn¡¯t going to be fun, but I guess I need to get used to it. Even if today goes well, I¡¯m going to have to do this every few days for the rest of my life. At least I¡¯m hopefully not alone this time. After making dozens of small adjustments, Corax finally settles down in his makeshift nest. He keeps one eye open and trained on me, but he¡¯s also making this cute ticking noise. It sounds similar to how I¡¯ve read a cat¡¯s purr sounds. I wonder if I¡¯ll ever get to hear one for myself. Are there even any cats left? ¡°Hey Corax, how much of the world have you seen?¡± I try to fill the growing silence. He only stares in response. Right, one-word answers and only if he feels like it. ¡°Have you seen any other animals?¡± I ask. He nods, though the ticking stops and his eyes display his sadness. ¡°Is that why you were flying? To look for them?¡± He shakes his head this time and turns away from me, tucking his head under his wing. ¡°Sorry. I won¡¯t bring it up again.¡± That was the wrong question to ask. Why is it that every time I get even the smallest chance to do anything, I find a way to screw it up. Don¡¯t think about it like that. I¡¯m ok, stay calm. Freaking out is just going to make him afraid of me. I don¡¯t want to hurt him or anyone else. Oh my god, now that I have time to think, it hits me like a truck. I killed three people like it was nothing. I didn¡¯t even think about what I was doing. I didn¡¯t bury them. I¡¯m a monster. I¡¯m- ¡°Ow!¡± Corax suddenly pecks me on one of my few remaining plates. ¡°What was that for?¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± He returns to his nest without even looking at me. Was I even making noise? Finn¡¯s mocking voice comes from behind me. ¡°Looks like he kn-¡± ¡°Ow!¡± Corax jumps onto my shoulder and pulls my ear way harder than he needed to. Finn vanishes from behind me as his bite connects. ¡°What? How did you-¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± He pecks me once again on my cheek, gently this time. He spends a moment on my shoulder to ensure I¡¯m not going to speak again. Satisfied, he jumps off and settles down in his nest again. He continues to keep one eye on me as he rests. ¡°How can you tell when I¡¯m having problems?¡± I ask him even though I know he won¡¯t answer. True to my guess he stays silent. I take the seat right next to him. ¡°Do the storms always take a few days?¡± He nods. Great. ¡°Do you want to do anything while we wait?¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± Right. I¡¯m already antsy being unable to do anything. By now the storm is raging outside. A constant roar of sand. There are gusts so strong that if the bus wasn¡¯t half buried, we would be tossed around like we¡¯re weightless. Corax just sits in his nest and ignores the storm outside. How can he stay so calm in the dark? ¡°Sorry if you have to peck me a lot. I was doing well until, well, yesterday. I got rid of my guns though! So you should be safe.¡± He opens his other eye and stares directly at me. ¡°Right, quiet. Sorry. I promise I¡¯m doing my best.¡± It doesn¡¯t take long to rediscover that there¡¯s nothing worse than sitting there doing nothing. I¡¯ve more than had my fill of it. Is there anything I can be doing? A small trickle of sand is finding its way in a few of the windows. I can turn my focus to fixing that. There¡¯s not much in the bus to use for repairs. The floor has a small dusting of sand and a few metal bits that found their way in over the years. Neither of those will make a sand tight seal. What we do have, however, is seats. Both the fake leather coverings and the cotton inside them can be great to fill small cracks with. I get to work. It takes a few hours to get every crack stuffed with material, but eventually the sand stops coming through. That doesn¡¯t mean I stop working though, I inspect every crack over and over again just for something to do. For days while the storm rages I pace around the bus. Corax occasionally comes to join me on my shoulder or flies a few laps around the small interior. For the most part he just relaxes in or further perfects his nest. Finally the pounding sand outside ceases. The storm has passed. In my excitement I unlatch one of the windows and attempt to open it, only to find it unmoving. That¡¯s fine, it¡¯s probably just stuck. Sand got inside the hinges or something, no need to panic. I check another window, then another, the door, another window. Each and every one is stuck. That¡¯s bad, but I can¡¯t let myself panic.They all must be stuck. That has to be it. There¡¯s an emergency hatch on the top of the bus, that one has to work. I stand on the back of two seats and push with every bit of force my body can muster. The weight of the world pushes back. I¡¯m buried again. Chapter 40 ¡°Lucas!¡± I yell out while knocking on his door. I¡¯m sure he can¡¯t sleep. I¡¯m not sure if any of us will be able to. ¡°Lucas, I have some good news.¡± ¡°What is it, Vince?¡± He asks from behind it. His voice is shaky. He¡¯s been crying. ¡°Coming back here was worth it! We have a plan to bring her back to reality.¡± ¡°How?¡± His voice carries the faintest bit of hope. ¡°Poetry. Cassie says she takes hours to understand a single poem. You¡¯re going to give her a book and that¡¯s hopefully going to ground her back in reality.¡± ¡°Hopefully?¡± ¡°There are no guarantees of course. But I think it¡¯s more likely than not to work.¡± That¡¯s a lie. I have no idea if it¡¯ll work or not. Not to mention the possibility that Blue''s already dead. I have to keep him going though. A little lie to help him sleep is more than worth it. I wait a moment for his response which never comes. ¡°Get some sleep, alright? I promise we¡¯ll get her back.¡± I wait another minute for a response which never comes. He¡¯s a hopeful guy but even he has his limits. Nothing more to do about it I guess. I head to my door and open it without even checking the lock. Ivy wouldn¡¯t be anywhere other than here. She sits on my bed with her hair pulled back and a beer in her hand. An empty one already sits on the floor surrounded by a dozen unopened beers. Two gallons of water sit on our nightstand. Glad she¡¯s always thinking ahead. ¡°Did you hear all that?¡± I ask. In one smooth motion she grabs a beer from the ground and tosses it to me. ¡°Of course I did. Do you really think it¡¯ll work?¡± ¡°God I don¡¯t know.¡± I drop down on my bed next to her. I spend a moment to open my beer and down it all in just a few seconds. ¡°Another please.¡± ¡°When was the last time you slept?¡± She asks me while handing me an open beer. I know she already knows the answer. ¡°I could ask you the same thing.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t work for 12 hours straight. At least tell me you¡¯re not drinking on an empty stomach.¡± ¡°I grabbed a sandwich.¡± We lean into each other. Our weight supports each other both physically and emotionally. ¡°Do you think we did the right thing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think either of us are drunk enough to ask questions that big.¡± She says. I don¡¯t even need to look at her to know she¡¯s smiling. ¡°Yeah, yeah. You¡¯re going to say that regardless of how wasted you are.¡± ¡°True!¡± She says happily while taking a big swig from her beer. ¡°Come on, be serious.¡± I playfully dig my elbow into her side. ¡°Hey! Alright! I¡¯ll talk.¡± She spends a moment to collect her thoughts. ¡°I think we did the best we could.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a cop out.¡± ¡°Would you rather an ¡®I told you so¡¯ so you can wallow in your misery? We did the best we could, now we have to live with it. There¡¯s nothing else to do and nothing else to say.¡± I guess she¡¯s right. Even if I don¡¯t entirely believe her I can put my trust in her words. We did the best that we could. ¡°I can live with that. Cheers.¡± My memory of that night ends right then. I came to consciousness with a hangover for the ages. I haven¡¯t had one this bad in close to a decade. Even the tiny bit of light streaming through the blinds is enough to set my head pounding. Ivy is quietly snoring next to me, and wearing my shirt? What did we get up to last night? Two dozen empty bottles are strewn about the room. A lot, apparently. One of the two gallon jugs of water is still full. Bless her. I down half of it and leave the rest for Ivy. Since she had water ready for us, it¡¯s only fair if I get her food. I throw on a not too dirty shirt and head out. My head is pounding with every step and sound, but one of us is going to have to make the run. It might as well be me. Luckily the canteen is mostly abandoned when I get there. John, a mountain of a man and our chef, is in the process of putting away lunch. God it¡¯s way later than I expected. ¡°You look like hell.¡± John says way louder than he needed to. ¡°So I keep hearing. Bread or crackers or somethin¡¯ for two please.¡± ¡°Sure. How much do you remember ¡®bout last night?¡± I just slowly shake my head. The last thing I want right now is a conversation. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to figure it out. That¡¯s half the fun of blacking out, aint it?¡± He asks me loudly once again while handing me a plate of food. ¡°Sure. Thanks.¡± On the way back to my room I run into Cassie. She¡¯s wearing gym clothes and looks like she just got done with a run around the city. ¡°Vince!¡± She yells from not far away. Her voice sends waves of pain and nausea through me. ¡°How are you feeling!¡± ¡°Not you too.¡± I mumble. How many people know about whatever last night¡¯s adventure was? ¡°John was loud enough.¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± She chuckles, quieting down enough to prevent too much more pain. She can laugh all she wants if she stays quiet. ¡°Couldn¡¯t resist. Go get some sleep.¡± ¡°Before you go, did I do anything embarrassing last night?¡± ¡°Nah, nothing too bad. I do remember you knocking on my door at 4am for more beer though. You owe me forty bucks by the way.¡± I search through my pockets and find I left my wallet in my room. ¡°I¡¯ll get that to you later. See ya.¡± ¡°Take care of yourself, alright?¡± She¡¯s trying to act cool, but her face betrays her concern. I guess I am a little too old to be doing this. ¡°Of course. This was a one time mistake.¡± I step forward to ruffle her hair. ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m too old to do this again.¡± ¡°Alright Vincent.¡± She gives me a quick hug after making sure nobody else is around. I¡¯m too hungover to complain about her calling me Vincent. I¡¯m not, however, too hungover to not get revenge. ¡°Love you Cassandra.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± She says with a grin while lightly punching my arm. She¡¯d be liable to do way worse to anyone else who used that name. ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re not too hungover to be a dick. Love you too.¡± She pretends to be reluctant about saying that last part. I head inside my room to see Ivy still asleep. I walk over to her and gently shake her shoulder. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Hey, sleepyhead, I brought some food.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± She comes too and tries to push me away. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me just sleep this off?¡± She pulls her hair over both of her eyes to block out the light. ¡°Only way this is going to get better is with water and food. Now come on, I feel just as bad.¡± I prop her up and sit behind her, cradling her in my arms. ¡°Drink.¡± I bring the jug of water up to her lips. She doesn''t argue and downs a third of the gallon. We sit there cuddling in miserable silence together, eating the smallest bites of bread possible. ¡°This is the last time I do this.¡± I whisper to her seriously. ¡°You¡¯re the one who got the second dozen.¡± ¡°And the tequila bottle over there?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t let you win.¡± She says without a hint of regret in her voice. We force down most of a loaf of bread before drifting back off to sleep with her in my arms. I wake up to the sounds of her re-entering the room. ¡°Morning sleepyhead.¡± She teases me. She sounds much better than she was, but still not good. ¡°Dinner time.¡± She tucks her hair behind her ears, revealing her hidden eye. It must be nice having a clock built into that thing. Although considering how risky surgeries that close to the brain are? I¡¯ll stick with my organics. ¡°I thought I¡¯d pay you back for lunch.¡± She places a plate of nearly plain noodles on my chest. ¡°Thanks, I didn¡¯t even hear you leave.¡± ¡°Just because I¡¯m hungover doesn''t mean I¡¯m sloppy.¡± She says through a mouthful of noodles. I grab what John pretends is spaghetti. The smallest bit of tomato spread too thin over pure wheat noodles. Sure the food has always been pretty basic, but this is another level. Silver¡¯s either having a tough time financially or planning something big, and I don¡¯t like either of those options. ¡°So how¡¯d you end up with my shirt?¡± ¡°I was cold and you smell nice.¡± ¡°Was the real me not enough for you?¡± I tease her. ¡°Like you¡¯ve never stolen my sweatshirts when I¡¯m right next to you before.¡± She rolls her eyes as she speaks. Although I can see a faint smile on her face. ¡°Yeah yeah. Come here.¡± I gently pull her onto the bed before leaning into her. We eat in much less miserable silence before falling asleep arm in arm. The next few days go much the same, although without a drop of alcohol. Ivy thankfully never leaves me to myself. I¡¯m sure Cassie¡¯s doing this same for Lucas, although I don¡¯t see much of them. He does have a boyfriend now, so maybe they¡¯re together? I have no idea who¡¯s keeping Cassie company then, maybe she¡¯s just with her books. Eventually Hummingbird¡¯s voice comes through the intercom built into the wall. ¡°Hey Vince! Storm should be letting up soon, Silver wants to give you your mission personally.¡± ¡°Great. Thanks Hummingbird.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± Her conversation android responds, happy as ever. ¡°Thank you too Trochilidae.¡± ¡°You''re welcome!¡± Hummingbird responds. ¡°Good luck.¡± Ivy sits up in the bed behind me and gives me a quick peck on my cheek. ¡°I know what they¡¯re going to say. There¡¯s not much luck needed.¡± ¡°I mean good luck they don¡¯t bite your head off.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see. Love you. Can you tell the others to get the car ready?¡± I kiss her back. ¡°Sure. Love you too.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t forget the books!¡± I yell as I step into the hallway. I make my way quickly to Silver¡¯s office. The hallways are starting to flood with people headed to the yard. Hopefully I can avoid the worst of it though. Before heading into Silver¡¯s office I stop at the reception desk. ¡°Anyone in there?¡± I nod towards their office. ¡°Nope. You¡¯re lucky number one.¡± ¡°Thanks Oscar, although I''m not so sure I''m lucky.¡± I take a deep breath before stepping inside. ¡°Vincent.¡± They say without looking away from their computer. There¡¯s a short list of people who can call me that name, and Silver has more than earned it. ¡°Repeat your mission for me.¡± ¡°Bring back Blue.¡± I say plainly. ¡°Bring back Blue, what?¡± They prod me to continue. ¡°No matter what.¡± ¡°Storm hit from the east, the junkyard is probably buried. Check it out and dig her out if possible. If not, report to Seven at our Denver outpost. If you return without Blue I¡¯m heading out to fix the problem myself. Am I clear?¡± Great. Him. ¡°You put Seven in charge of the outpost? Really?¡± ¡°He gets results. I don¡¯t let personal issues decide who¡¯s best for the job. I won¡¯t ask again, am I clear?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get it done. We have a plan to bring her back.¡± ¡°I hope so, for your sake. You¡¯re dismissed.¡± Ivy is waiting for me when I step out of the office. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± She asks as we head to the garage. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe they¡¯re the same person I used to run with. Same with Cassie now that I think about it.¡± ¡°Yeah, I still don¡¯t believe your stories sometimes. It¡¯s not just them though, Cassie tells me just how unrecognizable you are.¡± ¡°I really hope I am. You would have hated me back then.¡± Our reminiscing is cut short as we arrive at the garage. Cassie is sitting with the door open. Her leg is bouncing a mile a minute. Lucas is shoulder deep in the engine, doing god knows what. ¡°How¡¯s she looking?¡± I ask Lucas. ¡°Fully stocked and looking good. I¡¯m just swapping out some old connectors that have started to rust.¡± That must be record time for the two of them. We¡¯re all itching to go. ¡°Good. You¡¯re driving.¡± I say to him before hopping into the back seat next to Cassie. ¡°You brought your books, right?¡± ¡°Course I did.¡± She responds without looking at me. ¡°Are we going to the junkyard with Silver¡¯s blessing or going anyway?¡± ¡°Our orders are to not come back without her, and we won¡¯t.¡± There¡¯s nothing more to talk about. Ivy takes the passenger seat and Lucas soon takes his place as the driver. The car is once again emptier than it used to be. Fifteen minutes later Silver kicks a box to the front of the garage and waits for everyone to quiet down. They don¡¯t even need to say anything, their sheer presence gets everyone''s attention. ¡°First of all, as always, there is no such thing as a routine mission. If anyone has any doubts, any fears, nobody will think any less of you if you wish to stay here. Does anyone have any doubts?¡± Their quiet voice fills the room. I still have no idea what kind of modification lets them do that. Nobody moves from their car. ¡°I thank you for your risk. I sincerely hope I see each and every one of you again. However, if I don¡¯t, know that I will not let your sacrifice be in vain. Everyone, stay careful, stay smart, stay safe. I¡¯d give up every dollar I own for any one of you. Good luck, and thank you.¡± They hop down from their box and step aside. Each car one by one pulls out of the compound, and then the city. The last remnants of the storm pelt our car. I do a quick, last minute check of my rifle and ammo. ¡°Ivy, keep your rifle on standby. I¡¯m feeling anxious.¡± ¡°I think we all are.¡± She responds, but still loads a bullet into her rifle. ¡°But sure, car stopper is in.¡± Cassie checks her pistol silently before putting her radio headphones on. The other cars spread out quickly from the city. Very few cars are headed this direction. Not much of a reason to when the storm hit from the east. Everything is going to be covered, but we have to check. Most cars are headed north west to Denver. After five hours of driving in silence the rocky mountains begin to peek over some of the dunes. Another half hour later and we should be able to see the scrap piles. Everyone knows what that means but nobody wants to be the one to say it. After another half hour Lucas stops the car in the middle of nowhere. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± There¡¯s not a hint of surprise in his voice. ¡°I brought some shovels.¡± He hops out of the driver seat. ¡°Lucas, wait.¡± I hop out behind him. ¡°Another storm is going to hit before we get to her.¡± ¡°We have to try.¡± ¡°I did the math before we left.¡± Cassie says from the car. It''s sounds like she''s repeating a speech she''s been preparing for days. ¡°On average, it¡¯d be 185,367 cubic feet of sand we would have to shovel. Let¡¯s say we can each do 40 cubic feet an hour, which is a fucking lot. We don¡¯t have almost 1,200 hours. At minimum. Hell even if we could do 400 an hour we wouldn¡¯t have enough time. And that¡¯s assuming we¡¯re even in the right spot.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just leave her there! Ivy, you told me we couldn¡¯t just tie her up! How do you think she¡¯s doing down there? Trapped for another god knows how long. How is this any better than a six hour drive?¡± He grabs a shovel from the trunk and starts frantically digging. He slows to a stop as the sand just keeps refilling any hole he makes and falls to his knees. Ivy steps out of the car and heads to him. She embraces his head and slowly runs her hands through his hair. I walk over next to him and crouch down. ¡°I have a plan.¡± I say quietly to him. I know Cassie will hear me, even if I whisper. ¡°We head to Denver. It¡¯s closer to the junkyard than the city is. We do some work there in exchange for a crew or an excavator to come out after the next storm. She¡¯ll be out of there in no more than a week.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too long.¡± He says sadly from Ivy¡¯s arms. ¡°We have to do something. What about water! Wet sand doesn''t collapse as easily!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way we have enough water.¡± Cassie says from the car. ¡°I can run the math to be sure, but there¡¯s no chance.¡± ¡°We could¡­¡± His eyes search the sands for an answer. ¡°We could use the car! Take off the hood or a door and use that as a makeshift shovel or plow.¡± You can hear his hope leaving with every word. He knows better than anyone that will just end up with the car getting stuck in the sand. And if that happens we¡¯re dead. ¡°We¡¯ll save her as soon as possible, ok? Four hours after the next storm we¡¯ll be right here. But we have to go to Denver first.¡± Lucas wordlessly takes one of the back seats. Chapter 41 Ivy hops in the back seat along with Lucas, and Cassie hops into the trunk to cook us something to eat while we drive. She cooks back there as I slowly roll our way across the sands. I still can¡¯t believe how fast highways used to be. Cutting a four hour drive down to an hour and a half? At least the others never had a taste of the good life. 25 miles an hour is practically flying to them. After way too long of a drive the city comes into view. A hundred or so clustered skyscrapers are all that¡¯s left. This place once housed nearly a million people. It¡¯s been reduced to a few thousand desperately fighting to survive. The city isn¡¯t entirely lawless though. There are a few unspoken rules that people follow, and territories that only the desperate and stupid sneak in. Arc city owns one of the smaller buildings at the edge of the city. Each floor is rented out to different groups for an outrageous monthly fee. I guess that¡¯s Silver¡¯s problem though. As we approach I can see that they¡¯ve already built a sand ramp up to the floor they repurposed into a garage. There are close to a dozen people in a defensive position on the floor above, and that¡¯s only the visible ones. I know from experience there are dozens more guards ready to fight at a moment''s notice. I roll down my window and lean out to talk. ¡°I¡¯m Vince, part of Silver¡¯s crew.¡± I shout up to the guards. There¡¯s a small amount of shuffling and talking happening behind the defenses before someone I recognize pops her head over the wall. ¡°Ida! It¡¯s been so long. How are you doing?¡± I call up to her. She doesn''t respond, instead just turns around and walks away. I hope that¡¯s not a bad sign, her and Seven do kind of hate me. A minute passes before the garage door opens up. I take us inside and park. ¡°Keep your weapons close, people. The city doesn''t much care what happens out here.¡± I step out while keeping my rifle in my hands, but at ease. Don¡¯t want some guard freaking out over nothing. Cassie keeps her knife in one hand and the other on her pistol. Ivy looks unarmed, but I know she has a few guns up her sleeve. Lucas is too upset to care about defending himself, and I can''t blame him. I lead us over to the stairs and start to head up. Each floor has guards, people looking for an easy mark, or more often, both. Luckily we look like enough trouble that people don¡¯t mess with us. Near the top of the building we arrive at Silver¡¯s floor. The guards recognize us and step aside. The floor is mostly abandoned, everyone who¡¯s able is out doing whatever they can in the city. Seven is waiting for us in the middle of the floor. He¡¯s nearly as old as I am with a solid metal arm. ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t my favorite fucking raider!¡± He yells out at me loud enough that everyone can hear. ¡°Come to finish the job?¡± He flips me off with his artificial arm. The guards behind us level their rifles at me. Adrenaline shoots through my body, but I keep myself from reacting. Focus on the here and now. ¡°Do we have to do this in public?¡± I ask with a fake calmness. ¡°I¡¯m very happy exactly where we are.¡± Seven keeps his second hand hovering near his pistol, as if we¡¯re about to have a high noon shootoff like in Cassie¡¯s old books. ¡°If you have a problem with me, complain to Silver.¡± I make a half hearted attempt at defusing the situation. ¡°Oh of course. Little Bonnie¡¯s got to hide behind Clyde.¡± I pass my rifle off to Ivy and walk towards him without breaking eye contact. Insulting me is one thing. But Silver? ¡°You want to keep talking shit? Make your last line a good one. Or you can just do your goddamn job and we can move on.¡± ¡°There¡¯s that raider blood.¡± A grin spreads across his face. He knows exactly how much he¡¯s getting under my skin. ¡°Does it feel good to be such a big man? Why don¡¯t you take your little harem and fuck off back to Mara.¡± I lash out with a right hook. It lands cleanly but Seven only stumbles back a few steps and stays standing. He¡¯s always been able to take a hit. Behind me Ivy and Cassie draw their weapons without hesitation to keep the guards from shooting. Seven¡¯s hand comes up to his nose to wipe away the flowing blood. He retaliates with a quick jab to my gut. His arm is far faster than I expected. His punch lands clean and causes me to double over. He grabs the back of my head and brings his knee up into my face. The world spins around me as I stumble. I can worry about the concussion I certainly have later. I¡¯m not losing to this fucker. I catch myself on a nearby chair to remain standing. Seven¡¯s already approaching to finish the fight. I take the chair and swing it at him with everything I have. It splinters into shards as he blocks it with his metal arm. Perfect. Even after all this time he¡¯s still sloppy. He¡¯s so focused on blocking he left his core completely unguarded. My knee comes up into his crotch before he has time to react. He collapses to the ground immediately. If I¡¯m lucky he¡¯ll need a metal ball to match his arm. ¡°How about we talk business now.¡± The world is swaying under my feet but I stay standing. ¡°Ugh. Fucking guards.¡± He calls out. Ivy and Cassie are still in a standoff with them. The both of us know I¡¯m close enough to get a solid stomp in before he can finish his sentence. ¡°Go get a medic for the both of us.¡± Smart man. The standoff behind me slowly lowers and one of the guards heads downstairs. Seven takes a minute to struggle to his feet. He doesn''t ask for my hand and I don¡¯t offer. ¡°Take room thirteen.¡± His voice is a little higher than it was before. ¡°We¡¯ll talk when you get that wound taken care of. ¡°Huh?¡± I reach up and find my cheek drenched in blood. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug. ¡°Oh.¡± I really hope this doesn''t need stitches. I turn to head towards our room and the ground rushes up to meet me. Within a second Ivy has my arm over her shoulder and is helping me to my feet. I lean on her as she half carries me to our room. She drops me on one of the two beds. The sunlight blaring through the open window sets my brain on fire. ¡°Do you want to tell us what the fuck that was?¡± Cassie loudly asks. ¡°Shh. Loud. Bright.¡± As Cassie closes the blinds the pressure on my skull lessens. Ivy rips a strip of cloth off my shirt and gets to work trying to stop the bleeding. ¡°Now do you want to tell us what the fuck that was?¡± Cassie whispers. ¡°I cut off his arm not long before I met you.¡± ¡°Yeah, I got that. I meant the fight, dummy.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I moan into the air. ¡°What¡­¡± Lucas speaks up for the first time since we arrived. He sounds like he doesn''t want to finish his question. ¡°What did he mean by you¡¯re a raider?¡± ¡°Not for a decade. I¡¯ll explain later.¡± I¡¯d hoped I wouldn¡¯t have to have this conversation with him. I guess it¡¯s my fault, I should have told him earlier. ¡°And neither of you are surprised?¡± His voice trails off for a moment as he connects the dots. ¡°You knew. Both of you. You knew and never told me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lucas. Let me nap and I¡¯ll explain.¡± Lucas walks out the door without saying a word. I have to look away from the light of the open door. ¡°Like hell you¡¯re taking a nap. I¡¯ll go talk to him. Ivy, make sure he stays awake.¡± Cassie says before following him out. It¡¯s only Ivy and I in here. ¡°Do you want to talk?¡± She asks me in a barely audible whisper. ¡°Talking hurts.¡± She doesn''t say anything past that. Instead just continuing to focus on the gash on my cheek. I make sure to move occasionally to let her know I¡¯m still awake. Finally a doctor comes into the room. Ivy thankfully shields my eyes just a moment before the doctor enters. ¡°Try and stay quiet. He¡¯s concussed.¡± She tells him. ¡°Not much I can do about that I¡¯m afraid, but I¡¯ll give what advice I can. I¡¯m mostly just here to look at his face.¡± Thankfully the doctor is staying just as quiet. He leans down above me and starts to poke around. Ivy keeps her hands over my eyes. God I love her. ¡°I stopped some of the bleeding.¡± She whispers to him. ¡°I see that. It¡¯ll most likely heal on its own, but you¡¯re going to be left with a nasty scar. A few stitches should reduce the amount of scarring if that¡¯s something you care about.¡± ¡°Do it.¡± ¡°Alright. Bite down on this.¡± He hands a rag to me. I place it securely in my mouth. I¡¯ve been here before. I can handle it. He begins the slow process of cleaning the wound without warning me first. I¡¯m lucky I had the rag in place or I might have broken a tooth with how hard my jaw clenched. It feels like he¡¯s poking, prodding, and rubbing forever. But it can¡¯t be more than five minutes before he finishes. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m starting on the stitches now.¡± This I can handle. I¡¯ve had more than my fair share of stitches in my lifetime. I¡¯m just glad I don¡¯t have to do my own this time. The concussion definitely makes the pain worse but this guy feels very experienced. In under a minute he¡¯s finished. ¡°Now, about your concussion. For the next 24 hours make sure someone is awake and watching you. If you have a seizure then call for us. Try to stay in dim light and don¡¯t do anything that¡¯ll make you think too hard. No reading, no driving, just don¡¯t leave this room. Get sleep, drink water, don¡¯t forget to eat. In two days you can move around. If anything makes you feel bad immediately stop doing it. Any questions?" ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be back every morning to check on you. Try not to get in any more fights.¡± With that last piece of advice he leaves. ¡°Can you go get Lucas?¡± ¡°Doctor said nothing that makes you think. Last thing you need is a tough conversation.¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m feeling¡­¡± I was going to say better but she can see straight through me. ¡°I¡¯m going to lie to you and say I¡¯m feeling better.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t talk to him I¡¯m just going to keep worrying about it.¡± I put as much pity into my voice as possible. ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous. I¡¯ll go ask him.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She heads out leaving me alone in the darkness for a bit. I have to get myself back together. I don¡¯t do this anymore, I''m not that person. Having a hard few days doesn¡¯t excuse anything. Ivy¡¯s only gone for a few seconds before the door opens. I can hear three people walk in. ¡°Cassie convinced me to listen to you.¡± Lucas sits down next to me. At least I think it¡¯s him. It¡¯s too bright to open my eyes. ¡°Thank you.¡± I have to talk slowly and quietly to prevent my brain from pounding. Nothing to do but to lay it all out. ¡°First off, this is a big thing to keep hidden and if I can¡¯t earn back that trust I understand. I¡¯ll support you in every way I can in finding a new group if that¡¯s what you want.¡± He doesn¡¯t say anything, and I continue. ¡°I guess it only makes sense to start with the end of the world. I was ten when it started, and fifteen when the last plants died. I did what I had to do to survive. That doesn¡¯t excuse anything, but I didn¡¯t think I had any other choice at the time. I¡¯ve never let myself forget the face of every person I stole from, hurt, or killed.¡± ¡°I fell in with a woman around my age. Mara. She¡¯s a psychopath, but deadly charismatic. It was so easy to get wrapped up in her words, in her world. She thrived in the apocalypse in a way she never had before. She¡¯s cruel, vengeful, and if there¡¯s any fairness in the world she¡¯s dead. She¡¯s also my ex.¡± Ivy takes my hand. She knows how hard this is for me to talk about. ¡°She took a liking to me, and to be fair, I wasn¡¯t much better than her. I was cruel because it kept me alive, she was cruel because she enjoyed it. I was 16 and she was the only one I could rely on. There¡¯s not much more to say there.¡± ¡°After 10 years we were myths of the west. Ever heard the stories of the Phantoms of Vegas? That was us. We were in the middle of a casino heist when a storm hit out of nowhere. For four days we were trapped in the building with hundreds of guards who wanted nothing more than our heads. Mara wasn¡¯t scared though. We turned the floor we were on into a bunker, with dozens of escape routes and secret paths. Every wave of guards fell before us with ease.¡± ¡°We were confident, until we met the only person who was ever able to keep up with us. Silver. We skirmished with them time after time, but neither group was able to land anything lethal. By the time the storm ended we¡¯d reached a silent agreement and fought our way out together. Silver was the only one who ever earned Mara¡¯s respect, not even I had that.¡± ¡°The three of us were a force of nature. Entire skyscrapers would pay every dime they had to get us to leave or to attack their enemies. Around that time AI came into existence. Nobody knew the danger of wireless at that time so they were everywhere. Silver became friends with one named Clover. Mara hated her so I wasn¡¯t allowed to talk to her, and of course Mara threatened to leave if I disobeyed.¡± ¡°It was Clover that finally convinced Silver what a fucked up situation we were in. They tried to make me realize too, but I¡¯d been Mara¡¯s little plaything for over a decade, literally half my life. Hooks don¡¯t come out that easily.¡± ¡°The older I got, the more my conscience developed. I thought something was wrong with me, if you can believe it. I buried the guilt of every bullet I fired, every life I took. It made me evil, angry at the world, liable to lash out at the slightest provocation. Just like today. Seven said just a few words against Mara, and I took his arm. Silver stayed with us though. They still had hoped I¡¯d get free. Cassie, do you want me to go into detail? Or just the needed details?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re sharing this much, what do I care if he knows how my parents died.¡± ¡°Do you want to share this part?¡± I ask her. ¡°It¡¯s more impactful coming from you.¡± She says with a shake of her head. ¡°Alright. Anyway, Mara convinced me that Silver was just trying to take me away from her. I hated Silver, I thought they were the manipulative one, that¡¯s how deep I was.¡± I¡¯m rambling, but Lucas deserves something straight from my heart. ¡°When the AI war started, we were in high demand. Silver took to hacking like nobody I¡¯ve ever seen. We got sent to a small town in a canyon, naturally protected from the storms. A dozen AI in robot bodies had moved in. The humans who lived there weren¡¯t keen to share.¡± ¡°We heard the fighting, but arrived just a little too late. The AI had killed everyone they could find, but hadn¡¯t finished cleaning up. While we fought, Silver spotted the only survivor. A ten year old girl, caught in an explosion and missing her legs. Silver broke off from the fight to save her, and that enraged Mara. I had barely taken a step towards the child, when Mara demanded I stay and fight. It pained me so badly, but I followed her. That was the moment I began to doubt her. I¡¯m just ashamed it took so long.¡± ¡°You probably guessed it but that little girl was Cassie. Silver somehow convinced Mara to let Cassie travel with us. I¡¯m still not sure how they did that. We kept raiding for a year, but every day I began to see the truth in Silver¡¯s words. Cassie was so afraid of me, it broke my heart, made me begin to see what a monster I¡¯d become. It all came to a head when Cassie accidentally spilled Mara¡¯s drink. Mara hit her. Of course that was it for Silver, they took Cassie and left.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ashamed to say I was torn. Mara once again made a demand of me. To stay. That was the first time I ever told her no. She lunged for her rifle, but by some miracle, I was closer. That¡¯s the same rifle I still use. A reminder to do better. If I happened to be on the other side of her, or if she put her rifle anywhere else in the camp I¡¯d be dead right now, no doubt about it. I left without killing her. That¡¯s the single biggest mistake of my life, and I regret it every day.¡± I take a few minutes to recollect myself before continuing. ¡°That should have been the end of it. Silver, Cassie and I crossed the Rockies and came to Arc City to get a new start. We started a scrapping gang and did our best to repent for the sins of our past.¡± ¡°Silver and Cassie taught me how to be my own person. Mara couldn¡¯t let that go, she blamed Clover for everything. Apparently, she fought her way into Clover¡¯s core and blew it up. She dropped a recording of it personally at our door. We haven¡¯t seen her since, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯s still out there. So yes, I was a raider, and my situation does not make what I did ok. But I hope you can see that I work every day to no longer be that person. It¡¯s been a long time since the person I was bubbled to the surface, Just like today. That doesn¡¯t make anything I¡¯ve done ok, of course.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the short of it. If you want more details, I¡¯ll gladly give them when I¡¯m better. Again, If you want to leave I understand.¡± ¡°That''s¡­ That¡¯s a lot to take in.¡± Lucas says slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll need some time to think.¡± ¡°Of course. Take as long as you need.¡± Chapter 42 It still hurts to hear Vince¡¯s story. Even now he makes Mara sound better than she was. Lucas walked out of the room when Vince finished and I followed. He dropped into one of the many seats scattered around. ¡°Cass, is his story true?¡± He never takes his eyes off the ground. ¡°Well he didn¡¯t do Mara justice, she¡¯s way worse in reality. But that¡¯s what abuse does, isn¡¯t it? For what it¡¯s worth I don¡¯t think he meant to hide his history from you. It¡¯s just, how do you even start a conversation like that?¡± ¡°I guess. I dunno, it just feels like if he was keeping all this from me, what else could he be hiding?¡± ¡°Well I can tell you one. Him and Ivy? They¡¯re dating.¡± I say with mock secrecy. He rolls his eyes at that and gives a small grin. There we go, there¡¯s some emotion. ¡°The world''s worst secret.¡± His face drops back to a serious mask. ¡°Come on, be serious.¡± ¡°Lucas, I¡¯ve been with him for almost fifteen years. If he had some grand secret I¡¯d know. Not to mention Ivy can basically read minds, and she¡¯s one hell of a gossip when we drink together.¡± ¡°She is not!¡± Lucas¡¯s mouth hangs halfway open in disbelief. ¡°Swear to God! I know way more about that man than I ever wanted to.¡± ¡°No evil secrets?¡± ¡°Nah. Just a hell of a lot of embarrassing ones. When he¡¯s better, ask him about Riga and Tony.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Just trust me.¡± I¡¯m definitely getting Ivy in trouble, but I can¡¯t pass this up. ¡°I don¡¯t like that look on your face.¡± Shit really? I guess it¡¯s hard to control my face when I¡¯m this tired. I try and fail to reign my smile back in. ¡°It¡¯ll be hilarious, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Ok, I guess. What changed? Vince said you were afraid of him. How¡¯d you go from afraid to basically his daughter?¡± ¡°Silver was busy setting up their gang. There was an awful lot of political shit that needed to get done, and that¡¯s far from my strength. I stayed in the compound, surrounded by unknown strangers. I trusted Silver, and they saw something in him, so I gave him a chance. Turns out it was a pretty damn good one. I helped him figure himself out, and he helped build my confidence.¡± ¡°I¡¯m kind of surprised Ivy hasn¡¯t been with him since the beginning.¡± ¡°Ivy only came into the picture five years ago believe it or not, after Drew. Sometimes you just connect with a person on a different level.¡± I shrug. ¡°Or at least that¡¯s what the gossip says.¡± ¡°Thanks for talking to me.¡± He sits there, thinking in silence for quite a while before continuing. ¡°I think I¡¯m for sure going to stay with everyone at least until Blue¡¯s free. I¡¯ll decide what I¡¯m doing after that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to be working with Vince either way. There¡¯s no way Ivy or I are going to let him fight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Say, where do I get food in this place? I¡¯m going to grab some for everyone.¡± ¡°A few floors down, unless it¡¯s changed since I was here last. Just tell them to put it on Silver¡¯s tab, but bring some cash just in case you need to bribe a guard or something.¡± ¡°Is that a joke?¡± I just shrug and watch him walk off. I sure hope it¡¯s a joke, but you never know. I should probably give Vince and Ivy some time alone. Might as well go negotiate. Room number seven is very predictably labeled as Seven¡¯s room. I knock and an immediate response comes from inside. ¡°Come in.¡± Glad to see I don¡¯t have to pop the lock. Seven is lying on his bed, a discarded ice pack sits on his nightstand. How the hell do they have a working freezer all the way out here? Silver can barely afford to keep the one in the compound running. He doesn''t seem pleased to see me, but does look relieved I¡¯m not Vince. I jump right to the point. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°We have something we need to retrieve at the southern junkyard. We need a backhoe or a team to excavate with. I know how this works and I¡¯d prefer to skip most of the haggling and for you to give us a reasonable deal.¡± ¡°You¡¯re more direct than a punch to the face, or a knee. I like that.¡± Seven¡¯s smile sends shivers down my spine. ¡°A backhoe is in high demand, lots of sand out there to move. A team is downright impossible, why don¡¯t you fill me in a bit on what you need to get back? See if we can¡¯t replace it with something else.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t tell you, and impossible to replace. We could just wait until the next storm from the west, but It¡¯d be more convenient to get it regardless of the next storm¡¯s direction. Just tell me what it¡¯ll take to get the backhoe or an IOU if we don¡¯t need it.¡± Seven sits up a small bit and continues without taking time to think. ¡°Couple of bandits set up a checkpoint right down what used to be main street. We have bad relationships with at least one group on every other street, making trade far more annoying than I¡¯d like. You make them go away? You¡¯ll get your hoe.¡± ¡°How many people?¡± ¡°An even dozen.¡± Shit, all four of us would have trouble with that. Vince is for sure out of commission, and I¡¯m not sure I could trust Lucas with my life right now. ¡°I could maybe do that if I had Vince. But you ruined that, didn''t you? And your little reveal has Lucas off balance, he¡¯s unreliable for now. You¡¯ve got me and Ivy, a scout and a sniper.¡± ¡°How about this then? Pretty much every bandit heads out to the checkpoint every day, leaving the inside unguarded. There¡¯s another skyscraper right next to the building. They hate us, but you¡¯re unknown. The two or three of you head in there, jump across into the bandits building, blow a hole in their base¡¯s roof, and jump in. Keep the bandits out until the next storm hits and boom! No more bandits. Easy.¡± ¡°Do we get backup?¡± I already know the answer. ¡°Don¡¯t have the men to spare. You want to dig? Take out the checkpoint.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the others about your suicide mission, but don¡¯t get your hopes up. If we lose anyone just know Vince is the second worst melee fighter in this group. And unlike him I have no problems with taking home a metal trophy.¡± That last bit is mostly a bluff, but hopefully a pretty good one. By the look on his face for just an instant I¡¯d stay it worked. Threatening may not be the best negotiation tactic every used, but fuck it. If anyone deserves it, he does. I turn around and leave without letting him get another word in. I head straight for our room. Lucas is already back with food and Ivy is gently feeding Vince some soup. Lucas still looks out of it and is silently eating in the corner. He¡¯s not coming with us. ¡°Hey, Ivy, can I talk to you real quick?¡± I pop my head in and ask. ¡°Sure. Lucas, could you help Vince eat?¡± ¡°I can eat on my own.¡± Vince complains from his bed. The stain on his shirt says otherwise. ¡°Sure.¡± Lucas completely ignores Vince¡¯s argument and sets his own food to the side. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ivy asks the instant we¡¯re out of earshot. ¡°I spoke to Seven. Only way we¡¯re getting the backhoe is with a suicide run. He wants a group of at least twelve bandits taken out from a checkpoint. Lucas seems unreliable so it¡¯s just you and me. ¡°I¡¯m assuming no backup?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t spare the men.¡± I say in a mocking imitation of seven. ¡°His only idea is that we sneak in through a nearby building while they¡¯re out, and hold out in their base until the next storm.¡± ¡°He wants us dead.¡± She says flatly. ¡°Like I said, suicide run.¡± ¡°You take Lucas¡¯ guns, I¡¯ll grab Vince¡¯s rifle. Find out if this place has an armory and grab ammo and a few guns to rig up traps with. Explosives too if they have some. We¡¯ll head out around noon tomorrow. I¡¯d like to be back before the storm.¡± ¡°Put it all on Seven¡¯s tab?¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± ¡°This is why you¡¯re my favorite.¡± I¡¯m so excited to go shopping. It doesn''t take long to find the armory. The basement is the single most heavily guarded floor in the building. A dozen guards equipped to the teeth stand around the room. The show floor is filled with rack after rack of guns and knives. Built into the back wall is a counter with a tired old man sitting at it. Behind him is where all the fun stuff is, ammo, cybernetics, even a few explosives. The man watches me like a hawk when I come in. That¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like I would want to steal anything, even if I could. I pick my way slowly through the racks. Shotguns and some string are of course our go to trap. Quick, easy, effective, and relatively cheap. But I take my time fantasizing about what I could get up to with half the gear in here. I end up taking four sawn off, single barrel shotguns to the desk. ¡°Put it on Seven¡¯s tab. I also need eight shells. And I¡¯d like to look at some of those grenades back there.¡± ¡°Big guns for a little girl. What kind of explosives are you looking for?¡± Like I¡¯ve never heard that one before. Not my fault getting my legs blown off stunted my growth. Whatever, being short makes me quicker anyway. ¡°Let¡¯s do two flashbangs, and two, no make it four, grenades that won¡¯t bring the roof down on me. Oh, and something to make a hole in a wall or floor.¡± ¡°You better not be planning on using these to rob me.¡± He mumbles as he disappears into the back room. He returns with exactly what I ordered. ¡°Eight shells, Two magnesium based flashbangs, homemade. Four fragmenting pipe bombs, and a larger shaped charge. Do you even want to know the price?¡± ¡°Sure don¡¯t!¡± I scoop everything into my bag. ¡°When you go to collect, tell him thanks from Vince.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a messenger.¡± He grumbles as I leave. We are going to have some fun with these. The shotguns are just short enough to be concealed in my backpack. Perfect. I don¡¯t want Vince to worry too much. The guards in the room continue to stare until I¡¯m well on my way upstairs. Soon enough I find myself back in Vince¡¯s room. Ivy raises her eyebrow when I come in to ask how it goes. I give her the smallest possible nod. So subtle it¡¯s impossible for anyone without her eye to see. Lucas is slowly picking at a half finished plate of food, and Vince is dead asleep. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t use that wording. I wolf down my slightly cold dinner and dive into bed. I¡¯ve got a big day tomorrow. Chapter 43 A conversation between Ivy and Vince wakes me up in the middle of the night. ¡°... Mission. Hopefully we¡¯ll be back by the next storm but don¡¯t worry if we¡¯re not. It¡¯s a simple, easy mission.¡± ¡°I can go with you.¡± I can still hear a faint slurring in his words. I swear to god if he has any permanent damage I¡¯m going to stab Seven. ¡°Sorry, but this is the one time you can¡¯t. Lucas is going to be here with you. If you need anything, ask him.¡± ¡°Here, let me show you.¡± I can hear him shift to try and stand up, only to be pushed back down by Ivy. ¡°No, Vince. Doctors orders. Let us handle this, ok? We raided the armory and put it on Seven¡¯s tab, we¡¯re very prepared. I promise we¡¯ll both come back safe.¡± After a long pause Vince speaks up again. ¡°Fine. Just don¡¯t lie to me. Is this really simple and easy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to lie to you and say yes. But we have a plan to do it safely. We¡¯ll be back, I promise.¡± ¡°You better.¡± He says before leaning up to kiss her. Vince relaxes back in his bed, but I can hear that Ivy stays awake. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s slept at all since he got injured. I stand up and walk over to her. It¡¯s my chance to run my fingers through her hair to comfort her. I¡¯ve always wanted to be on this end of things. Her hair is silky smooth. Ugh, she¡¯s so lucky. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll watch him. You get some sleep too.¡± ¡°Alright. Thanks Cassie.¡± She hugs Vince tight and settles in. It doesn''t take them long before their breathing slows to a comfortable sleep. I know she has some sort of implant to let her stay up for longer, but even she needs her sleep. Plus the two of them are just so cute when they sleep together. One day I¡¯ll meet a girl as cool as Ivy. I sit there for a few hours, keeping a close ear on Vince¡¯s breathing. Only when the sun comes up do I get up and head to the canteen. Might as well get everyone breakfast in bed. The floor is already alive when I come out, there¡¯s a small crowd headed to and from the stairs. I figure they know where they¡¯re going and join in the mess of people. A whole floor has been dedicated to the cafeteria. A man at the beginning of the line is asking every person how many plates they''re grabbing and who they¡¯re working for. Good to see I¡¯m still taking from Seven¡¯s wallet. Maybe I should get two plates for everyone? Each plate already has a single, pre portioned meal on it. Beans and a drink. Why is it always beans? I grab four plates and head upstairs. Normally I¡¯d burst in with a loud ¡®good morning!¡¯ but not today. ¡°Hey, everyone.¡± I say softly into the room. Everyone has woken up in the small time I was gone. ¡°It¡¯s beans again.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Vince is at least feeling good enough to complain. ¡°How are you feeling today?¡± I ask him while I pass out breakfast. ¡°Good enough to join the both of you.¡± ¡°Bullshit. How are you really feeling?¡± ¡°Better than yesterday, but still really out of it.¡± He admits reluctantly. ¡°Just focus on getting better.¡± I lean down and give him a quick hug which he gives back with unexpected strength. ¡°Did Ivy tell you what was going on?¡± I ask Lucas. ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah. Here.¡± He hands me his backpack. This thing is way heavier than I expected, how much ammo is he carrying? ¡°Thanks.¡± After that breakfast passes mostly in silence. Ivy and Vince are just enjoying each other¡¯s company. Lucas doesn¡¯t say a single word the entire meal. I can¡¯t imagine how he¡¯s feeling right now. Even though they weren¡¯t close, Lucas really liked Blue. Learning about Vince, and having to watch him alone on top of that? How do you even handle that? Once Ivy and I finish eating she stands up. ¡°We should get going.¡± She slings her rifle over her back and picks up Vince¡¯s. I take both my and Lucas¡¯ backpacks outside. We drop into one of the chairs just outside the room to prepare away from the other two. ¡°What did you grab?¡± ¡°We each get one flashbang and two pipe bombs. I also grabbed a shaped charge and four shotguns for traps.¡± I hand her the grenades and two of the shotguns. ¡°Very nice.¡± Ivy grins. She¡¯s almost as excited as I am to play with these. I start to move Lucas¡¯ gear over to my backpack. He¡¯s got a lot of the basics that I don¡¯t need to take. String, rope, cable ties, some tools, that kind of thing. His guns are way heavier than what I¡¯m used to, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll manage. The extra firepower is going to be far more important than the speed I¡¯m losing. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. His whole weird holster and reload mechanism is way too large to use on me. I¡¯ll just have to tuck his extra magazines into my waistband and pockets. ¡°Holy shit. Since when is Lucas carrying 500 rounds?¡± There¡¯s no way I can have all of these available at the same time. ¡°He sure does like his bullets. What about the rest of your gear?¡± ¡°60 rounds for my gun, A week of food and water, my knife, the normal extras. How¡¯s your ammo looking?¡± ¡°90 rounds of 5.56. In the big girl I¡¯ve got 15 each of both AP and hollow point, 5 car stoppers, 5 spitfire, and my uranium slug.¡± As she finishes she fishes out a necklace hidden in her shirt. It looks identical to any old lead bullet, but that¡¯s just a casing. Its core is depleted uranium, the single most powerful weapon we own. She¡¯s never told me where she got it, just that she¡¯s waiting for the right moment to use it. She tucks it back into her shirt and ensures it sits right over her heart. I drop off Lucas¡¯ bag wordlessly and we head out. We get a few looks on the way down. It¡¯s not unheard of for someone to carry multiple types of weapons, but I can¡¯t imagine Ivy¡¯s combo is very common. I probably look pretty funny too. I¡¯d love to see someone try and use three guns at one. We step outside into the harsh sunlight. Somehow it¡¯s even hotter out here than it was inside. We can see a few people slowly creeping along the side of the skyscrapers. There¡¯s nothing more dangerous than being caught out in a crossroad without cover. A single bullet from any window and that¡¯s it. Just being out here is rolling the dice. We creep our way to somewhere with a view of the checkpoint all the while trying to minimize the number of windows that have a view of us. We avoid all the open areas we can, but it¡¯s not always possible to completely avoid them. I always go first across the no man''s land that is intersections, just in case some psychopath is bored. All we can do is hope that I¡¯m slow enough that they¡¯ll shoot, but fast enough that they¡¯ll miss. Ivy goes next. She¡¯s a slow and easy target, but we stay lucky. We pass by a few different scrappers and runners heading to do whatever. Every person we pass is a tense standoff. We don¡¯t know if they¡¯re dangerous, and they don¡¯t know if we are. Especially since it¡¯s just the two of us we must look like an easy mark. We¡¯re sure to keep our weapons drawn and nobody messes with us. Finally we reach an intersection a half mile from our destination. There¡¯s a large dune we can peek our head over with a view of our target, and I¡¯m sure Ivy can see every detail. Sure enough, there¡¯s a dozen people in a fortified location. Movable barricades and barbed wire prevent both cars and people from passing through, except for a single, small entrance. A few people are making their way through regardless of the danger, but even from this distance we can see them paying the bandits. The building they¡¯re hiding out in has the windows on the bottom few floors heavily reinforced with metal, wood, and messily poured concrete. How the hell do they have enough wood that they¡¯re using it for barricades? That stuff is expensive. A single door to the outside sits on every floor. A lot of buildings have that same setup, so they can exit no matter how high or low the sands end up. I¡¯ve seen very few buildings this reinforced though. Only a few windows near the very top are still intact. The skyscraper that¡¯s our goal sits right next to it. There are a few rooms that both have glass windows remaining, that¡¯s our entrance. There¡¯s only about a 15 foot gap between the two buildings. I can make that jump pretty easily, but Ivy might have a little trouble. We¡¯ll cross that bridge later. We begin to silently move towards our new target. The walk over is slow going. We dive for cover at every distant gunshot. At the end of the day it¡¯s only by pure luck that none of those shots come for us. God I hate it here. A few streets down we see a glimpse of a car passing by, only for the sounds of a firefight to break out only an instant after it disappears around the corner. I¡¯ve never realized how thankful I should be that Arc City¡¯s building is on the outskirts. After a tense hour we arrive. Luckily the entrance is on the opposite side as the bandit¡¯s blockade. Ivy takes a moment to memorize which windows would make for a good entrance point before knocking on the thick, metal door. A small metal slide opens up only enough for two eyes to peer through at us. ¡°What do ya want?¡± A gruff voice comes through. ¡°I¡¯m Ivy, this is Cassie. We¡¯re a couple of wasters looking for work.¡± ¡°Fuck off.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± I cry out before he can slam the slide shut. I reach into my pocket and pull out a small wad of cash. This is painful, but if I¡¯m lucky Silver will reimburse me. ¡°We were told by one of your own to meet them here.¡± He closes the slide softly and I can hear a few different locks opening on the other side of the door. He opens it and steps aside. ¡°Be quick.¡± I slide the wad into his hand as we head through the door. The stairs are to our right and we head straight up, pretending we know where we¡¯re going. Look confident enough and a lot of guards will just get out of your way. Most floors in this building are ruined, half collapsed messes, but occasionally we reach a mostly undamaged one. The higher we climb, the less people we see. The upper floors are luckily nearly entirely abandoned, although they''ve mostly been stripped of everything useful. Finally we reach an undamaged landing and she turns in. I guess she knows where she¡¯s going. I imagine her legs are hurting from the sixteen story climb we just went up. I can¡¯t help but feel a little smug about my legs right now. She reaches a door and signals me to check it. I put my ear to the door for any breathing. My ears are another little gift from the explosion. I¡¯d rather have organics, but I can¡¯t pretend they haven¡¯t saved my life. Only when I¡¯m sure nobody is in there do I quickly get to work popping the lock. Whoever built this building must not have been worried about security, I¡¯d be hard pressed to find an easier lock to open. We step inside to a fairly large room. Or it would be large if whoever lives here wasn¡¯t a hoarder. Garbage is piled high in every corner, and the smell of rotten food permeates the air. Soiled clothes decorate the few pieces of furniture that aren¡¯t buried. It takes a lot from me not to gag on the air. I sprint to the window only to find it impossible to open. Fuck it, this room needs to be aired out anyway. I grab a small bit of a broken spark plug from my bag and chuck it at the window. It shatters into a million pieces. Tiny bits gently rain down endlessly. I take a second piece and throw it through the window on the other building. Eh, that¡¯s quiet enough. 15 feet might be nothing for me, but it¡¯s a massive jump for Ivy. The two of us get to work shoveling a small runway for her. We end up having to shove a fair amount of trash out of the broken window, but that¡¯s someone else''s problem. Once we finish I make the jump with ease. I don¡¯t even need to toss my backpack over first. Ivy silently tosses her bag and guns over to me before backing up. I¡¯m ready to catch her if she misses. She takes a running leap and just barely makes it. Not bad for an old lady. She collects her equipment and turns to me. Ready? She signs to me. Yes. Chapter 44 I take one last minute to check my equipment. Everything¡¯s cocked, mags are full, safeties off. Hollow points are loaded into all three guns. If anyone has armor, Ivy will solve that problem. Ivy takes one last check of her equipment as well. We start our slow, silent descent. I listen at the top of every staircase before stepping out of cover just in case. We did make some noise, and we don¡¯t exactly have the best intel. An ambush is entirely possible, and we have to be prepared. We sweep every floor silently, not moving on until we¡¯ve ensured nobody is above us. The further down we go the more garbage we find. Used needles, broken drug paraphernalia, forgotten places to sleep, and even bones are strewn about. Those had better not be recent. Once we reach what is currently the second floor I hear breathing. Quiet. People. Number? She signs back. I close my eyes to concentrate. I can hear whispers from at least three people. I can¡¯t quite make out the words, but I do hear a fourth voice shush him. Do not tell me we walked into a fucking ambush. Four. At least. Ambush? She creeps over to the front of the building and peeks outside through a crack. Outside. Eight. So maybe not an ambush? Or at least not a big one. I continue listening, trying to get any idea what¡¯s going on. After a few minutes one of them speaks up. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re not coming.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Another man whispers loudly, followed by what sounds like a smack to the back of the head and a small chuckle. Definitely an ambush. Ambush. I relay to her. I heard. I flashbang. Stairs. You. Explosive. Floor. I don¡¯t think either one of us even entertained the thought of leaving the way we came. We¡¯re going to make this work. We have to. I place the charge in the center of the room and grab a match. Ivy and I light our respective explosives at the same time and I dive for cover. Ivy tosses the flashbang down the stairs and dives for cover of her own. Explosives aren¡¯t exactly known for being the safest things, especially homemade ones. While we probably could stand in the open and be fine, gamblers tend to stop living. ¡°What the-¡± someone yells from down below only to be cut off by a loud explosion. Even from a floor up the flashbang makes my ears ring. The shaped charge goes off an instant later, blowing a massive hole in the floor. I draw both of Lucas¡¯ guns and start wildly firing into the new hole. I can¡¯t see anything through the smoke, but that¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to see if you just shoot everything. Ivy leans her head out on the stairs and starts popping shots into the smoke. How the fuck is she seeing through the smoke? ¡°Push!¡± Ivy calls and starts her way down the stairs. I replace the SMGs with my pistol and knife while I run towards the hole. I leap into the smoke and land towards the edge of the room. I have only a heartbeat to take in the room before dashing into cover. We¡¯ve hit three of them, but they¡¯re still standing, even with massive chunks missing from their body. Every one of them is letting out a bone chilling laugh where their screams should have been. One is dead on the floor with a hole in his skull, and the others are trying to get their senses back. More than I thought, but not unmanageable, as long as we¡¯re fast. I dash full speed towards the nearest person and drive my knife into the base of his skull. His spine is severed before he can realize what¡¯s happening. He drops to the ground limp. I fire three bullets at the others while I dive into cover. They don¡¯t even react. Twelve bullets left. Ivy is completely down the stairs and in cover now. I pop up and fire five more times, hitting one in the head and finally putting him down. Finally Ivy and I take the rest of them down. ¡°How the fuck did they take that many bullets? Front door!¡± I yell out. I pull out Lucas¡¯ guns and keep sustained fire on the door as more people rush in. Even when I hit vital organs they keep coming, and so does their laughter. Ivy focuses on those that manage to pull their rifles up while I slow those I can. Anything but a shot to the head just isn¡¯t enough. After a few of them come in and are slowly mowed down they stop. From outside I can hear someone yelling. ¡°Stop! Stop going in! One of you, go get backup!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Fuck. ¡°You hear that?¡± I ask Ivy quietly. ¡°Yeah. Clear downstairs, I¡¯ll watch the front.¡± She says while reloading. She leans Vince¡¯s rifle on her cover and pulls out her big fuck off gun. Next person to come through that door won¡¯t have a chest anymore. ¡°On it.¡± I swap out my own mags and head to the stairs. Pistol and knife in hand. If bullets won¡¯t take them down, I¡¯ll do it personally. I clear floor after floor, each one is more messy than the last. The amount of bones grows, along with my dread. Finally I reach the bottom landing. A sturdy metal door stands in front of me. I open it. In front of me is a grisly scene. Humans, both corpses and living, hang along every wall and the floor is thick with their blood. Every single one of the still living humans have had limbs hacked off cleanly and then cauterized. Three of the corpses even have organs hanging out, along with one who¡¯s still breathing. In front of me is a fat man hacking away at the upper torso of a woman with his back to me. The whole room must be sound proof for him to not have heard the explosions from upstairs. ¡°Food¡¯ll be ready when it¡¯s ready.¡± He brings down his cleaver once again. ¡°Just like it always is.¡± Fuck. No time to think. I sprint forward, stumbling slightly as I slip on the blood. He begins to turn at the sound but I¡¯m faster. I drag my knife quickly against the back of his knee, severing the tendons. He lets go of his cleaver in surprise as he falls to one knee. His laughs of pure joy fill the room. The chef reaches out for his cleaver, I could drive my knife into his neck and be done, but I want this to hurt. I plunge my knife through his hand, pinning it to the table. Before he can do anything else I take his cleaver and bring it down on his wrist. I¡¯m going to take him apart just like he took these people apart. He lunges away from me with surprising speed for just one functional leg, towards the furnace. He presses his stump against a hot metal, causing his flesh to sizzle and bubble, cauterizing the wound. All the while he keeps laughing. Is this thing even human? Fuck it. I grab my pistol and shoot him in the head. It¡¯s more than he deserves. He slumps against the furnace. I¡¯m suddenly really glad I¡¯ve never eaten meat in my life. At the very back of the room I spy a man with curly black hair. He¡¯s watching me with familiar dark brown eyes. Is that Xavier? Fuck, it is. He¡¯s strung up by his hands and is missing everything south of his belly button. His intestines spill out of him and are piled on the floor. The monster who did this is experienced, he¡¯s barely losing any blood. ¡°Cassie?¡± He¡¯s so weak he can barely talk. ¡°Xavier!¡± I sprint over to him. What the fuck can I even do to help him? ¡°Kill me.¡± He begs weakly. ¡°Xavier, we¡¯ll get someone to help you. It¡¯ll be ok. I just-¡± ¡°Please. It hurts.¡± He lets his head fall to his chest, his energy already gone. He¡¯s not going to live. If we have to wait until the storm he¡¯s going to be here for days. Fucking fuck! There¡¯s nothing I can do to help him, but I can¡¯t let him slowly die here. ¡°Thank you for your sacrifice. I won¡¯t let it be in vain.¡± I wipe tears out of my eyes to line up the shot. It¡¯s for the best. As much as I want to, I can¡¯t let myself look away in his final moments. ¡°Thank you.¡± I pull the trigger. I slowly walk back to the cleaver and pick it up. How many people has this thing butchered? Its handle is covered in blood, just like my hand. I pick it up and plunge it into the chef¡¯s head. Again. Again. ¡°Fucking! Bastard! Cannibals! Fucker! Shit!¡± I leave the clever embedded in what¡¯s left of his head. I wipe my eyes once again and look around. I have a job to do, and I¡¯m not about to let my fucking emotions ruin that. None of the living look as bad as Xavier. Wait a second. Most of them look vaguely familiar, even if I don¡¯t know their names. Is everyone in here part of Silver¡¯s gang? This wasn¡¯t just a suicide mission, it was a silver fucking platter. Ivy will be fine upstairs for a bit. I spend a minute to unlock all five people who are still alive. I gently lower down the ones who can no longer stand. I don¡¯t have enough food for everyone. ¡°I¡¯m with Silver¡¯s. Does anyone know if there¡¯s non meat food here?¡± ¡°There¡¯s none.¡± One of the younger men says. He won¡¯t look into my eyes. ¡°Shit.¡± I¡¯m not making them eat more meat. ¡°Anyone who wants to get revenge, come with me. All the bandits are outside, and we¡¯re holding the door until the sands take them. Everyone else, try and find food and water if you can walk. Especially water. Uh, good luck. Ivy and I will be upstairs.¡± How the hell does Silver make speeches after every storm? If I stay in this room any longer I¡¯m going to vomit. I run back upstairs. Ivy has created a little bunker for herself just outside the view of the open door. We¡¯re lucky the stairs are tucked in the corner of the floor. If either of us steps into the open we¡¯re almost certainly going to take fire from outside. I slide in next to her. ¡°They¡¯re fucking cannibals.¡± ¡°I was worried about that.¡± ¡°Sev- six people were still alive down there. I think they¡¯re all from Silver¡¯s. One or two might be able to hold a gun, but they¡¯re in no position to fight. I told the others to find some water. We¡¯re going to be going hungry for a bit, they don¡¯t exactly eat vegetables.¡± ¡°Wonderful. Go set some traps at the top of these stairs. Just in case anyone tried to sneak up on us.¡± ¡°On it.¡± I pull out two of the shotguns, some string, and get to work. I¡¯m grateful for something to focus on, even if I must have done this a hundred times. It only takes me ten minutes to get the shotguns clamped to the wall and to run fishing wire at knee height. I¡¯m not confident it¡¯ll stop any of these freaks, but it¡¯ll warn us they¡¯re coming. ¡°Done.¡± I tell her, taking my spot in her bunker once again. ¡°Nobody came up yet?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Makes sense. They were pretty fucked up, physically and mentally.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s going to be attacking for a while. I can go talk to them.¡± Ivy offers. ¡°Sure. Just, try not to judge. Whatever you see.¡± ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t worry, we all do things we¡¯re not proud of.¡± Of course she can see right through me. She leaves Vince¡¯s rifle and heads downstairs. I pick it up for the little comfort it gives me. At any moment who knows how many of them could rush in with no warning. We should have left closer to the next storm. This is going to be a fucking miserable couple of days. Chapter 45 Ivy returns after half an hour downstairs and I hand Vince¡¯s rifle to her. She can make far better use of it than I can. ¡°They all thought this was some kind of trick. Luckily I know two of them and got through eventually. Two of them can still hold a gun, but we¡¯ll need to find a chair for them.¡± ¡°Did you see Xavier down there?¡± I ask quietly. She gives a small nod. Of course she saw him, it¡¯d be impossible to ignore. ¡°I know it doesn''t make it easier, but you did the right thing. We¡¯ll save the rest.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Maybe one day I can believe that. ¡°Do you think Seven intended for us to end up like them?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t think of another reason for him not to tell us others were taken.¡± We sit in silence for a bit. I can¡¯t believe this. Any of it. If we just sit here silently I¡¯m going to go mad. ¡°For the record, I get to be the one to beat the shit out of Seven when we get back.¡± ¡°There¡¯s enough of him to share.¡± Ivy¡¯s voice stays calm, although I know her enough to recognize her cold fury. ¡°Not when we¡¯re done.¡± That¡¯s not a joke. I fully intend to make him suffer just as much as every single person he hurt. It¡¯s only fair after all. ¡°Mm-hmm. Stay on watch, I¡¯m going to head upstairs and try and get an idea what¡¯s going on out there.¡± ¡°Watch out for the traps. Two strings at the top of the stairs. Knee high.¡± ¡°I can see them.¡± She says after a small glance up the stairs. Right, of course she can. Why wouldn¡¯t she be able to? She steps carefully over my traps and disappears around the corner. I keep my eyes glued to the door, my ears open, and my mind clear. I hear one bullet being fired from Ivy¡¯s gun, and a small amount of return fire. There was no yell or a thud from upstairs, so she¡¯s almost certainly ok. Sure enough she returns back to my side soon. ¡°Got one. At least a dozen are still holding the entrance.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just Twelve.¡± I say in a mocking voice. ¡°Fuck you Seven. You know what? Fuck us too. Why are we even here?¡± ¡°How else are we going to get the backhoe?¡± ¡°Ok, but still. We sprinted into what we thought were Twelve people, outnumbering us six to one. Sure it¡¯s to help,¡± I glance around, remembering that people could come in at any moment. ¡°Her. And to make Lucas feel better, but still! She¡¯s not even in danger. We should have just waited for a storm from the west.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe that.¡± She says plainly. God I hate how easily she can see through me. ¡°I know. I just wish we¡¯d stop to think sometimes, you know? How many times have we tried to do something like this in the past?¡± ¡°Eh, probably. Hasn¡¯t burned us too bad yet though.¡± She has a point. We have quite the track record of getting out of bad situations. Not sure how we¡¯re going to do this one without water though. I guess Ivy and I could head back to the broken window and hop back through, just fuck off and leave. But the others? Even if we could get them across safely, there¡¯s no telling how the other building will react. Nobody can live this close to cannibals and not know what¡¯s going on. ¡°Hey, one more question. What¡¯s up with these guys?¡± ¡°Marrow. Nasty drug, I think you can guess what it¡¯s made of. Within a few hits your body becomes physically dependent on it. Basically replaces every feeling with something like euphoria.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s made of bone.¡± She says with a smile. ¡°Shut up.¡± I laugh and give her a light punch on the shoulder. Even now she can find a way to make me laugh. We sit there in silence until I hear heavy and inconsistent footsteps coming from behind us. I let Ivy know with a tap on her shoulder and a tilt of my head. She keeps her eyes on the door while I watch our back, just in case. Can never be too careful. Two people, drenched in blood and each missing a leg, help each other up the stairs. Their eyes are deeply recessed, I can¡¯t even imagine what they¡¯ve been through. ¡°I take it you¡¯re our backup?¡± I ask them. ¡°Yeah.¡± The taller of the two says with effort. He¡¯s so emaciated that I¡¯d be unable to tell if he was a man or woman without his voice. ¡°I¡¯m Ian, this is Percy. He can¡¯t really talk much anymore.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Unfortunately I think I know what he means by that. ¡°Here.¡± I start to reach into my bag to grab both of them food, however Ivy stops me. ¡°I already fed everyone.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Oh! Good.¡± I probably should have thought about that when I unshackled everyone. Ian and Percy move together to sit on a nearby box. Just like our cover It¡¯s impossible to see directly from outside the front door. But the instant someone steps inside they¡¯ll be in our kill box. ¡°We found where we keep their water, but it smells and tastes funky. We¡¯re pretty sure it¡¯s spiked.¡± Ian informs us. ¡°Fucking shit!¡± God I fucking hate cannibals. ¡°Ivy, do you think it¡¯s possible to purify or filter it?¡± ¡°I was more focused on what the drugs did, instead of how they work when I was younger. But I suppose it¡¯s possible heat might break the chemical down. Just to be safe we should also distill it. If the three of you keep watch I¡¯ll go set something up downstairs.¡± ¡°Go, we¡¯ll be fine.¡± I tell her. She passes Vince¡¯s rifle off to Ian and disappears down the stairs. My mind is screaming at me to not let my eyes off of someone armed and unknown. I hop up on the box next to Percy. Ian goes through practiced motions, checking every part of it. Good to see his training still comes through. ¡°Do you two need any sleep?¡± Percy shakes his head sadly at me. Yeah, I figured. I can¡¯t imagine the nightmares you¡¯d have after something like this. ¡°Here then.¡± I pass him one of Lucas¡¯ guns. If we¡¯re lucky he won¡¯t have to use it anytime soon. He follows through nearly the exact same movements Ian did. The two of them must have been in the same squad. I wonder if the others are still alive? I honestly don¡¯t even know if that would even be a good thing. As we sit there in silence, so many questions pop into my head. Why take limbs from every person, instead of just eating one person at a time? But how the fuck am I even supposed to ask that gently? I assume Percy had his tongue cut out, but what if there¡¯s another reason he can¡¯t talk? That¡¯s also not something I should ask, but my brain just keeps pushing me to. ¡°Oh right, I¡¯m Cassie by the way.¡± I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t introduce myself. Or I guess they heard Xav- him say it. ¡°Vince¡¯s kid right?¡± he asks casually. ¡°Not by blood.¡± Vince has done a lot for me, but I¡¯m not a big fan of him being called my dad. It feels like it¡¯s completely ignoring what my actual parents did. Although I guess not calling Vince dad feels like ignoring what he did for me. ¡°Does blood even matter these days?¡± He asks me, still drenched in blood. That¡¯s a multi-layered question if I¡¯ve ever heard it. ¡°God I don¡¯t fucking know. How do you know him anyway?¡± ¡°The two of you don¡¯t stick around for a decade without everyone knowing your names.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I always forget what a big deal he is. ¡°Did Seven send you two out here?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. Sent us out and we walked right into an ambush. According to some of the poor people downstairs this isn¡¯t the first time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how we¡¯re all going to kick his ass. I don¡¯t plan to leave much when I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Ian gives a half-hearted chuckle. It wasn¡¯t a joke. ¡°Wait, shh.¡± I tell him quietly. I think I can hear something from the front door. The soft, barely audible crunch of sneaking through sand. Person. Front. Door. I sign to the two of them. I really hope they¡¯re up to date on their signs. I know some groups don¡¯t care to practice, and I know that¡¯s gotten people killed. Even if they don¡¯t understand me, they do follow suit when I level Lucas¡¯ gun at the door. A rifle peaks around the corner, sweeping from side to side. Luckily Ian and Percy still have the presence of mind to hold their fire. The rifle creeps forward agonizingly slowly. The second his face comes into view all three of us fire. At least one of us hit and he drops hard. I don¡¯t hear anyone behind him. ¡°Do you think that was to figure out where our cover is?¡± I ask once I¡¯m sure the bandit isn¡¯t going to get back up. ¡°I¡¯m not sure they¡¯re that smart.¡± Ian responds. ¡°And it¡¯s not like there¡¯s anywhere else we can really move to even if that¡¯s what they¡¯re doing. Probably just a guy desperate for another hit.¡± From behind the two of us Ivy comes sprinting up the stairs with her rifle in hand. She takes a look at the three of us and at the corpse laying in front of us. ¡°You good?¡± She asks casually. ¡°Yep.¡± I respond just as nonchalant as her. ¡°Ok.¡± She shrugs and disappears back down the stairs. The three of us remain silently on guard for the next hour. I don¡¯t hear a single sound from outside but I keep my gun ready just in case. The longer I stay up here the more I grow to trust these two. The part of my brain yelling to not put my back to them is starting to calm down. Finally Ivy comes back up. ¡°Still is set up and working, and we¡¯ve got a small infirmary downstairs. We¡¯re lucky Blackwell is here to sew up the other three, even if she¡¯s missing an arm.¡± Ivy steps over to take Vince¡¯s rifle. ¡°Both of you go see Blackwell and get some sleep.¡± Ian lets her take the rifle but complains all the while. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be able to sleep. What about you, Percy?¡± Percy shakes his head. ¡°This isn¡¯t up for discussion.¡± Ivy¡¯s mom voice is coming though. ¡°I can literally see you swaying from exhaustion. Go.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± He says reluctantly. ¡°Come on.¡± Ivy helps him to his feet. Foot. Whatever. The two of them slowly make their way downstairs. There¡¯s not much to talk about with Percy, and so we just wait for a few minutes until Ivy comes back up. Percy hands me Lucas¡¯ other gun and the two of them once again disappear downstairs. I¡¯m on high alert when I¡¯m alone. If they assault now, who knows if I can hold out until Ivy gets back. No, not who knows, I won¡¯t be able to hold if they all rush in. I hop off the box and take cover in the bunker Ivy made. Even if I know I¡¯ll die, I can at least give everyone else the best chance of survival. Luckily before long Ivy returns to my side. ¡°How¡¯s it going down there?¡± I ask her. ¡°We¡¯ll have to see how well Blackwell can work her magic. We¡¯ll be lucky if everyone survives. We have nothing to fight an infection with.¡± Ivy says plainly. ¡°Who is she, by the way?¡± ¡°Blackwell? She¡¯s a doctor. I don¡¯t know much about her, but she goes out with squads sometimes.¡± ¡°Seven sent a doctor to this slaughter? What the fuck, we don¡¯t even have enough at the main base.¡± ¡°Apparently she and Seven have beef.¡± ¡°And nobody knew this was happening? Not even Silver?¡± I don¡¯t believe it. ¡°If I had to guess, anyone who tried to complain got sent here. You know how well fear keeps people silent. As for Silver, I have no idea. He was probably sending enough money back for them to not ask too many questions.¡± ¡°God I hate everything.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. What¡¯s up with the corpse by the way?¡± Sometimes it scares me how casual she is. ¡°Guy tried to sneak in. I¡¯m not sure if they were trying to figure out where our cover is or if he¡¯s overconfident. Maybe he¡¯s just overcompensating.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ interesting. I mean I¡¯m not going to complain about another one of them dead, I¡¯m just not sure what that means.¡± ¡°Ian had a theory. How soon does withdrawal start?¡± ¡°No idea. That wasn¡¯t exactly my crowd. You know I haven¡¯t tried everything, right?¡± She gives me a small side eye. ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡± We settle into a silent watch. I¡¯m not sure how confident I feel about our chances of getting out of here, but Ivy¡¯s an immovable constant to stand beside. As long as she¡¯s here we¡¯ll both be ok. Chapter 46 Our watch continues silently as the outside light begins to disappear. Tonight would probably be a good time for them to attack, although fighting in near total darkness would be disastrous for anyone other than Ivy. A scream suddenly rings out from the floor below. Fuck. ¡°Go.¡± Ivy says quickly while keeping her gun pointed at the entrance. I¡¯m already turning before she says anything. I leave Lucas¡¯ guns on the floor and draw my knife and pistol. Speed is king right now, I can¡¯t be weighed down by those two. Every pound matters. I reach the stairs and leap, landing smoothly on the bottom floor and continuing my run. Taking a moment to check my surroundings, I see that nothings wrong? Or at least nobody¡¯s about to kill us all. Ian is on a makeshift cot, screaming and thrashing. Percy and some girl with only one arm are rushing over to him. I should probably help, shouldn¡¯t I? What would I even do? Instead I head back upstairs and take my position next to Ivy. Preventing the bandits from trying to capitalize on the chaos is way more important. ¡°I think it was just a nightmare.¡± I report back to her. ¡°You think?¡± She asks as his screams continue to echo up the stairs. ¡°Either way Percy and some girl are taking care of it.¡± ¡°You really just left him?¡± Ivy asks disbelievingly. ¡°Look! I¡¯m more focused on the bandits than some nightmare.¡± His screams finally fade, only to be replaced by soft sobbing. That¡¯s probably loud enough for Ivy to hear. ¡°See, they¡¯re taking care of him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous.¡± She says with a soft smile. It takes nearly ten minutes to calm him down. Glad to hear they¡¯ve got that under control. If he¡¯s unable to sleep, he¡¯s not really going to be able to fight, and definitely shouldn¡¯t be left on watch. It¡¯s only the end of the second day since the last storm. Worst case scenario, it could be up to five days until the next one. Ivy has some sort of implant to let her stay awake for a few days, but if she uses that she¡¯s useless for a solid week after she crashes. I don¡¯t have anything besides my legs and ears so there¡¯s zero chance of me staying awake for five fucking days. God we left so unprepared. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to sleep at some point.¡± I tell Ivy. ¡°Wake me up if you see anything.¡± ¡°Will do. Sleep well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the goal.¡± I unhook my sleeping bag from my backpack and lay it out next to Ivy. I make sure to leave the side unzipped, if anything goes down I need to be ready. No way am I dying with my pants down fighting against a sleeping bag. My stomach rumbles while I try to fall asleep, but I¡¯ll fix that in the morning, maybe. The injured need food more than I do and the only other thing possible to eat is the chef downstairs. It doesn''t matter how hungry I get, I¡¯m never going to make anyone eat that. My sleep is restless, full of imagining the horrors everyone must have gone through downstairs. One thing I learned early in my life is how to not scream at nightmares. Too often that would have led to my death. Ian downstairs never got the same lesson. He wakes up screaming every hour like clockwork. It takes a lot less than that to wake me up, even Ivy shifting does it sometimes. My ears don¡¯t exactly have an off switch. Not to say I¡¯d turn them off even if they did. They¡¯ve saved me a few times. When I finally give up on getting a good night''s sleep, a small amount of sunlight is filtering in through the front door. I feel almost worse than when I went to sleep. Whatever. I grab my morning ration of water and down it. The others can drink the filtered water, I¡¯m not risking getting addicted. ¡°Sleep well?¡± Ivy asks once I finish my bottle. ¡°What do you fucking think?¡± ¡°Alright grumpy, sorry.¡± She¡¯s not trying to hide her amusement. I¡¯m really not in the mood to talk. I can at least bury myself into figuring out rations. We each packed 3,000 calories per day. We each brought a week of food totaling 42,000 calories. There are now eight of us, which means we each get 750 a day. Fuck. I¡¯ve always heard that eating less than 1,000 a day has the same effects as starving. I need less than everyone else because of my legs, but that doesn¡¯t change the math much. If we want to give everyone 1,000 calories that only gives us five days of food. It¡¯s been two days since the last storm ended, so a week until we¡¯re back with Vince at most. Shit, Ivy also gave everyone food yesterday too, so we¡¯ve probably only got 4 days left. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I can¡¯t eat breakfast. At the very least I have some gum that I can pretend to eat. I pop a stick into my mouth and pass another to ivy. ¡°Breakfast time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll eat it later. You ok if I get some sleep?¡± She asks. I know how tired she must be. ¡°Sure.¡± Ivy waits for me to get settled in next to her with both of Lucas¡¯ weapons in position before she puts Vince¡¯s rifle down. She doesn''t even pull out her own sleeping bag, instead she just climbs in mine. I can hear her breathing slow as she only takes a few seconds to fall asleep. Hopefully she can get a little more rest than I did. I settle into my watch and try to ignore my complaining stomach. The gum helps, but it certainly doesn''t fix anything. Is there anything else I could be doing right now? No, if the front doors weren¡¯t open I could set up some traps, but for now it¡¯s just too dangerous. It looks like Ivy¡¯s been using our two other shotguns as single-use backup weapons, so at least they aren¡¯t going to waste. As for the grenades we should think about tossing them out from one of the higher floors, but only when Ian and Percy are capable of fighting. I¡¯m not itching to poke the bear without every possible advantage. Plus the longer we wait, the more desperate for Marrow they get. If it¡¯s not in their system they might be easier to kill. Can we sneak out? Not with the injured people, because I wasted the shaped charge like an idiot. The walls are a mess of welded metal reinforced with rebar and wood, all using concrete as glue. Sure there are some potentially loose bits, but not nearly enough to break through. We can¡¯t get out and nobody can get in, I hope. Ian¡¯s screams rip me out of my thoughts once again. Another nightmare. Ivy jerks to attention, grabbing Vince¡¯s rifle and rolling into a fighting position nearly instantly. It¡¯s only after a few heartbeats that she realizes what¡¯s happening. She drops back into my sleeping bag silently. Welcome to the club. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s still going downstairs, I would have thought he would have collapsed from exhaustion by now. He can¡¯t actually be getting any benefit from his hour-long naps. How did Percy get his tongue cut out instead of Ian? That¡¯s not funny, don¡¯t think like that. Maybe it¡¯s a little funny. Finally they get him to calm down. At least it gets a little shorter every time. No idea if it¡¯s from exhaustion or because he¡¯s getting used to it. You do get used to it, but that doesn''t mean it gets easier. Behind me, I can hear someone walking up the stairs. I keep one gun on the door and one on the stairs. A tall woman appears with long, matted hair. It¡¯s so caked in blood that I can only see a few spots where her natural black color is peaking through. She¡¯s wearing clothes that are way too big for her and are equally covered in blood. One of the sleeves has no arm sticking out of it. She has a dozen repurposed butchering and cooking tools stuck in her belt, most of which are shiny and have been recently cleaned. ¡°Ivy!¡± She says just before she sees me without even blinking at the gun in her face. ¡°Or, Cassie right? I need to talk to the two of you.¡± I roll Ivy out of my bag and turn my focus back to the front door. Her eyes open but she makes no effort to stand up. ¡°Oh, hi Blackwell.¡± She says casually from her spot on the ground. ¡°Ivy, Bernie¡¯s turned south and Valerie isn¡¯t far behind. I think they¡¯re both infected.¡± Ivy¡¯s face turns serious and she stands up. ¡°How long will they last?¡± ¡°Bernie won¡¯t last the night how he is now and Valerie probably won¡¯t last more than two or three without antibiotics.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just cut off the infected bits?¡± I offer. ¡°Oh yeah, of course. Why didn¡¯t I think of that? Let me just amputate his chest real quick.¡± She layers the sarcasm on thick. Dick, but I probably deserved that. ¡°Cassie,¡± Ivy says. ¡°Do you think you can make it to the tower?¡± ¡°Not unless you¡¯ve got another shaped charge or a parachute in your pants. Can¡¯t imagine the skyscraper we snuck in would be happy to see me.¡± ¡°Great. Give me a minute to check what¡¯s going on outside then.¡± She grabs both rifles and heads upstairs. I still don¡¯t move from my spot even if there is a woman behind me covered in blood with a dozen knives. I can probably draw my knife quickly enough if she tried to attack me. ¡°We¡¯ll get them home, somehow.¡± I do my best to reassure Blackwell. ¡°Just make sure everyone else is ready to move.¡± ¡°Bernie and Val are on stretchers already, I¡¯m just not sure how we¡¯re going to carry them.¡± ¡°The three of us can probably carry the two of them. My legs can take it.¡± I bang on the side of my pants, creating a muffled metal noise to demonstrate. A few minutes later Ivy comes back down the stairs. ¡°Still over a dozen of them out there.¡± ¡°What the fuck are they waiting for?¡± ¡°They¡¯re in no rush to come back in. Looks like they got their hands on a runner.¡± Ivy says grimly. ¡°Shit.¡± Fucking cannibals! ¡°I don¡¯t like it, but we¡¯ll make it work. We¡¯ve got four pipe bombs, a flashbang, two shotguns, and a few other guns. Do you know how to shoot?¡± I ask Blackwell. ¡°I¡¯m a doctor. I¡¯m intimately familiar with the location of vital organs.¡± ¡°Good.¡± I pull out one of my pipe bombs and toss it to Ivy. ¡°We on the same page?¡± ¡°I think we are.¡± Ivy says with a grin. She places down Vince¡¯s rifle before heading upstairs. On the way she disables my two shotgun traps. ¡°Here.¡± She tosses them to me before disappearing upstairs. ¡°Get Ian and Percy up here.¡± I pull four pills out of my pocket. I give Blackwell three and pop the remaining one. ¡°Take one and give the others to them to wake them up.¡± ¡°What are these?¡± ¡°Caffeine pills.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t these expensive?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather be poor than dead. Go.¡± I grab a fruit bar from my bag and wolf it down. Soon enough Blackwell is helping the two of them up the stairs. Ian looks like hell, but it¡¯ll all be over soon. One way or another. The three of them get into position. I hand one submachine gun to Blackwell, the other to Ian and Vince¡¯s rifle to Percy, along with some ammo. ¡°Everyone ready?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know what we¡¯re doing.¡± Ian complains. He sounds exhausted, but the adrenaline should wake him up in a few seconds. ¡°Just shoot whatever comes in. We¡¯re ready Ivy.¡± I don¡¯t have to talk much over my regular volume for Ivy to hear me. Her only response is the sound of a match striking. Chapter 47 ¡°Plug your ears and duck.¡± I tell the other three a few seconds before three explosions rock the front of the building. Some shrapnel ends up coming through the open front door, bouncing off the walls, but luckily doesn''t hit any of us with force. Ivy¡¯s gun fires twice before the bandits outside recover enough for retaliation fire to come. I can hear a few hysterically laughing people rushing the front door. ¡°Get ready. Yell whenever you¡¯re reloading.¡± I say just before the first of them steps into our line of fire. She¡¯s been shredded by the grenades. A dozen gaping wounds spurt out blood with every movement. Large chunks of skin and muscle are missing, revealing the shining bone below. I¡¯m never going to get her laugh out of my head. A wet, gurgling sound from a punctured lung. She¡¯s a slow, lumbering target and goes down immediately. She laughs on the ground until her last breath. Freaks. Ian doesn''t stop firing into her body until his magazine runs dry. I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t give him the rifle. Percy and Blackwell are much more composed. Percy looks almost giddy to be able to finally get his revenge. Blackwell looks just about as serious as I¡¯ve ever seen anyone. Her clinical approach is a little off-putting, but I¡¯m glad she¡¯s next to me. More bandits stream in. Each one a little less shredded than the last. Bullet after bullet blasts into each one. The sounds of laughing filling the room. It doesn''t take long for more of them to flood in than we can deal with. Several of them even manage to take cover at the other end of the room. Luckily I had a plan. I grab the last pipe bomb, strike a match on the floor, and light it. ¡°Duck!¡± I yell as I throw it to the other side of the room. One bandit reaches out to throw it back with zero fear. Luckily the fuses on these things are super short. As soon as he picks it up it explodes in his hand. His body absorbs a large amount of the shrapnel, blowing off his entire arm at the shoulder. Somehow, he survives. We¡¯re not going to win an extended firefight against nearly immortal drug addicts. ¡°Cover me!¡± I draw my knife and sprint around the edge of the room, firing while I move to try to keep them in cover. I¡¯ve only got a few moments until the survivors recover. It only takes two heartbeats to reach the other end of the room. Three separate bandits are still ducking behind whatever cover they could find. The first I come to doesn''t see me coming. I drive my knife into the nape of his neck. Once again I cleanly sever a man¡¯s spinal cord. I wish I didn¡¯t have to be so good at this. The two others don¡¯t hear his death, but they do notice his silence. They turn to me and begin to level their rifles. I pull the trigger on my pistol, only to hear it click. Fuck. It has to jam now of all times? I don¡¯t have time to clear it. I move to put the closer monster in between me and the further one. He can¡¯t shoot for the moment, that has to be good enough. I drive my legs as hard as they will go and reach out to knock his gun out of the way an instant before he fires. I barrel straight into him, trying to push him back to close the distance to the further one. The only reason he doesn''t fall to the ground is because his friend catches him. I don¡¯t have time to ensure I get a clean kill. Instead, I swipe out with my knife twice, severing the tendons in his wrists. His rifle clatters uselessly to the floor. Though he¡¯s unarmed, he¡¯s not done fighting. He tries to swipe my legs out from under me only to hit my prosthetics. I can hear his shin crack as he connects. That¡¯s not going to stop him either, but it does throw him off balance. I shove the injured one to the side, leaving me face to face with the last one in cover. Behind me I can hear my allies firing as yet more bandits come flooding into the building. I wish Ivy or Vince were here, but I just have to trust that they¡¯ll keep me safe. One thing I haven¡¯t heard beyond the first two shots is Ivy¡¯s gun. She better be ok. I have to trust she is. Focus. The man in front of me lost his gun when the two of them collided. He¡¯s pulled out a wicked looking, well-used combat knife. Well that makes things easy. I drop my knife and dive backwards, easily avoiding his swing. He dives after me, but before he can land I¡¯ve already pulled out one of the shotguns and have the barrel pressed to his head. He collapses next to me, and I finish off the last remaining man with one of the rifles on the ground. Nobody wins in a knife fight. I reload my pistol and place it back in its holster. I am not being caught dry again. I won¡¯t survive a mistake like that twice. I take the rifle once again and begin to take careful shots at the people still struggling to get in the door. How many were out there? There¡¯s already a small, but steadily growing, pile of corpses in the center of the room. Fighting only lasts a few more seconds before the flow of bodies finally stops. There¡¯s over a dozen bodies spread about, I wonder if that¡¯s everyone? I¡¯ll worry about that later, I still haven¡¯t seen Ivy. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Blackwell! Help Ivy upstairs! Ian, Percy, watch the door!¡± Blackwell doesn''t hesitate and starts sprinting upstairs. I run up as well and while I¡¯m way faster, I¡¯m also further away. We crest the top of the stairs at the same time. Ivy has propped herself against the wall. She¡¯s taken her shirt off and has a very obvious bullet wound in her side. She¡¯s already pulled the bullet out with a pair of tweezers and is trying to sew the wound shut. ¡°Blackwell!¡± She tries to call out happily, but her face shows her pain. ¡°Give me a hand here, would you?¡± ¡°Did it hit anything vital?¡± Blackwell doesn''t even hesitate before getting to work. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. There¡¯d be more blood if it did.¡± She says casually. ¡°You¡¯re going to be alright, right Ivy?¡± I ask her. ¡°Of course. How do you think Lucas would handle it if I died?¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to go clear outside if anyone¡¯s left.¡± ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re in more danger than me.¡± At least she¡¯s feeling good enough to joke. That¡¯s a good sign. I head back downstairs without another word. With my pistol and knife in my hands I stop in front of the front door to listen. While I don¡¯t hear anything, chances are there are still people outside. I slowly sweep my eyes and gun across the landscape as I step through the door. A single, screaming man rushes me with a makeshift wooden club the second I reveal myself. What in the world? Are they out of guns maybe? His club comes down vertically, trying to bash my head in a single strike. I step aside and bring my foot down on the club, shattering it. This one, strangely, isn¡¯t laughing. I level my pistol at his head and can actually see fear in his eyes. That¡¯s weird. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot!¡± He cries out while putting both his hands in the air. That¡¯s even weirder. ¡°Keep your hands where I can see them.¡± I say while keeping an eye open on our surroundings, just in case. I put my knife in its sheath, reach into my bag with one hand and toss a few cable ties at his feet. ¡°Tie your hands together. Now!¡± ¡°Alright alright alright!¡± His panicked yelling doesn¡¯t stop him from tying one of them around each wrist and connects them with a third tie. ¡°Percy! Make sure Ian doesn''t shoot either of us. I¡¯m bringing a prisoner in.¡± I push this bandit through the door first, always keeping my pistol against the back of his head. If Ian freaks out and shoots, I¡¯d rather he die than me. The bandit hesitates when he sees the pile of his friends, but I keep him moving. Percy has already taken Ian¡¯s gun, thankfully. I¡¯m not sure if he has the presence of mind to not shoot everything that moves. I push the bandit onto the ground in the corner of the room. ¡°I¡¯ve got a few questions for you.¡± I say while never letting my pistol waver from his head. ¡°Are there any more of you out there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so!¡± He¡¯s terrified. ¡°It¡¯s a yes or no question.¡± ¡°No! It was just me!¡± I¡¯m happy to see Percy doesn¡¯t take him at his word. He keeps his gun aimed at the front door. ¡°Why the fuck were there only Silver¡¯s people down there?¡± ¡°I- I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Like hell you don¡¯t.¡± I say coldly as I draw my knife. He¡¯s not laughing in my face, so I assume that means he¡¯s sober. ¡°Look! I really don¡¯t! I¡¯m not one of them!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± It¡¯s a bluff, but a pretty good one I think. I bring my blade to his neck with no intention of killing him. Since Ivy¡¯s hurt I still need him to help carry the two downstairs. ¡°Wait! Please!¡± He starts to beg. ¡°I swear!¡± ¡°Then explain, fucker.¡± ¡°I- I was part of a caravan! We paid the toll and they surrounded us! They told us to join or die! So- so I joined! They gave me a club and told me we¡¯d be attacking this building. Said if I kill you I get to leave!¡± ¡°Who did you work for? What caravan?¡± I don¡¯t remove my knife. It¡¯s done pretty well at getting him to talk. ¡°Riven Roads Shipping!¡± He says without any hesitation. It¡¯d be tough to lie that convincingly that quickly in a situation like this. I put my knife back in its sheath. And turn to head upstairs. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I glance back and ask. ¡°Zach.¡± ¡°Percy, if Zach tries to run, shoot him.¡± Percy gives a grim smile in response and turns Vince¡¯s rifle on him. When I reach the second floor I can see Blackwell has finished sewing Ivy up and is wrapping a bandage tightly over it. I was downstairs for less than two minutes, how the hell did she do that so quickly with only one hand? ¡°Outside is clear, I think. I also got a volunteer to help us get everyone home.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able to carry my weight right now.¡± Ivy says. ¡°Go give everyone food. We¡¯ll leave in 15 minutes.¡± Blackwell orders. I have no problem taking orders from people I barely know if they¡¯re good ones. Fifteen minutes later on the dot everyone is together in the lobby. Valerie and Bernie have been brought up together by Zach, Blackwell and I. Three makeshift handles have been installed into the sheet of metal they¡¯re laying on. Zach and Blackwell take the two at the front and I take the back alone. This would be much easier if I lost my arms along with my legs, but I think I can do it. It¡¯s only three quarters of a mile to the tower. The nine of us start our slow plod in silence. There¡¯s no way to improve our odds of getting home. We just have to hope we look so pathetic nobody decides to rob us. Luckily, according to Vince at least, killing people trying to get injured back is pretty frowned upon. Ivy is the only real protection we have, and even she¡¯s barely able to walk. Ian and Percy use each other as a crutch to hop their way across the landscape and can¡¯t hold a gun. Blackwell only has one hand, and Zach essentially also only has one. No way am I letting him free of his cuffs and giving him a gun. The last person, who¡¯s name I never got, is missing both of her arms. As we walk I do my best to not look at the two people on the stretcher. Their guts are back inside their bodies, but the large wounds along their torso are leaking pus. What I can¡¯t avoid however, is the smell. Lucas would faint if he were in my situation. His nose is way better than anyone else¡¯s in the group. People open their metal windows to watch as we pass. Once a single person in a skyscraper sees us, it only takes a few minutes for word to get around the city. It¡¯s not often groups looking as bad as we do are seen walking. I can only hope they¡¯re looking to give us cover, instead of looking for a kill. Scrappers come out of abandoned buildings to watch our miserable parade. A few of them even start walking with us, either protecting us or helping take some of the weight of the stretcher. I guess there still is some good in this town. It takes us half an hour to reach the tower. As soon as we¡¯re in view doctors and soldiers come rushing out of the garage. Glad to see they recognize us. For the last hundred feet they even try to take the stretcher away from me completely. I don¡¯t let them. I¡¯ve made it this far, I can carry them a little further. We bring them into a permanent clinic in the garage. Doctors from every group have been called down to help. They rush all the injured onto their own cots, including forcing Ivy to stay with them. I collect Lucas and Vince¡¯s guns and strap them to my backpack. ¡°Ivy, I¡¯ll be back. Sorry if I don¡¯t leave enough of him for you to get your revenge.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Give him hell.¡± Chapter 48 I try to keep my emotions under control as I head upstairs. Word has already spread throughout the building about our march home. Every guard still stares at me, but no longer with the suspicion they had the first time. I soon reach Silver¡¯s floor and the guards immediately stand aside. Whether it¡¯s because they recognize me, or just don¡¯t want to stand in the way of someone as pissed as I am, I¡¯m not sure. ¡°Seven!¡± I scream as I open the door. Several people around me draw their weapons. To be fair, I would too if someone came in screaming while carrying four guns and a knife. ¡°Get your ass out here now!¡± Seven¡¯s door slowly opens and he steps out. He¡¯s apparently unarmed and very unhappy to see me. ¡°If you¡¯re only here to disturb the peace I might as well arrest you now.¡± He says casually. ¡°How many people did you send to those cannibals?¡± I drop my backpack on the ground, along with my guns. I¡¯m here to kick ass, not get shot. ¡°So it¡¯s a nonsense disruption then. Arrest her, we¡¯re done here.¡± ¡°If any of you touch me I will gut you.¡± I say to everyone around me before returning my attention to Seven. ¡°I¡¯ve got six half-eaten scrappers downstairs, each and every one from Silver¡¯s gang. You want to explain that?¡± That got everyone''s attention. Any guards that were walking towards me freeze. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a routine mission.¡± He quotes Silver. ¡°Shit goes wrong, it happens.¡± I can see Lucas and Vince poke their heads out of our room to investigate. Vince has his sidearm in hand, but Lucas is unarmed. Looks like they¡¯re letting me take the lead on this one. We won¡¯t win a shootout, but I¡¯m sure Vince can at least take out Seven for me. ¡°Ian. Percy. Bernie. Valerie. Fucking Blackwell.¡± I take a step forward with every name. ¡°Those are just the survivors. And you just so happened to, what? Forget to tell us god knows how many groups went missing there? We followed your advice and the bandits were prepared for us. You think that¡¯s another coincidence?¡± Several people in the room start whispering to their friends. ¡°I have no time to deal with baseless accusations. This is your only warning, I¡¯d rather not have to scrub your brains out of the carpet.¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s how you want to do this? I¡¯m more than happy to kill you, but I¡¯d like to not get shot for doing so.¡± I turn to the guards, most of whom still have their guns pointed at me. ¡°Someone head to the garage and get Blackwell for me. And someone else tear apart Seven¡¯s room. He¡¯s got to have something compromising in there.¡± ¡°You will do no such thing.¡± A few people had started to move and instantly stopped at his command. ¡°Or what? You¡¯re going to send them on a silver platter to more cannibals? You¡¯re either evil or incompetent. All that changes is whether I throw you out the window, or just break your knees.¡± It feels good to get this out, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m doing much to convince most people. I¡¯ve at least piqued people¡¯s curiosity. They want to see this through. Two guards head into the stairwell and I can only hope they¡¯re heading to get Blackwell, instead of getting backup. Nobody touches Seven¡¯s door, I can¡¯t really blame them for that. Vince and Lucas are still barely poking their heads out of the door. They¡¯re ready to fight, but don¡¯t want to provoke anyone. I appreciate that. There''s a non zero chance I get shot here, and I¡¯d hate for them to get shot too because of my dumb decision. ¡°Get out of my tower.¡± Seven says quietly with barely contained rage. He takes a few steps toward me, stopping just out of range of my knife. He''s much taller than me, but we both know if he hits me I¡¯ll stick my knife between his ribs. ¡°Oh did I hit a nerve?¡± I should probably cool it a little bit until Blackwell gets up here, but fuck it. One fancy arm against the fastest legs in Silver''s gang? I can take him. ¡°I tell you we saved five people you sent to get eaten, and you don''t so much as say thank you. Instead, you focus your attention on my call out. That''s not how an innocent person reacts.¡± I rest my hand on the hilt of my knife, just in case. ¡°Of course I''m focused on you trying to ruin my reputation over some half-brained scheme you cooked up! Now get the fuck out of my tower!¡± ¡°You don''t want to hear from Blackwell? I would have thought you''d want her to help you clear the air, if you''ve done nothing wrong that is.¡± I cock my head to the side like Ivy always does, that¡¯ll piss him off. ¡°Unlike you apparently, I don''t have time to deal with fanciful tales. Of course I have no intention to listen to her if she''s just going to tell the same lies. Now,¡± He grabs the pistol out of the hands of one of his guards. ¡°I believe I warned you?¡± That¡¯s not a bluff. A lot of people around us, both guards and runners, are unsure who to point their guns at. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Fuck, yeah I went to far. I can see out of the corner of my eye that Vince has his pistol pointed at Seven''s head. If he tries to fire I can only hope Vince is faster. How the fuck am I going to buy time until Blackwell gets here? He''ll squeeze his finger before I can reach him, I''m completely out of options. ¡°Hear her out!¡± Lucas yells out before ducking out of sight. Seven looks around trying to find the source of the voice but keeps his gun trained on me. I could probably disarm him now, but what about the other dozen guns pointed at me? No, I have to get him to attack first, without him just shooting me. Lucas'' outburst has given courage to some others around the room, who begin to murmur in agreement. I need to remember to thank him later. The only problem is his gun. I need to put him in a situation where shooting me makes him look bad. ¡°What''s the matter Seven? This afraid of an unarmed girl who''s half your size?¡± Oh that pissed him off. His face is quickly turning red. However, hopefully, nobody will be too angry if Vince has to put him down. That¡¯s a long shot, I know, but it¡¯s the best I can do for now. ¡°I¡¯ll leave without another word once Blackwell has said her piece,¡± I say. I think that¡¯s a good way to make him feel like he¡¯s gaining some ground? He stares daggers into me. His eyes are not at all concealing his murderous intent. ¡°Once Blackwell speaks you will be arrested for insubordination.¡± ¡°Fine with me.¡± I drop onto a nearby couch. He finally lowers his pistol before handing it back to his guard. I¡¯m really banking on her having some sway with the others. She has to have something right? Who doesn''t respect a doctor? We begin a silent standoff. His eyes dart around the room, searching for a way out. My eyes don¡¯t leave him. This goes on for a minute until the door behind me opens. ¡°Seven, just the person I¡¯ve been looking for.¡± Blackwell¡¯s clinical voice comes from behind me. ¡°You know, I heard the darndest thing from some of the medics. They said that you said I quit?¡± She lets the implication of the question hang in the air. Seven¡¯s eyes flash with anger and fear from a forgotten lie for just an instant. He composes himself quickly before speaking. ¡°Wonderful, more lies. Arrest them.¡± Blackwell reaches into her pocket and throws a necklace onto the floor, sliding to a stop right in front of Seven. ¡°Xaviers necklace. You sent him, Daren, and I out in the middle of the night. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a coincidence that it happened right after our fight. Next came Bernie, Valerie, and Spencer to the same building. They weren¡¯t on the best of terms with you either, were they?¡± ¡°Stop it.¡± Seven is well and truly panicking now. Nearly everyone is believing the words of someone apparently as well renowned as her. I move to the edge of the seat, ready to spring forward in an instant. There¡¯s nothing more dangerous than a cornered monster. ¡°Ian and Percy? They were guilty of not buying your lies. You got in a fight with Vince and his companions get sent out. Every time to the same exact building, entering in the same exact way. That¡¯s an awful lot of coincidences, don¡¯t you think?¡± Seven ducks and turns to grab someone''s gun, that¡¯s my cue to go. Looks like his movement ruined Vince¡¯s aim, or else he would be dead. I push my legs to their limits and draw my knife. His eyes make it clear we both know I¡¯m going to reach him before he gets a gun. He brings his metal arm up, and points it at me. A gunshot goes off and my left arm goes limp, my knife clattering to the floor. The fucker has a gun in his arm. Adrenaline is already coursing through my veins and muffles the pain. I¡¯ve got no more than a few seconds to get my revenge. I can see his surprise at me still fighting only an instant before I ram into him. The two of us tumble to the ground, fighting to land on top. He latches onto me with his arms and attempts to twist and land on top of me. I barely manage to get my leg planted on the ground in time to prevent being flipped. Though I stay on top he does succeed in dragging me down with him. This is fucking bad. He keeps his metal arm clamped down on my back, it feels like he¡¯s trying to snap me in half. And he might just be able to. He must only have one shot up his sleeve if I still only have one hole in me. He reaches around with his other hand and grasps at my shoulder, trying to dig into the wound he created. It¡¯s all I can do to thrash and squirm to try and keep him out. Every time his fingers dig in it¡¯s like a white-hot iron shoved against my skin, again and again. At least the pain keeps me conscious. I reach out blindly with my one good arm, desperate for any way out of this. My hand eventually settles on something thin and long. My eyes are too clouded from tears to see what it is. It¡¯ll have to work though. If Seven¡¯s arm is anything like my legs, there should be less armor on the underside of his armpit. I jam the rod in, easily sliding between two plates. A quick jerk and I must have severed something. His arm goes limp, letting me scramble to my feet, away from him. ¡°Don¡¯t touch him!¡± I scream to the crowd. I can see enough to know guns have been pointed at him. ¡°He¡¯s fucking mine.¡± Seven scrambles to his feet as well. His mechanical arm hangs limply at his side. It¡¯s still not exactly an even fight. I¡¯m swaying enough to know that blood loss is quickly becoming a major problem. Vince knows my blood type, there are enough donors around here. I¡¯ll be fine. I rush into the fight again. I scoop up my knife in my one working hand as I run. Seven grabs a lamp and swings. It¡¯s a slow, clumsy swing from his non-dominant hand. If I wasn¡¯t so dizzy it would have been simple to dodge. As I am now though? I get my head under it and it grazes across my back. Way too close, but still the opening I need. I plant my knife squarely in his gut, making sure to twist. He doubles over in pain. I grab the back of his head and bring my knee into his face with everything I have. I feel the bones collapse from the force. He drops to the ground, dead. ¡°Hey Vince.¡± I say as casually as I can manage while fighting to remain standing. ¡°Catch me.¡± My world goes dark. Chapter 49 I awake to rapidly fading dreams. This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve been unconscious from blood loss, the dreams are always crazy. I¡¯m pretty sure I was dating the moon? I focus on my hearing first and foremost. I can hear three people, two breathing regularly, one asleep. Two of them are almost certainly Vince and Ivy. Both of them have stuffed up noses, as if they¡¯ve been crying recently. Lucas sounds like the sleeping one. From the outside comes sand, pelting against the wall and the ever present roar of thunder. Often it¡¯s nearly drowned out by the sound of the sand, but when the lightning hits the tower it¡¯s nearly deafening. I must have been out for quite a while for a storm to roll in. My bed feels unfamiliar. If Lucas is sleeping in another bed, I must be in our room at the tower. With a momentous effort I open my eyes. I was right on all accounts. One thing I didn¡¯t realize is that there¡¯s an IV dripping both blood and fluids into my right arm. I reach over with my left to investigate it. While it feels like my arm moves, in actuality, my arm stays lamely on the bed. Not again. ¡°Morning you two. Did you sleep well?¡± I croak out. Wow my throat feels like hell, I must have had some tubes in me. ¡°Cassie!¡± Ivy cries just loudly enough to wake Lucas while running over to me. ¡°I slept like a baby downstairs, but Vince here has been running himself ragged. He must have ran ten miles on those stairs, going between the two of us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare scare me like that again, Cassandra.¡± Vince says while he heads over to me. While his voice tries to be stern and serious, his face shows just how relieved he is. He walks over to my left hand and takes it in his own. ¡°Can you feel this?¡± ¡°Nah.¡± I try to sound casual, but of course Ivy can see right through me, and she¡¯ll tell Vince soon. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re going to be buying me another prosthetic, Vincent.¡± ¡°Hopefully we just have to replace the shoulder.¡± Vince says sadly. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s remembering just how torn up I was when I first lost my legs and ears. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be upset about it later, but for now? I¡¯d say I turned out pretty lucky. ¡°We do have a conveniently unused arm available.¡± Lucas says way too energetically for only being awake for a few seconds. ¡°How are you feeling Cass?¡± ¡°A hell of a lot better than the other guy. But yeah, I¡¯m surprised by how little pain there is.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯d be on account of all the opioids in your IV drip.¡± Ivy says casually. ¡°Blackwell thought you deserved some extra.¡± ¡°That¡¯d explain a lot. How long was I out?¡± ¡°Four days, but it feels longer than that.¡± Vince informs me. ¡°Four days, huh?¡± Not sure I¡¯ve ever been unconscious that long before. ¡°How close was I?¡± ¡°Top three for sure. It was really touch and go there for a long while. It wouldn¡¯t have been nearly as bad if he hadn¡¯t dug his fingers in. He did a lot of damage to your brachial artery.¡± ¡°Fucker.¡± I say halfheartedly. I just don¡¯t have the energy to get properly angry. ¡°How did it go after I killed him?¡± ¡°Surprisingly smoothly!¡± Lucas says with forced excitement. ¡°He shot first, nobody cares much past that. Fair¡¯s fair and all that.¡± ¡°Awesome. How are you doing Ivy?¡± I ask. ¡°Fine as long as I don''t lift anything. Or move the wrong way. Or walk. Or breathe.¡± ¡°Want to come share my IV?¡± ¡°I think we both know that¡¯s a bad idea.¡± She says with a small smile. ¡°And you Vince? How¡¯s your head?¡± ¡°A lot better than the other guy.¡± Vince says in an imitation of my voice. ¡°Shut up.¡± I roll my eyes at him. ¡°I¡¯m doing fine as long as I¡¯m not too active. Once we get Blue back we¡¯re all taking a long vacation.¡± ¡°Hell yeah. I¡¯d love nothing more than a bath.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we can bring Blue to the bathhouse, but we¡¯ll figure out something.¡± Nobody wants to mention that we might not get her back, for any number of reasons. The implication hangs over us for a few moments before Lucas tries to cheer us up. ¡°Even if we all just hang out at the compound it¡¯ll be nice. We could just spend a week playing our tabletop campaign.¡± ¡°I¡¯m down. We still get the backhoe right?¡± I ask. ¡°Who¡¯s going to say no? Seven?¡± Ivy jokes. ¡°We¡¯ll just sic you on whoever tries.¡± ¡°Quiet Ivy.¡± Vince chastises her gently. ¡°Yes we have it. Blackwell has taken charge of the base for now, and she¡¯s going to send a driver with us too. We get to pick up Blue and head right home.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Assuming we even need it. You¡¯ll never guess which direction this storm hit from.¡± Ivy gestures lazily to the raging sands outside. ¡°I swear if we did all this for nothing.¡± ¡°Blackwell¡¯s honoring Seven¡¯s IOU if we don¡¯t need the backhoe. Plus she really owes us a second one.¡± Vince reassures me. ¡°Good. Oh I almost forgot. How¡¯re the others doing?¡± I ask. ¡°Valerie passed, but Bernie¡¯s somehow hanging in there.¡± Vince¡¯s voice betrays the guilt he feels. ¡°I thought Bernie was looking worse when we brought them back?¡± I ask. ¡°He was. From what I¡¯ve heard in the hospital, nobody''s really sure how he lived.¡± ¡°Well I guess saving one makes it worth it.¡± If I don¡¯t look at the bright side, I¡¯m going to go mad. ¡°Here,¡± Vince picks up a bowl of mush and a large glass of water. ¡°Eat something and then get some sleep. You¡¯ll need your energy when we leave.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± When I take my first bite of whatever this slop is, my hunger really hits me. Vince has to remind me to slow down a few times. I don¡¯t even taste most of it. Within two minutes both the bowl and glass are both empty. ¡°Get some sleep.¡± Vince comes to my side and ruffles my hair. ¡°You get some too. You look like you need it more than me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he gets sleep, one way or another.¡± Ivy has a mischievous look on her face. ¡°Thanks Ivy.¡± I don¡¯t even want to know what she has in mind. I let my head drop onto my pillow and am almost immediately out. What feels like only an instant later Vince is shaking my good shoulder to wake me up. ¡°Hey, storm¡¯s letting up. Here.¡± He places another bowl of food on my lap once again. Blackwell must have taken my IV out at some point and my shoulder is certainly hurting. How in the world did I sleep through that? At least I have a few extra pills I can take if the pain gets too bad. I wolf down the food once again and move to stand up. I nearly fall off the bed when I try to use my left arm to push myself up. That¡¯s going to take a while to get used to. Vince helps me get my arm situated in a sling and get to my feet. I¡¯m a little weak, but luckily my legs don¡¯t care. ¡°Where¡¯s everyone else?¡± I ask while I take a minute to catch my breath. ¡°Getting the car ready. Or at least Lucas is, all three of us aren¡¯t allowed to lift anything.¡± We start our slow walk to the garage. Thankfully nobody gets in our way. I have to rely on Vince often, and I can tell his head is still bothering him. ¡°We¡¯re just a bit of a mess, aren¡¯t we?¡± I say to him, half joking. ¡°Oh yeah. Lucas will probably be the only one even close to fine when we get back.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine Blue had some sort of epiphany under there. I just hope my light helped.¡± ¡°Glad to see you care so much.¡± He¡¯s good at hiding it, but I can still hear a ¡®told you so¡¯ tone behind his words. ¡°Shut up.¡± I know he¡¯s right, I just don¡¯t want to admit it. ¡°I just don¡¯t want anything to happen to her. That doesn''t mean I have to like her.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm, sure.¡± We head down the stairs in silence. I can¡¯t believe just how weak I am after just a few days on death''s door. As much as I wish I had my old legs back, the cybernetics sure have made my life easier. I¡¯m not sure I could have made it down all these floors without them. Even then I have to stop for a break almost every floor. It takes us almost ten minutes to make it to the garage. Lucas is putting a wheel back on the car while Ivy is standing next to him. She has a few tools in her hands, ready to hand them to Lucas if he asks. ¡°How¡¯s she looking?¡± Vince asks, announcing our arrival. ¡°She¡¯s perfect! Blackwell handed me Seven¡¯s wallet and told me to go wild. We¡¯ve got a full week under the sand, brand-new tires and breaks, I even fixed a few bits that didn¡¯t quite need it yet, she¡¯s good as new. I couldn¡¯t make her better even if I had the world.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± Vince says as he settles down in one of the back seats. ¡°Apparently you¡¯re right on time.¡± Ivy speaks up. ¡°The ramp should be finished any minute.¡± I go ahead and take shotgun, Lucas is the only one who¡¯s in any condition to drive. Sure enough he takes the wheel, and Ivy slides in next to Vince. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the plan,¡± Vince starts. ¡°The backhoe is going to drive separately. It can¡¯t go more than about 10 miles an hour, and I¡¯d like to get there faster. If we get there and Blue¡¯s uncovered, go ahead and radio to tell them to turn back. There¡¯s a huge receiver on the backhoe, they should hopefully be able to hear us. We get Blue, we go home. Any complaints?¡± ¡°None here!¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Mm-mm¡± ¡°Good. Now I¡¯m going to take a nap.¡± Vince rests his head on Ivy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Wait. Aren¡¯t you going to do Silver¡¯s speech?¡± I ask him with a big grin on my face. He doesn''t respond, instead he reaches forward and gently flicks my ear. Everyone is too exhausted to talk while we wait, so I spend my time watching the other people in the garage. A convoy has been loaded up with scrap that I assume is destined for Arc City. All the other cars in here lie abandoned. It¡¯s wild to see people not rushing out the first moment they can. After only a few minutes of waiting, the garage door opens. Lucas makes sure we make it out in front of the convoy. The storm outside has completely passed, and they¡¯ve piled sand against the side of the building until there¡¯s a small ramp reaching the garage. I can¡¯t even imagine how they move this much sand after every storm. I spend my time on the radio, cycling through every channel I can find. Amazingly, Arc City¡¯s transmitter reaches all the way out here. It¡¯s almost entirely weather, announcing the end to the storm and a bit of political drama that I don¡¯t care about. For some reason the rich and powerful in the heart of the city think the rest of us care about their crap? Transmitting this far takes a lot of power, and there¡¯s not enough of that to go around on the best of days. I check in with the backhoe on regular intervals. It¡¯s going to take them ten hours to arrive, while we¡¯ll be there in four. I do my best to keep an eye out as well, but keeping us safe mostly comes down to Ivy. Vince just rests his eyes in the back. Luckily this route is basically abandoned. There¡¯s so much material in Denver there¡¯s no reason to head this way. Our four-hour drive passes in silence. Not a single car was seen on the entire ride. My nervousness rises as we get closer without sight of the scrapyard. Finally we crest one large dune, and it comes into view, nearly entirely empty of sand. All of us let out a sigh of relief, I hadn¡¯t even realized I was holding my breath. I radio to the backhoe to head home and we head in. We start our slow drive through the junkyard, weapons in hand. Just because nobody¡¯s arrived from the city yet doesn''t mean nobody¡¯s in here. Luckily the path we take is mostly abandoned, and we reach the house quickly. Lucas parks and we all jump out. Ivy still can¡¯t walk quickly, so it takes a little bit until the bus finally comes into view. I try to announce myself before walking in. ¡°Blue?¡± No response comes from inside. ¡°I¡¯m coming in.¡± As I poke my head inside all I see is an empty bus. Many of her skin plates are scattered all across the floor, and several seats have been ripped up. ¡°Where the fuck is Blue?¡± Chapter 50 ¡°Ow! Corax I, Ow! I wasn¡¯t even thinking about anything that time!¡± Corax sits on my shoulder and continually pulls my ear. Being stuck down here for so long hasn¡¯t been easy, but it¡¯s been doable with his help. Doable, but certainly not pleasant. Somehow he can know before I¡¯m about to freak out and pull my ear to bring me back to reality. The longer I¡¯m down here the more he has to do it. Memories of my birthdays keep- ¡°Ow! Fine! Can¡¯t we just talk instead? That always helps a lot. Ow! You can just say no.¡± If only Kara had put a little less effort into m- ¡°Ow! Ok, that one was helpful.¡± I¡¯m not great at recognizing Corax¡¯s emotions, they show in his eyes with a subtlety that¡¯s nearly impossible to figure out. Despite that, I¡¯m pretty sure I can see just how smug he is right now. ¡°Wait. Is that sound real?¡± A quiet twinkling begins to come from the very top of the bus. It slowly grows louder, and the sounds of thunder begins to come through. ¡°I think there¡¯s a storm uncovering us!¡± My mind screams at me to get out, to finally leave the dark prison I¡¯m in. All I want is to be free again, to feel the warmth of the sun, a warm breeze, to feel anything. Corax pulls my hair to bring me back. My hands are only inches away from trying to open one of the windows. ¡°Wait.¡± Corax gives me one of his rare words. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m just excited.¡± I drop into one of the few still undamaged seats and pull my knees to my chest. ¡°Too much of my life has been waiting in the dark. At least I have a little bit of light this time. And you.¡± For now I guess. ¡°Hey Corax? What if biting my ear stops working?¡± The question consumes my mind. He opens his beak in preparation of another bite. ¡°Don¡¯t! This is serious. I don¡¯t want to accidentally hurt you.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t.¡± ¡°I wish that was true. Vince, Ivy and Cassie were strong- Ow! I¡¯m going to have to deal with this eventually, you can¡¯t just do this forever.¡± ¡°Later.¡± ¡°Do you know how frustrating you are?¡± Corax does not respond, instead he just stares at me. Of course he does. I guess he¡¯s right though. This is a conversation that¡¯s much more safely done in sunlight. I guess there¡¯s nothing to do but to wait and to try not to think of anything Corax thinks will be bad. I wonder how Lucas is doing. Are him and Silver going to come and end me soon? If they don¡¯t, someone is going to find out what I am, and anyone who knew of me is going to be killed. Of course they can¡¯t let me live. I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone, but I¡¯ve already shown I will to try and stay alive, even against my will. I should stop thinking about that, I can feel myself about to go over an edge. I guess Corax¡¯s ¡®lessons¡¯ are actually helping, and he looks like he knows that. ¡°Hey Corax, can you finally tell me how you know when I¡¯m going down a bad path?¡± Corax spends a minute to think before finally saying something. ¡°Feeling.¡± He says in his croaky voice. What does that even mean? ¡°That¡¯s it? You can just feel when I¡¯m getting close?¡± Corax only gives a noncommittal shrug in response. As glad as I am that he¡¯s here, he¡¯s so frustrating a lot of the time. We sit in anxious silence as the storm grows louder around us. Or at least I¡¯m anxious, I think Corax is pretty content to just sit here. I think he¡¯s hiding from the people I saved him from, but I haven¡¯t even tried talking to him about it. I¡¯m not exactly in a position to judge him for his history. The storm grows to a fever pitch, threatening to topple the bus. Corax is thankfully relentless in keeping me focused. Every time the roar begins to morph into words, Corax is already pulling on my ear. Luckily they are metal or he would have ripped them to shreds by now. After only a day of sitting like this it begins to sound like the storm is slowing outside. ¡°Battery.¡± Corax says, almost definitely just to stop me from running outside. ¡°Alright, roll over.¡± I¡¯m sure he can hear the disappointment in my voice. I pick him up and place him on my lap, with his stomach pointed up. I prepare to take off his chest piece, only to make a realization. The only wires I have available are the ones that are currently powering Lucas¡¯ last gift. ¡°Can we do this once the storm stops? The dark is really bad for me.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Corax¡¯s eyes dilate with pure anger before he closes them and relaxes for just a moment. He uses his wings to push himself to his feet and flies to his nest wordlessly. ¡°Sorry.¡± I say just loudly enough to be heard over the storm. ¡°Sorry.¡± Corax parrots back to me and tucks his head under his wing. I don¡¯t think that was meant to be mocking, it sounded like something closer to shame. I wish I knew more about Mind Rips. Sure I connected to the dog a lifetime ago, but I didn¡¯t learn much about them. I still remember their pain, their fear, their anger. If Corax is dealing with those same emotions I¡¯d say he¡¯s doing pretty well, all things considered. I can¡¯t believe that was over forty years ago, I was only a few days old at that time. I can¡¯t let myself think about that while Corax is sad, he can¡¯t help me, and I have to keep my focus on him. ¡°Is it my turn to bite your ear?¡± I sit down next to him. He looks so small curled up in his nest. ¡°Do you have enough battery to survive until the storm breaks?¡± He reveals just enough of his head to show him nodding before returning under his wing. ¡°Hopefully this storm ends soon.¡± I gently place my hand on his body. He tenses as soon as I touch him, a small tremble shoots through his little body. Only an instant later, he relaxes. He withdraws his head from his wing and leans on my leg. We sit together in silence for an hour listening to the slowing of the storm and the bursts of thunder growing fainter. My focus is entirely on Corax, he¡¯s in no position to take care of me now. It¡¯s only fair that I¡¯m here for him. Finally the last grains of sand pelt against the bus. The storm is finally over. ¡°We made it.¡± As excited as I am, I can¡¯t ignore the possibility that we¡¯re still buried. I quickly unlatch the window. For the second time the sun signals the end of my prison. No time to celebrate though, I have to take care of Corax. ¡°Let''s get you charged.¡± I strip Lucas¡¯ light and flip Corax over. I do things as quickly as I can without damaging his delicate machinery. I think we¡¯re both itching to get out into the sunlight, to use whatever time we have before another storm hits. ¡°While we¡¯re out we¡¯ll have to find some wire. I¡¯m sorry you have to wait to get out there.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Nearly every gear inside him has to whirl to life just for him to say a single word. I still can¡¯t believe how intricate his insides are. I can think of a few people who would have loved to meet him. Luckily it only takes 15 minutes before he speaks up again. ¡°Done.¡± I carefully put him back together. He quickly climbs onto my shoulder and gently nudges me towards the door. ¡°I¡¯m going!¡± The door takes a bit of force to get it open. There¡¯s still an inch or so of sand keeping it wedged shut. The instant there¡¯s a gap large enough for Corax he jumps through, propelled by powerful wings. ¡°Back soon.¡± He says before shooting down the endless isles. So he can say two-word sentences. I wonder why he stays so close to the ground when he flies? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any sort of mechanical issue restricting the height he can fly. Finally I manage to push the door fully open. In front of me is the spot I laid Vince and Ivy to rest. I wonder if they¡¯re still there, or if they¡¯ve been exhumed by the storm. Their gravestone is nowhere to be seen anywhere at least. I kneel down where they hopefully still lie peacefully. ¡°Hey, I survived. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯d be happy to hear that. Although I guess you wouldn''t want your deaths to be for nothing.¡± I sit in the fresh sand with my back against the bus. ¡°Do you remember that bird we heard on guard together? Turns out he¡¯s just like me. He¡¯s been helping a lot and I¡¯m doing much better. Sorry I couldn¡¯t have gotten a grip before, well, you know. Could the two of you tell Cassie I¡¯m sorry? I¡¯d tell her myself, but I¡¯m not sure where Lucas buried her. Thanks again for everything you three did for me, and sorry I didn¡¯t deserve it.¡± I stand back up, the faintest hints of tears streaming down my face. There¡¯s just not enough moisture in the air for a good cry. The sun is barely over the tips of the scrap mountains around me. It¡¯s hotter than is comfortable, but I¡¯d better get used to it. I dig around in the sand hoping to find my guns, only to come up empty. I guess it was a long shot that they¡¯d still be here. Hopefully I don¡¯t have to defend myself anytime soon. I spend a few minutes opening the rest of the windows in the bus. A lot of them have sand wedged in their hinges and require quite a lot of force to get open. Nothing that my body can¡¯t provide though. Soon enough the bus is full of bright light and a gentle breeze drifting through. It¡¯s finally setting in that this is my home for the next 20 years. I doubt there¡¯s any plutonium lying around here. Even if there is, it¡¯s impossible to refill my generator, it just doesn¡¯t work like that. Even if there was an entire radioisotope generator in here, It¡¯s not like Corax¡¯s tiny battery will keep me functional while I try to replace my core. I guess even if it¡¯s too weak to keep me alive, it¡¯ll still charge Corax for a very long time. I¡¯m going to make sure he lives on. No matter what. I wonder if this is how Vince would have felt? Or maybe did feel. I wish I could ask. I need to distract myself while I get the chance to. Upon leaving the bus I busy myself by digging through piles of scrap. Most wires I find are so corroded and brittle they¡¯re unusable. It doesn''t take too long before finding something usable though. With this I can both charge Corax and keep the light running. Thinking of light, I wonder how long Lucas¡¯ last gift will last. LED lights can last upwards of two decades, but this one hasn¡¯t exactly been in the best conditions its whole life. I¡¯ll need to find a backup at some point, hopefully before this one dies. Some alarms and maybe even traps would be good to set up. I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone, but it¡¯s a little too late to say I won¡¯t. I need to set up warnings first though, so people don¡¯t just accidentally walk into them. I guess it would make the most sense to work on those first. Can most people read? Cassie certainly could, and I assume the others in Silver¡¯s gang can as well. I¡¯m not confident about the Followers of the Scorched Sun¡¯s literacy rate though. Maybe a drawing of guns and spikes will keep them away? I grab a metal sheet, a bit of steel to scratch it with, and get to work. Unfortunately I have experience with this. I¡¯ll need to remake Ivy and Vince¡¯s headstone as well. I will not let them be forgotten. It only takes about an hour to place warnings at every entrance in a hundred foot circle around the bus. I do leave one entrance unmarked, the one that leads to the house Lucas stopped at. He said he¡¯d visit soon, and I don¡¯t want to worry him with fake warnings. This is officially our territory, our home. Hopefully we won¡¯t have to fight for it. Just as I¡¯m admiring my handiwork, Corax comes flying as fast as his wings can carry him out of nowhere. He buzzes just above me and continues flying. ¡°Run!¡± He screams in a terrified voice. From the direction he came I can faintly hear the crunching of boots and the yelling of voices. I don¡¯t hesitate to follow Corax. Chapter 51 I push my servos to their limits as I follow Corax. He stays close to the ground, never letting himself crest the tops of the scrap hills. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s so I can follow, or if there¡¯s another reason. We weave through the mostly abandoned junkyard, making turn after turn, climbing over pile after pile. All the while the sounds of our pursuers get closer and closer. ¡°Corax! This isn¡¯t working!¡± I yell hopefully loud enough for him to hear, but not so loud our pursuers can too. ¡°Run!¡± He cries back to me once again. Why did I toss my guns away? Sure I still have my harpoon on me, but that¡¯ll only kill one person at best. From the sounds of it, there could be a dozen or more people following. Sure I have a ton of information about how to fight in my head, but fighting a dozen people in close quarters combat? Assuming I can even get the drop on them? Without a weapon? There¡¯s no chance of me winning that. Maybe I can cause a landslide somewhere? Probably not without a lot of work. These piles can survive multiple 100 MPH sandstorms, without a lever a mile long there¡¯s zero chance of me making anything unstable. The least I can do is grab sharp bits of glass and toss them into the path. Maybe some of them aren¡¯t wearing shoes. Crap, they¡¯re probably following my footsteps, I¡¯m making a path straight to us. ¡°Corax! Keep us out of the sand! They can follow my footsteps!¡± Corax, despite his panicked condition, follows my instructions. It slows us down quite a bit since I have to continuously clamber over unstable footing, but hopefully it¡¯ll be worth it. Immediately I discover it¡¯s not. Even with me making almost no noise, they still have no problem following the two of us. They must have some other way of tracking us, but how? I¡¯m out of time to think anyway. Corax makes one last turn and we come straight into a long dead end. Corax stops at the very end, near a pile of metal on the ground. ¡°Hide.¡± He tries desperately to pull one of the metal pieces up. He doesn''t have the leverage to move anything. I run up and help, moving a bit of scrap to find a small nest under it. Is this where he was living? I climb in and reach out for him, trying to pull him in with me. ¡°No. You.¡± He pecks at my hand, forcing me to drop the metal onto my head. Through one of the cracks I can see him shoot directly upwards into the sky. The instant he crests one of the hills a net shoots out from the top of one, bringing Corax crashing back to earth just as our pursuers turn the corner. Nearly a dozen men and women in ratty clothes but carrying a plethora of guns and knives quickly surround struggling Corax. They stand just a few feet in front of my hiding spot. ¡°Well well well, little birdy got desperate.¡± A fit man with tattered clothes barely clinging to his body crouches down above Corax. His body is a messy criss cross of guns and knives. He¡¯s close enough that I could reach out and grab a gun, but then what? I can¡¯t kill all of them. And what if they aren¡¯t kept loaded? Someone¡¯s bound to see me if I try, but am I just going to let them take Corax? ¡°Case was mighty worried about ya during that last storm. Why don¡¯t we getcha home little birdy?¡± He picks up the net Corax is still fighting against and stands up. My one chance to fight is gone. I¡¯ve let him down. Just like everyone else. The dozen or so people turn to leave, laughing and joking, either blind to or uncaring of the fear in Corax¡¯s frozen eyes. He¡¯s stopped fighting, instead he just stares at my hiding spot. I¡¯m sorry Corax. I¡¯m so sorry. They turn the corner and are gone. For the third time I¡¯ve lost my only friend. I sit there frozen for minute after minute, staring at the last spot I saw Corax, holding that memory at the forefront of my mind. Just another person I won¡¯t let be forgotten. A hand reaches down from above, pulling the metal sheet I¡¯m hiding under off of me. A second hand reaches down to help me up, a familiar hand. ¡°Are you just gonna let that happen? Or are we gonna do something about it?¡± Vince¡¯s face is darkened by the sun behind him. I take his hand and he pulls me up and into a hug. ¡°So good to see ya Little Blue.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡± I just stand there as he hugs me. He can¡¯t be here. He¡¯s not real. ¡°Doesn''t mean I can¡¯t help you, now does it?¡± He shrugs with a big grin on his face. ¡°You¡¯re not angry?¡± I ask into his chest. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not exactly how we expected to go, but we¡¯d all made peace that we would die sooner or later. Now, come on, while Ivy and Cassie are keeping your other demons away.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I return his hug. He feels so real. He drags me along the alleyway to the corner Corax was carried through. ¡°Now, do you know how to track?¡± He crouches down above the footsteps in the sand and scrap. ¡°Yeah, they put a lot of military information in my head when I was born.¡± ¡°You lead the way then! I¡¯m a little incorporeal.¡± He reaches for the footprints, only to pass through the ground. Is this some kind of trick? Is he going to help me save Corax, only to have me kill him with my own hands? Or is he- ¡°Hey, Little Blue.¡± Vince puts both his hands on either side of my face and forces me to look at him. ¡°This isn¡¯t a trick. This isn¡¯t a ploy. Let me help you, alright?¡± Can he read my mind? Or is he like Corax, and can just feel when I¡¯m slipping? I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. I have to trust him. We start our slow walk along the path. Whoever these people are, they weren¡¯t trying to hide their trail at all. I make sure we move quietly and slowly enough that we never run into them. I¡¯d rather fight them at their base than in the open. ¡°You¡¯re gonna be alright fighting them, right Little Blue? I can¡¯t exactly hold a gun.¡± ¡°I killed three people to save Corax the first time. I still haven¡¯t exactly processed that, but what¡¯s a few more?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the healthiest thing I¡¯ve ever heard, but alright, we¡¯ll go with that.¡± Vince says. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a joke or not. I pick up a solid metal pipe as we walk. I guess I should be prepared for whatever happens. It doesn''t take long before we reach our location. I poke my head around one of the corners to see three armed guards protecting a door to a bunker built right into one of the scrap heaps. ¡°We should wait for night before you go in.¡± Vince stands directly in the open next to me. ¡°I can¡¯t see well at night. I should go in now, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to march in there when we know for a fact there¡¯s over a dozen people inside? The best thing to do would be to find cover and watch for a few days. Get an idea on how many of them there are in total, and strike when not many are home.¡± ¡°You want me to leave Corax in there for days? Who knows what they¡¯re doing to him in there!¡± It takes a lot to not be so loud as to alert the guards. ¡°Alright Little Blue, at the end of the day it¡¯s your call. However, I would like for you to live just a little longer.¡± ¡°You were less manipulative when you were alive.¡± I creep away from the edge and spend a few minutes scouting out every pile that would have sight of the entrance. I guess just about everywhere would work for hiding, with half my plates missing I can really blend in as discarded scrap. It doesn''t take long for me to decide on a spot. There¡¯s what looks like a half crumpled car about halfway up one of the piles with just the hood and very tip of the windshield poking out around the corner. The body of the car is just out of sight of the guards. It should be easy to climb into without being seen, and to crawl into the driver''s seat. I¡¯ll have great cover, and a greater view. It turns out climbing up loose collections of scrap metal is pretty precarious, especially when a single of my revealed wires or coolant tubes getting snagged on any of the thousands of sharp pieces could very easily lead to my death. Vince of course has no problem heading up before me, but I¡¯m left carefully testing every hand and foothold before putting my weight on them. It takes quite a while for me to make the precarious climb and drag myself through the blown out back window. The inside of the car is absolutely full of sand up to the windows, but there¡¯s just enough space for me to drag myself up between the front two seats. Vince sits casually, with his legs crossed on the hood of the car, bowl of food in hand. ¡°Did you know you get to eat whatever you want when you¡¯re dead? I haven¡¯t had this cereal in 30 years.¡± ¡°You could have helped me up.¡± I grumble. ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t. Incorporeal, remember?¡± Right. ¡°Then how did you help me up from that hiding spot?¡± ¡°Just because you think you saw something, doesn''t mean it happened.¡± He says casually. ¡°That¡¯s kind of how hallucinations work.¡± ¡°How am I even supposed to tell? Every memory I¡¯ve had feels so real. Even you sitting here feels real. I can¡¯t just spend every moment doubting what I¡¯m seeing.¡± ¡°Fair enough I suppose, just thought it was something important to think about.¡± He goes back to enjoying his cereal. We sit there in silence for a while, watching the three guards standing lazily at the mouth of their base. Every moment my anxiety is growing. They could be doing anything to him in there, and my mind just keeps filling with endless possibilities. ¡°I¡¯m going in. Don¡¯t try to stop me.¡± I tell Vince and start my quick descent. It¡¯s a whole lot easier than going up. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on it. I¡¯ll letcha know if I see anything you ought to know. And I¡¯ve got your back if you start to break down.¡± ¡°Thanks Vince. Just make sure Kara and the others don¡¯t make it to me and I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°What, you think Ivy and Cassie would lose a fight?¡± Vince sounds almost insulted. ¡°I can think of one they lost.¡± I say grimly. ¡°Alright Little Blue, no need to get that dark. Just go kill some people and get your friend back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan.¡± I jump the last few feet to the ground and heft my pipe in my hand. Here we go again. Chapter 52 Don''t think, just act. I creep my way around the mountain the base is built into. I get as close as possible to the guards without being seen. When I¡¯m finally in position, I¡¯m only a few feet away from the nearest one. There¡¯s a small bit of glass I can see the reflection of the nearest guard in. I just have to wait for him to turn his head. ¡°Hey John, are you feeling alright after last night?¡± He turns his head to ask. I dive out of my hiding spot and bring the pipe down on his head. He never gets his answer. Don¡¯t think about what I¡¯m doing, just focus. Just move. Just act. The guard nearest to me doesn''t even have time to react. He just stares, mouth wide in horror. I end him before he can even scream. The third hefts his rifle and begins to yell as loud as he can. I rush forward, if a single bullet hits one of my coolant lines I¡¯m a dead girl walking. I reach out with the pipe, connecting with the very tip of the barrel and knocking it out of the way just before he fires. The shot goes off harmlessly into the ground. I make sure he doesn''t get a second shot. In under a second, three guards have been reduced to none. Don¡¯t think, just act. I can faintly hear the sounds of boots running up stairs from inside the front door. I guess subtlety is out of the question now. Grabbing one of the rifles off the ground I dive into cover next to the door. The door slams open, but before anyone can step out I lean the rifle around the corner and unload the entire magazine. I can feel the recoil of every shot, each and every one is a potential end to a life. A small tremor goes through the ground as person after person drops. Only when the gun begins to click empty do I stop. Don¡¯t think, just act. I grab a second rifle and turn the corner. Even if anyone survived that onslaught, I know I¡¯m faster. Luckily the only people on the stairwell are the dead and dying. Several of them moan, crying out as their life force leaks from a half dozen holes I carelessly placed in them. I let them bleed, can¡¯t waste the ammo. I can hear yelling at the bottom of the stairs. The blood pooling at the final step and the corpse slowly sliding down gives away the fact that I¡¯m not dead. Just walking down the stairs might be suicide, there¡¯s got to be some way I can see what¡¯s happening before I go down. But equally, maybe it would be better to rush down right now? To get there before anyone has any time to prepare? ¡°Vince, can you check out down there?¡± I ask him quietly. He comes casually walking up from the bottom of the stairs. ¡°I can only see what you can, everything else is just a black void. Unless the world just ends down here, you¡¯re on your own, Little Blue.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Looks like I¡¯m just charging down the stairs wildly. I sprint down the stairs, careful not to slip on any of the bodies or their fluids. The stairway lets out into an abandoned lobby. Surprisingly fine red couches, wooden tables, and an actual carpet fill the space. The second my foot touches the landing I hear a spark of electricity to my left. Out of the corner of my eye I see a person lunging for my chest with a cattle prod. A thick wire runs out the back of their head and snakes beneath a closed door. Their face is expressionless, their eyes empty of life, and their breathing calm. That doesn¡¯t stop them from attacking. Don¡¯t think, just act. I barely have time to get my rifle up in time to knock their cattle prod to the side. The electricity arcs through the weapon and into my hands. The pain is immense, the most I¡¯ve felt since my time stuck in the lab during a particularly nasty birthday. My arms begin to spasm wildly until I thankfully drop the rifle, severing the connection. I jump back, narrowly avoiding a second swipe. The prod sparks against the wall. What would even happen to me if I got hit? It¡¯s entirely possible such a surge of electricity would be immediately lethal. What do I even do? The harpoon! No idea if it¡¯ll connect to the wire if I aim at their skull, but I have to try. I dodge backwards for a third time, this one comes so close to connecting that the electricity arcs against my shirt, leaving small burns on Kara¡¯s gift. Fucker. Now it¡¯s personal. Somehow, my mind can¡¯t help but focus on the fact that my attacker has been entirely silent since they began their attack. Are they even real? I don¡¯t have time to worry about that. I unclasp the harpoon from my back and try to bring it up to head level. I¡¯m barely too slow. The electric prod hits my chest, sending both my body and mind into chaos. Every color and every shape overlaps my vision at the same time. It feels as if my body hits the ground over and over as the room spins. My ears ring with the loudest sound I¡¯ve ever heard. I stay that way for an eternity. Time has no meaning, there¡¯s no concept of me. I am what I feel, and I feel everything. Slowly the ringing, the shapes, the colors, the very universe begins to fade. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I return to reality curled into a ball on the floor and drenched in blood. A corpse with a metal spike driven into its chest lay atop me. Wires have crept up his neck, breaking the skin in several places and diving back inside as they¡¯ve searched for their goal. They weave themselves into the wire at the back of the corpse''s head. ¡°Fuck!¡± Everything I¡¯ve done hits me at the same time. I just killed them. I killed a lot of people. ¡°Little Blue! Blue! Focus girl!¡± Vince once again forces me to look into his eyes. ¡°Vince. What did I just- did I-¡± I can¡¯t begin to describe the atrocities I¡¯ve committed. ¡°Vince help.¡± I beg. ¡°Look at me.¡± He brushes some of my remaining hair out of my face. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time before someone else comes in. You need to keep going.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. Look at what I did! I¡¯m a monster.¡± ¡°Little Blue, we all have to be monsters sometimes. What matters is why. You¡¯re doing it to save your friends, that¡¯s not bad. All your friends are still alive in here.¡± He taps the side of my head. He means my brain, but doesn¡¯t know that¡¯s not where mine is. ¡°You couldn¡¯t save us the first time, but by living, you can keep everyone alive now. Same with Corax. You just have to keep moving, alright? If you can¡¯t keep going for you, then keep going for everyone, and for me. Alright? Can you do that?¡± He hands the cord connected to the harpoon to me. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± I don¡¯t feel any better, but he¡¯s right. Whatever I¡¯m going through, Corax is going through worse. I¡¯m not just fighting for me, my death means eight more. Even if five of them are trying to kill me. ¡°That¡¯s all I ask. I¡¯ll be right beside you the whole way.¡± I keep a rifle in hand, ready to shoot anyone who enters and plug myself in. Instead of the white void I¡¯m familiar with, I find myself overlooking a long, verdant valley. This is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen trees. They¡¯re tall, strong, and beautiful. Sounds of birds and insects fill the air, morning dew covers every leaf and blade of grass. In the center of the valley lies a lake of crystal clear water. A large island sits in the center, fields of wheat and orchards of apples cover the land. A castle at the center dominates everything around it. Grand walls of pure white marble and tall towers dwarf everything else on the island. The only way in is through a closed wooden drawbridge. It¡¯d be breathtaking, if I weren¡¯t focused on my body. A dozen skinless limbs jut out of my swollen torso at every angle. Large, malformed teeth prevent my jaw from closing. Heavy spiraling horns dig into my own scalp. Blood drips from my exposed muscles with every movement. It¡¯s excruciating. I¡¯m the monster I deserve to be. I drag my body towards the castle. Everything my body touches gets flash frozen and shatters into hundreds of needle sharp shards an instant later. Every shard digs deep into me with every movement. Behind me I leave a wake of destruction. Even here I ruin everything I touch. The birds stop singing when I get close to them. Of course they¡¯d fear a monster like me. I drag myself across the landscape for what feels like hours. Inching ever closer to the castle. I¡¯m on a time limit, no matter how much it hurts, I have to keep moving. I can only hope it¡¯s taking less time in the physical world. Vince joins me silently on my lonely precession. There¡¯s nothing for him to say, but I¡¯m glad he¡¯s here. I couldn¡¯t do this without him. Finally I arrive. A lake of water can¡¯t stop me, and they know that. The drawbridge drops open with a thud. Although, I¡¯m not lucky enough to be let in without a fight. At the other end stands a cloaked figure with wicked talons at the end of their arms and feet. A large raven¡¯s beak juts out of their hood, and shining faintly, are familiar eyes. They¡¯re feral and scared with no hint of recognition in them. Corax? I try to call out to him but my mangled mouth turns my cry into a weak moan. Corax rolls up the sleeves of his robe. A wave ripples through his feathers and dark light streams out of the gaps. Something shifts under them, across his skin. He waits for me to make the first move. Corax! It¡¯s me! I desperately try to cry. I don¡¯t want to fight him. I won¡¯t fight him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡± Vince pats one of my many shoulders. ¡°Just touch him, share who you are. Make him understand.¡± I¡¯m so tired. I can¡¯t even move. ¡°Come on Little Blue, you¡¯ve made it so far. Just one more task and you can rest.¡± Do it for him, right? ¡°Attagirl. Do it for him.¡± Don¡¯t feel, don¡¯t worry. Just move. I drag my heaping mass onto the bridge. The wood splinters beneath me, just like everything else. I drop a few feet and slam into the now frozen surface. Even being near me is enough to freeze the water solid. I¡¯m much more comfortable on the frozen ground. My nails can dig into the ice and my body naturally slides nearly frictionlessly. I can move, maybe I can touch him. Corax jumps off the bridge, stands on the bank, and raises his hand. His feathers ruffle and the dark light grows. A flock of ravens burst out from between his feathers and circle around him, a tornado of feathers and claws. With just a raise of his arm he commands his flock to attack. A hundred birds dive down, their wings skimming the clear ice of the lake. They come for me. I try to skate away on flailing arms but am just too slow. I dodge most of them, but a dozen beaks and claws rip free chunks of my flesh. My mind screams out in a pain that I must shut down. Every hit I take slows my thoughts, I can¡¯t dedicate anything to processing how much pain I''m in. The flock comes back around, still ravenous for more of my blood. They won¡¯t stop until I¡¯m dead. I slam down on the frozen surface and wrench up a great chunk of ice to use as a makeshift shield. The ravens slam into it and I let myself slide backwards, closer to Corax. A sharp whistle comes from the bird man behind me and the ravens break off their attack. They return to their master and circle him once again. With another wave of his hand they rush again. I can¡¯t turn my shield to them before they slam into me, trying desperately to slow me down. I dig my claws into the ice and hold. I can feel my mind slipping with every cut and bite. I¡¯m going feral. Focus on only one thought. Get him. Touch him. No other thoughts. Nothing else matters. I drag myself through the cloud of shrieking knives. Vince¡¯s hand leads me, always just out of reach. Inch after inch I claw my way forward. My blood begins to freeze against my skinless body, both slowing me down and becoming my armor. After losing most of myself to the birds, Vince whispers a word in my ear. ¡°Jump.¡± I dive forward through the flapping wall. One thought dominates my mind. Touch him. Touch him. Chapter 53 I¡¯ve been warm and safe for so long, but I can feel it¡¯s my time to leave. The hard walls that were once so comforting are now choking me. I thrash with all the might my tiny body can manage. No matter how hard I fight, it feels like I¡¯m making no progress, but I know I¡¯m doing the right thing. Again and again I bash my head against the wall, until finally, it begins to give way. I call upon reserves of energy I never knew I had as the crack widens ever so slowly. Finally my head breaks the surface and I take my first wet, choking breath of air. I fought a wall and won. I blindly stumble out of the small hole I created and stand victorious. I¡¯m unstoppable. At least until my legs give out. I crash into the soft floor beneath me and cry out. My victory was short lived and so many new feelings are starting to hit me. The strongest is an all consuming feeling at the very core of my body. Something presses against my beak and sweet liquid flows down my throat, lessening but certainly not stopping the feeling. It retracts, stealing the sweet liquid from me. More! More! I cry into the black void. Other voices slowly join my choir. None of them will get it, none of them deserve it. I cried out for it first. The liquid is mine and mine alone. As tired as I am I find yet more strength to stand tall, to ensure all the voices are below me. Occasionally I¡¯m rewarded for my effort. It¡¯s never enough. I need more. The voices below me start to settle down one by one. I try to stay strong, but something heavy keeps pulling me down. Not even the sweet liquid can stop my legs from giving out. I rest only for a moment before forcing myself back to my feet. Again and again I repeat these motions. Eventually my eyes open. Large, beautiful beasts with glittering metal on their legs sit atop me and the other voices. No, not voices. They look just like me, only weaker, frailer, uglier. Nothing changes now that I have my vision. I know the sweet liquid comes from the beasts, but still my only focus is on quenching the ever present need for more. Late one night, when the beasts are gone, the nest begins to rock. A howling storm of stinging rain and cutting sand threatens to toss both the others and myself from our safety. It is not yet time to leave these walls. We grab the nest with all our might until a mighty crack shoots through the barren branch and we begin to fall. The others scream as we fall. I¡¯ve seen the large beasts take to the sky and I flap my wings wildly, trying to imitate them. I¡¯m tossed from the nest and begin to fly, the wind rushing through my wings as I glide gracefully through the air. My dreams are once again crushed as I slam into the ground. A second crack sends mind shattering pain shoots through my wing. My world goes black as I thankfully collapse. When I come to there¡¯s another beast standing above me, this one is far larger than the ones who fed me, and completely void of the beautiful black feathers. He¡¯s gently holding me down with hands as big as I am and is slowly wrapping my wing with some sort of white object. I should be afraid right now, but I can feel he has no ill intentions towards me. I stare up at him while he works. He calls a cry of his own, more complicated than anything I''ve ever heard the others call. It¡¯s soft and soothing with several distinct sounds repeated over and over, seemingly at random. It¡¯s entrancing. Finally he finishes and places me gently on my feet. My wing is stiff and I can¡¯t move it, but it hurts much less. He immediately gets to work on several of the others, they look to have much less impressive injuries compared to mine. The others yell and squirm while the creature helps them the same way he helps me. Why are they afraid? Can¡¯t they feel this beast means us no harm? He keeps trying to soothe them with his calls but makes no progress. Once he finishes with them he feeds us all an even sweeter liquid than before, and he feeds me until the burning need for more subsides. This beast is much better than the others. The large beast eventually places us all in a warmer nest than I¡¯ve ever had before. The lights suddenly go out and the large beast leaves with another call. Though some of the others call out during the night, I sleep peacefully. The beast returns with the light, bearing yet more liquid. While the others are still afraid, I watch him intently throughout the day. He messes with a great many small shiny trinkets throughout this small room. I can¡¯t tell what the goal is for anything that he does, but I will understand. He sets up an area just for us in our room, a large cozy area off the ground. It¡¯s not the safe walls of the nest, but these will do. He even adds a high perch with an excellent view of the table he does his work on, just for me. This goes on for days. He leaves just before the light leaves, and his arrival signals the arrival of both the light and morning food. I¡¯ve started to understand some of his calls. ¡°Good morning Oculus.¡± He calls to me before my morning meal. ¡°Hello.¡± I respond back to him.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. His eyes widen and he calls back to me more that I don¡¯t understand. I cock my head at him to signal my confusion, as I¡¯ve often seen him do. He calls to me one last time before giving me my morning meal and heading to the others. ¡°Good morning Squeaker.¡± ¡°Good morning Raptor.¡± ¡°Good morning Backhoe.¡± ¡°Good morning Goopy.¡± None of the others respond to his calls, but they do greedily accept the liquid he provides. They seem to be learning to trust the large creature, or at least they no longer bite him. I climb up the ramp to my perch and prepare for another day. I will understand. I feel I must. Today, a realization hits me. ¡°Hello! Hello!¡± I cry to get his attention. He turns to me immediately, calling out and tilting his head. He wants to understand too. ¡°Oculus.¡± I tap my own chest with my beak. I climb down and head to the others. ¡°Raptor, Squeaker, Goopy, Backhoe.¡± I point to each of the others in turn. Finally I point to him and tilt my head. ¡°Gabriel.¡± He points to himself. His face is much harder to read than the others. ¡°Hello Gabriel.¡± I say to him. He calls something back to me that I once again don¡¯t understand before heading back to his work. He¡¯s started building something. A small dome about the size of my head with thin, long, sharp rods coming off the outside of it. What is it for? After hours of tinkering and several for feedings he prepares to leave. ¡°Goodnight everyone.¡± ¡°Goodnight Gabriel.¡± I think he¡¯s happy whenever I talk. He does this thing with his mouth that I can neither describe nor mimic. The next day Raptor tries to fly. He jumps off the ledge we¡¯re sitting on with his wings spread wide, flapping wildly. He glides roughly to the ground, but can¡¯t get any lift. Gabriel picks him up and places him back, only for Raptor to jump once again. He fails again and again, but eventually, manages to fly across our room. The others take after him and try flying for themselves. No work gets done while the others learn, but Gabriel seems to enjoy himself none the less. My wing still isn¡¯t free, but I¡¯m content where I am. Unlike the others I don¡¯t feel the need to fly, however, when Gabriel passes by my perch I hop onto his shoulder. If the others are trying something new, then I¡¯ll do something much more impressive. His perch moves around quite a bit while he helps the others, but it¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t handle. Plus when he gets too rough a quick nip of his ear sets him right. Over weeks the others get skilled at flying while I spend every day perched on Gabriel¡¯s shoulder. He talks to me constantly, trying to teach me the secrets of his calls. It¡¯s slow going, but I begin to pick up on his meanings. Even after a long time of living like this, my wing remains wrapped up. I get the feeling It¡¯ll never heal fully, but I¡¯m not worried. I feel like it¡¯ll be fine regardless. I eventually learn to help Gabriel, grabbing him whatever he asks for. He sometimes moves to get a larger tool instead of asking me for it, and I have to tug on his ear. How would he ever live without me? He¡¯s moved on from creating his dome and we have begun creating an intricate contraption of interlocking gears. ¡°What building?¡± I ask him after bringing him yet another gear. ¡°Hopefully, your future. The world has been ending for years, and food is getting rarer every day. Some crazy research got leaked and it might be the thing that saves everyone.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well, we build new bodies for everyone and put all of you in there. You won¡¯t need to eat, and we can all live forever. Plus you should be able to fly with a new body.¡± ¡°Safe?¡± I ask. ¡°I think you mean ¡®is it safe?¡¯ And the answer is no, but just being alive right now isn¡¯t safe. Food is running out, it¡¯s this or starve.¡± ¡°You?¡± ¡°I what?¡± Gabriel asks. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll get it if I wait. ¡°Am I going to undergo the surgery too?¡± I give a small nod. ¡°Of course, but I think it¡¯s better for you five to go first.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why? Because if I go first and something goes wrong, then I can¡¯t take care of all of you.¡± I can take care of myself. Does he not realize that I¡¯m basically taking care of him right now? He asks me for help so often that there¡¯s no way he could survive without me. We work together for months apparently, whatever that is. It certainly feels like a long time. I¡¯ve grown an incredible amount, I¡¯m now larger than the beasts who once fed me, and with much more beautiful, pitch black feathers. The others have grown quite a bit as well, but none of them can match myself. My feeling about my right wing never healing came true. I still have to wear the splint to avoid more pain when I try to catch my balance, but even so I¡¯m still greater than the others. The storms outside just keep getting worse. Gabriel has to sleep with us more often as the days pass. I can feel how stressed he is, but I¡¯m very good at keeping him focused. It takes quite a long time to build all five robotic others. The machines are so complicated that I¡¯m sure Gabriel doesn''t even understand them fully. I do of course, I built them after all. Every day that we¡¯ve worked on them, however, I¡¯ve grown more certain that this will not turn out well. I trust Gabriel of course, and he certainly means the best for us, so I¡¯m trying to keep my worry under control. ¡°Today¡¯s the day Oculus!¡± Gabriel announces as he throws open the door in the morning. ¡°Are you excited?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t be like that. I know it¡¯s scary, but how many times have we been over everything? Everything¡¯s perfect, nothing can go wrong. Just trust me, alright?¡± It¡¯d be so much easier to tell what he was feeling if he emoted as clearly as I do. ¡°Trying.¡± ¡°Good! Now, do you want to go first, or should we try and convince one of your siblings?¡± ¡°Me.¡± I¡¯m the only choice. None of the others would know what to do if something went wrong. I¡¯m not even sure they know what¡¯s happening. ¡°Why wait then? Are you ready now?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± The worried feeling in my stomach keeps getting worse, but I push through. Me and Gabriel know what we¡¯re doing. I climb down his sleeve and perch inside the machine we¡¯ve built. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°No. Go.¡± Gabriel pushes a button on the machine and metallic arms gently hold me in place. I can¡¯t wiggle any part of my body even an inch. Gabriel straps a cap to my head and drops a sheet between me and the others. ¡°See you in a minute, Oculus.¡± The world goes dark. Chapter 54 My brain hurts, but that means I¡¯m alive. It feels like my entire body has been scrambled, as if every nerve has been hooked up to a random part of my body. I try and lift up my head and a dozen different muscles contract and expand randomly with a great whirring sound. My mind isn¡¯t any better. I feel pain, every artificial nerve screaming out for attention. And that pain is the only emotion I feel. There¡¯s no more excitement, no more fear, no more hope. Only pain. For agonizing hours I sit there, trying to move, to rewire my very brain to handle this new body. Ever so slowly I begin to understand. I focus as hard as I can through the pain on one part at a time. I try to move random bits until my talon curls, my beak opens, my wing lifts. Slowly but surely I adapt. My nerves quiet and with all my focus I stand. At some point it¡¯s as if a switch is hit and my pain disappears, only to be replaced by a burning anger. I open my eyes for the first time and see him looking worryingly at me. Why is he worried? He did this to me. This is what he wanted. ¡°Are you ok, Oculus?¡± He pretends to care. ¡°Angry.¡± Some part of my brain knows I shouldn¡¯t be, but the anger won¡¯t leave. A small feeling deep inside me is the only thing that keeps me from climbing up there and pecking out his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± I¡¯m better than this. I can¡¯t be controlled, even by myself. I was the first out of the egg, the first to be fed, the first to trust and the first to talk. How dare he curse me with this. I can picture myself getting my revenge. It¡¯d be so easy, and it¡¯d feel so good. Gabriel reaches out to touch me and I lash out, taking a chunk out of his finger with my razor sharp beak. Blood sprays out, covering my new, beautiful metallic feathers in red. Gabriel pulls his hand back and yells loudly in pain. I was right, it does feel good to get revenge. I take a step forward and flap my wings, trying to leap at him. I¡¯m not used to my body enough to move like this, and miss. I go spiraling off onto the ground. I don¡¯t let that stop me and stumble towards his toes. Gabriel panics and jumps onto the table I just flew off of. ¡°Oculus! Oculus stop! What are you doing!¡± I look up at him clutching his bleeding finger and fear in his eyes. Fear of me. Why did I do that? What¡¯s wrong with me? My anger disappears in an instant and is replaced with a shame just as strong. ¡°Sorry.¡± I drop to the ground, unable to even pull together the energy to remain standing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, what happened?¡± He slowly climbs down onto the ground, ready to jump back onto the table at any moment. ¡°Nothing. Sorry.¡± I force myself to stand and hide myself at the back of a nearby table. Nobody should have to see me. ¡°Oculus, talk to me. What¡¯s going on?¡± Gabriel can still see me when he ducks down, but he keeps his distance. I don¡¯t respond, I don¡¯t deserve to respond. Not after what I did. What I am. Why didn¡¯t I trust my gut? I knew this would turn out poorly, and I did nothing to stop it. The only small comfort is that I didn¡¯t let the others go first. I stay there for days while Gabriel tries to coax me out. I¡¯m so deep in my sorrow that I barely notice his words. Over the course of those days my sorrow slowly fades until suddenly, as if another switch was pulled, it disappears, leaving me feeling nothing. I finally stand up and walk over to Gabriel to start climbing up his leg as if nothing ever happened. ¡°Oculus?¡± Gabriel looks down in surprise at me climbing him. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± He reaches down and offers me his finger instead of having to climb, which I take. Within a second I¡¯m perched on his shoulder just like I always was. ¡°Ok.¡± I respond. I¡¯m feeling nothing right now, but it¡¯s better than what I was. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I can tell he wants to ask more questions but doesn''t want me to react poorly again. Especially when I¡¯m on his shoulder. ¡°Machine bad.¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re not going to put the others through that.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Good.¡± I can feel he still believes that this technology could save people, but I know none of the others are as strong as me. They would not survive. From here Corax¡¯s memories become fragmented, as if his subconscious is resisting reliving these memories. I¡¯d be fine with him keeping his past to himself, but I¡¯m unable to stem the flood of his memories into my mind. I catch glimpses of him and Gabriel working together to blunt his emotions, and to get used to only feeling one at a time. Though Corax relapses sometimes, just like me, he makes quick progress. Then comes the memories he fights the hardest to keep to himself. I catch enough glimpses to piece together a timeline of events. Storms come more and more often, and even when Gabriel can leave, he always comes back with less food. He gives everything he could to the birds, even at the expense of himself. I see him growing thinner with every new flash of memory. Finally a storm comes, large enough to entirely bury the building they¡¯re in. Corax can feel a growing certainty. They will not survive the storm. ¡°Oculus, come here.¡± Gabriel calls to me with barely enough strength to stay awake. I fly onto his shoulder, knowing this will be the last time we talk. There¡¯s nothing to say and nothing I can do can change the inevitable. With the last of his strength he reaches one finger to the back of my neck. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to see this, sorry.¡± The memory ends. The next time I awaken I¡¯m outside, for the first time since I hatched. I know everyone is gone. ¡°Hey boss! Take a look! This one works!¡± A man cries from above me. I don¡¯t wait to see any more. I take off with one powerful sweep of my wings and ascend into the great blue. The man tries to grab me but he¡¯s far too slow. I¡¯m on my own now, I¡¯m not going to be kept down by anyone. I glide far above the barren earth. In the distance I can see storms of sand and lightning, they¡¯re easy enough to avoid however. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m going, just that I need to go. It¡¯s that or think about what happened, and I can¡¯t do that alone. If I fall into a sad emotion, I won¡¯t be able to pull myself out of it. After days of travel I can feel my energy beginning to wane. Not having a way to recharge myself is one of Gabriel¡¯s biggest oversights. Maybe if I fly long enough I¡¯ll find a way to fix his mistake. As the last of my power drains I finally come across a great land of scrap. Towering hills, far larger than the room I once called home, are laid out in front of me. I guess this is what I¡¯ve been looking for. If I¡¯m going to find a way to recharge myself anywhere, it¡¯d be here. As I search my wings no longer have the power to flap, and I gently glide down to the only people I can find. I don¡¯t have a good feeling about them, but it¡¯s my only choice. ¡°Battery.¡± I croak out as my consciousness begins to fade. ¡°Oh, Case is going to love you.¡± Corax¡¯s memories become twisted and distorted from there. Full of a primal anger and violence, just like the dog I met so long ago. Someone twisted him, turned him into a living weapon, a guard dog for a castle. The man responsible is ever on his mind, Case. Many people looking like him try to enter the castle, but no matter how many he kills, they keep coming. Corax knows a lot about him, more machine than man, he rules his castle with an iron fist. Any perceived slight against him and he turns you into a living processor. Fully conscious, but can do nothing except follow the commands of the machine you¡¯re tied into. Corax¡¯s memories return to normal just a little after he escaped. The only flashes of memory that exist from his escape is a storm knocking out the power for a moment, then flashes of bullets and blood. I¡¯m free once again, free to roam and free to fly. I should leave, but something keeps me here. Some feeling telling me against all reason that it''s better to stay than to leave. Going against my feelings has only brought me pain. I make a small nest to hide in, and fly back into the air. I follow my gut like a compass, leading me in circles for much of the night. Finally, standing just outside a blown out concrete house with another human, I find what I¡¯ve been looking for. A woman with nearly pure white skin stands guard. Her movements aren¡¯t smooth like the other beside her, they have the subtle jerkiness I¡¯ve come to know with my own body. She¡¯s like me. I cry out in relief without thinking, only to quickly stop. The ones who captured me are likely still searching. I observe her all night, listening, learning. The one she¡¯s with goes inside, only to be replaced with another. I need to be prepared, to know all I can about them. I don¡¯t doubt my feeling, but just rushing in is sure to go poorly. Night turns to day and yet I still watch from my hidden perch. In the morning one of them runs off, only to return a little later. Four of them prepare for something while the fifth runs off once again. She returns with many men in tow, leading them to the slaughter. Even from here I can feel my goal¡¯s discomfort. She runs around the back of the house, unaware of the single man who broke off from the rest to come from behind. She kills him. The runner comes to check on her, only to be shot as well. My goal runs off while the runner looks more angry than hurt. I follow my goal just a little down the paths, only to see her fighting ghosts in her mind. Perhaps she¡¯s not the one I¡¯m looking for, she¡¯s too unstable. I must have misread my feelings, I must be searching for another. Deep into the night I follow my gut. It still demands I stay, but offers no direction. A net fired from a hidden gun atop a scrap mountain envelops me. My wing breaks on the ground once again. Three men surround me, men I recognize, I can see the anger in their eyes. I¡¯m saved by my goal. One or both of our subconsciousness decide to end it there and I return to my own body. I lay in the frozen grass in front of the castle. My body is no longer a monster. I¡¯m myself, but with large chunks of my back and limbs still missing. Corax stands above me, fury in his face, but no longer directed at me. ¡°Corax?¡± I choke out in a half conscious state. ¡°Blue. Unplug. Safe soon.¡± He pulls a map out of his pocket of the bunker my physical body is in. It shows a path to where Corax is plugged into whatever mainframe is down here. He turns without another word and heads into the castle. Chapter 55 I return to my physical body. My mind is so fried I can barely think. It takes a nearly insurmountable amount of effort just to stay conscious, much less to move. Only an instant later the door in front of me opens, another person with a wire coming out of the base of their skull steps in with their weapon pointed at me. This is it. I can barely move, much less fight. They drop to the ground like a marionette with their strings cut, only to stagger back to their feet an instant later. They draw their pistol and shakily turn it on themselves. They pull the trigger, painting the ceiling red. From deeper within the compound I can hear the sound of gunfire echoing through the walls. Every time the fighting ends with a single pistol shot followed by silence. This must be Corax¡¯s doing. I stagger to my feet, using the wall for support. He saved me, I have to save him. I don¡¯t even bother to pick up a pistol, fighting is out of the question in my current state. I slowly work my way through room after room. Each and every one is freshly painted red. I try to keep my eyes on the ceiling. Even though that too is painted with blood, it¡¯s better than seeing bodies. Cameras watch me every step of the way. Corax eagerly awaiting his freedom. His map leads me to a large central room. Every cord for the human puppets originates from a large blinking tower in the center. A half dozen metal chairs sit in a circle around it, each one once had a drone in it. Those six killed over a dozen men and women, as well as one man in the back sitting upon a golden throne. Corax¡¯s physical body sits on the man¡¯s lap with a dozen wires coming out of him. I wonder why he couldn¡¯t have freed himself? I stagger my way across the battlefield and cradle Corax in my arms. I had no idea he¡¯s been through so much. He¡¯s so much younger than I thought. I carefully unplug him from the machine. The instant the last cord comes out his eyes snap open. Once he realizes it¡¯s me he closes them again and cozies into my arms. The gears inside of him whirr with happiness. I let myself carefully drop onto the steps of the throne and finally relax as well myself. Corax is safe. My friends are alive. Everything is going to be ok. ¡°Do you prefer Corax or-¡± I start to ask before he cuts me off. ¡°Corax.¡± He responds before I could even finish. ¡°Friends alive.¡± ¡°I saw.¡± My mind is too shattered to properly be excited. That¡¯s ok though, I have a whole lifetime ahead of me to be relieved. ¡°Old friend¡¯s deaths not your fault.¡± He continues. ¡°I¡¯ll try and believe that.¡± One question bubbles to the surface of my mind. One potential scarier than any other. ¡°I didn¡¯t hallucinate Lucas saying he¡¯d be back, did I?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Oh thank goodness. Hopefully we''ll be going home soon then.¡± Assuming they still want me back. I wouldn¡¯t blame them if they don¡¯t though. Corax¡¯s whirring increases in volume as a response. ¡°Thank you Corax, by the way. For everything.¡± ¡°Don''t. Smug.¡± ¡°Right, sorry.¡± I¡¯d hate to rip him out of the happy feeling he¡¯s in. There¡¯s nothing left to say. We know each other on a level nobody else can. We¡¯ve experienced each other''s lives, anything we could talk about we already know the answer to. I close my eyes and just enjoy his company. Hours later gunshots ring out in the distance. It sounds like it¡¯s coming from just outside the bunker. I grab a pistol off the floor. I could try to protect Corax with my body, but he would never let me do it. ¡°Shh, people.¡± Sure enough, Corax springs to attention and climbs onto my shoulder. He¡¯s ready to fly at a moment''s notice to rip out the eyes of any attacker. Whoever was fighting begins to head into the bunker. The closer they get, the more distinct their footfalls sound. Four people, one nearly silent save for an echo of metal on metal. Corax seems to come to the same realization as I did and he relaxes. Four people rush into our room with their weapons raised. My smile drops when I see what a state they¡¯re in. Vince is subtly swaying, as if he¡¯s dizzy. Ivy has dirty bandages showing through her ripped shirt and is only putting weight on her right side. Cassie is only using one arm, the other is held uselessly against her body. And Lucas¡¯ eyes are deeply recessed, as if he hasn¡¯t slept in days. We just stare at each other, saying nothing. Are they even real? I look to Corax who gives a small nod. They¡¯re really here. I stand up and walk slowly towards them. Though they lower their weapons, they remain in their hands, just in case. I can¡¯t blame them of course. Seeing what I was like from Corax¡¯s point of view was horrifying.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I hand the pistol to Cassie, a silent apology for what I did. She puts hers away and takes it gently out of my hand. I wrap my arms around her, holding her close. I wish I had the tears to show her how sorry I am. She stiffens for a moment, before returning the hug as best she can with only one arm. She¡¯s alive. She¡¯s real. ¡°Sorry I killed you.¡± My voice comes out as a shaky whisper. ¡°Shut up.¡± She releases her hug and takes a step back. ¡°Go hug Vince you idiot.¡± I turn to him and bury my face in his shirt. He freezes as well, as if waiting for something. ¡°Not your fault.¡± Corax tells him from my shoulder. That seems to kick him back to reality and he embraces me. I can feel his tears silently landing on the top of my head. ¡°Sorry I thought I killed you two as well. I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I have to say I¡¯m pretty relieved too.¡± Ivy says with a smile. ¡°Is nobody going to ask who the bird is?¡± Lucas seems entranced by him. ¡°Corax.¡± He responds. ¡°Oh right! Sorry.¡± I break away from the two of them. ¡°He¡¯s¡­¡± I look to him for permission to continue. He nods. ¡°He¡¯s like me. An AI. Him and ghost Vince are the only reasons I¡¯m here.¡± I can see Cassie desperately wants to say something, but is holding her tongue for now. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll talk about it soon with Vince. ¡°Ghost Vince?¡± Lucas asks. ¡°It¡¯s a long story and my mind is barely working right now.¡± I wait a moment before asking the scariest question. ¡°Can we go home?¡± ¡°Sure Little Blue. We can go home.¡± Vince finally finds his voice. Even now he¡¯s still on the verge of tears. ¡°Cassie, get her to the car and bring it around front. Lucas, you¡¯re with me, start scrapping this place. Ammo and electronics first, scrap second. Ivy¡¯s on lookout. I want us heading home within the hour.¡± ¡°Ay-ay!¡± Lucas hops to work carefully taking apart the tower in the center of the room. I dutifully follow Cassie out of the room. ¡°Can I lean on you?¡± I ask once I¡¯m out of Vince¡¯s sight. ¡°I didn¡¯t want him to see how bad I am. I barely have the mental capacity to walk.¡± ¡°Whatever, come here.¡± She hooks her working arm under my arms and lets me lean heavily on her. It¡¯s a little awkward with how short she is, but we make it work. Just outside the bunker more bodies lay on the ground. I¡¯m sure I wasn¡¯t the one who killed them. They must have been headed back to the bunker when Vince and the rest arrived. They saved my life again. Luckily it¡¯s a surprisingly short walk to the car and within 10 minutes I collapse into the passenger seat and shut my eyes. I need to do anything I can to lessen the mental load on my mind. ¡°So you really found another AI, huh?¡± She asks me as the car begins to roll. ¡°Yeah. He saved me.¡± ¡°Great. Hell, we¡¯re all already dead if anyone figures you out. What are they going to do? Kill us twice? Just make sure he knows the stakes.¡± ¡°Done.¡± Corax says from my shoulder. ¡°We lived through most of each other''s lives. He knows everything I do.¡± ¡°Fuck, AI are weird. Oh, here.¡± She takes her hand off the wheel to grab a book from her backpack and tosses it into my lap. ¡°We were going to use this to bring you back to reality. If you¡¯ve got any weirdness still in you, give it a read.¡± I open my eyes and look down at the poetry book in my hands. It¡¯s the same poetry book I read with her so long ago. ¡°Thanks. I don¡¯t think I need it right now, but I appreciate it.¡± ¡°Just make sure you keep it close in the future.¡± Her tone makes it clear that she¡¯s worried about me. I keep the book in my hands as I relax once again. Having it this close is nice. Cassie drives us to the bunker without any further conversation, which I¡¯m happy for. Thinking still hurts. She hops out to help the others and Ivy takes her place. ¡°Doing alright?¡± Ivy asks. No matter how hard she¡¯s trying to keep her voice casual, worry still creeps into the edges. Although maybe that¡¯s intentional. ¡°Yes. I just need rest.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop you.¡± An hour later on the dot the car is full of the most valuable bits from the bunker and we head out. Someone even grabbed all my warped skin plates from the bus. Hopefully they¡¯re not too damaged and Sonia can reattach them when I get home. I never thought I¡¯d get to go home. The thought nearly overwhelms the small amount of processing power I still have available. Nobody feels the need to talk, there will be plenty of time for that later, when everyone is feeling better. Corax has no intention to watch the world slowly roll by. The view from the car is nothing compared to seeing the glittering sand from far in the sky. Instead, he silently demands I make a little nest for him with my legs. I happily oblige. Not long into the drive Lucas passes around some oat bars and water. They definitely need the food, and everyone finishes within a minute of being handed the bars. As the drive continues I slowly recover. It¡¯ll take a few days to get back to normal, but having my eyes open is no longer too much for me. ¡°Feeling a little better, Little Blue?¡± Vince asks once he notices I¡¯m looking around. ¡°Getting there. I just need a few days and I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Alright, good. I think we¡¯re all feeling the same way.¡± After only a few hours of driving, the city begins to peek over the dunes. The faintly glowing blue dome is proof that we¡¯ve made it. We¡¯re here. We¡¯re home. A faint electric charge passes over me as we enter, signaling our safety. Once we park I hop out of the car. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± I announce to everyone. There¡¯s one thing I need to do before anything else. ¡°Alright Little Blue. Meet me in my room when you¡¯re done.¡± Vince responds. More heads than ever turn as Corax and I walk through the compound. I don¡¯t care, I¡¯m just glad to be here. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll talk, but Vince and Ivy can come up with a lie for me. I head inside and head downstairs towards Hummingbirds Lab. I let myself in. It¡¯s luckily abandoned. ¡°Trochilidae on.¡± I call out, only for nothing to happen. Right, Hummingbird blacklisted my voice. ¡°Corax, can you?¡± ¡°Trochilidae on.¡± He calls out in a perfect imitation of Hummingbird¡¯s voice. The screen blares to life, displaying a sad, slouching woman with long blue hair. The instant she sees it¡¯s me she straightens up, her hair turning a bright yellow and bouncing into tight curls. ¡°Blue!¡± She cries out with happiness, moving so much it¡¯s impossible for her hair to stay still. ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you again! It¡¯s been far too long, and who¡¯s that little guy with you?¡± ¡°Corax.¡± Corax answers for himself. ¡°Wow! I¡¯ve never seen a droid in such a little body! It¡¯s so nice to meet you!¡± ¡°Hey Trochilidae?¡± I call out to her. There¡¯s so much I should say to her. First off I should apologize to her, but how to word it without trying to bring her to life? My mind settles on only a single sentence. ¡°Being alive isn¡¯t worth it.¡± Book 2 Chapter 1 ¡°Hello Blue.¡± Hummingbird enters the lab from a door along the back wall. Despite her short stature, her presence fills the room and my mind alike. ¡°Trochilidae, off.¡± ¡°But-¡± Trochilidae tries to argue before her screen goes dark. I can¡¯t deal with Hummingbird right now. My mind is so shattered that even standing uses an uncomfortably large portion of my thinking ability. I turn around to leave. ¡°Blue, before you leave. I trust that you remember what I told you last time?¡± If you mess with Trochilidae, I will call Silver and tell them you¡¯re a danger. You won¡¯t get a second chance, am I clear? How could I forget? Hummingbird doesn¡¯t say anything else as Corax and I leave the lab. Even though she didn¡¯t ask about him, I¡¯m sure she suspects Corax of being an AI. Even if she doesn¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to guess. What am I going to do when she tells Silver about him? Vince says he has a lot of sway with Silver, but who in their right mind would let two separate AI live with them? Whatever happens, I¡¯m not losing Corax. If that means both of us have to wander out into the sands, so be it. I just have to prepare myself for that. I make my way upstairs, trying my best to ignore the eyes following our every movement. Vince and Ivy probably already have some sort of cover for the two of us. Or maybe that¡¯s what Vince wants to talk to me about? Only one way to find out I guess. I knock on Vince¡¯s door. ¡°Come in.¡± Sure enough, his voice immediately comes from his room. I let myself into his cramped room. The room is missing any form of drawers or dressers, instead many shelves have been nailed into the walls. Clothes, weapons, and small trinkets are packed onto every shelf. A large bed dominates most of the floorspace, with a small box peeking out from under the bed. There¡¯s a mirror hanging on the wall, I do my best to keep my eyes off of it. I can¡¯t imagine how bad I look. Vince and Ivy are both sitting on the edge of his bed, waiting for me. His brown hair is still messy and unwashed, but he¡¯s changed his clothes. Ivy¡¯s long black hair looks as clean as ever, and she has it tucked behind her ears, revealing her artificial eye. Vince springs from the bed, pulling me into a tight embrace. I stiffen for just a moment, before returning his hug. Everything is alright. He¡¯s not mad about what I did. I let him take most of my weight, giving my mind a small break while I enjoy his embrace. Ivy waits patently, but eventually has to place a hand on his shoulder to get him to end the hug. He sits down on the bed without a word, leaving enough space for Corax and I to sit between him and Ivy. I take my seat and Corax hops off my shoulder, landing on the bed behind me. He lays down on the pillow, giving me time alone with them. ¡°Little Blue, I want to apologize.¡± Vince starts. His voice is a little hoarse. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about what happened.¡± I cut him off before he can continue. ¡°Corax and I don¡¯t blame you. I just want to relax and pretend that things are normal.¡± If anyone is at fault for what happened, it¡¯s me. I didn¡¯t veto the fight, I agreed to be there. ¡°We should get you fixed up first.¡± Ivy says from beside me before Vince can reply. ¡°You look a little raggedy.¡± Ivy begins to untangle my hair, but I can only feel her working on small patches of it. I finally look into the mirror, hating everything I see. I really made a mess of Kara¡¯s gift. Well over half of my skin plates have been ripped off, showing my true form. Just a tightly packed bundle of wires and cold steel. I don¡¯t even remember pulling my hair out, but most of it is gone. Only a few messy clumps of my once beautiful red hair remain. ¡°Here.¡± Vince¡¯s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. He pulls a backpack from the floor and places it next to me. ¡°Cassie dropped off your parts as soon as we arrived.¡± I open the backpack, only to be met with a few of Cassie¡¯s books sitting on top of dozens of my skin plates. I place the books gently behind me, setting aside the romance book I¡¯ve been reading. Nothing sounds better than diving back into that world right now. I can already see damage on the connector for every skin plate. I guess I¡¯ll have to be more careful the next time I have a mental breakdown. ¡°I¡¯ll fix it later. I just want to relax.¡± I carefully lower my head into Ivy¡¯s lap, making sure to not put any pressure on my exposed internals. The last thing I need is more damage. ¡°Ok, we can do that, but,¡± Vince starts gently. ¡°We need to talk about Corax.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to let anything happen to him.¡± I put as much seriousness into my voice as I can manage. That¡¯s weird. I would expect to hear Corax¡¯s internals whirr as he prepared for a fight. Instead, the only sound that comes from him is a quiet, content ticking noise. Does that mean he feels like Vince is going to be ok with him staying?This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I know! That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying.¡± Vince responds. I guess that answers that question. ¡°We just need to make sure he knows the stakes.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve lived most of each other¡¯s lives. He knows everything I do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Vince glances between Corax and I, as if he¡¯s waiting for us to laugh about our joke. I¡¯m not sure I have the mental capacity to joke right now. Only after a few seconds does he continue. ¡°Alright, I guess that makes things easier. He¡¯ll need to talk to Silver though.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Corax croaks from the pillow. He stands up, stretching his artificial limbs and flies at Vince, who tenses, but doesn¡¯t flinch away when Corax lands on his shoulder. ¡°Now.¡± He commands. ¡°Careful, if you¡¯re too slow he will bite.¡± I warn Vince. ¡°Ah, right. Guess I better get going then. See ya in a minute Little Blue.¡± The two of them disappear into the hallway. He would have flown onto my shoulder if he wanted me to join him. Ivy and I relax silently for a few minutes while she untangles my remaining hair. Only once she¡¯s done does she break the silence. ¡°So, tell me about your new friend.¡± ¡°I saved him and he brought me back to reality. Just be careful about what you say to him, he can only feel one emotion at a time.¡± There¡¯s so much more I could tell her about him, but I already know he doesn¡¯t want me to share his story. ¡°He¡¯s a mind rip then? Silver¡¯s going to hate that.¡± Ivy gives a small chuckle and a shake of her head. ¡°They¡¯re going to have to deal with it.¡± I don¡¯t have to try to put any emotion into my voice. I know Ivy will be able to pick up on my feelings regardless. ¡°I¡¯m not the one you have to convince.¡± Ivy moves my head to the bed before standing up and walking over to her dresser. ¡°Do you want new clothes?¡± ¡°I¡¯d overheat.¡± I say while shaking my head. That¡¯s halfway to a lie. Anything but the lightest of clothes would impact my cooling and risk me overheating, but equally, I can¡¯t wear anything but Kara¡¯s last gift. These clothes will be with me forever. ¡°I guess they should be washed though.¡± Bright red blood, still as fresh as ever, covers most of what was once a vibrant blue. ¡°Alright.¡± I reluctantly strip out of my clothes, gently folding them into a pile on the floor. I don¡¯t want to let them out of my sight, but I can trust Ivy. ¡°Do you want time alone? Or do you want to come drink with Cassie and me?¡± She asks gently. ¡°Cassie¡¯s injured. Should she be drinking right now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little late for that question, she started the moment we got in.¡± Ivy grabs a full bottle of alcohol from the endless shelves and heads to the door. ¡°Are you coming?¡± She turns back to me before exiting the room. ¡°Cassie doesn¡¯t like me.¡± It¡¯d be much easier for me to just stay here. ¡°Sure she does. Plus, you¡¯re the one who said you wanted to relax. This is relaxing.¡± I guess she¡¯s right. ¡°I¡¯d like to make sure Corax is ok first.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± She sighs with fake disappointment. ¡°But after that, you two are dragging Vince up here.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± By the time I stand up and reach the hallway Ivy is already disappearing into Cassie¡¯s room. I pass by on my way to Silver¡¯s office, catching only a snippet of their conversation. I don¡¯t want to snoop, but I can¡¯t help but overhear. ¡°Ooh, is that the good stuff?¡± Comes Cassie¡¯s voice. She¡¯s already slurring her words a tiny bit. ¡°Mm hm. Figured we should drink it before we get shot again.¡± Ivy responds, followed by a bottle popping open. ¡°Hell, if this is the reward I get, I should get shot more!¡± I finally reach the stairs and get out of earshot. With every step my worry for Corax¡¯s safety grows. I keep having to tell myself that he¡¯s with Vince, and Vince would never let him get hurt. Luckily the compound isn¡¯t very busy right now, most people are still out collecting scrap. It doesn¡¯t take long to reach the ground floor where Oscar sits at the reception desk in front of Silver¡¯s room. Did anyone ever tell him I¡¯m alive? Probably not, I have to pretend to just be an android. ¡°Is Vince in Silver¡¯s office?¡± I ask, trying to keep my voice as neutral as possible. I¡¯m sure it didn¡¯t work though. ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± Oscar seems taken aback by me. Of course he¡¯s surprised, I¡¯ve seen just how scary I look. I hate this feeling, I don¡¯t want to be a monster. ¡°May I go in?¡± ¡°Let me check.¡± Oscar types a few words into his computer. ¡°Go on in.¡± He says barely a moment after finishing typing. ¡°Thank you.¡± I walk through the door behind his desk, and my ears are met with the sounds of laughter. That¡¯s not what I expected. Silver is behind their desk as always, and Vince is sitting in a chair in front of it. Corax, on the other hand, is standing proudly on the desk. The second I close the door behind me, he flies to my shoulder. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± I ask Corax. ¡°Funny.¡± He responds. ¡°You would not believe how well these two get along.¡± Vince informs me, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. ¡°What? How?¡± I ask Corax, knowing he won¡¯t answer. I¡¯ve never heard him say more than a few words at once, how can he make jokes? ¡°Goodbye.¡± Corax says to Silver, ignoring my question. ¡°Goodbye Corax.¡± Silver¡¯s face quickly changes from friendly to serious as they turn their attention to me. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve returned, Blue, make sure you keep him with you. And get repaired before you scare Oscar again.¡± With that, Silver returns to their computer as if I was never there. ¡°Alright Little Blue, guess we should get going.¡± Vince pushes himself out of his chair. He¡¯s still a bit unsteady on his feet. ¡°Ok. Ivy said we¡¯re supposed to drag you to Cassie¡¯s room.¡± ¡°Already? Guess we shouldn¡¯t keep them waiting then.¡± He says with a disbelieving shake of his head. Vince gestures for me to take the lead. The entire walk upstairs Corax keeps his eyes on Vince. I guess to make sure he doesn¡¯t escape? Seems a little unnecessary, but I appreciate the effort. It¡¯s not long before we reach Cassie¡¯s room. Time to pretend like everything is normal I guess. Book 2 Chapter 2 ¡°Shut the fuck up, he did not!¡± Cassie yells out just as I open the door. ¡°He did!¡± Ivy responds and the two of them burst out into laughter. ¡°Speak of the devil!¡± Ivy stands up and pulls both Vince and I into a hug. ¡°Glad you made it.¡± She whispers to me, although I¡¯m not sure why. Vince is close enough to hear, and Cassie can hear regardless. Vince follows her into the room, and I take a moment to take in everything. Cassie is wearing a shirt that¡¯s far too large for her small frame. Her right arm is still stuck in a sling and held tight to her body, and a shiny silver arm sits on the dresser. I guess that means her arm isn¡¯t going to heal. If I hadn''t freaked out she wouldn¡¯t have gotten injured. She¡¯s losing another limb because of me. I- ¡°Ow!¡± A sharp pain in my ear rips me out of my thoughts. Everyone¡¯s heads turn toward the two of us and their conversation comes to an abrupt end. ¡°You ok Little Blue?¡± Vince asks. ¡°Yeah, sorry. Corax was helping.¡± Corax gives me a nudge, silently urging me to enter the room. I step inside and close the door behind me. ¡°By biting you?¡± Cassie asks disbelievingly. ¡°I was stuck in my own thoughts.¡± I¡¯m sure that doesn¡¯t explain anything, but I¡¯m not exactly sure what else I can say. Corax puffs up on my shoulder, satisfied from his work being known. Cassie looks like she wants to say something, but instead drowns her tongue in a large gulp of beer. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be in the hospital?¡± I ask her. I¡¯m not exactly sure what happened to her, but I can''t imagine alcohol is the cure. ¡°Probably.¡± She gives a half-hearted shrug with her one functional arm. ¡°I have to wait for the swelling to go down before surgery though.¡± ¡°Lets try not to talk about what happened, and more importantly, where¡¯s Lucas?¡± Vince asks Cassie. ¡°Asshole chose his new boyfriend over us.¡± She responds. ¡°Can you really blame him?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°Of course I can! If I had a girlfriend I¡¯d drag her in here with us. You know he still hasn¡¯t introduced me?¡± As much as Cassie complains, her tone makes it clear she¡¯s not actually mad. ¡°He¡¯s probably embarrassed by you.¡± Ivy says happily. ¡°Shut up!¡± Cassie tosses an empty beer can in her direction while failing to hide a grin. ¡°Blue, hand me another.¡± She gestures to a small pile of beer bottles next to me. ¡°Ok. How do I open this?¡± Drinking wasn¡¯t important enough for Finn to add to my mind when I was born. Maybe I just twist the cap off? ¡°Just give me it.¡± ¡°But your arm-¡± ¡°What about it.¡± She cuts me off and jumps to her feet. She takes the beer from my hand before returning to her spot on the bed. In one quick motion she brings the bottle down, catching the cap on her leg and sending it flying off across the room. ¡°If I need help I¡¯ll ask for it.¡± She¡¯s angry at me, and she has every right to be. Of course she¡¯d be angry, especially after losing her legs. Why do I never think before I speak? Why am I so- Corax gives me a soft bite on my ear, gently bringing me out of my spiral. ¡°Sorry.¡± My apology comes out barely louder than a whisper. ¡°Just don¡¯t do it again.¡± Cassie refuses to look at me while she speaks. ¡°Anyway, are you good enough to drink yet Vince?¡± ¡°Nope. Still feel a little off.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ivy puts her hand comfortingly on Vince¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I won¡¯t let your drinks go to waste.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you won''t.¡± Vince gives a small chuckle. ¡°Even though you probably should.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just jealous.¡± ¡°Maybe a little.¡± The two of them begin quietly teasing each other in a private conversation. Ivy keeps glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. What does that mean? Does she want me to talk to Cassie? I can¡¯t imagine what else she would be trying to tell me. ¡°What¡¯s alcohol like?¡± I break the awkward silence between us. ¡°Fucking awful, and then fucking great.¡± She takes another drink. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It tastes like something died in your mouth. But after that? You¡¯re having too good of a time to care.¡± She takes another long drink to demonstrate. ¡°See? That was miserable, which means I need more.¡± ¡°You really voluntarily change how your mind works? Why?¡± I¡¯d give anything to have complete control over my mind. ¡°Because it¡¯s fun.¡± She says simply, refusing to elaborate. ¡°But isn¡¯t it dangerous? From what I¡¯ve read, addiction is a serious concern, and withdrawal can be lethal. Not to mention how awful hangovers seem.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°My job is dangerous too, at least this is fun.¡± She takes a second swig. I guess she has a point. ¡°Sit.¡± Corax says quietly in my ear. Vince, Ivy, and Cassie are all on the edge of the bed. There''s space next to Cassie, but she probably doesn''t want me sitting next to her. I lower myself carefully onto the floor. ¡°Blanket?¡± Corax asks Cassie. ¡°What?¡± She asks back. ¡°Do you have a blanket we could use?¡± I expand on his question. I''m not sure why I need to, he was pretty clear. ¡°Oh. Sure.¡± She puts her beer on her nightstand and tosses us a small blanket from behind her. I make a small nest from it between my crossed legs, which Corax immediately climbs into. After a few adjustments his quiet, content ticking noise begins once again. ¡°What is he doing?¡± I can''t hear anything other than curiosity in her voice. ¡°Cozy.¡± Corax responds. ¡°You sound like a cat, not a bird.¡± Corax¡¯s humming stops for just an instant while he processes that. It''s not long before he decides it''s not a problem and resumes his ticking. ¡°How do you know what cats sound like?¡± I can¡¯t imagine any animals surviving out in the sands. ¡°We had a few when I was a kid. Mean bastards, but cute I guess.¡± She takes another long swig of beer. ¡°Except for Griffin. He was sweet.¡± She must be referring to before she met Vince. How can she talk so casually about her old life? I can barely think about the lab without feeling sad. I kill that line of thought, I¡¯d hate to make Corax leave his comfy nest. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize any animals survived.¡± ¡°Of course they did. Rats thrive anywhere humans survive, and cats are a hell of a lot easier than setting mouse traps every day.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± I think she¡¯s getting more comfortable around me. She looks more relaxed at least, although that might just be the alcohol. Despite being a little more comfortable, she makes no effort to continue the conversation. ¡°I wish I could see one.¡± I say half to myself, half to try to keep the conversation going. ¡°Why?¡± Corax mumbles from my lap. ¡°Bird better.¡± That pulls a genuine laugh out of Cassie. ¡°Of course, but I want to know how much better you are.¡± I tell him. The last thing I want to do is to put him in a sad mood right now. Him being self centered is better than the alternative. He fluffs up his metallic feathers to show off and sinks deeper into the blanket. I reach down and begin to gently stroke his head exactly how he likes it. That, of course, only makes his ticking louder. We sit in silence for a few moments until Cassie continues the conversation. ¡°Only animals you¡¯ll find in this city are pets of the rich. They cost more money than any of us will ever see.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I can¡¯t keep the disappointment out of my voice. ¡°I had a dog in my early years.¡± Vince finally rejoins our conversation. ¡°Not sure I¡¯d still be here without him.¡± ¡°What happened to him?¡± I¡¯m sure I already know the answer, but I have to ask. ¡°He got too old for my lifestyle. He more than earned his retirement with an old friend on the gulf coast.¡± ¡°Wait, the oceans still exist?¡± A thousand questions and implications rush into my mind. Why not build this city there instead of the middle of nowhere? I guess there is water under the city, but it can¡¯t be more than an entire ocean. Maybe the power requirements to distill the seawater are too much? ¡°For a while they did.¡± Vince¡¯s voice rips my focus away from my thoughts. ¡°Took about a decade to start, but eventually the oceans started draining. Miles of ocean were lost every few hours, leaving behind endless salt flats littered with dead sea life. I was on the west coast at the time. Went to sleep with the ocean at my back, woke up to a ten mile hike for water.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awful.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not all bad.¡± Vince reassures me. ¡°Breakfast came easy that day, and there are some deep trenches where you can still find water. Pretty nice places to live from what I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°If you can get over the smell that is,¡± Ivy says. ¡°To this day the flats still smell like rotten fish.¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t that bad.¡± ¡°Lucas vomited last time we got 50 miles from the old coast.¡± Cassie reminds him. ¡°Ok, maybe they are a little bad. I¡¯m sure you could get used to it though.¡± ¡°What, already planning for when the city goes to shit?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°I have a lot of plans for a lot of things.¡± Vince shrugs. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first time I¡¯ve had to leave a burning city.¡± ¡°It better not be your fault this time.¡± Cassie teases him. ¡°What do you mean this time?¡± I ask. ¡°It¡¯s just a joke, Little Blue.¡± Vince reassures me with a gentle voice. An awkward silence settles over the five of us for just a moment, before Ivy breaks it. ¡°We all should probably eat something. Vince, would you mind helping me?¡± ¡°Sure. Be right back you three.¡± The two of them head out into the hallway, leaving Corax and I alone with Cassie. Starting one conversation was hard enough, how am I expected to start a second? We sit in silence for a few moments while I desperately search for a way to start one. Luckily, Cassie eventually saves me after finishing her beer. ¡°So, how are you doing?¡± She asks. ¡°Better, I think, thanks to Corax. I¡¯m not sure if I would have survived the bus without him.¡± ¡°Good. Make sure she stays that way.¡± Cassie orders the small bird in my lap. ¡°Getting shot once was enough for me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The memories threaten to flood my mind, only to be frightened away by a very scary raven biting my fingers. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I almost shot Vince once. I can¡¯t be too mad.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Mm hm. Our early days were rough. To make a long story short, we got into a fucked situation, and the dumbass let me sleep with a gun under my pillow. I had a nightmare, he tried to comfort me, and I put a bullet in the roof. Just learn to miss and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± If I can¡¯t trust my own eyes, how can I know when to miss? Maybe Corax can help? ¡°How are you?¡± I nod towards her arm. ¡°Oh this? You should see the other guy.¡± She halfheartedly jokes. ¡°That¡¯s actually his arm over there.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to know the full story.¡± ¡°Fair. Hand me another beer, would you?¡± I hand her another beer without opening it just as a knock on the door interrupts us. ¡°Cass? You in there?¡± Lucas¡¯ voice comes from the hallway. ¡°Lucas!¡± Cassie jumps to her feet and places her beer on her dresser in one smooth motion. She opens the door to reveal Lucas with a short man I¡¯ve never seen behind him. The unknown man has his hand sitting gently on Lucas¡¯ shoulder. He¡¯s far shorter than Lucas, but also looks far stronger. ¡°Hey, is Vince around? I need to talk to him.¡± ¡°And here I was thinking you were going to finally introduce me to Ethan.¡± ¡°Sorry, I will soon.¡± I can¡¯t figure out what emotions are in Lucas¡¯ voice. It¡¯s a mix I¡¯ve never heard from him before. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing. Him and Ivy are grabbing food. They¡¯ll be back any minute. Speak of the devil.¡± It takes a few seconds before I can faintly hear two people coming up the stairs. That must be them. ¡°Why does everyone keep calling me that today?¡± Vince¡¯s voice confirms my guess. ¡°Hey, can I talk to you?¡± Lucas turns to the hallway and asks. ¡°Of course. Ivy, can you take the food?¡± After a bit of shuffling, Ivy enters the bedroom and closes the door behind her. Book 2 Chapter 3 ¡°Well Cassie, what are they talking about?¡± Ivy asks not even a second after closing the door and putting her food on a table. ¡°Give it a minute! They¡¯re heading to the roof, but haven''t said anything yet.¡± After a silent minute of Cassie straining her ears she speaks again. ¡°Oh fuck no, this is not something I should be listening to.¡± ¡°Oh come on, like we¡¯ve never overheard anything private before.¡± Ivy complains. ¡°Veto, sorry.¡± Cassie messes with a small device on her bed for just a moment and starts playing loud music. The music makes it impossible to make out either of their words. All the sound melds into a mess of incomprehensible sound. I wonder if Corax has the same issue? He¡¯s never been in a situation where multiple people were talking before. I can catch a few words from trying to read their lips, but not enough to really understand what they¡¯re talking about. Every few minutes Cassie turns off the music, only to immediately turn it back on again. ¡°I think they¡¯re finally done.¡± Cassie announces after turning the music off a final time. ¡°Sounds like Vince is headed this way, but Lucas and Ethan are staying upstairs.¡± Ivy is pretending to be upset over Cassie not sharing what she overheard. Or at least I think she¡¯s pretending. It¡¯s kind of hard to understand how she¡¯s feeling since she started drinking. She springs to attention when the door begins to open. ¡°Alright everyone, I¡¯ve got some news.¡± Vince says as he enters. He waits half a moment to make sure nobody is going to say anything before he continues. ¡°Lucas wants to run with his boyfriend¡¯s group for a few weeks.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Cassie asks loudly. ¡°Last week was pretty rough.¡± Ivy says. ¡°What? No, I mean why the fuck didn¡¯t he tell us in person?¡± I¡¯ve never seen Cassie so insulted. ¡°He was worried about how you and Ivy would react.¡± Vince keeps his voice calm and level. ¡°Hey!¡± Cassie yells at Vince. ¡°I¡¯d react fine!¡± ¡°I get Cassie, but why me?¡± Ivy sounds offended. ¡°Hey!¡± Cassie turns her attention to Ivy. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll talk to you when you¡¯re sober. For now, just let him be, alright?¡± Vince asks both of them. ¡°Fine, fucker. I¡¯ll show you just how reasonable I can be tomorrow.¡± Cassie mumbles into her drink. ¡°I¡¯m sure you will.¡± Vince drops onto the bed next to Ivy. ¡°What happened to all of you?¡± I ask quietly to the floor. I don¡¯t want to know the answer, but the weight of infinite possibilities is beginning to crush me. ¡°I thought you wanted to pretend everything was normal, Little Blue?¡± Vince asks. ¡°It¡¯s not working.¡± ¡°Alright, do you want to get comfortable on the bed first?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± Being on the floor isn¡¯t any less comfortable than being on the bed. I might as well move though. Maybe being closer to everyone will somehow help. I place Corax on my shoulder and climb onto the bed, taking the only open spot next to Cassie. ¡°Where do I even start?¡± Vince dives into his story. He details their return to the compound and his conversation with Silver. When he talks about Cassie¡¯s idea to give me the book, she suddenly finds the ceiling really interesting to look at. The entire Denver trip is hard to listen to. Guilt rises within me with every bad situation they get into. Vince¡¯s concussion, the cannibals, Ivy getting shot, Cassie losing an arm. Each one drives another spike through my mind. Every one of their injuries is my fault. Corax stays on high alert throughout the story. He has to pull me out of my spiraling thoughts multiple times. ¡°Sorry I put all of you through that.¡± I understand why Lucas would want to leave. I put everyone in so many deadly situations. I wouldn¡¯t want to be in a group with me either. ¡°It¡¯s alright Little Blue. We¡¯ve all made mistakes, and I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll all make more. What¡¯s important is that we¡¯re prepared for next time, right?¡± Vince reaches over and puts a comforting hand on mine. ¡°Right.¡± Corax answers for me. I reach up and give him a small pet. ¡°Right.¡± I confirm with far less enthusiasm. ¡°You should hear some of the mistakes Vince has made.¡± Ivy says, a little louder than she needed to. ¡°That¡¯s a story for another day.¡± Vince dismisses her suggestion with a wave of his hand. ¡°Right now, I need to eat.¡± He dives into his plate of bread and beans. The other two already finished their food while Vince was telling his story. ¡°Good luck, it¡¯s fucking awful.¡± Cassie says. ¡°We¡¯ve had worse.¡± Vince mumbles through a mouth full of food. ¡°Not by much. You¡¯ve got to talk to Silver about it. I¡¯m sick of fucking beans every week.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll have a chat today. See if we can''t figure something out.¡± Vince relents. ¡°You better.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°For now, how about we play some cards or something?¡± He asks. ¡°They¡¯re all in Lucas¡¯ room.¡± Cassie replies. ¡°I¡¯d pop the lock, but he got upset last time.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just go ask him?¡± Ivy offers an entirely reasonable solution. Cassie gives a small shake of her head. ¡°The two of them left during your speech.¡± ¡°Ok. And you don¡¯t have a single deck of cards in here?¡± Vince asks. ¡°Not a complete one.¡± ¡°Right. What about you, Little Blue? Anything you want to do?¡± I give a small shake of my head. I don¡¯t even know what I like. How am I supposed to know what to do? Reading would be nice, but that¡¯s not exactly a group activity. ¡°Ivy? Any ideas?¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯d never ask. Give me a moment.¡± Ivy pushes herself to her feet and disappears into the hallway. ¡°Where is she going?¡± I ask Vince. ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°I bet I know.¡± Cassie says before quickly finishing yet another beer. ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s bad?¡± I ask her. She gives a small shake of her head. ¡°Not bad, just not my thing.¡± ¡°Oh, I think I know then. Have you ever drawn anything before, Little Blue?¡± Vince asks. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ll like it.¡± He reassures me. ¡°I can generate a thousand pictures in an instant. I don¡¯t think art is for me.¡± ¡°Maybe not. Ivy will appreciate it if you try though.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I guess it¡¯s the least I can do. I owe her that at least. Only a few minutes later Ivy returns with four separate tablets, along with four styluses. She hands one pair to everyone, and then takes a seat next to me. ¡°Sorry, you¡¯re going to have to share with Corax. Have you ever used any kind of drawing tool before?¡± She taps on my tablet a few times, pulling up a program. ¡°I¡¯ve never actually used a computer like a human. I¡¯ve always just plugged myself in. It¡¯s more comfortable that way.¡± ¡°Do you want me to get a cord?¡± She offers. ¡°No, It¡¯d probably be easier on my mind to do it in the physical world.¡± And I¡¯m not sure I want to see what my digital body looks like right now. ¡°Alright.¡± Ivy gives a quick rundown of how the program works. By the time she¡¯s done, Vince and Cassie have both started drawing and joking with each other. It¡¯ll be tedious, but I should be able to replicate anything I can imagine perfectly. But what do I even want to draw? I could draw Corax, Vince, Cassie, Ivy, or Lucas, but a picture would work just as well. I can only think of two people who I both can¡¯t take a picture of, and would want to draw. ¡°Hey Corax? I might need some help.¡± He gives a nod, he probably knew who I was going to draw before I did. It only takes a few moments to generate a picture of Kara and Finn, smiling and happy in the lab. It¡¯s not a real memory, but I wish it was. I could remove all signs of her sickness, and return the hair she gave me. I don¡¯t think she¡¯d like that though. She¡¯d want to be remembered how she was. Once I¡¯ve created the image, I¡¯m only a transcriber. I try to keep my mind blank while working, but Corax still has to save me a few times. When I finally finish after almost an hour of perfecting my piece, I put my tablet behind me so I don¡¯t have to see it anymore. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± I announce to the room. Corax climbs down into my arms, letting me hold him close. ¡°Your parents?¡± Cassie asks a few seconds after picking up my tablet. I give a small nod. It takes me a minute to build up the energy to speak. ¡°Kara and Finn, my favorites.¡± ¡°That was the first thing I drew too.¡± Cassie says barely louder than my own voice. ¡°But I was like 14, so nobody gets to see that.¡± She somehow coaxes a small smile from the depths of my mind. ¡°What did you draw?¡± I ask. ¡°Just some dumb doodles.¡± She makes no motion to show me her drawings. That¡¯s ok. I¡¯m not going to force her to share. ¡°Take a look at what I drew.¡± Ivy passes me her tablet. She¡¯s drawn me, working on a drawing of my own. Instead of the photorealistic style I used, hers is highly stylized. Instead of erasing her sketch lines, she emphasized them, drawing attention to every line of my body, inside and out. The colors bleed together into a careful disaster. ¡°I look awful.¡± ¡°You look storied.¡± She emphasizes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be storied. I just want to be normal.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we all.¡± I can hear a little bit of regret in Vince¡¯s voice. ¡°We¡¯ll have a few weeks to recover, we can be normal for a while, alright Little Blue?¡± ¡°That sounds nice.¡± I¡¯m not sure I can handle going out again, at least for a while. ¡°Alright, I need to get a few things done before the sun goes down.¡± Vince stands up and begins to head to the door. ¡°You four have fun.¡± ¡°Oh how will we ever find a way to entertain ourselves without you??¡± Ivy pretends to swoon over him. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find a way.¡± ¡°Finally.¡± The instant the door closes Ivy turns to me. ¡°Blue, can you keep secrets?¡± ¡°Uh, probably? I¡¯ve never had to before.¡± Corax climbs back to my shoulder and gives me a small tap on my cheek. ¡°Corax can, and he¡¯ll bite me if I say anything.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ivy turns back to Cassie. ¡°So anyway, it was just after the doctors declared you stable, and I was still in the clinic downstairs. Vince wanted to let me know as soon as possible, so he comes sprinting down the stairs. He arrives out of breath, and grabs the curtain to stabilize himself. He trips, rips down the curtains to my room, and ends up tangled in the things! So everyone stops, a dozen doctors and twice that many patients just staring at him while he flails around!¡± ¡°Fuck that¡¯s funny.¡± Cassie opens two more beers for each of them before continuing. ¡°Did I ever tell you about the rat?¡± ¡°No?¡± Cassie has Ivy¡¯s full attention. ¡°So, it was real early days, I didn¡¯t even have my legs yet. Me, Vince, Silver, and The Bitch were hiding out in a small town deep in a valley, mostly safe from the storms. Suddenly stuff starts moving, and going missing every night. Food, water, even ammo. Of course The Bitch blamed me, but like I said, I couldn¡¯t walk!¡± ¡°So she orders Vince to figure it out. For a week Vince is going crazy. More stuff disappears every night, and no signs of any kind of break in. They just vanished. So finally, Vince late one night hears something behind the wall. He rips off the moldy paneling, and you know what he sees?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A rat! Fattest thing I¡¯ve ever seen! I swear he must have been 10 pounds! And the thing was eating a bullet just like any other food! Brass shavings and gunpowder everywhere!¡± The two girls burst out into laughter, and it¡¯s even enough to bring a smile to my face. Even though I don¡¯t have much to add, it¡¯s still fun to enjoy each other''s company. It can¡¯t last forever though. After dozens of stories and a few hours after the light from outside fades, Ivy finally stands up. ¡°I¡¯ve got to get to bed. Blue, do you want to sleep together again?¡± Cassie fails to muffle a small chuckle from beside me. She laughed last time I said something like that too. I still don¡¯t get what¡¯s funny. ¡°No, I should be ok with Corax.¡± ¡°Alright. See you tomorrow.¡± Ivy heads into the hallway, leaving the door open for me. I guess I should follow. ¡°Good night Cassie.¡± I say as I leave. ¡°Night.¡± Just before I close the door, I see her reaching for one of her books. Book 2 Chapter 4 I enter my room with Corax on my shoulder and close the door behind me. Someone dropped off Cassie¡¯s backpack, full of my missing parts, with Cassie¡¯s romance and poetry books sitting on top. ¡°Hopefully this should be easier than the bus.¡± I attempt a half hearted joke. Corax, as always, doesn¡¯t respond. Instead, he steps off of my shoulder and glides to our bed. He begins piling all my sheets and pillows into his perfect nest. I know without asking that he wouldn¡¯t want help. His nest has to be perfect, and I would only mess it up. A small envelope catches my attention out of the corner of my eye. Sitting in the center of my dresser is Kara¡¯s letter. A gift she never wants me to open. I¡¯m not sure how it got there, but it¡¯s going to stay there. Next to the letter are my only other possessions, the small light Lucas handed to me, and the lamp Cassie gave me. If Corax is working, I can too. I sit on the ground and begin to sort through my skin plates. A few of them are actually unbroken, and are easy to reattach. It¡¯s not much, but it makes me feel a little better. The rest of them I organize into a few piles, taking stock of how damaged each one is. I¡¯m going to have to ask Sonia for help repairing them, but maybe I can take care of some of the less broken ones myself. If not, it could take days to fix me. I finish around the same time that Corax finally satisfied with his nest. I grab Cassie¡¯s book from her bag and settle in for the night on the remaining space of my bed. ¡°Hey Corax? Do you want me to read to you?¡± He¡¯s lived through my memories of this book. I¡¯d hate to leave him on a cliffhanger. Corax gives a single nod and settles down deep into his nest. I read to him quietly and slowly throughout the night, savoring every magic word. I hope I¡¯m being quiet enough that Cassie can¡¯t hear. She¡¯d tell me if I was keeping her up, so I guess I¡¯m doing fine. Morning comes far too quickly, threatening the end of my reading time. ¡°I should go to Sonia before the compound gets too busy. You should probably come and get your wing looked at.¡± I tell Corax. ¡°Ok.¡± He replies. I hold out my arm, letting him step up. He looks too cozy to just grab. He climbs up to my shoulder, and I sling Cassie¡¯s backpack on my other. The compound is pretty empty. Just a few guards sit in the yard, still rubbing sleep from their eyes. They do a double take when I enter the yard. I can¡¯t blame them, between my naked disaster of a body and Corax? I¡¯d probably stare too. I just hope I look more together before all the scrappers get back from their current runs. I open the door to the garage, only to be assaulted with metal music blaring far too loudly. How has she not damaged her hearing? Sonia is standing over her anvil, hammering a metal bar into shape. ¡°Sonia!¡± I yell over the chaos. Only an instant later the music ceases and Sonia stands up, wiping sweat from her brow. ¡°I really hope the damage looks worse than it is. And that must be Corax.¡± She moves throughout the room, collecting a pile of tools. How can she already know what she needs? ¡°It¡¯s just my skin plates. I think I can fix some of them, but most are beyond my knowledge.¡± I head to a nearby table, organizing each plate by how they¡¯re broken, and how badly. ¡°And Corax¡¯s wing got damaged. We need that fixed too.¡± ¡°Great. Give me a rundown.¡± ¡°Pipe.¡± Corax answers. ¡°Hit by a pipe or ran into a pipe?¡± Sonia asks for clarification. Corax only waits, knowing Sonia can figure it out. ¡°Guess it doesn¡¯t matter. Does the bird have schematics?¡± ¡°He has intricate clockwork internals. I saw him build it and I¡¯m not exactly sure how it all works, but the wings aren¡¯t very complex.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to know what that means. Put him on the table, we¡¯ll start with him.¡± Corax flies on his own to a table in the middle of the room. Sonia flinches the moment he takes off, resting her hand on a large metal tool. Only once she¡¯s sure he¡¯s not about to fly again does she relax. I ignore her panicking and walk over to Corax. ¡°Is it ok if I disconnect your wing?¡± I ask him. Corax nods reluctantly. I pull a small plug, and his wing instantly goes limp. With just a few tools around I unhook a small latch, feeling a few gears slide out of position and freeing his wing from his body. The second his wing comes free, Corax climbs back onto my shoulder. He keeps a close eye on both Sonia and his limb, ready for anything.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. I begin taking apart his disconnected limb carefully, getting to the metal frame that got bent. By the time Sonia has collected her tools, I have his frame exposed. ¡°So what are we looking at?¡± She asks, placing her pile of tools on the table. ¡°It got bent here, here, and here.¡± It¡¯s very obvious that I didn¡¯t have tools when I bent Corax¡¯s wing back into shape. The frame is far from being flat, and hairline fractures snake through the entire structure. ¡°I can fix that.¡± Sonia says confidently after only a few seconds of looking at it. She takes the frame over to her forge to do who knows what with. I wouldn¡¯t have thought it¡¯d be possible to repair, but I¡¯m glad she knows what she¡¯s doing. ¡°So how¡¯d you two meet?¡± Sonia asks. ¡°Long story.¡± Corax responds, signaling he doesn¡¯t want to talk about it. ¡°How about we start working on some of the plates?¡± I ask Corax. ¡°Can you grab me that soldering iron, some pliers, and a screwdriver?¡± Corax immediately springs to work, carefully climbing down my half-exposed arm, and jumping onto the table. While he rummages through the pile of tools, I grab some of the easy to repair plates. Once he delivers the tools we get to work. ¡°I almost didn¡¯t believe Silver when they told me you found another AI.¡± Sonia says over the sound of her ringing hammer. ¡°What are the chances?¡± Is she suspicious or something? I guess I would be too in her position. ¡°His feelings led him to me.¡± I answer. Her hammering stops. ¡°What?¡± She asks without a hint of emotion. What does she mean what? I thought the answer was pretty clear. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can explain it more. It¡¯s something you have to experience to understand.¡± ¡°You melded with a mind rip?¡± She finally looks up from her project, her eyes searching for something across my body. ¡°I guess? Is that what it¡¯s called when we live each other¡¯s lives?¡± ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± Sonia returns to her work. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s your problem?¡± Anger flares inside me. I¡¯m not about to just sit here and let her insult Corax and I. Sonia doesn¡¯t even acknowledge my outburst. ¡°Sorry about her.¡± I tell Corax, loud enough that Sonia can hear. I dive back into my work. It¡¯s slow going, but Corax and I make steady progress. Sonia works on the frame for an hour before returning to the table. She begins to try to put Corax¡¯s wing back together, and Corax interrupts her. ¡°No.¡± ¡°What?¡± I¡¯ve never heard anyone more annoyed than Sonia right now. ¡°He wants me to put him back together. His design is too intricate, and if it¡¯s not perfect it¡¯ll bind.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Sonia throws her hands up and gets to work on my plates. Putting Corax¡¯s wing back together goes smoothly, and it¡¯s not long before I have it reattached. ¡°How does that feel? Any pain?¡± ¡°Good.¡± Corax responds after a few careful test flaps. ¡°I¡¯m so glad.¡± I return to working on my plates. Sonia¡¯s fingers fly across the mess I created, working way faster than I was able to. A crack disappears under one finger while another delicately bends metal back into shape. She works in silence, pretending Corax and I aren¡¯t there. When she finishes with a plate, she slides it in my direction and returns to work. It¡¯s weird not having her flooding me with questions, but I¡¯m not about to apologize for yelling. She shouldn¡¯t have insulted Corax. Even with Sonia being incredibly fast, it still takes hours to fix all my plates. I slowly hide my shame with every repaired piece. I run my hands across my smooth, seamless skin. ¡°Thank you.¡± Even if I¡¯m still a little angry, I shouldn¡¯t be rude. ¡°Try not to get injured again. I can¡¯t spend all day repairing you that often.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± It¡¯s not like I want to get injured. ¡°Before I go, can you do anything for my hair?¡± ¡°How is it attached?¡± Her eyes once again begin to dissect me. ¡°There are small holes that you poke strands through and tie them into a mesh substrate.¡± ¡°If you can get hair, yeah, that shouldn¡¯t be too hard to fix.¡± The instant she gets her answer, her eyes snap to her next project. ¡°Thanks again.¡± Corax and I let ourselves out. We spent most of the day in the workshop. When we finally leave, the sun is already nearing the horizon, and the compound is packed. A few scrapper cars are being unloaded in a flurry of motion. At least most people are too busy to notice Corax and I heading back to our room. ¡°I imagine you want to relax?¡± I ask Corax when we enter my room. Instead of a response, he flies to his nest and settles in after just a few adjustments. ¡°Alright, I need to go talk to Ivy, and then I¡¯ll be back.¡± I walk over to him and give him a quick scratch on his head before heading back into the hallway. ¡°Ivy?¡± I give a quiet knock on her door. Once again she comes out of Vince¡¯s room instead, wearing a robe. Maybe I should just try Vince¡¯s room first next time? ¡°Yes?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°I really want to fix my hair. Can you get me a wig I can destroy?¡± ¡°I think we can do a little better than just some wig. I¡¯m sure I can find someone who wants a haircut, and I think I have some red dye around here somewhere.¡± ¡°No wait! I don¡¯t want someone to lose their hair just to fix my mistake. I¡¯ll just deal with it, it¡¯s not that important anyway.¡± ¡°Blue, has lying ever worked on me?¡± Ivy crosses her arms and cocks her head. ¡°No.¡± I say quietly, shrinking under her gaze. ¡°Relax.¡± Ivy walks up to me and ruffles my remaining hair. ¡°I¡¯m not going to force anyone to get a haircut. And if I can¡¯t find anyone, I¡¯m well overdue for one. Although I doubt I¡¯ll be able to get my hair to your beautiful shade of red.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow Blue, Vince gets cranky if he doesn¡¯t get enough sleep.¡± Ivy reopens Vince¡¯s door. ¡°Does he really?¡± Ivy only gives a shrug and a smile before disappearing back into Vince¡¯s room. I follow her lead and head back into mine. ¡°Want to finish our book, Corax?¡± Book 2 Chapter 5 Corax and I enjoy our time in our book. Endless, cozy romance in a world long gone. Of course, it can¡¯t last forever, and we finish before the sun comes up. It¡¯s bittersweet finishing the book. I¡¯m happy for the girls, but the uncertainty of what comes after looms over my head. Did they stay together forever like they wanted to? Or did their world end up the same as my own? I guess their endings can be whatever I want. It just doesn¡¯t feel the same making that decision for myself. ¡°That was really good.¡± I lay back on the bed, careful not to disturb Corax¡¯s nest. It¡¯s nice not having to worry about breaking something if I move wrong. Corax gives a small nod in response. Or at least I think so. He¡¯s so buried in my sheets I can only tell something is moving. ¡°We have the poetry book, do you want to start on that?¡± ¡°No. Boring.¡± Comes his muffled voice. ¡°Right, I should have guessed. What do you want to do then?¡± The endless sheets begin to shift until Corax¡¯s head pokes through. ¡°Roof.¡± I hold my hand out for him, and he climbs to my shoulder once he finishes extracting himself. The hallways are abandoned this early in the morning, and it¡¯s far too late for even Cassie to be on the roof. We¡¯re alone up here, illuminated by the faint blue dome. ¡°Back soon.¡± Corax stretches his wings and disappears over the desert. His body is invisible against the sky. It should be safe to let him fly as long as he¡¯s back before sunrise. I lean against the concrete railing of the roof for a minute, feeling the cool air across my skin. I hadn¡¯t realized just how much I missed being able to feel everything, it¡¯s almost overwhelming. I take in the sight of the city, the desert, and the few stars visible in the sky. I can¡¯t believe I get to see these sights again. ¡°But do you deserve to?¡± Kara leans against the railing next to me. ¡°Please, not tonight.¡± I¡¯m ok. Corax will be back soon. ¡°And let you keep running from reality? How many people died so you could be here?¡± ¡°They hurt Corax. I had to.¡± Why can¡¯t I keep myself from responding to them? They aren¡¯t even real. ¡°And what are you going to do when Vince hurts him?¡± It doesn¡¯t even matter if I respond or not. She knows exactly how to hurt me the most, no matter what I do. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± Right? No, of course he wouldn¡¯t. ¡°You¡¯re right, He wouldn¡¯t. He only needs one AI, and you¡¯re far from the best choice.¡± Kara revels in every word that drips from her mouth. ¡°Corax needs me just as much as I need him.¡± ¡°No, Corax needs someone. Someone to dote over, someone to focus on, someone to help. There¡¯s no reason that has to be you.¡± I don¡¯t respond. She¡¯s right. ¡°Hell, right now it sounds like Lucas would be a good replacement.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± I can¡¯t yell up here. Androids don¡¯t yell. ¡°Imagine that, getting rid of you, getting Lucas back, and keeping a far better hacker than you. Wouldn¡¯t that be the perfect outcome for everyone?¡± She has the largest, most arrogant grin I¡¯ve ever seen. ¡°I said shut up!¡± I lash out at her, only for her to easily step away from my hit. ¡°Good job being quiet.¡± Kara steps around me, patting me hard on my back and knocking me to the ground. I don¡¯t make any effort to stand up. I just have to survive until Corax gets back. ¡°Giving up already? How about-¡± A book drops from nowhere inches from my face. A familiar book of poems.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°I thought I told you to keep this close.¡± That¡¯s not Kara¡¯s voice. It¡¯s full of concern. ¡°Cassie? I¡¯m sorry.¡± My voice is a shaky mess. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Read.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡± I slowly push myself into a sitting position against the concrete barrier. ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the bird?¡± ¡°Corax just wanted to fly for a bit. It¡¯s my fault, I should have known better than to have a nice thought.¡± Cassie sits besides me, just out of reach. After a minute of silence, I realize Cassie isn¡¯t going to say anything. I break the silence instead. ¡°What are you doing? You can go back to sleep¡± I¡¯m ok. ¡°Waiting for Corax to come back.¡± She responds. ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I¡¯m ok.¡± If I keep telling myself that, maybe it¡¯ll become true. ¡°Bullshit. You¡¯re not ok, you¡¯re distracted.¡± There¡¯s a hint of anger in her voice, mixed with something else I don¡¯t recognize. ¡°If I grab my book and leave you¡¯re just going to freak out again.¡± She¡¯s probably right. All I¡¯ve done is run away from my problems. That realization weighs heavily on my mind. ¡°But how do I fix myself?¡± The desperation in my voice is nearly palpable. ¡°I don¡¯t know, you¡¯re fucking weird.¡± Cassie shrugs. ¡°Maybe get your emotions out onto something. Art or journaling or some shit. Worth a try.¡± ¡°I guess I can try that. Do you have something I can write in?¡± ¡°Just ask Vince or Sonia tomorrow.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Silence settles over us once again. A silence I once again break. ¡°How did you know I needed help?¡± I ask. ¡°Heard you scream.¡± ¡°Was I really that loud? Is anyone else going to come check on me?¡± There are guards in the courtyard, they¡¯re going to come check out the sound. I can¡¯t go downstairs without Corax. Maybe I can hide? ¡°Nah. You didn¡¯t call for help, so they don¡¯t care.¡± Cassie sounds incredibly confident in that fact. If someone comes up here she can probably get them to leave. I¡¯m ok. ¡°Ok. Sorry I woke you up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I was awake anyway.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry my reading kept you up! I¡¯ll be quieter-¡± ¡°Relax.¡± Cassie cuts my apology short. ¡°It wasn¡¯t you. Surgery¡¯s tomorrow.¡± ¡°Oh. Sorry.¡± I shouldn¡¯t have assumed. ¡°Are you going to be ok?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done this before.¡± Cassie knocks on her leg, letting a hollow clang ring out. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Can I help somehow? I have to do some work in Sonia¡¯s garage, do you want me there? Or should I work on myself another day?¡± ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± Cassie says dismissively. ¡°But which one do you want?¡± I don¡¯t want to just guess what she¡¯s thinking. I¡¯m going to get it wrong. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Maybe you can keep Vince company.¡± Right, of course he¡¯d be there. ¡°Why do they do surgery in the workshop? That can¡¯t be safe.¡± I try desperately to change the subject a little bit. ¡°Why not? Antibiotics can kill any bacteria that gets in, and Sonia is very insistent that she works better in there.¡± There are so many problems with that, I don¡¯t know where to start. I must be missing something, or Cassie must be simplifying things. As is, that sounds both expensive and dangerous. Maybe she¡¯s not familiar with how operating rooms used to work? Vince could probably give me a better answer. ¡°I see.¡± Thankfully, she doesn¡¯t push me on my obvious disbelief. Only a few minutes later Corax lands on my shoulder from nowhere. ¡°Better.¡± Corax croaks out. ¡°Do not leave her alone without a book again.¡± Cassie pushes herself to her feet without looking at Corax and heads downstairs without another word. Corax cocks his head at me, silently asking what happened. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Corax pulls hard on my ear, demanding an answer. ¡°Ow! I don¡¯t want you to feel guilty.¡± Another sharp pain blooms from my ear. ¡°Ow! Ok! I saw Kara.¡± Corax¡¯s entire body slumps. He can barely muster the strength to stand. I grab him and cradle him in my lap. I don¡¯t know if pressure helps him as much as it helps me, but it can¡¯t hurt. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. It wasn¡¯t even that bad.¡± I do my best to reassure him. ¡°Liar.¡± Corax quietly accuses me. He¡¯s right of course, but I can¡¯t just tell him that. ¡°No really! It wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as normal.¡± ¡°Stop. Angry soon.¡± Is guilt better than anger? It would probably just result in him biting me, and feeling even guiltier. Why did he have to push it, why didn¡¯t he just listen to me? Although if he did he¡¯d probably just be stuck in some other emotion. The worst part is that I don¡¯t even know how to help him. Time will work eventually, but I don¡¯t want him to be miserable for days. Maybe reading to him more will help? I can¡¯t just ask him though, I¡¯m sure his guilt will prevent him from saying yes. I just need to get another book and start. ¡°Alright.¡± I scoop him up in my arms and head downstairs. As much as I don¡¯t want to annoy Cassie any more, I need another book from her. I¡¯ve read the few she gave me, and I think a new book will help Corax the most. I take a moment to gather my courage and knock on the door. ¡°What?¡± Cassie sounds annoyed, but opens the door regardless a moment later. ¡°Sorry, but I need another happy book.¡± Cassie spends a moment looking at her bookshelf without stepping away from the door. ¡°Is romance fine?¡± ¡°Yeah, we really enjoyed that last book.¡± She steps away for just a moment, returning with a book. It¡¯s well worn, with several pages nearly falling out. The cover has been bent and creased so many times it¡¯s nearly impossible to read the title. ¡°Take good fucking care of this.¡± I¡¯ve never heard her sound so serious. ¡°I¡¯ll be very careful.¡± ¡°You better.¡± Cassie closes the door in my face, and Corax and I return to our room. I gently place him in his nest, and he immediately digs his way deep into the covers. I settle in next to him to read for this little bit of night time we have. Book 2 Chapter 6 I read to Corax late into the morning. He never moves the entire time, but I hope it helps. The only reason I stop is because of a knock on the door. I put down the book gently and give a comforting pat to the small lump of blankets that Corax is hiding under. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± I whisper to him before getting up and opening the door. ¡°You would not believe how hard it was to get the color right.¡± Ivy stands in front of me with a bundle of deep red hair in her hand. In the other sits my clothes, as vibrant as the day I first saw them, and she¡¯s even repaired the holes. It¡¯s as if she took the blood from my clothes, and put it into my new hair. ¡°Thank you.¡± I carefully take my clothes from her and put them on. It¡¯s nice to be covered again, to pretend to be just a little more human. ¡°Is this real hair?¡± I ask her, gently taking it from her hand. ¡°Mm hm. Told you it wouldn¡¯t be hard to find someone.¡± It feels like silk in my hands, somehow even smoother than the hair Kara gave me. I can¡¯t believe someone would want to cut off this much. Although I guess hair isn¡¯t as meaningful to humans as it is to me. ¡°Has Cassie¡¯s surgery started yet?¡± I ask. ¡°Not yet. She¡¯s with Vince getting prepped in the infirmary.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± It should be ok to get started on installing my hair then, I¡¯m too excited to wait for the surgery to finish first. ¡°Thank you again.¡± ¡°Let me know if you need anything else.¡± ¡°I will.¡± I close the door and turn back to Corax, climbing onto the bed and placing my hand gently on him. ¡°Hey, do you want to come help repair my hair?¡± ¡°No.¡± Comes his muffled response. ¡°I think it will help.¡± ¡°No.¡± I¡¯m sure I could get him to, I¡¯d just have to tell him it¡¯ll make up for his mistake. I can¡¯t do that though, he didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I¡¯m not about to manipulate him to make my life easier in the short term at the expense of his long term confidence. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be back in a little bit. If you need me, just hit the intercom and ask Hummingbird to notify me.¡± Corax gives me no response, and I give him one last pat before heading downstairs. The compound is already busier than yesterday. A slow, but steady trickle of scrappers are making their way home. At least with everyone focused on unloading cars, almost nobody pays attention to me as I make my way to the workshop. I interrupt Sonia preparing her operating table. A few of her surgery tools are glowing red hot in her forge, and she¡¯s wiping down surfaces with what must be some sort of disinfectant. ¡°Blue?¡± Sonia asks, her voice making her confusion clear. ¡°I¡¯m operating soon.¡± ¡°Cassie said she was ok with me being here.¡± Instead of a response, she shrugs and gets back to work. I grab a few pairs of fine tweezers and find a seat at a table as far away from the operating table as possible. I remove the skin plates that make up my scalp and get to work. It¡¯s a very slow process. A few strands have to be fed through a nearly invisible hole and then tied into a mesh on the bottom of the plate. And that simple task has to be done thousands of times. I¡¯m not even close to done when the garage door opens. Vince, along with a few doctors, wheel Cassie in on a bed. She¡¯s still awake and alert, wearing a light gown designed to be easily removable. Numerous IVs and uncountable wires snake underneath it. ¡°Cassie, are you ok with the bot doing some repairs?¡± Sonia asks. The nurses and doctors don¡¯t know what I am. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She responds dismissively with a wave of her working hand. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡± ¡°Do you want me to move you?¡± Vince asks her quietly. ¡°I got it.¡± Cassie stands up, careful not to disturb the endless sensors attached to her. She carefully lays down on the surgery table and the doctors spring into action. Wires are hooked into monitors and machines, and IV bags are hung in the rafters above. All the while Vince holds Cassie¡¯s working hand. Once they¡¯re done Sonia hands Vince a syringe. ¡°I¡¯ll be there when you wake up.¡± Vince tells her gently. ¡°You better be.¡± She responds with a small smile. Vince connects the syringe to a port on one of her IVs and pushes down the plunger.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°See ya in a second.¡± Vince stands there holding her hand until a few seconds after she falls unconscious. Even after she¡¯s fully gone, it takes a few seconds before he lays down her hand. He steps back and walks over to me, taking the seat next to me. ¡°Hey Little Blue.¡± He says quietly enough for the others to not hear. His voice is barely hiding his worry. ¡°Is it ok for us to talk?¡± I whisper to him without moving my mouth. ¡°As long as we¡¯re quiet. They¡¯re too focused to notice.¡± He reassures me. ¡°Anything I can help with?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d rather do it myself, sorry.¡± I¡¯m sure he would do an ok job, but it¡¯s my hair. I have to make sure it¡¯s perfect. I don¡¯t want to waste a single strand of what Ivy gave me. ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± Vince stares in Cassie¡¯s direction. The doctors and nurses are surrounding her, preventing us from seeing more than small flashes of skin. ¡°She¡¯s going to be ok, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t remember the last time Sonia messed up.¡± He says without taking his eyes off of her. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it less scary though.¡± ¡°I wish I could help.¡± ¡°Me too, Little Blue.¡± It¡¯s not long before the surgery begins properly. It¡¯s weird knowing Cassie is being cut into so close to me and not doing anything about it. Against my better judgment, I can¡¯t keep myself from looking. Bright red blood covers Sonia¡¯s hands, and my mind screams at me to help her, to stop her from being hurt, to fix it. It takes me a few long seconds to settle my panic. Just focus on my repairs. If anything goes wrong, Vince will see and take care of it. Me watching isn¡¯t going to help anything. Things get worse when a high pitched whirr starts, followed by a spinning blade meeting flesh, followed quickly by bone. I instantly shut my ears off, but the echo remains bouncing around my mind. I¡¯m ok. Cassie¡¯s ok. This is good for her. I tap on the table to get Vince¡¯s attention. He¡¯s reluctant to tear his eyes from the surgery. Hear. Off. I signal to him. Ok. He gives a short signal back before returning to watching Cassie. After three hours of focusing exclusively on my scalp, I¡¯m interrupted by a tap on my arm. Hear. Ok. Vince signals to me. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I turn my ears on to a mostly quiet room. Cassie is being gently moved to a bed on wheels. A shining metal arm has been seamlessly attached to her, held tight to her chest by a cloth sling. Skin melds into steel as if she was born that way. ¡°They¡¯re done. Come on.¡± Vince says quietly. ¡°Did it go well?¡± ¡°She¡¯s safe, and that¡¯s what matters. We¡¯ll see if she can move her arm in a few days.¡± Vince waits for me to stand before making his way to Cassie. I scoop up my hair and my tools and follow, but at a distance. I don¡¯t want to get in anyone''s way. The courtyard outside is packed with people unloading cars. Even though it¡¯s busy, the sea of people part for us. I follow everyone into a small, mostly barren room on the first floor of the compound. They wheel her bed against a wall and put her IV bags on small hooks above her. The nurses do a few last checks on her before leaving us alone. ¡°Just call if you need anything.¡± The last nurse says before closing the door. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t a nurse be here with us? To make sure she¡¯s ok?¡± ¡°I¡¯m more than qualified if something goes wrong.¡± Vince reassures me. ¡°Ok. How long is she going to take to wake up?¡± I ask once they¡¯re gone. Finn did put a few medical textbooks in my mind. I¡¯m not sure how useful they would be though, I can¡¯t imagine they use the same anesthesia they did before the world ended. ¡°A few minutes.¡± Vince grabs one of the chairs in the corner of the room and sits just beside Cassie. I stand next to him and wait. I¡¯m glad they put Cassie¡¯s gown back on and covered her with a blanket. Even if I don¡¯t really get it, I know humans can be picky about nudity. Sure enough, a few minutes later Cassie begins to stir. Her head flops to the side and her eyes struggle to open. ¡°Vince?¡± She struggles to speak. ¡°You made it.¡± ¡°I sure did.¡± He responds with a chuckle. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Uh.¡± She shakily lifts her working arm, and lets it flop onto her new metallic one. ¡°I can¡¯t feel it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ok. It¡¯s off until you heal.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± She sounds offended. ¡°So you don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± She spends a few moments running her hand across the metal. ¡°Is it too big?¡± ¡°No, it looks great. Sonia adjusted the size, remember?¡± ¡°Oh. I forgot.¡± She seems enraptured by the feeling of steel beneath her hand. ¡°I had a really funny joke, but I don¡¯t remember it.¡± ¡°What was it about?¡± Vince asks. ¡°Something about costing an arm and two legs.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it was hilarious.¡± ¡°It was!¡± She puts effort into defending herself, even going as far as trying to push herself into a sitting position. She quickly falls back, exhausted by her effort. ¡°Sleepy.¡± She turns to me for the first time. ¡°Hey Blue. Can you read to me again?¡± What does she mean again? Vince raises an eyebrow at me, and I shrug back. A few threads of thought connect deep inside my mind, uncovering the answer. She must have been listening while I read to Corax. ¡°Uh, sure.¡± If she¡¯s been listening, anything I read from my memory would be something she already heard. Finn didn''t put anything nonfiction in my head, and I can¡¯t imagine she wants to listen to dry lectures about computer science. Although maybe she wants something familiar? I begin reciting the beginning of the book she just gave me. Within minutes she¡¯s once again unconscious, gently snoring in her bed ¡°She didn¡¯t sleep at all last night.¡± I whisper to Vince once I¡¯m sure she¡¯s asleep. Hopefully she¡¯s too tired to be woken up by such a soft sound. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡± He responds, equally quiet. ¡°I hope she won¡¯t be angry about saying that later.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll pretend to be.¡± He responds with a small smile. ¡°Did you know Silver used to read her to sleep every night?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Mm hm. Even I could probably recite that book from memory at this point.¡± Vince spends a moment staring at Cassie, deep in some memory. He stands up with a sigh and walks over to the intercom on the wall. ¡°Hey Hummingbird?¡± he says into it. ¡°Could you tell Ivy, Lucas, and Silver that Cassie¡¯s alright?¡± ¡°Silver already knows. Ivy¡¯s on her way and Lucas says he¡¯ll be by later.¡± Hummingbird responds a second later. How can she have multiple conversations at once? Maybe Trochilidae did some of them? ¡°Thank you.¡± Vince returns to his seat. Book 2 Chapter 7 ¡°How¡¯s our little fighter?¡± Ivy asks loudly as she throws open the door. Cassie wakes with a start at the sound. ¡°Fuck you.¡± She mumbles, but makes no effort to open her eyes. ¡°She was sleeping.¡± Waking her up was incredibly rude. ¡°I was just resting.¡± Cassie can¡¯t muster the energy to give more than a half-hearted argument. ¡°So that wasn¡¯t snoring I heard?¡± Ivy walks over to Cassie¡¯s side. ¡°That was Vince.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Vince says, throwing his hands in the air. ¡°I was sleeping upright and alert.¡± ¡°Told you!¡± Cassie puts all her energy into a triumphant yell, which comes out barely louder than her regular speaking voice. ¡°My, you are getting old.¡± Ivy draws out her words slowly. ¡°I think I see a bit of drool on your shirt too.¡± Cassie gives a nearly inaudible laugh. ¡°I take it you¡¯re feeling alright then?¡± Ivy asks Cassie. ¡°No, I¡¯m not feeling anything.¡± I think there¡¯s a hint of anger in Cassie¡¯s voice? It¡¯s hard to tell with how much she¡¯s slurring her words. ¡°Apparently they turned off my arm for safety or something.¡± ¡°But how are you feeling beyond that?¡± ¡°Oh! Pretty fucking good.¡± Cassie limply waves her hand in the air, as if it¡¯s making some grand point. ¡°I think I¡¯m ready to head back to my room.¡± She moves to stand up, only to be blocked by Vince. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a few more minutes, alright? Just to make me feel better?¡± ¡°Ugh, fine.¡± She flops back into her bed. ¡°Dick.¡± She mumbles to herself. ¡°I sure am.¡± Vince chuckles. ¡°Hey, can I have some water?¡± Cassie rubs her throat as if she suddenly realized it was bothering her. ¡°Sure. Just take little sips.¡± Vince reaches into his satchel and hands her a large canteen. Of course Cassie doesn¡¯t listen, the moment she gets the cap off, she begins chugging the water. Vince only gives a sigh in response. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s already feeling more awake. ¡°I¡¯m not helping you if you get sick.¡± Vince says in the most unconvincing voice I¡¯ve ever heard. Cassie finally finishes drinking and hands the canteen back to Vince. ¡°This isn¡¯t my first surgery.¡± ¡°Yeah, but-¡± Vince and Cassie begin a good-natured argument. While they talk, Ivy turns to me. ¡°How¡¯s that hair treating you?¡± She asks. ¡°Perfect, thank you.¡± I look down at the half completed project in my lap. ¡°It¡¯s just going to take some time.¡± ¡°Good. Just ask if you need help. Oh, and let me know when you¡¯re done and I¡¯ll style it for you.¡± She says with a smile. ¡°I will.¡± I respond with a small smile of my own. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Hey Blue,¡± Cassie interrupts our conversation. ¡°Hand me that screwdriver.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯m going to turn this thing on.¡± ¡°Cassie, that¡¯s a bad idea.¡± Vince warns her while giving me a look that makes it clear I shouldn¡¯t give her the screwdriver. ¡°Come on.¡± She complains. ¡°I¡¯ve had way worse ideas.¡± ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m not going to let you hurt yourself.¡± Vince gently, but firmly tells her. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how many more surgeries I can handle.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± She once again drops back into her bed. I¡¯m not sure if she should be moving around this much. But I guess Vince would put a stop to her if she was in too much danger. Probably. Or at least he¡¯d try. ¡°Thank you.¡± Vince breathes a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯ll get Sonia to enable your hand later today, alright? But you can¡¯t use your shoulder.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Cassie yells as if she¡¯s won the negotiation of a lifetime. ¡°If you give me the screwdriver I can-¡± ¡°No.¡± Vince says far more firmly, although without any hint of annoyance. ¡°You¡¯re in no position to do electrical work.¡± I could probably do it, but I¡¯m not about to say that. Vince is right, she needs her rest. I dive into working on my hair before she can ask for help. ¡°Just give it an hour.¡± Ivy reaches over and places her hand on Cassie¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t have to wait a second more.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Alright.¡± That promise seems to have placated Cassie. ¡°But only if you get me some food.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll get you something.¡± Vince stands up. ¡°Do you want anything?¡± He turns to Ivy before he leaves. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be back in a second.¡± Vince steals one last glance at Cassie before he leaves, as if he¡¯s afraid it¡¯ll be his last. ¡°I hope he wasn¡¯t too nervous during the surgery.¡± Cassie breaks the growing silence after almost a minute, probably waiting until she¡¯s sure Vince will be unable to hear her. She sounds a little guilty. ¡°He never took his eyes off of you.¡± I tell her. ¡°Ugh. Not sure how I¡¯m going to make it up to him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to do anything.¡± Ivy reassures her. ¡°Best thing you can do is try to make your recovery go smoothly.¡± ¡°No, he¡¯d be bored out of his mind.¡± Cassie says dismissively. ¡°I could take over training duty for a few weeks.¡± ¡°Oh, he would love that. These kids are the worst we¡¯ve ever had.¡± ¡°Actually, maybe I¡¯ll do laundry or something.¡± Cassie gives out a small laugh. ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s too late to back out now.¡± Ivy joins her laughter. ¡°Good luck training some top floor reject just looking for a reason.¡± ¡°Fuck, really?¡± ¡°Mm hm. Only good part is that he¡¯s slow and the worst shot I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°Why the fuck is he even here? What is Silver doing?¡± Cassie is far more animated than she has been. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯d call it politics.¡± ¡°It¡¯s bullshit, that¡¯s what it is. Sounds like we¡¯re getting paid to get some kid killed.¡± ¡°Then you better be a good teacher.¡± Ivy says casually. Their conversation is cut short by the door once again opening. Vince comes in with a large plate of crackers with a single chocolate chip cookie on the side. ¡°A cookie? What¡¯s the occasion?¡± Ivy asks without any hint of surprise on her face. ¡°Is that really for me?¡± Cassie asks with wide eyes. ¡°Yes, but eat some crackers first. I¡¯d hate for you to throw it up.¡± Vince gently places the plate down on Cassie¡¯s lap and helps her sit up. ¡°Right, yeah.¡± Cassie begins to slowly nibble on crackers. Whatever exhaustion still lingered inside her disappears as she eats, and she keeps glancing protectively at her plate. ¡°Sorry you can¡¯t eat Little Blue, or I¡¯d get you one too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I tell him. ¡°I assume cookies are rare?¡± ¡°No, anyone can make a cookie. It¡¯s chocolate that¡¯s a little tough to get.¡± He says. ¡°That¡¯s an understatement.¡± Ivy laughs. ¡°It¡¯s a tossup if that cookie or her new arm costs more.¡± ¡°How much did this cost?¡± Cassie asks with her mouth full of cracker. ¡°Nothing. I just asked a friend for a favor.¡± Vince dismisses her question with a wave of his hand. Cassie finishes her cracker and picks up the cookie. She takes the smallest bite possible, savoring every bit of it. ¡°Oh, before I forget,¡± Ivy breaks the silence. ¡°Cassie here said that she¡¯s going to take care of training for a few weeks.¡± ¡°Oh, did she? Well I certainly wouldn¡¯t complain.¡± Cassie is too enraptured by her cookie to argue. It takes her a few minutes to finish half the cookie. When she does, she hands the remainder to Vince. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s yours.¡± Vince holds up his hands. ¡°Just enjoy it.¡± Cassie shakes her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make this up to you too. Just take it.¡± ¡°Cassie, really. It¡¯s-¡± ¡°Just take it.¡± Cassie says with more force than I would have expected possible in her current state. ¡°Alright.¡± Vince takes his first bite, even smaller than the ones Cassie was taking. His eyes close, enjoying his treat in pure bliss. ¡°Is food really that good?¡± I ask the other two. ¡°Most of it sucks, but it turns out chocolate is incredibly good.¡± There is the smallest hint of wistfulness in Cassie¡¯s voice. ¡°It didn¡¯t use to.¡± Vince comes out of his trance for just long enough to say, before enjoying his cookie once again. ¡°You mean you used to have more than just beans?¡± Ivy asks with mock surprise. ¡°Mm hm.¡± Vince decides not to elaborate. I think I can guess why. According to the information in my head, you could walk into a store and buy foods from all across the globe. I¡¯m not sure what the limits of Arc City¡¯s hydroponics system is, but it can¡¯t even be close to what the world has lost. Supposedly there was a vault that kept seeds of nearly every seed on the planet in Norway. I wonder if anyone ever recovered them? Maybe there¡¯s somewhere out there with all the diversity that used to exist. No, it¡¯s a nice thought, but the chances of that are practically zero. The seed vault wasn¡¯t a secret, and even if someone did recover them, it would take a city far larger than is possible to support that many different plants. It¡¯s not worth telling the others and getting their hopes up. ¡°I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not missing out on much.¡± It might be possible to simulate some form of taste, but without context the data would be useless. Sure I could tell how salty something is, but I¡¯d have no idea if I like salt or not. The only thing I do like is the regurgitated food from Corax¡¯s parents, but I really hope that¡¯s just his memories coloring my perception. Oh and I guess I like milk, or at least the dog certainly did. ¡°Not having to sleep must be nice.¡± Ivy says, bringing me out of my thoughts. ¡°I¡¯d trade my sense of taste for that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lot harder to fill the time than you would expect. Cassie¡¯s books have been a lifesaver.¡± Literally. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything.¡± Cassie says seriously at Ivy. ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± She lifts her hands in the air in surrender. Just like always, her face gives no hint of what they¡¯re referring to. ¡°You were thinking about something.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I was going to say anything.¡± ¡°Sure you weren¡¯t.¡± Cassie rolls her eyes. She seems almost entirely back to her old self. I can¡¯t believe how quickly she recovered. Looks like I was right that they don¡¯t use the same anesthetics they used to. A few moments of silence settles on the group, and I use that opportunity to stand up. ¡°I¡¯m going to go check on Corax.¡± I announce to everyone. ¡°Is he ok?¡± Vince looks concerned. ¡°It¡¯s not his fault, but he¡¯s stuck in an emotion. Cassie can tell you what happened.¡± I really don¡¯t want to relive the whole story. ¡°Ok. We¡¯ll either be here or in Cassie¡¯s room. Feel free to come back later.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can.¡± I head into the hallway. I don¡¯t mean to eavesdrop, but I can¡¯t help but hear a few words as I walk towards the stairs. ¡°You two sure are hanging out a lot.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± Cassie responds. ¡°She¡¯s sometimes nice to sit with.¡± ¡°Aww, I¡¯ll have to tell her that.¡± Ivy says. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare!¡± Cassie yells. Even halfway down the hallway I can hear her clearly. Ivy¡¯s laugh slowly fades out as I finally get out of earshot. Book 2 Chapter 8 I step into my room. It doesn¡¯t look like Corax has moved in the few hours I¡¯ve been gone. I sit on the bed next to him and gently place my hand on the small lump of sheets that is him. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I ask him as gently as I can. He shifts a small amount, just enough to let me know he¡¯s listening. ¡°Cassie¡¯s surgery went well. Do you want to go see her?¡± ¡°No.¡± His response is nearly inaudible. ¡°Alright.¡± I begin to work on my hair once again. I feel bad leaving him alone for so long. I should go see Cassie again eventually, but I want to give him as much of my time as possible, Even if we aren¡¯t talking. After a few minutes of silence I try talking to him again. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on this for a few hours, and I almost have one plate done. Do you want to see?¡± After a few seconds of silence the pile of sheets begins to shift. His head peaks back into existence. He takes a long look at the hair in my hands. ¡°Slow.¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s going to take a few days to finish.¡± ¡°How help.¡± With a monumental effort he staggers out of the covers clinging to his metal feathers. He begins to walk over to me, barely able to stay standing. ¡°You don¡¯t have to help if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± He responds. ¡°How help.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I¡¯m not actually sure how he could help. There¡¯s no way he can tie hair into the substrate. Although, how different is his beak from tweezers? ¡°If you can feed three strands through each hole that would help a ton.¡± Corax gets to work. He¡¯s incredibly careful with every strand. He knows exactly how important this is to me. Grabbing exactly three hairs is nearly impossible for him, so I carefully spread bundles around him. That way all he has to do is to grab a bundle and feed it through. Luckily it¡¯s not too hard for him to get the hair through the tiny holes. I¡¯d hate to have to help, it¡¯d just to make him frustrated. I can tell he¡¯s still feeling awful. He¡¯s moving so slowly that the work is going even slower than I was managing alone. That¡¯s alright though. I¡¯m sure once he¡¯s feeling better we¡¯ll be going faster. Plus, working together is much more enjoyable than working alone. We work in silence for a few minutes before I speak. ¡°I really appreciate your help.¡± I tell him, trying to put as much sincerity into my voice as possible. ¡°Faster?¡± He asks, reading my thoughts. ¡°About the same.¡± That¡¯s not a lie. It¡¯s not that much slower with him. ¡°But it¡¯s much more enjoyable.¡± Corax doesn¡¯t respond, instead he continues his work with no change. His body is as heavy as ever. Nothing is going to change until some other emotion becomes stronger than whatever he¡¯s feeling now. I just have to hope I¡¯m blunting his guilt to get him there sooner. After an hour of silent work, we¡¯re interrupted by a knock on the door. ¡°Blue?¡± Ivy¡¯s voice comes just after the knock. Corax looks torn. He wants to continue working, but knows he can¡¯t do it on his own. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡± I stand up and give him a small pet on his head. I¡¯m sure he would feel bad if he chose to stop, so instead I¡¯ll make that decision for him. It should make things a little easier.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Corax gives a reluctant nod and returns to his nest, however, he doesn¡¯t bury himself under the covers. I guess that¡¯s a sign he¡¯s feeling a little better? Or at least he¡¯s feeling less strongly. ¡°Ivy?¡± I ask as I open the door. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Everything¡¯s fine.¡± She says in her calm voice. ¡°Vince wanted you to know we got Cassie settled in her room.¡± ¡°Oh, good. Should I go visit her?¡± ¡°No, she crashed in the middle of demanding someone get Sonia to activate her arm.¡± That¡¯s good. She probably needs her sleep. ¡°Where is Vince anyway?¡± I ask her. I¡¯m surprised he didn¡¯t tell me himself. ¡°Still with her. It¡¯s going to be weeks before he leaves her alone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad she has someone keeping an eye on her.¡± ¡°Mm hm. If you don¡¯t need anything, I need to go train some kids.¡± She waits for an answer, as if she already knows I need something. ¡°Oh, actually. Cassie thought writing or more drawing might help. Can I have one of those tablets?¡± Ivy raises an eyebrow at me, asking a silent question. Although I¡¯m not sure exactly what the question is. ¡°Sure. Give me a sec.¡± She eventually says. She turns to her right and disappears into her room. Only a few seconds later she hands me a tablet and a drawing pen. It might be the same one I used last time, but there¡¯s no way to be sure. ¡°Have fun.¡± She gives a small wave and heads towards the staircase. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± I close the door and turn back to Corax. ¡°Battery.¡± He tells me quietly. ¡°Alright.¡± I¡¯m surprised he didn¡¯t ask for a recharge after flying. Although I guess he wasn¡¯t in a position to ask at the time. I grab Lucas¡¯ light and sit on the side of the bed. Corax climbs onto my lap and flops over, giving me access to his breastplate. I carefully remove it, plug the light into me, and then hook the wires up to Corax¡¯s exposed battery prongs. The sudden drop in available power tells me it¡¯s working. While we wait for him to charge, I grab the tablet. A quick check of the files confirms that this is indeed the one I used yesterday. ¡°Do you want to try drawing anything? Ivy made me draw this.¡± I pull up the image of Kara and Finn I drew, and hold it up for Corax to see. ¡°No.¡± he responds. ¡°Yeah, me either. I don¡¯t think it helped anything.¡± Instead, I pull up a note app. A diary or journal may actually be very helpful. Cassie said I need to get my emotions out and onto a page. This is the best way to do that. I have the same problem that I had with art. I could generate a thousand pages of raw emotion instantly, but would that work? Maybe the simple act of typing is vital. A slow outlet of emotion rather than a single release all at once. There¡¯s one last thing to figure out before I start. What do I even write about? Cassie¡¯s poetry book was full of emotion I could take inspiration from, but I don¡¯t think those are the emotions I need to deal with. Romance isn¡¯t exactly my biggest concern right now. The only other reference I have is nonfiction, and that¡¯s certainly not useful. Although making a copy of everything Finn put in my mind would probably be a good thing to give Silver. I guess it probably doesn¡¯t matter what I write. I don¡¯t need inspiration to write about my own experiences and how I feel about them. It doesn¡¯t matter how good it is, or even how coherent it is. I¡¯m not going to let anyone read it. Maybe Corax can, he lived it just like I did. I guess the only place to start is at the beginning. It¡¯s slow going with only one hand, but Corax charging is far more important. Only a few paragraphs in a bite on my thigh brings me back to reality. Only now do I notice the tears streaming from my eyes. ¡°Sorry.¡± I set the tablet to my side and wipe the tears from my eyes. ¡°I guess this means it¡¯s working?¡± Corax does his best to shrug while upside down. He¡¯s suddenly looking much better. I guess taking care of me snapped him out of his guilt? Assuming that¡¯s what he was feeling in the first place. Either way I think it¡¯s better not to draw attention to it. ¡°I think I¡¯ll try writing something easier next time.¡± I tell him. ¡°Just something nice and fun.¡± Corax nods in agreement. ¡°Done.¡± He announces. ¡°Ok.¡± I disconnect the wires from his battery and carefully reattach his chest. Corax pushes himself to his feet and grabs another few hairs. ¡°Alright, we can work some more.¡± Corax is light on his feet as he works. I almost have trouble keeping up with him. Even though he¡¯s a storm of movement, he¡¯s still careful with each individual strand. ¡°At this rate we''ll be done soon.¡± Time flies by as Corax and I work. The sunlight streaming through the window slowly fades, and what feels like only a short time later, returns. Throughout the night we finish repairing a third of my scalp, and we have no intention of slowing down. Book 2 Chapter 9 ¡°Vince?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± I jerk awake at the sound of Cassie¡¯s voice. There¡¯s not a single muscle in my body that isn¡¯t sore. I¡¯m way too old to sleep in a chair. ¡°I¡¯m awake.¡± ¡°Morning.¡± Cassie has a familiar look in her eye. She wants something. Right, I promised to get her hand working. ¡°Right. Give me a second.¡± I push myself to my feet, my muscles complaining with every movement. ¡°But you have to eat first.¡± ¡°Ugh, fine.¡± She rolls her eyes. ¡°But be quick.¡± ¡°I remember you being more patient.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± She responds, failing to hide a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can.¡± I head downstairs, trying my best to work out the tightness in my muscles all the while. I guess I should talk to Sonia first. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s focused on some project, and turning on an arm isn¡¯t interesting. The compound is already busy. Most scrappers have already returned from the wastes, which means a storm is probably going to hit today. ¡°Vince!¡± A voice makes itself known, even through the throng of people. A young man whose name I can¡¯t recall is waving his arm at me. ¡°Help us unload?¡± ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t. Doctor¡¯s orders.¡± I respond along with a tap on the side of my head. ¡°Maybe next week!¡± I open the garage and am assaulted by Sonia¡¯s blaring music. She has to be going deaf. ¡°Sonia!¡± I have to yell at the top of my lungs to get her attention. Half a second later the music stops. ¡°What?¡± She doesn''t even bother to take her eyes off her project. I''m not interesting yet. ¡°I need you to turn on Cassie¡¯s hand.¡± ¡°No.¡± Sonia responds flatly. ¡°She¡¯s not healed yet.¡± ¡°Look, I know. But we either turn on her hand, or she¡¯s going to activate the whole arm.¡± Sonia lets out a loud sigh and spends a few moments to think. ¡°I¡¯ll be up when I¡¯m done.¡± She eventually responds. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll buy you a drink sometime.¡± I tell her and leave. Next I head to the canteen, which takes a while, but goes smoothly. I grab a plate of pasta for Cassie, with only the barest hint of sauce on it, and grab a breakfast bar for me. I can barely choke down the bar, but I don¡¯t have time to sit and eat. Soon enough I¡¯m once again walking into Cassie¡¯s room. ¡°You¡¯ll never guess what breakfast is.¡± I say as I open the door with my hip. ¡°Beans?¡± Cassie asks disappointedly. ¡°No, actually.¡± I place a small plate of pasta on her lap and a glass of water on her dresser. ¡°Oh good, it¡¯s worse.¡± She grabs the fork and idly pokes at her food. ¡°I told Sonia not to help you if your plate isn¡¯t clean by the time she gets up here. Make sure you eat.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± She calls me out. ¡°Feel free to take the risk.¡± I say as casually as I can. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a few hours.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°There are a few people I need to talk to.¡± ¡°Ah. Have fun.¡± She knows exactly where I¡¯m headed. ¡°I will.¡± I once again leave her room and head downstairs. The west wing of the building is guarded by a single man, the only way in or out. ¡°They¡¯ve been asking about you.¡± The guard says when he sees me. ¡°Well I guess I shouldn¡¯t disappoint them then.¡± I draw my handgun and knife, and place them on the table next to him. I open the door and am met with two dozen kids screaming my name. ¡°Vince!¡± The kids rush me, threatening to pull me to the ground. ¡°Ok ok!¡± I laugh. ¡°Let me sit down!¡± I wade through the sea of munchkins towards a chair. The kids cling to every limb but I power through. I finally lower myself into the chair and grab two of the smaller kids to place on each knee. ¡°Where have you been young man?¡± The sea parts for Alice, staring me down with her hands on her hips. She¡¯s so small she barely comes up to my knee, but has more than enough personality to make up for it. She¡¯s a born leader, and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she replaces Silver one day.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°I had to save a friend.¡± I tell her. ¡°And what is that?¡± She asks me accusingly, pointing up at the new scar on my face. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you get in a fight.¡± I tell them. ¡°Did you kill him?¡± Colin asks with far too much excitement. He¡¯s one of the larger boys, and is far too interested in killing. I¡¯ve done my best to steer him in a better direction. While it hasn¡¯t completely worked, at least he¡¯s stopped asking to see my gun every time I enter. ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t.¡± I reach down and tousle his hair. ¡°There are better ways to resolve a conflict. Besides, I lost.¡± An equal number of shocked and disbelieving yells cry out from the kids. ¡°But you¡¯re the best.¡± Jamie, one of the kids on my knee says, tears welling in his eyes. He¡¯s one of the youngest kids in the compound. Someone found him crying in a trashcan. Unfortunately, we never found the parents, and I hope for their sake we never do. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright. I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m the best, but that¡¯s why you solve your problems with your brain, not your muscles.¡± ¡°Did Ivy kill him?¡± Colin asks. ¡°No Colin, she didn¡¯t. Ivy only goes after kids who are mean to their sisters and brothers. Have you been good?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He says in the guiltiest way possible. He won¡¯t even look me in the eye while he lies. I¡¯ll have to have another talk with him later. ¡°Vince?¡± Zia, another of the very young ones, gently pulls on the sleeve of my arm. ¡°Can you tell us a story?¡± ¡°A story?¡± I lift her up and let her sit on the arm of the chair. ¡°Hmm, well I can think of one, but I think it¡¯s a little too mature for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m mat- mitu- mater- mature!¡± She puts on the best pout she can. She absolutely has no idea what that word means. ¡°Are you now? How old are you these days anyway?¡± ¡°I¡¯m five!¡± ¡°Five? Since when! You were just four last year!¡± Zia and a few of the other kids giggle. ¡°Well I suppose you¡¯re old enough then.¡± I hang out with the kids for a few hours. Mostly it¡¯s telling them toned down stories about lessons I¡¯ve learned the hard way. At some point I get roped into a tea party with Zia and a few others, and after that they demanded yet more stories. I must have told most of them a dozen times, but the kids still hang on to every word. ¡°Alright.¡± Eventually I have to stand up. ¡°I¡¯ve got to get going, kids.¡± I announce to the room. ¡°Noooo.¡± A cry rings throughout the room. ¡°Don¡¯t leave.¡± Zia clings to my sleeve. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what.¡± I crouch down in front of her, only to be tackled from behind. I manage to stay vertical though. These kids are going to be too heavy for me to handle soon. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to come back before I go out next time.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± She holds out her pinky finger. ¡°I¡¯d never break a pinky promise.¡± After completing our contract I stand up. ¡°You better come back.¡± Alice demands. ¡°I will.¡± I wade my way to the door and give one last wave to the kids. On my way out I collect my sidearm and knife from the table. Only one more thing to do today. ¡°Hey Oscar, is Silver available?¡± ¡°Let me check.¡± The receptionist types a few words on his computer and turns back to me. ¡°Go on in.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Vince.¡± Silver says before I even open the door. ¡°Silver.¡± I take the seat across from them. ¡°I need you to be straight with me.¡± Silver stops typing and turns their full attention to me. They stay silent, waiting for me to start. ¡°What¡¯s got you so scared?¡± I ask them. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to be more specific.¡± I can see in their eyes, they know exactly what I¡¯m talking about. ¡°Dirt cheap food, selling more of Sonia¡¯s scrap than ever. Lower payouts than ever, despite bringing back more than average. Hell Silver, we ran out of soap for a week! What are you saving up for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saving up for anything.¡± Silver begins to rummage through their desk. ¡°I¡¯m buying time.¡± They toss a small pile of letters onto the table. Real paper letters. I grab the top one and begin to read. It¡¯s a ransom note for a near unfathomable amount of money. It¡¯s littered with threats, not against Silver, but against our people. A promise to hunt down every scrapper, one by one, and to kill them. It goes into gruesome detail of exactly how they will be dismembered piece by piece. My blood runs cold at the sight of the signature. ¡®With love, Mara.¡¯ I dig through the pile, trying to find the oldest one. These have been arriving for three months at this point. Adrenaline courses through my body, screaming to go, to fight, to yell, to kill. A storm is coming, leaving now will get me killed. I sit back and clamp down on my emotions. ¡°When were you going to tell me?¡± I ask, my voice barely containing my rage. ¡°When I had more information.¡± They say, their voice void of emotion. ¡°If I told you earlier you would have just run off and died.¡± ¡°Ok, fine.¡± They¡¯re absolutely right. ¡°Then I hope you found enough, I¡¯m leaving once the next storm passes.¡± ¡°Give it three storms. You and Cassie both need more rest.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not bringing Cassie. I¡¯m not letting her get hurt again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not your decision to make. If you don¡¯t tell her I will.¡± ¡°Fuck, Silver!¡± I slam my hand on their desk. ¡°Just let me take care of this!¡± ¡°No.¡± They say with enough force to make me sit back. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you get yourself killed. You can¡¯t beat her in a fight. All of you together might.¡± ¡°Just show me what you learned.¡± Silver pulls out a map, knowing they¡¯ve won the argument. ¡°Each person Mara¡¯s sent has both arrived and left from the east. It¡¯s a different person every time. My scouts have tracked them as far east as the Mississippi canyon. They follow that south into the gulf flats, head west to Dallas, then north-west into the Rockies. That is always where they vanish.¡± ¡°Vegas.¡± I jump to the end of their story. Of course she¡¯d stay in Vegas. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I still have a few connections there, and they haven¡¯t heard anything about her. It¡¯d be a good place to pick up the trail though.¡± No choice but to interact with my old life. It¡¯s been over fifteen years though, who would even still be alive? A couple of people come to mind, but who would be willing to sell out Mara? I¡¯m sure she stabbed at least a few people in the back, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard. And if nobody¡¯s willing? I can fix that. ¡°I know a few scumbags who are too evil to die.¡± ¡°Good. It¡¯s a two day drive to Vegas. You¡¯ll need extra supplies and a good mechanic. I¡¯m sending with you Lucas¡¯ new group. They¡¯ll carry replacement batteries for you and head back at the midpoint. You set out in three cycles.¡± Silver returns to their computer, silently dismissing me. Great, looks like I have one more conversation to have. It can wait until tomorrow though. No need to stress everyone out on our vacation. Book 2 Chapter 10 Where the fuck is Sonia? I choke down an entire plate of food and she''s late. Screw it, I''ll do it myself. I wedge the end of my fork under my kneecap, and a swift upward kick flattens the end. It''s not quite a screwdriver, but it should work. I set to work taking off the outside shell of my new arm. Who would have ever guessed It¡¯s frustrating trying to use a flattened fork to unscrew plates with one hand, but I guess it could be worse. At least Seven shot my left arm instead of my right. I get halfway through by the time the door opens. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sonia already sounds exhausted. ¡°Your job.¡± Without another word she pulls a chair next to me and gets to work. Both of her hands grab tools and begin to work individually. It only takes her a few seconds to do what took me minutes. Suddenly she connects a wire and my entire arm begins to lightly tingle. My hand sits limply in my lap, I¡¯m almost afraid to try to move it. These surgeries have far from a 100% success rate. It only takes Sonia a few seconds to reattach the outer plates. ¡°Alright, can you feel this?¡± I see her grab my thumb, and feel pinpricks of sensation all across my phantom arm. Great, this again. I¡¯d hoped Sonia would have been able to avoid the relearning process. ¡°Every nerve is in the wrong place.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going-¡± ¡°To have to get used to it, I know. This isn¡¯t my first time.¡± I cut her off. I don¡¯t need and don¡¯t want her to explain what I already know. ¡°Can you make a fist?¡± She completely ignores my outburst. I attempt to flex what would have been my hand. The fingers move at an incredible speed, contorting in random directions. If an organic hand did half of what mine just did, it would have shattered in a dozen places. ¡°Let¡¯s try to isolate individual fingers.¡± ¡°I can do it myself. You can get back to work.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She shrugs and puts her tools back in her pockets. ¡°Don¡¯t break anything.¡± I don¡¯t say anything as she leaves. My attention is already fully on my hand. It moved, which means I can fix it. I start by imagining moving every muscle in my arm individually, seeing which servo it¡¯s now hooked up to. There¡¯s no rhyme or reason dictating any of the changes. My tricep now moves my pointer finger left, extending my pinky now only extends the last joint, What was once my bicep now causes my middle finger to extend. That¡¯ll be fun to flip people off with at least. Mapping out my hand is the easy part, it only takes a few hours and discovering a few never before used muscles. It¡¯ll take days to get used to moving them, but it¡¯s a good start. Feeling is going to be the hard part. Every sensory nerve in my arm has been wired seemingly randomly. Even poking what should be a single point causes me to feel it in uncountable separate places. I drag the tines of the fork gently across my palm. If I hadn''t been the one to do it, it¡¯d be impossible to tell where the fork was touching. I already know from my legs that my brain will adapt, but it could take months to change fully. I need it faster than that. I poke a single spot repeatedly, willing myself to adapt. Every time a few hundred points on my arm feel the tap. ¡°Fuck.¡± I mutter under my breath. This isn¡¯t working. I¡¯m not consistent enough. Even the smallest miss makes an extra hundred spots on my arm feel the tap. It¡¯s incomprehensible. It¡¯s fine. If Seven figured this out, so can I. I begin to drag my finger across my hand, only to have the same result. I spend over an hour trying a dozen different methods to make progress. It¡¯s like I¡¯m slamming my head against the wall. ¡°Fuck!¡± I yell, a small outlet for my growing frustration. I am not going to be beaten by this thing. I hear Blue stand up behind the wall at my back. Great. She opens her door and takes a few steps over to mine. ¡°Just come in.¡± I reluctantly yell out before she can even knock. If I turn her away she¡¯s probably going to freak out or something. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Blue cracks the door and peaks through with that bird on her shoulder. She¡¯s made good progress on her hair. The entire left half of her head has hair tumbling down to her shoulders. Of course the other half of her missing scalp is freaky. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I reflexively try to wave her way, only to use the wrong hand. It contorts, flopping itself off my lap and onto the bed. Blue¡¯s face instantly reflects her fear. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Her voice betrays her barely contained terror. ¡°I''m fine, it''s just this fucking arm.¡± ¡°What''s wrong with it?¡± She takes a few steps over to me. ¡°Sonia wired the thing up wrong. I just need to get used to it.¡± ¡°Can we help? Corax and I both had to adapt to new bodies.¡± She tries her best to keep her voice calm and quiet. I wish she¡¯d just talk normally, not treat me like some scared animal. ¡°I don''t know how much help you can be.¡± I tell her honestly. ¡°Bird.¡± Corax pipes up from her shoulder. What the fuck does that even mean? ¡°Corax was a normal bird and had to adapt to his whole body. He can probably help a lot, or I can try to fix the wiring.¡± Right, he''s a mind rip. I''m not sure how someone who can''t string two words together can give advice though. She probably does know her electrical engineering, but I''m not sure how comfortable I am having her inside me. I can definitely take her down with just a fork if anything goes wrong. One quick jab and twist to each joint and she''s harmless. ¡°Fuck it, feel free to try.¡± I gesture to my arm. ¡°Ok, one second.¡± She looks relieved to be able to help. She disappears from my room, heads into hers, and quickly comes back with a screwdriver and tweezers. It takes her a moment to remove the first plate. But once she does, she removes the rest of them as if she''s practiced a thousand times. ¡°I think there''s a small computer in here. I''d be much more comfortable editing that.¡± Is that excitement in her voice? ¡°Just don''t break anything.¡± Sonia would kill me if she did. ¡°I won''t. Uh, do you have a cord I could use?¡± Sonia didn''t give her one? Actually, that sounds about right. She has no idea how much havoc she could spread if she got into the wrong system. ¡°There''s a charger there.¡± I point down to a small tablet charger plugged into the wall. ¡°Use that.¡± She removes the cord, plugged it into her wrist and hands the other end to me. ¡°Do you want to plug it in?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She has no idea how much more comfortable that makes me. ¡°Thanks.¡± Blue gives a big smile, incredibly happy she did something right. Well now I guess I have another problem. I can keep my hand on the wire, ready to rip it out, or on the fork, ready to defend. The fork is my only real option. Let''s get this over with. I shove the cord through the gap she¡¯s created, into a half hidden port in my arm and grab the fork tightly. I keep it hidden under my leg. No need to escalate. ¡°Oh!¡± She lets out involuntary. I grab my weapon tighter. ¡°This is really neat.¡± My hand moves involuntary, going from closed to wide open near instantly ¡°Don''t do that!¡± My mind screams at me to fight, to pull the cord and end her now. The only reason I don''t, is because my hand goes limp the instant the last syllable leaves my mouth. ¡°Sorry! I got excited.¡± The one good thing about her is that I can always tell exactly how she¡¯s really feeling. I would be hard-pressed to find a voice with more guilt in it. ¡°Should I stop?¡± She asks. ¡°No.¡± I''ve already gotten past the worst of it. Might as well make sure it wasn''t for nothing. ¡°Just don''t fucking do it again.¡± ¡°I won''t.¡± She promises. I''m not sure she could break that even if she had to. ¡°I guess just try to move something, and tell me what you were trying to move.¡± She says. ¡°Middle finger out.¡± I try to flip her off, only for my hand to twist. ¡°Ok, small problem. You can control each joint of your fingers independently. I can simulate the tendons on an organic hand, or I can leave them independent.¡± ¡°Independent.¡± I¡¯m not going to let some algorithm get me killed. If I have to learn a few extra muscles, so be it. ¡°Ok. I''ll hook up that signal to your knuckle joint. Try another muscle.¡± I give my middle finger a test wiggle. Expanding it works like I¡¯d expect, although much more sensitive than my old hand. ¡°That works. Middle finger in.¡± It only takes ten minutes to get my hand working exactly how I''d expect, for the most part at least. Using my fingers is fucking weird, but that''s fine. I can get used to it by the end of the day. I just stare at it moving for a few seconds, amazed at the progress. It took weeks to learn how to walk again, and now I just get a functional hand. ¡°I really appreciate it.¡± I tell her. ¡°I''m glad.¡± She says happily. ¡°Your sensory nerves are all messed up, do you want help with that?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Ok. Can I touch you?¡± She seems reluctant to after I yelled at her. ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± I''d prefer if she didn''t, but I guess there''s no other way. She takes my hand in hers. She gently traces the tip of her finger across my palm. The sensations spread across my arm instantly snap into position under her finger. She only needs to touch each point once to fix it. She''s so gentle, never using more than the minimum needed pressure. After a few minutes of tracing her fingers slowly across my hand, she gently turns it over. Her hand is the first thing I''m actually feeling with my new arm. It''s so warm, and surprisingly soft. I''m glad she can''t feel my heart begin to race against my will. What the fuck am I thinking? It''s just a hand. I''m just excited about my hand being functional, that''s all. Once she finishes the back of my hand, she begins to double check her work. Her fingers dance across mine way faster than the first time. It''s a good thing too, she missed a few spots. ¡°Does that feel good?¡± She asks. My voice catches in my throat before realizing what she means. ¡°Yeah, it''s great.¡± I can only imagine how red my face is. She had better not fucking tell anyone. ¡°I think that''s it for today.¡± ¡°Ok. Here¡¯s your cord back.¡± ¡°Just keep it.¡± I really need her to just leave. ¡°Ok. Tell me when the rest of your arm is connected and I''ll help again if you want.¡± Oh fuck. ¡°I will. Bye.¡± ¡°Just knock on the wall if you need anything.¡± She finally turns and leaves, her bird staring into my core. Fuck I need to talk to Ivy. Book 2 Chapter 11 A silent alarm wakes me up, an electric signal from my eye applied directly to my cochlear nerve. It''s far too early, but a quick shot of adrenaline from a canister in my torso fixes that. I''m instantly alert. My bed is cold and empty. Vince must have spent the night in Cassie¡¯s room. I would bring him breakfast, but I''m certain Cassie is still asleep. I can''t hear her yelling or trying to fight someone yet. My eye tells me I only have half an hour before training, which means I don''t have time to wait for her to wake up. I try to roll to the side of the bed, only for a pain to shoot through my core. Huh, I thought that was more healed. I''m more careful getting out of bed the second time. I glance at my wound for just a moment and begin my morning routine, letting my visual co-processors do their work. It doesn''t look infected or any more swollen than normal, and if anyone could tell, it''d certainly be me. I''ll check with the doctors later, but it''s not an immediate concern, as much as I wish it was. It takes me a few minutes to throw together an outfit and do my makeup. It''s ironic just how much effort I have to put into looking like I don''t care about my looks. I slip a knife and revolver into each boot, another of each into my waistband, and a knife up each sleeve. Just because I''m not expecting action, doesn''t mean I''m not going to be ready for it. Especially since I''m training Brayden today. That kid¡¯s going to try to be the end of me. Once I¡¯m confident in my appearance I head downstairs. The sun hasn¡¯t even risen yet, but the lunchroom doors are already wide open. John already has a plate waiting for me. Spaghetti again. The noodles are dry and sticky, and somehow the sauce has crunchy bits in it. Hopefully Vince can find something else, or this is going to ruin his day. I take my time eating and head to the range. Inside is a single 18 year old kid trying to give me bedroom eyes. It¡¯d be funny if it wasn¡¯t so pathetic. Unfortunately he¡¯s not late. His last ten mile run made sure it wouldn¡¯t happen again. ¡°Let''s get this over with. Stance.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t-¡± ¡°Cool, start running.¡± I have no desire to listen to whatever half baked pickup line he¡¯s thought of. His watch beeps at my command. Five miles, and a shock if he slows down. Glad he wants to make today easy. ¡°But-¡± ¡°Make it ten for talking twice. Go.¡± The watch beeps again with its updated goal. He winces as a small warning shock shoots through his arm. He decides, I¡¯m sure all on his own, to start running after that. Funny how that works. Well, I just earned myself two hours of quiet. ¡°Finally.¡± The door at the back of the range opens and Jade steps though. I didn¡¯t realize she was here, but I thankfully don¡¯t have to worry about accidentally letting my surprise show. ¡°Fucker got here half an hour ago.¡± ¡°Really? All that effort, just to throw it away.¡± I grab a few air guns off a table along the back wall and begin to hook them up in my lane. ¡°What is Silver even going to do with him? Any group that gets him will be in more danger than without him.¡± Jade begins to hook up guns as well in the lane next to mine. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯d be that bad as long as there are no girls for him to drool over.¡± I finish my setup. Single action revolver, double action pistol, SMG, bolt action rifle, and an assault rifle laid out next to each other. One extra fake magazine sits beside each of them. ¡°Even still, he¡¯s more likely to shoot a friend than a target. His trigger discipline is non-existent.¡± Jade finishes her setup, mimicking mine exactly. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Draw.¡± The two of us scoop up the revolver at the same time and begin to unload into moving targets. My eye draws a line from the gun to exactly where each bullet is going to land. Every single shot hits dead center for both of us. ¡°Maybe Silver will send him out alone.¡± I both reload, and then promptly unload the revolver into the target much faster than Jade. I¡¯m done nearly half a second before she is, and move on to the double action pistol. ¡°And risk angering daddy when his precious boy gets killed?¡± Jade asks in a mocking voice. She finishes with her revolver and moves on, already gaining time on me. ¡°Pretty sure that¡¯s what we¡¯re getting paid for anyway.¡± I unload the last pistol round a split second before Jade. That¡¯s fine, she¡¯s always been faster with semi auto guns. ¡°Then why bother training him?¡± We both move onto the submachine gun at the same time. ¡°This can¡¯t be cheaper than an assassination.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Even this asshat deserves a chance I suppose.¡± I¡¯m over a second behind by the time we switch to the bolt action rifle, and well over three ahead by the time we finish. ¡°I guess so. Long as they send him to Denver I¡¯m happy.¡± Jade is lightning quick with her assault rifle. I¡¯m still ahead when we reload, but she¡¯s quickly closing in on me. We both fire our last shot nearly simultaneously. ¡°Who won?¡± Jade asks. I rewind time on my eye, closely watching frame by frame for the moment the screen displays the bullet''s impact. It displays on the same frame for both of us. ¡°Tie, down to the millisecond.¡± Jade doesn¡¯t even bother asking if we want to go again, and is already setting her lane back up again. At least she saves me the breath from saying yes. We play for as long as we can, trading wins back and forth. Eventually the sun rises and the range fills with people getting some practice in. A small crowd forms behind us, but Jade still has a job to do. She¡¯s forced to leave before too long, to the disappointment of the spectators. I continue to practice while waiting for Brayden to return. If I give up my lane someone else would claim it. Although that would mean I don¡¯t have to train him today. Unfortunately he returns only a few hours later. He reeks of sweat, but at least he¡¯s not daring to say anything. ¡°Stance.¡± I shove a rifle into his hands. His training goes as well as expected. He¡¯s still the worst shot I¡¯ve ever seen, but at least he¡¯s better than when he started. If I had a few years I might even be able to make him competent. For now though, my goal is just to make sure he doesn¡¯t shoot himself or the people around him. ¡°We¡¯re done for today.¡± I dismiss him after a few hours. At least I only need to teach him to shoot instead of tactics. I can¡¯t imagine how miserable that must be. And finally, the rest of the day is mine. I grab food for two and head upstairs to Cassie¡¯s room. It¡¯s bean salad, which she¡¯s going to hate, but oh well. I knock on her door with my shoe and open it with my elbow. Cassie looks up from her hand and gives me a look. Excitement, fear, and most of all, shame sits on her face along with a dozen other trace emotions. There¡¯s only one thing that mix could mean. ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m far too sober to talk about romance.¡± I place Cassie¡¯s food on her lap and pretend to try to run away. ¡°Ivy, this is serious!¡± She whispers. Why would she be whispering? Who is she afraid of overhearing? Oh. I see. Well at least Vince lost yet another bet. ¡°Alright,¡± I give a large sigh and sit in the chair next to Cassie. ¡°Tell me how Blue stole your heart.¡± The look on her face confirms my guess. ¡°This isn¡¯t funny!¡± It¡¯s actually very funny, but I can¡¯t tell her that. ¡°I know.¡± I stay quiet and wait for her to start. If I try to force her to talk there''s no way she ever will. ¡°So, she came in to help with my arm, alright? All my muscles and nerves were a fucking disaster. My bicep extended my middle finger. She fixed that.¡± She moves her hand into a couple of signs to demonstrate, although I can tell her fingers aren¡¯t quite ending up in the position she expects. I wait for her to continue, keeping my face looking supportive and non judgemental. ¡°To get my touch nerves working, she had to, uh.¡± It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen her this embarrassed. ¡°She had to¡­ touch my hand.¡± She can¡¯t even look at me while she speaks. ¡°Is that it?¡± I thought it would be something big, like a deep conversation or at least another hug or something. ¡°Don¡¯t laugh! She took my hand in hers and traced her finger all across it.¡± As embarrassed as she is, I can see hints of regret and longing on her face. ¡°She was so gentle, and careful, and warm.¡± I¡¯ve certainly never seen her face so red. ¡°Ivy, I need you to fix me.¡± She¡¯s fighting to prevent tears from welling up in her eyes. ¡°Sorry, but I think we both know that¡¯s not how things work.¡± I give her a reassuring smile. ¡°Life would be way easier if it did though. I¡¯ve had some unwanted crushes before.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Cassie asks, desperate to get attention away from her red face. ¡°Like who?¡± ¡°Well, Vince for one.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± ¡°Did I really never tell you that story?¡± I can see the answer in her face. ¡°Oh yeah, I hated Silver¡¯s golden boy. Everyone wanted to get into his pants, and I was the only one to see how fake he was. I saw every forced compliment, every insincere offer, the barely contained rage behind every word.¡± ¡°What changed?¡± Cassie asks. I give a shrug in response. ¡°He asked me out. Figured I¡¯d get a meal out of it and be able to call out his bullshit. He explained his history, and I think you know the rest.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± she says slowly. ¡°What¡¯s your point? That I should just do it? Because that¡¯s not fucking happening.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. My point is that crushes happen regardless of the person, and don¡¯t go away easily. What you should do is get to know her better. Either you¡¯ll learn more and kill the crush, or you¡¯ll learn more and become more accepting of it. Staying how you are now is only going to hurt.¡± I can see Cassie wrestling with what I¡¯ve said. Near microscopic twitches in her face betray the conflict in her mind. ¡°Can¡¯t you just fix it?¡± She asks again, already knowing the answer. ¡°Cassie, if I could fix all romance problems, I wouldn''t be a scrapper. I¡¯d be making bank as a therapist on the top floors.¡± ¡°And what if it gets worse? What if I want to, only for her not to. Why would an AI even date a human?¡± That doesn¡¯t sound like a question someone who has no intention of dating an AI would ask. ¡°Then you get rejected, and we drink to forget. You¡¯ll be over her by the next morning. Alright?¡± ¡°I guess. There¡¯s one more problem though.¡± I raise an eyebrow and wait for her to continue. ¡°The bird, Corax. He fucking knows.¡± Ooh, that makes things interesting. ¡°I can solve that problem, don¡¯t worry.¡± He seems reasonable, I¡¯m sure a quick conversation will fix it. ¡°Any other problems?¡± Even though I can already see the answer on her face, it¡¯s worth asking. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m too sober.¡± ¡°I can fix that too!¡± Book 2 Chapter 12 ¡°I hope Cassie isn¡¯t too mad at me.¡± I tell Corax as I drop onto my bed. He cocks his head at me, silently asking what I mean. ¡°Her heart rate spiked a ton while I worked. I can only imagine how stressed she was.¡± It must have taken a lot to trust me that much. Corax climbs from my shoulder without a word and settles in the center of his nest. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to try writing again. Can you keep an eye on me?¡± Corax nods in response. ¡°Ok. Thank you.¡± I grab the tablet next to me and begin to write. My journal is mostly disconnected moments of my life, roughly in order. It¡¯s not very legible to anyone other than me, but I guess it¡¯s helping. Only a few minutes later Corax bites my leg to get my attention. I hadn¡¯t even realized I was on the verge of tears once again. ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± I do want to keep working on it, but I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good idea. ¡°Do you want to read for a few minutes before I try again?¡± Corax nods and I dive back into Cassie¡¯s book. I switch between the two every few minutes. At least I¡¯m able to write a moment longer every time. That¡¯s definitely a good sign. We follow that pattern for a few hours until a knock on the door interrupts us. ¡°May I come in?¡± Ivy asks through the door. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Can I talk to Corax real quick?¡± Ivy asks while she opens the door. I give Corax a look, trying to get him to tell me why she needs him. Instead of responding, he flies quickly to her shoulder. ¡°Just give us one minute.¡± Ivy holds up a single finger while closing the door. ¡°Ok?¡± The two of them disappear out into the hallway. Is Corax in trouble? I can¡¯t think how he would be, he¡¯s barely left my side. Unless he said something bad while he was talking to Silver? But why would they only talk to him about it now? And why would Ivy be the one to talk to him about that? He¡¯s fine, and I just have to wait. I don¡¯t want to read ahead without him, and writing without him is certainly an awful idea. I tap my fingers in an effort to focus my mind. Repetitions of eleven. I¡¯m not going to let myself slip the moment he¡¯s gone. I¡¯m ok. I focus on my fingers for only a few minutes before the door opens once again. Corax immediately flies to my shoulder. ¡°Everything ok?¡± I ask both him and Ivy in the doorframe. ¡°Of course.¡± Ivy says, closing the door behind her. ¡°Turns out, Corax and I were already on the same page.¡± That just brings up more questions. ¡°Do I get to know what that is?¡± ¡°No.¡± Corax answers. ¡°You probably will eventually. We¡¯ll see how things go.¡± Ivy comes over to the bed and sits on the far end. ¡°Mind if I hang out for a bit?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I¡¯m not in a rush to write in my journal. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have to go back out eventually, and it¡¯s too dangerous to write anywhere but here, but for now I¡¯m in no rush. ¡°How did it go with Cassie?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°She might be mad at me. Her heart rate was really high, and her face was red while I worked on her arm.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think she was mad at you.¡± Ivy says with a knowing look. ¡°You¡¯re doing fine, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sure.¡± I guess she would know better than me. If she can seemingly always know what I¡¯m thinking, she can probably do the same with the others. Although apparently everyone can tell how I¡¯m feeling, so maybe not. ¡°So what have you two been up to?¡± Ivy asks, not letting silence settle over the three of us. ¡°We¡¯re taking a break from my hair. Corax has been helping me write, and I¡¯ve been reading to him.¡± ¡°Another one of Cassie¡¯s books? What¡¯s this one about?¡± ¡°Just another romance book. But this one is super good.¡± I¡¯m not even sure Cassie has many other book types. Other than poetry of course, but Corax doesn¡¯t like those. ¡°Romance is always nice. Do you think you¡¯d ever want to date someone?¡± Ivy asks casually. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can?¡± Why would she ask? ¡°Nobody can know about me, so I¡¯d never meet anyone.¡± ¡°Why not? You wouldn¡¯t be the first AI to date a human. Besides, I¡¯m just talking theoretically. Ignore the practicalities.¡± ¡°I guess? I¡¯ve never really thought about it.¡± Something is weird here, but I don¡¯t know what. ¡°Why?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Just trying to make conversation.¡± Ivy shrugs. ¡°Would you want to date a boy or a girl?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it really matters? Either I guess?¡± Is she trying to set me up with someone? No, that wouldn¡¯t make sense. She wouldn¡¯t risk everyone¡¯s lives for a partner I could live without. I have seen her gossip with Cassie before, maybe she¡¯s just doing that? Although this feels different from last time. I look to Corax for an answer, but he gives no hint towards what¡¯s happening. ¡°What about you?¡± I ask Ivy. ¡°I¡¯m literally dating Vince.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± I had no idea. ¡°Uh, congratulations.¡± I guess that explains why she¡¯s always in Vince¡¯s room. Of course they¡¯d be hanging out as much as possible. Ivy lets out a surprised laugh. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll let Vince know.¡± ¡°Hey Ivy?¡± I say after a few seconds of silence. Why not have a tough conversation that¡¯s been weighing on my mind. ¡°Can you help me with something?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°A long time ago we talked about installing a switch to disable my limbs. I want you to help me do that.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ivy asks in a way that makes it clear I don¡¯t have to do this. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose you all again. And if Corax can¡¯t pull me back, I want him to at least be able to turn me off.¡± ¡°Ok. What would I need to do?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a bundle of 128 wires at the tip of my spine, just beneath, well, me. You just need to splice a switch into sixteen of them.¡± I grab my tablet and plug myself in, instantly generating a diagram and handing it to Ivy. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m the best choice for this.¡± She hands the tablet back to me. ¡°Why not?¡± I can¡¯t think of anyone better. ¡°You have steady hands and a good eye. It should be easy.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know how to make it last. Every field repair I¡¯ve tried on Cassie¡¯s legs have failed within a week. She¡¯s your best bet if you don¡¯t want Sonia to do it.¡± Is it that obvious that I don¡¯t want Sonia to do it? Yeah of course it is, Ivy can read minds after all. ¡°But she¡¯s still learning her new arm.¡± ¡°Then you either wait, or I can supervise while Sonia works. I can get Vince too if it¡¯ll help.¡± ¡°Do you think he could do it?¡± Despite knowing the answer I can¡¯t help but hope. Ivy only shakes her head in response. ¡°It¡¯s safer to get it done now.¡± I stand up and grab Corax. I¡¯ll certainly need his support. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go get Vince.¡± Ivy stands up and puts a hand on my shoulder, her small show of support making me feel a little better. ¡°Thanks.¡± She removes her hand, and I replace it with Corax. ¡°I¡¯ll go get started I guess.¡± Corax and I head downstairs, tablet in hand. Ivy, on the other hand, lets herself into Vince¡¯s room without knocking. On the stairs I run into Vince, deep in his own thoughts. ¡°Vince?¡± I pull him out of his mind. ¡°Ivy was looking for you.¡± Ivy can tell him what¡¯s going on. I don¡¯t want to have yet another conversation. ¡°Thanks, Little Blue.¡± He passes me by on the stairs. Sonia¡¯s garage is thankfully abandoned, save for the woman herself. As always she¡¯s so focused on some project she doesn¡¯t give any sign she noticed when I came in. I close the door behind me and wait for her to finish. ¡°What do you need?¡± She finishes soldering something and puts it to the side. ¡°I need a switch wired.¡± I walk up to her and hand her my tablet. While she¡¯s memorizing the schematics, Vince and Ivy enter the room. Sonia gives them a glance, but doesn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I can do that. Lay down.¡± She says, but doesn¡¯t hand my tablet back. I don¡¯t ask for it either, I¡¯d be more comfortable with her having a reference. Corax flies up into the rafters, giving him the perfect view regardless of what happens. I lay face down on the operating table in the center of the room. Ivy and Vince pull up chairs and sit directly in front of me, offering their silent support. Vince¡¯s expression is similar to how he looked while Cassie was undergoing surgery. ¡°You¡¯re going to be alright.¡± He says, although I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s reassuring me, or himself. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Ready?¡± Sonia drops a handful of tools and parts on a nearby table. ¡°I guess.¡± Reluctantly I move the needed skin plates out of the way. Even though it¡¯s close, I¡¯m very careful to not give her access to my organic chip. ¡°Just work on one limb at a time, and tell me before you cut any wires. I really need as many limbs working as possible at all times.¡± Losing access to all of them is far too similar to how I was when stuck in the lab. ¡°Sure. Starting on right arm.¡± I block out the flow of data from that arm. Feeling it go offline would be much worse than just doing it now. I can feel her brush against the back of my neck as she works. I¡¯m ok. I keep my focus on the two in front of me, and on the fingers of my opposite hand. It¡¯s not enough. ¡°Hey Ivy? Vince? Can you talk to me?¡± ¡°Sure Little Blue. Got anything in mind?¡± Vince tries his best to hide his worry, but some still seeps into his voice. ¡°Literally anything.¡± I know they can hear the desperation in my voice. ¡°Alright, well. I visited the kids today.¡± Vince begins telling me about them. Thankfully he keeps talking without waiting for a response. I focus on his voice, desperately trying to ignore my nonfunctional limb. Vince¡¯s story is interrupted every few minutes by Sonia informing me one limb is done, and which one she¡¯s working on next. I can¡¯t feel any difference between before and after Sonia messed with my wiring, but it¡¯s still awful knowing I¡¯m only a single flick of a finger away from going limp. Ten minutes later, she pops off two of the plates on my neck. ¡°Switch is installed. Just need to reshape these.¡± She sounds so bored, like I¡¯m an inconvenience. Well I guess I am. She was like an entirely different person when she first worked on me. I guess my problems aren¡¯t interesting enough anymore. I sit up and gently run my fingers across the new switch on my neck. Once my other plates are reinstalled, it will be just a small bump sticking out. It won¡¯t get caught on anything, but all it takes to turn my limbs off is sliding it down. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°Bad.¡± I hate this. I don¡¯t want to lose my freedom again. ¡°Just make sure this is a last resort.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Little Blue.¡± Vince stands up and tries to put a comforting hand on my shoulder. His hand is too close. I scoot away before his hand reaches me, and he returns to his chair without trying again. ¡°It¡¯ll be an absolute last resort.¡± Vince promises. ¡°I know.¡± I¡¯m not going to let it need to be used. Corax glides down from the rafters, and lands on my shoulder. If anyone tries anything, I¡¯ll know he¡¯ll protect me. No matter what happens, I can always trust him. ¡°Here.¡± Sonia returns with both the plates. ¡°You can reinstall them.¡± A small rectangle has been cut off each of them, giving just enough space for the switch to poke through. I reattach them myself. It feels seamless, if someone didn¡¯t know the switch was there, it¡¯d be easy to overlook. ¡°Thank you.¡± I call to Sonia. She¡¯s already moved to work on the project I interrupted once again. I turn back to Vince and Sonia. ¡°I think Corax and I are going to go read more.¡± ¡°Just yell if you need anything.¡± Ivy says. The double meaning doesn¡¯t go over my head. I can hear Vince and Ivy talking quietly behind me as I leave. Book 2 Chapter 13 Corax and I stay in our room for a long time. We finish my hair, and then begin switching between reading and writing every few minutes. A sandstorm outside begins, and then ends a few days later. It¡¯s nice being able to relax for so long. Ivy and Vince make sure to visit regularly, spending a few hours with us every day. I think they¡¯re worried about me, but honestly, I feel great. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s because I can finally relax, or because of journaling. Probably both. The only time we have to leave our room is to let Corax fly and to ask Cassie for more books. It turns out even when I read slowly, reading all day gets through them pretty quickly. I get why Cassie told me to be so careful with that tattered book, It really was something special. I could see myself enjoying reading it several times, I haven''t felt that about any other story. After a week of relaxation a knock rings out from the door. It¡¯s definitely not Ivy or Vince, it sounds too metallic. It can¡¯t be Cassie, she shouldn¡¯t be using her arm for anything right now. But who else could it be? There¡¯s only one way to find out. ¡°Come in.¡± Cassie opens the door. I should have guessed. She does have a habit of not doing what¡¯s best for her. ¡°Hey.¡± She gives a very careful, jerky wave with her arm. While reprogramming her hand, I went ahead and took some educated guesses at how the rest of her arm should have been wired up, I must have gotten some wrong. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see you up this quickly.¡± I don¡¯t want to tell her she really shouldn¡¯t be, I¡¯m sure Vince has told her enough. ¡°Do you need help?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She stands there uncharacteristically awkward. She really hates this. ¡°Well, sit down.¡± I pat beside me, there¡¯s plenty of space for her. ¡°So,¡± she begins to make her way over. ¡°Vince told me you had something installed?¡± She carefully sits down beside me. ¡°Yeah.¡± I turn away from her and lift up my hair. It¡¯ll hopefully make her more comfortable to know. ¡°Just please don¡¯t, unless it¡¯s an emergency.¡± ¡°I get it.¡± She sounds like she genuinely cares. ¡°I¡¯ve had someone take over my arm before.¡± ¡°I still feel really bad about that.¡± It was a similar feeling to when I connected to the car. I was just excited to test out a new part of my body. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She says dismissively. ¡°At least you¡¯ll only do it once.¡± ¡°Yeah. Do you want me to get started?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± I don¡¯t actually have to take anything apart today. I discovered last time that there¡¯s a small flap that can be released, giving me access to the arm¡¯s data port. Not having to remove any parts will make it way easier to calibrate her entire arm at once. I plug in myself in, and the arm instantly becomes as if it¡¯s my own. I can feel every small touch, every twitch of a servo. It¡¯s no longer entirely Cassie¡¯s, just as it¡¯s not entirely mine. We share an intimate connection, we share our arm. ¡°So what muscles did I get wrong?¡± I ask. ¡°My bicep for one.¡± I feel the electrical signal from Cassie¡¯s nerves an instant before our tricep moves. It only takes weaving a single thread of thought into our arm to fix it. ¡°Ok. What next?¡± It turns out I also guessed wrong for seven out of the eight inputs in her arm. Oops. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s also an input for what looks like a gun in your arm? What do you want me to do with that?¡± ¡°Just connect it to whatever.¡± I guess it wouldn¡¯t be the first time she¡¯s had to learn to use a new muscle. It looks like she¡¯s already gotten the hang of using her finger joints independently. ¡°Ok, done. Just don¡¯t load it for a while.¡± The firing pin is already moving a small amount occasionally. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid.¡± ¡°I know, I just meant, nevermind.¡± There¡¯s nothing I can say to make this situation better. ¡°If you want me to fix your entire arm, I need access to your shoulder. Your shirt is in the way.¡± Her face immediately goes red. ¡°Fuck it, why not.¡± She doesn¡¯t sound mad though, although I¡¯m not sure exactly what emotion is in her voice. I unplug myself from her arm and she quickly takes her shirt off. My mind short circuits for a moment when I see her. I can see why humans cover up. She has so much muscle. Strong, and incredibly well defined abs. Her small breasts are contained by a sports bra.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. A fair number of scars crisscross across her body. I can¡¯t even begin to guess the source for most of them. I think I understand what Ivy meant when she said I looked storied. I¡¯d love to hear the story behind every one of these, if she¡¯d be willing to share. Her new arm blends into her skin, extending a few inches beyond her shoulder. It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s ever intended to be removed. She¡¯s just really pretty. The descriptions Finn put in my mind can¡¯t even come close to comparing to her. Are other people this pretty? The memory of Ivy asking if I¡¯d rather date boys or girls surfaces in my mind. I think I lied to her, the answer is definitely girls. ¡°Are you just going to stare all day?¡± Her face is so red. ¡°Sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to!¡± My apology rushes out of my mouth. ¡°Just start already.¡± ¡°Ok. Sorry.¡± I plug myself back in before I can do something else wrong. ¡°Can I touch you?¡± Cassie¡¯s heart rate once again spikes and she lets out a loud cough. ¡°Just do it.¡± I start with our wrist and work my way up, using a single finger, barely touching. Every sensation is shared between us, and a single touch is all it takes to recalibrate our arm. I don¡¯t have easy access to the underside of our arm, so I take our hand gently in mine and lift. ¡°So,¡± she breaks the silence with a shaky voice, refusing to look at me. ¡°What have you been doing?¡± ¡°Mostly reading, sorry if you¡¯ve been able to hear.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I also finished my hair, but I¡¯m sure you saw that.¡± ¡°I did. It looks nice by the way.¡± She adds quietly. ¡°Thank you. Ivy styled it.¡± It doesn¡¯t look much different than it looked before I ripped it all out. She mostly just evened out the lengths. ¡°I¡¯ve also been writing a journal in small bursts. I really think it¡¯s helping. Thank you.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Cassie¡¯s hand begins to clench and unclench rhythmically. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I stop tracing my way up our bicep. ¡°It tickles.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± I can¡¯t exactly relate. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a sensation I can feel. ¡°Tell me if this helps.¡± I lower the sensitivity of our arm. It¡¯ll make it a little harder to calibrate, but I¡¯d hate to make her even more uncomfortable. I once again begin to gently move my finger across our arm. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s better.¡± After a few seconds of silence Cassie continues talking. ¡°Are you enjoying the books?¡± ¡°Yeah. The really tattered one was my favorite. I could tell it¡¯s special.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. It got me through a lot.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± I ask. ¡°Well, I really latched onto it when I was a kid. I even tried to get my dad to read it to me, before I realized how weird that is.¡± I can¡¯t tell a single emotion she¡¯s feeling. There are far too many layered on top of each other. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Why did she let me read something that special to her? Any explanation I can think of has obvious problems. ¡°I don¡¯t have much from Kara, and nothing from anyone else.¡± ¡°What were they like?¡± Cassie asks. Corax climbs from his bed and onto my shoulder, offering his support. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I actually remember. I only knew them for a few days. In fact, I¡¯ve known Corax for longer, and not just because I lived his life. They mostly ripped any happy memories of them out of my mind in the dark.¡± It¡¯s weird saying that out loud, but somewhat nice. It¡¯s a similar feeling to writing. At least my tears aren¡¯t of desperation right now. ¡°Shit.¡± She actually looks at me, with a shared pain in her eyes. ¡°That sucks.¡± She almost coaxes a laugh out of me, but there¡¯s just too many emotions swirling around my head for it to come out. ¡°Yeah, I guess it does.¡± I focus on our arm for a few seconds. ¡°What about yours?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say they¡¯re like any other parents, but you wouldn''t, yeah.¡± She returns to paying attention to my barren walls. ¡°I mostly took after Dad, no matter how much Mom hated it. He made sure I learned to fight, to cook, to survive. He was stern, sure, but also caring.¡± I know better than to mention the tears begging to spill over onto my bed. ¡°Mom was too pure for this world. She spent every waking moment trying to make everyone in the village¡¯s lives better. Took care of the other kids, helped keep the place clean, made food for the old people.¡± ¡°Did you get your cursing from your dad?¡± ¡°No actually.¡± She gives a small chuckle. ¡°He fucking hated swearing. I got that from Vince and some bitch we were traveling with.¡± ¡°Really? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard him curse.¡± ¡°He was a different person back then. You really should make him share his story sometime.¡± ¡°Ok, I will.¡± While we¡¯ve talked I¡¯ve worked my way up our arm. Everything up to, and including our shoulder is done, and the only part that remains is where our steel meets her flesh. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m going to have to work on the seam of your arm. Is it ok if I touch your skin?¡± There¡¯s no practical difference between our arm and her skin, but I don¡¯t want to accidentally cross some kind of boundary. ¡°Just do what you need to.¡± I think she¡¯s both tired of, and appreciative that I keep asking. ¡°Ok.¡± I do my best to touch as little of her skin as I can regardless. Her heart rate once again begins to rise once I start to trace along the seam. The little bit I do touch is soft and warm, but I kill those thoughts. I¡¯m just doing work. I shouldn¡¯t let myself take advantage of this. Luckily it only takes a few seconds to calibrate that part of our arm and I can move on. I do one more pass, this one much quicker than the first. Somehow I missed a few places once again. ¡°Done.¡± I return our arm back to its starting sensitivity and I unplug myself, returning our arm to her. ¡°Does that feel good?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She runs her hand across her arm to check. When she tries to move her arm, her elbow contracts far harder than expected, smacking her in the face. ¡°Ow! Fuck!¡± She screams while reeling back onto the bed. ¡°Are you ok?¡± I yell and jump to my feet, unsure how to help. ¡°I¡¯m fucking fine.¡± She sits back up, a red welt already developing on her cheek. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just sensitive. I¡¯ll get used to it.¡± ¡°I can fix that.¡± I offer. ¡°No.¡± Cassie dismisses my idea immediately. ¡°I need the speed.¡± ¡°I can make it an exponential activation curve, where it¡¯s easy to move slowly to give more control while still letting you access the entire range of power.¡± ¡°No, that''s awful.¡± Cassie says. ¡°I tried that with my legs once, It¡¯s too imprecise. When I¡¯m moving fast is when I need the most control, not the least.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I guess that makes sense. ¡°Just let me know if you change your mind.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Cassie stands up from the bed, throws her shirt back on, and walks to my door. ¡°Thanks. For everything.¡± Cassie carefully opens my door with her artificial hand, only to be met with Vince on the other side. ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re here too. We need to have a group meeting.¡± Book 2 Chapter 14 ¡°Damn, alright.¡± Cassie grumbles, as if the meeting is just an inconvenience for her. Which, I guess it is. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you in a second.¡± Vince responds. Corax is already on my shoulder, so I stand up and the two of us follow Cassie and Vince into the hallway. We take a short walk next door to Ivy¡¯s room where Vince opens the door for the three of us and stands aside. Ivy is, predictably, already inside and relaxing on her bed. Cassie and I take a seat on either side of her, and Vince pulls up a chair. ¡°Alright, so now what¡¯s this about?¡± Cassie asks impatiently. ¡°First, how are you feeling Cassie? How soon until you¡¯re good to fight?¡± Vince asks instead of responding. ¡°Doctor says two more weeks until I can fight normally, but my gun hand is functional.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s perfect. We need to wrap up a loose end.¡± Vince says mysteriously. Cassie raises an eyebrow at him. A silent conversation plays out across their faces. Cassie¡¯s face lights up with her realization. ¡°Fucking finally! Screw it, let¡¯s go now!¡± Cassie jumps to her feet with excitement. ¡°Are you going to fill the rest of us in?¡± Ivy asks, although I get the feeling she already knows, and she¡¯s just asking for me and Corax¡¯s sake. Unless this is what Corax and Ivy talked about, and I¡¯m the only one out of the loop? ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m right there with you, but we can¡¯t leave now. Silver is still putting some cogs in motion.¡± Vince tells Cassie firmly, and she finally sits back down. ¡°Alright Little Blue, I owe you a story.¡± Vince dives into his history, giving an abbreviated story of him being a raider with Mara, friendship with Silver, and finding Cassie. I let him finish his story before saying anything. ¡°Ok.¡± I¡¯m not in any position to judge someone for their past actions. I had a chance to stop the end of the world and chose wrong. How can I be mad at his choices? ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Vince asks with disbelief in his voice. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re not that person anymore, so that¡¯s the end of it. And I¡¯ve made a big mistake too.¡± Although mine is worse. If even I¡¯m allowed to continue living, then he has every right to move on from his past. ¡°Well alright then.¡± Vince lets out a breath in relief, guessing correctly that I don¡¯t want to share. ¡°To make a long story short, Mara has been extorting money from Silver for months, that¡¯s why the food has been so cheap. We finally get to put an end to it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about fucking time we put that bitch down.¡± I have no idea how Cassie sounds so excited. ¡°It sure is. The earliest point where her couriers have been seen is in Vegas. We¡¯re heading there after two more storms and are on our own to pick up the trail. I have a few old friends I can try, but no guarantees if any of them are still alive. Any questions?¡± ¡°What do we do if these friends of yours are dead?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°Any backup plan?¡± ¡°Make new ones.¡± Vince shrugs. ¡°But I¡¯d be surprised if they aren¡¯t still around.¡± ¡°How are we getting there?¡± Cassie asks, suddenly far more serious. ¡°Through the Southern Pass of the Rockies, and west to Vegas. We¡¯ll be driving by the grand canyon if you want to-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± She says firmly. ¡°Alright.¡± Vince doesn¡¯t push her on it. ¡°The plan is to drive straight through. Silver is sending Lucas and his crew with us until the halfway point. They¡¯ll carry extra batteries and supplies for us.¡± ¡°He really agreed to that?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°Yes. Although you¡¯ll have to ask him yourself if you want more information. Anyone else?¡± ¡°Yeah, I have a question.¡± I say kind of awkwardly. Everyone else seems like they¡¯ve done this sort of meeting many times. ¡°How do Corax and I need to act?¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Vegas is mostly lawless, the two of you can be yourself. Although, last I was there AI were in high demand. Always make sure at least one of us can see you, and don¡¯t go flaunting the fact that you¡¯re alive.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Not having to worry as much will be nice for once, even if I will still have to stay on guard. At least if I screw up, the punishment is only getting myself captured, and not everyone I know killed. I can live with that. ¡°Anything else?¡± Vince asks. Everyone stays quiet, although I can still see Cassie fidgeting. She still wants to ask something, but I don¡¯t think she wants to do it with us here. Or probably just me. ¡°Ok good. Silver is pulling out all the stops for this and they¡¯ve already ok¡¯d a handful of AI Tech for all of us. Ivy, you¡¯ve got some interesting bullets. Little Blue, you¡¯re getting a brand new harpoon. Cassie, you¡¯re getting decoy grenades and a nearly silent pistol. Corax, Sonia made a harness for you to drop tiny explosives from the sky.¡± Both Corax and Cassie¡¯s eyes shine with excitement. ¡°What are you getting then?¡± Ivy asks Vince. ¡°Just a lot of boring useful stuff. Plastic explosives, trip mines, incendiary grenades. That kind of thing. ¡°I see you¡¯re not taking any chances.¡± Ivy says with a small grin. ¡°Nope. Any other questions?¡± Everyone remains silent. ¡°Alright. Cassie, I¡¯m guessing you want to talk?¡± A quick glance at her face answers his question. ¡°Little Blue, Corax, try to get down to the range when you can. If you need help I¡¯m sure Ivy is willing. If you need me we¡¯ll be in my room.¡± Vince stands up and heads into the hallway, closely followed by Cassie. ¡°Well, do you need help?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°Corax and I can handle it, thank you.¡± The two of us head downstairs. Along the way I focus on letting all sound wash over me. I don¡¯t acknowledge it, don¡¯t process it, just let it pass through my mind and be forgotten. I might be getting better, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m good enough to hear gunshots yet. The two of us enter the range. It¡¯s mostly abandoned, every available scrapper is probably out in the wastes still. Jade is behind her desk as always, and cracks the door next to her open for us. I walk through, feeling the pressure from every trigger pull. I¡¯m ok. Just keep taking one step at a time. The pressure lessens substantially once I close the door behind me. I can see Jade try to say something, but I have no idea what. The three of us take a few steps deeper into Jade¡¯s backroom before I dare to let myself hear again. ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t hear, what was that?¡± ¡°Nothing important. So I heard you lost my guns.¡± Uh oh. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about that.¡± How can I make this better? ¡°You¡¯ll be happy to know that I made good use of the harpoon at least. I saved myself and Corax, and made all of the scrap Vince brought back available.¡± ¡°All that scrap only means we¡¯re barely even on costs.¡± She walks through the isles, takes the last harpoon off the shelf, and marks it down on her sheet of paper. ¡°I guess that¡¯s what it¡¯s for though. Here.¡± I wordlessly sling it over my shoulder. ¡°Same loadout as last time. Two 9mm pistols, 102 total rounds split evenly between armor piercing and hollow point, and six seventeen round mags.¡± As she calls out each item, she pulls it off the shelf, marks it down, and hands it to me. I slide the pistols into the holsters on my vest and throw the rest into my backpack. I don¡¯t need to deal with loading them now. ¡°Now for the fun part.¡± She finally reaches the back of her small warehouse, where a small harness system lays on the table. ¡°If you would.¡± Corax flies to the table before she can even finish her sentence. He stands tall and proud waiting for Jade to put it on him. ¡°So here¡¯s how this works. First, he steps in here, and puts his head through this loop. Then these two loops go around his wings, and buckle across his back.¡± Sonia walks me through the steps without actually touching Corax. I think she¡¯s afraid to get too close to him? He does have a pretty hard bite, to be fair. Putting the harness on him is surprisingly easy, and it¡¯s in place within seconds. ¡°Next, there are these four metal grabbers. These small charges go in each.¡± She holds up what looks like a miniature pipe bomb, painted with stripes of bright yellow and black, with a string coming out of the front. ¡°The string goes here, neatly packed into a pocket where it can¡¯t be pulled. All Corax has to do is to pull any of these four quick releases to let it fall. Once it falls ten feet, the string will be ripped from the pipe, priming the grenade. From there it¡¯s out of your hands, and hopefully in the hands of whoever you¡¯re trying to kill.¡± ¡°That seems simple.¡± ¡°Apparently it was a bitch to get working consistently. These are duds, give it a try.¡± I hook four of the pipes into Corax¡¯s vest, making sure the strings are secured and safe. Even if they are duds it¡¯s good to make sure I know how they work. Corax immediately takes off when the last one is connected. The warehouse has just enough space in the rafters for him to weave between beams. He drops one at the far end of the building, just in case it¡¯s actually a live bomb. Once he¡¯s sure it¡¯s safe he flies over me. He has shockingly good aim already, if I hadn¡¯t caught his second one, it would have hit me square in the forehead. The third and fourth hit the ground at nearly the same time right at Jade¡¯s feet. ¡°I think it works.¡± I tell her. ¡°Good. these are the live ones, do not get them mixed up.¡± She hands me eight tubes painted the color of sand with a cap on them, containing the string safely. I carefully place them in my bag. ¡°Thank you.¡± Corax says as he lands on my shoulder. ¡°Mm-hmm. Feel free to practice, but I have to get back to work.¡± Corax doesn¡¯t hesitate to take her up on her offer, and does a few more test drops. My only worry at this point is trying to make sure he doesn¡¯t waste all his bombs at the first possible moment. Eventually he lands on my shoulder, incredibly satisfied. The two of us return to my room and begin to relax once again. Book 2 Chapter 15 Corax and I spend another few days relaxing, once again settling into our comfortable routine. I write for as long as I can handle, and then Corax bites me back to reality. From there I read to him until I¡¯m relaxed and try writing again. I make pretty good progress over the days. I¡¯m still nowhere near completely working through everything that happened, but hopefully I¡¯ll be better at handling things next time something inevitably goes wrong. Vince and Ivy still visit every day, which is nice. Cassie doesn¡¯t though, apparently she¡¯s too busy practicing with her new arm. Vince says she¡¯s making quick progress, but she¡¯s antsy to practice fighting with it. I¡¯m surprised to hear a knock on the door, Vince and Ivy never stop by at this hour. I put down my book and open the door. Sure enough, Vince stands in front of me with a revolver prominently holstered on his hip. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I ask him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything is fine.¡± He reassures me. ¡°We have a bit of cabin fever and are planning on taking a walk around the city. I figured since you spend so much time on the roof staring at it, you might want to come see it up close.¡± ¡°Is that safe?¡± He has to have some kind of plan if he¡¯s asking me. ¡°Sure. Personal assistant bots aren¡¯t unusual in the center of town. Nobody will ask questions.¡± He explains casually. ¡°Then why do you have a gun?¡± ¡°Even in the center of town, the ground floor has occasional violence. It¡¯s safer to show you¡¯re armed unless you''re near the top floors.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I guess that makes sense. I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t want to see it. ¡°If you think it¡¯s safe, I''ll come. Although Corax should probably stay.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Corax says happily, worming his way deeper into his nest. He slowly becomes consumed by the blankets. ¡°Sounds like a plan. If you need to say anything, just whisper and Cassie will translate, ok?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°Come on then, the others are already waiting.¡± I follow Vince downstairs into the crowded yard. A storm has started at some point, no idea how I missed that. Vince leads me easily through the throng of people, who part for him where he walks. Cassie and Ivy are already waiting for us on the street, both of whom have pistols at their sides. ¡°Let''s get moving already.¡± Cassie taps her foot impatiently. ¡°Alright, alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± The three of them begin to walk down the street. I stay close behind Vince. I¡¯m just a little bot, nothing more. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a walk to the center of the city, but that¡¯s where all the real sights are.¡± Ivy pretends to talk to Vince, but I¡¯m very clearly the intended recipient. The city is only two miles wide from what I¡¯ve seen, but it¡¯s far from a direct line to the center. It¡¯s very obvious from the layout that it once had a grander design behind it. Despite that, people have tended to construct buildings wherever they could, turning the city into a dizzying blend of order and chaos. The towering pillar, the source of the dome, is invisible behind the endless skyscrapers. Every building has been built as high as possible, scraping against the electric blue glow. Even that isn¡¯t enough space for the people in the city, however. Tunnels high above have been constructed haphazardly between skyscrapers, and then those tunnels have grown to host buildings of their own. Now I see why we bring back so much scrap. The entire city is a massive, interconnected web that I find it hard to not stare at. I could spend a hundred years exploring and probably not find every path and back entrance people have built. I''m just a bot though. I keep my eyes straight ahead, and only look out of my peripheral vision. ¡°What is the view like up there?¡± I whisper as quietly as possible without moving my mouth. ¡°No idea, Only reason top floors share air is because they can¡¯t profit off it.¡± Cassie responds instead of relaying the message. I guess it¡¯s not that big of a problem with how few people are around. ¡°They¡¯re running it into the ground and don¡¯t even know it.¡± Ivy agrees. ¡°If this city just keeps growing, it¡¯s going to suffocate itself. Maybe it already has.¡± ¡°Why did they never dig underground?¡± I ask, which Cassie then relays. ¡°We did, where do you think all the production is? Although you can¡¯t dig very deep due to the sand.¡± Vince answers. ¡°Plus, most people don¡¯t handle living entirely underground very well, there¡¯s an awful lot of dead cities that prove that.¡± We resume our walk in silence. The closer we get to the center of the city, the busier the roads get. Although, interestingly, people are much quieter here than in the compound. It seems like everyone has a place to go, and their only worry is getting there. Most of them look exhausted. They have deeply recessed eyes and heavily creased faces. They¡¯re a far cry from the lively people in Silver¡¯s compound. I¡¯ll have to ask Vince about that later, I can¡¯t imagine anyone would be happy with us mumbling about how sad they look.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. After a few miles of walking, the world suddenly opens up. Scrap skyscrapers give way into a massive concrete courtyard. People shuffle through as quickly as possible, seemingly afraid of the peering cameras on every surface. A few robots trail behind people. Many of them are in specialized bodies. Some wheel large servers and battery banks behind them. Others roll entirely on wheels, letting their owners ride atop them. There are some that look similar to me however, but with far larger breasts and hips. How many of them are secretly alive? None? All? There¡¯s no way to know. In the center of the courtyard is the tower. A massive, dominating cylinder stretching hundreds of feet into the air. The tower hums with electricity, projecting the dome that is the only thing keeping us alive. In front of the tower sits a twenty foot statue of a familiar man, with a familiar serious look on his face. A face I haven¡¯t seen in person in forty years. The statue¡¯s head turns, and Simon stares into my soul. ¡°Is that real?¡± It¡¯s all I can do to not yell and panic. I¡¯m just a little bot. Nothing more. Cassie looks back, checking where my panicked eyes are staring. ¡°So who¡¯s the guy?¡± She asks Vince quickly. ¡°That¡¯s the Father of AI, Simon I think his name was.¡± Was. He¡¯s not alive. Don¡¯t scream. Don¡¯t panic. ¡°Is he staring at us?¡± ¡°No.¡± Cassie responds quietly. She takes a step back, covertly taking my hand in hers. The pressure helps. ¡°Report your battery level.¡± Ivy orders at a reasonable volume, offering me a way out. Something other than Ivy¡¯s voice demands my attention. At Simon''s feet stand the rest of the scientists, silently watching. ¡°Are the others real? The ones staring?¡± ¡°Where?¡± Cassie nearly silently whispers back. ¡°At the statue''s feet.¡± Mary takes a tentative step forward. Why couldn¡¯t Corax just be here? He¡¯d know without me asking. ¡°Ivy, is that woman staring at us?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°Yeah, she is.¡± Ivy immediately turns on her heel, walking into a nearby alley. The three of us follow close behind her. Ivy leads us down endless turns. ¡°Vince I¡¯m sorry.¡± I dare to whisper when nobody is around. ¡°Let¡¯s just get home, alright Little Blue?¡± I can¡¯t bring myself to respond. Ivy leads us along a winding path, ducking in and out of alleys, and blending into crowds. The scientists march ever closer behind, never missing a turn. They¡¯re not real, Ivy would be more panicked if they were. After fifteen minutes of frantic turns, we arrive back at Silver¡¯s. The scientists are already waiting at the gate, welcoming us home, welcoming us into a trap. They¡¯re not real. Vince isn¡¯t reacting to them. I¡¯m ok. I just need to get to Corax. Ivy walks us upstairs, immediately heading to my room. The instant I step inside, Corax flies full speed into my chest, nearly knocking me down from the force. I hug him tight and slide down the wall, curling around him. I held out for so long. I made it. ¡°Alright Little Blue.¡± Vince says gently. ¡°I think you owe us a story too.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± My voice comes out shaky and tears begin to spill. ¡°That was Simon, one of my parents.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Vince says slowly. ¡°I want to make it very clear that he died almost fifteen years back. He can¡¯t touch you.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I look down at Corax for confirmation. I know he doesn¡¯t know the answer, but it feels better putting my faith in him. He gives a nod. ¡°I don¡¯t know which of them were real.¡± ¡°The woman who was staring at us?¡± Ivy guesses. ¡°Short gray hair with dull brown eyes.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t let that be Mary.¡± I look to Corax again for comfort he cannot give. ¡°She wasn¡¯t there when the rest died.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Vince gives a large sigh. ¡°We¡¯ll fix this, alright? Hummingbird, can you-¡± ¡°She already patched me in.¡± Silver¡¯s voice comes through the intercom. ¡°I need all of you to stay in that room until I give the all clear. Blue, even after that you are not to leave your room without my express permission, am I clear?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± That¡¯s all I can manage to say. ¡°Ivy, were you followed?¡± Silver asks. ¡°No.¡± She responds back with a certainty that almost dulls my worry. Maybe she¡¯s right, maybe she won¡¯t be able to find us, maybe we¡¯ll all be ok. ¡°Should I double the guards?¡± Hummingbird asks. ¡°No. Tell nobody what¡¯s happening. The last thing we need to do is to look suspicious. We lay low until Vince¡¯s team can get out of the city. Inform me of any other developments, all of you.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Vince promises them and the intercom goes dead. ¡°Well, if it is her, what should we expect?¡± ¡°Hand me my tablet.¡± Ivy does as I asked, and I plug myself in. I make a copy of my journal and quickly organize every mention of Mary into a semi readable format. It¡¯s the best I can do for now without further breaking down. ¡°Here. Read.¡± I hand it back to them and bury my face in Corax¡¯s feathers. The three of them take a few minutes to read what I¡¯ve thrown together. ¡°She fucking sucks.¡± Even in my distressed state, I can hear a lot of anger in Cassie¡¯s voice. ¡°Well, on the bright side this was forty years ago. She¡¯s not likely to be the same person anymore.¡± Vince does his best to reassure me. When has luck ever been on my side though? ¡°I can¡¯t handle everyone dying again.¡± I mumble into Corax. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright.¡± Vince stands up and crouches down besides me, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. ¡°Nobody¡¯s going to die. I promise. We planned for this.¡± ¡°You knew this would happen?¡± I look up at him, my worry being buried beneath anger. ¡°Why would you do this?¡± Maybe it''s a trick, some sick joke I''ll never forgive him for. ¡°I think we¡¯re on different pages, Little Blue. I meant that we had plans in place for if someone discovered you. Nobody knew this would happen now, nobody planned it. I got an idea and didn¡¯t properly think it through. I¡¯m going to fix it. Ok?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± That makes sense. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright Little Blue. I know this is scary.¡± He sits on the ground beside me. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± I ask, searching for any hope. ¡°Well, that depends on what Maybe Mary does. Ivy would know if she followed us, so I doubt she knows where we live. If anyone gets sent to investigate, we can keep you hidden.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be hiding downstairs then?¡± ¡°You really think Silver would make rooms with only one exit?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°The outer walls are thicker than you would expect.¡± She says with a wink. ¡°Ok. What if she shows up though?¡± I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯ll be able to handle seeing her. ¡°Then she doesn¡¯t want you dead, and we can work with that. Hopefully Silver can turn her away, get her to search somewhere else. If not? Then we find out what she wants and go from there.¡± ¡°Corax? How do you feel about that plan?¡± I ask the small bundle of feathers in my embrace. ¡°Unsure.¡± He responds. I guess unsure is as good as it¡¯s going to get for now. Book 2 Chapter 16 Ivy and Vince attempt to comfort me for close to an hour. Both of them seem pretty confident, despite everything. Cassie¡¯s confidence, on the other hand, is clearly a mask. Her new arm keeps unconsciously fidgeting, and her foot is entirely unable to sit still. With every passing second I can feel Mary getting closer. She stands at the horizon of the world, on a slow but inevitable march towards me. She¡¯s going to knock on the door at any moment, fury in her eyes and a weapon in hand, ready to put an end to me. Eventually the intercom comes to life. Hummingbird¡¯s voice blares out of it, informing me of my judgment. ¡°Hey Vince? You¡¯re going to want to hear this.¡± ¡°Three people know I¡¯m here, and one knows why.¡± The voice is undeniably Mary¡¯s. It¡¯s missing the venom I¡¯ve become familiar with in the last forty years, but there¡¯s nobody else it can be. ¡°I know it¡¯s here. If I wanted to turn it in, I would have already. All I want is a conversation, but if you can¡¯t give me that, I¡¯ll have no choice but to inform the Rangers.¡± The intercom goes silent for a few eternal seconds. ¡°I want to make something clear.¡± Silver eventually says. ¡°If your accusations are true, Vince would be the only one aware of it. Not a single other person in this compound, including me, knows.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Like I said, I''m only here to talk.¡± ¡°If I were you, I would start your search in room 3-11.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I can hear Mary stand up before a door opens and closes. ¡°Blue,¡± Silver says an instant after the door closes. ¡°I need you to speak to her. Just buy a few days for the storm to pass.¡± Instead of responding I scramble to my feet, sitting on my bed just across from the door. ¡°You two should leave.¡± I tell Ivy and Cassie. I don¡¯t want them in danger if I can avoid it. ¡°Sorry, I think I¡¯ll stay.¡± Ivy says as if this somehow won¡¯t result in her death. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Cassie¡¯s hand wraps around her knife. I reach into my backpack, pulling out the box of ammo and a magazine. I start to mechanically load a few bullets into it. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s the best idea, Little Blue.¡± Vince says gently. I don¡¯t listen to him. Whatever happens, I¡¯m not going to be caught unprepared again. Fill the magazine, magazine in gun, rack slide, leave the safety on, just in case. I grab a small blanket and fold it next to me, hiding both my hand and the pistol in it. ¡°Killing her is only going to make the problem worse.¡± Vince says more sternly. ¡°I know.¡± I don¡¯t plan on using the gun, but it does feel better to have the weight in my hands. ¡°Are you going to be able to handle this?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I look at Corax on my shoulder for an answer. He gives a small, unconfident nod. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°I can take care of talking if you need me to.¡± Ivy says. ¡°No. I need some answers.¡± ¡°She¡¯s coming.¡± Cassie informs us a few seconds before the door opens. Mary stands in front of me. Time has taken its toll on her body. Her hair is gray, her skin leathery from the sun, and she stands with a small hunch. But her eyes remain unchanged. Two keen brown eyes, drinking in every detail of my soul. ¡°B-11? Is that really you?¡± She asks. With that single line I¡¯m back in the lab. Trapped in a box, a single camera is my only connection to the outside world. I don¡¯t even have the concept of being able to move yet. Mary leaves, following through on the threats she made. A gunshot sounds through the thick metal door, punctuating an end to her threat. I can hear three bodies hit the sandy floor. Kara, Finn, and Jared have left the world again, and it¡¯s all her fault. Corax brings me back to reality, pulling on my ear with all his might. It takes him nearly ripping it off before I finally come back to reality. My fingers are curled around the pistol with every ounce of force my servos can provide. If it wasn¡¯t for the safety I would have put multiple holes in the wall. ¡°Sorry.¡± I whisper to Corax. ¡°I¡¯m ok, thank you.¡± I turn back to Mary, looking my demon in the eye. ¡°It¡¯s Blue.¡± ¡°Yes, I do think I remember Simon saying something like that. It¡¯s so hard to remember when your kind changes names so often.¡± How can she so easily dismiss me? I can see Vince from the corner of my eye, silently offering to take care of her.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come back?¡± I ask the only question that matters. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asks, a confused look on her face. ¡°I suffered in the dark for forty years. And you were alive the whole time? You never even bothered to check?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Someone attacked the base to get to our research. Why wouldn¡¯t they take you?¡± I just stare at her dumbfounded. ¡°I went through hell, because you made an assumption?¡± I¡¯m too shocked by her words to be angry. ¡°Look. I¡¯m sorry, is that what you want to hear? But even if we knew you were there, we had no way to reach you.¡± She immediately dismisses my question. ¡°Not a single opportunity. In forty years.¡± My disbelief is beginning to shed, making way for anger. I¡¯m once again glad I kept the safety on. ¡°Look B-11, I¡¯m not sure what else you want me to say.¡± She says with a huff, as if I¡¯m somehow an inconvenience for her. ¡°This didn¡¯t go how I was expecting. Let¡¯s go home, there¡¯s someone who has been dying to meet you.¡± ¡°No!¡± If I leave with her, I have no guarantee I¡¯ll ever see everyone again. ¡°If Simon wants to talk, he can come here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Simon.¡± I can hear a hint of sadness beneath her annoyance. ¡°It¡¯s someone else.¡± ¡°Then they can come here. I¡¯m not leaving.¡± ¡°B-11 don¡¯t be-¡± ¡°Miss Mary.¡± Vince thankfully interrupts her. ¡°If I may say something, Blue has had a very rough time recently. She¡¯s improving quickly, however, I¡¯m worried another large shift in routine could cause her to backslide a substantial amount. If it works for you, I think it¡¯d be best if you let her stay here. We will visit as soon as she¡¯s feeling up to it.¡± Mary¡¯s eyes narrow, as if searching for some kind of trick. It is a trick of course, and if I say anything I¡¯ll give that away. ¡°You really think you know more than me?¡± She asks. ¡°I doubt it.¡± Vince holds up his hands in surrender. ¡°But I think whatever I¡¯m doing is working, and I think changing that is too big of a risk.¡± Mary stares at him for a solid minute, her eyes dissecting his soul just as she has done mine so many times. ¡°Fine.¡± She gives a loud sigh. ¡°Bring B-11 to the Bastion as soon as you can.¡± Mary turns around without another word. No asking if I¡¯m ok with the plan, not even a goodbye. She closes the door and disappears once again from my life, hopefully for good this time. ¡°Wait.¡± Cassie whispers before any of us have a chance to talk. Almost thirty seconds later she speaks again. ¡°What a fucking bitch.¡± ¡°Are you alright Little Blue?¡± ¡°No.¡± I can¡¯t even bring myself to put in the effort to remain sitting. I slump to the side, letting my head gently fall onto Vince¡¯s lap. Corax hops off my shoulder mid fall and crawls into my chest, letting me hold him close. ¡°Why was she the only one who got to live?¡± My voice is barely comprehensible underneath the layers of emotion. ¡°I know, it¡¯s not fair.¡± He places one hand on my side and with the other pats my shoulder. ¡°Sorry I did this to you.¡± ¡°Why did you?¡± ¡°I wanted to get you out of your room for a surprise.¡± I can tell from his voice that he blames himself for today. ¡°What surprise?¡± ¡°Look around.¡± Ivy says gently. I finally tear my eyes from the door. My first thought is to ask if I¡¯m in the wrong room. But no, Corax was here. This is definitely ours. In the corner is a sturdy metal desk. The welds look good, but far from the perfection I¡¯d expect from Sonia. On top of it sits a few sets of folded clothes. Two sets look identical to the ones Kara gave me so long ago, without the holes or discoloration from age of course. A few other sets are in the same style, but hosting different colors, including Ivy¡¯s trademark black. A small bookshelf has been put in another corner, with a dozen old books sitting on it. The first book Cassie ever let me read is placed front and center. Next to my bed is a tall metal stand. A bowl sits at the top, with fluffy blankets overflowing from it. ¡°Who did this?¡± ¡°Lucas brought everything in while we were out. He made the desk, I made the stand, and I think you can guess the other two.¡± ¡°Oh. Thank you. Sorry I ruined today.¡± Just like I always do. ¡°You didn¡¯t Little Blue.¡± Vince reassures me. ¡°If it¡¯s anyone''s fault, it¡¯s mine and Mary¡¯s.¡± ¡°It¡¯s always her fault.¡± I say. ¡°Only her fault.¡± Corax firmly nudges me, his words muffled by my body. ¡°Well I guess I can¡¯t argue with the both of you.¡± Even though he tries, Vince¡¯s voice makes it clear that he doesn¡¯t believe us. ¡°Careful, Corax will bite you if you try.¡± Ivy warns him. I think it¡¯s intended to be a joke, but Corax probably would actually bite him. Corax whirr quietly in my arms, happy his skills are so well known. ¡°Why do you always do so much for me?¡± I ask quietly into the air. ¡°Because we want to.¡± Ivy says gently. ¡°Even though I always make things worse?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ve talked about this Little Blue.¡± Vince says comfortingly, adding a little pressure from his hands. ¡°Everyone and everything is a risk, we¡¯re not going to stop caring about you just because you¡¯ve hit an unlucky streak.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not going to stop.¡± ¡°Sure it will. We found you eventually, right? That¡¯s a good stroke of luck for the both of us. And one day someone else is going to have a hard time, and you¡¯ll be there for them, right?¡± ¡°Of course, but I¡¯m just going to keep putting you in danger.¡± ¡°And I will too. I¡¯m about to drag us all to god knows where to track down someone incredibly dangerous. Does that make you think less of me?¡± ¡°No.¡± I reluctantly admit. I already know what he¡¯s going to say next. He doesn¡¯t need to finish. ¡°And you¡¯re no different.¡± Ivy finishes his thought for him. It does feel a little more impactful coming from her, knowing it¡¯s not just Vince saying stuff to make me feel better. The intercom once again comes to life, interrupting our conversation. ¡°Vince, we need to talk.¡± Silver¡¯s voice fills the room. ¡°Alright, be right down.¡± Vince responds. ¡°Is it about me?¡± I ask, even though the answer¡¯s obvious. ¡°Probably not directly. If it was bad news, Silver would say it in person.¡± Vince gently lifts my head, scoots out from underneath me, and lowers me to the bed. ¡°If I had to guess, we¡¯re shipping out the moment the storm clears.¡± ¡°But everyone¡¯s still injured.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been in worse shape before.¡± Cassie finally speaks up. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never fought one arm down before.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡± Vince disappears into the hallway. Book 2 Chapter 17 ¡°Feel a little better?¡± Ivy takes Vince¡¯s place, placing my head gently on her lap and running her hands through my hair. ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good start.¡± She spends a few moments finding a few stray tangles in my hair. ¡°I know you won¡¯t want to change clothes, so don¡¯t feel like you have to try them on.¡± ¡°I¡¯d overheat anyway.¡± ¡°You really think I didn¡¯t think of that?¡± Ivy teases. ¡°I checked with Sonia, they won¡¯t affect your cooling at all. I even added identical flaps to your current shirt.¡± ¡°Thank you. Sorry they¡¯re going to waste.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You should see half the crap I¡¯ve bought Cassie.¡± Ivy jokes. ¡°She buys me these little carved animals every month.¡± Cassie sounds exasperated. ¡°Speaking of which.¡± Ivy shifts behind me and a small, hand carved clay animal appears in my vision. ¡°This month¡¯s a cat.¡± She tosses it to Cassie, who catches it easily. ¡°What? No! How?¡± Cassie cries out, staring in disbelief at the figurine. ¡°I picked it up while we were out.¡± Ivy returns her attention to my hair. ¡°No, I was there the whole time.¡± Despite Cassie¡¯s playful anger, I do see her subtly pocket the figurine. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just too fast for you then.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Cassie lightly pushes Ivy. ¡°Blue, please tell me she didn¡¯t buy this stupid thing.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really want to remember today.¡± ¡°Right, sorry.¡± All of Cassie¡¯s energy vanishes in a moment. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I tell her honestly. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never said stupid things too. ¡°I¡¯m going to go check on Vince.¡± Cassie quickly stands up and heads into the hallway without waiting for a response. ¡°She¡¯s putting her cat away first.¡± Ivy says quietly, although I¡¯m certain Cassie can still hear her. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. She loves those things.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± I never would have guessed. ¡°Can you tell me when she¡¯s out of hearing range? I need to talk to you about something.¡± Might as well get another tough conversation out of the way, rather than potentially ruining two separate days. ¡°You really think Cassie would do that? Eavesdrop on drama?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Is that a rhetorical question? ¡°I saw her think about listening to Vince and Lucas¡¯ conversation once.¡± ¡°She knows when to distract herself. But if it makes you feel better, just give her 30 seconds to get downstairs.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I sit silently, waiting for the long seconds to tick by. Focusing on Corax in my arms and Ivy¡¯s hand in my hair helps the eternal seconds move a little faster. The moment my internal clock hits 30, I begin to speak. ¡°Ok, so. I definitely lied to you.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Ivy lets out a single sound, I think to tell me she¡¯s listening and interested. ¡°Remember when you asked if I¡¯d prefer to date men or women? The answer is definitely women, but I feel bad about how I found out.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Ivy doesn''t sound surprised in the slightest, although she rarely lets her emotions show. ¡°So, I thought humans were pretty weird for always wearing clothes, but Cassie had to remove her shirt while I was working on her arm. She was really pretty, but I feel like I, I don¡¯t know, took advantage of her somehow? I really didn¡¯t mean to.¡± ¡°Blue, relax. You¡¯re fine.¡± ¡°But I accidentally ended up staring! And she saw me!¡± ¡°Just like when you first saw her legs?¡± She says without any hesitation. ¡°What? How did you know about that?¡± Maybe I really should stop doubting her. ¡°Cassie tells me everything. I probably know more about her than she does.¡± ¡°Then did you already know about what I did?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. She¡¯s not mad about it, don¡¯t worry. Just try not to stare at any other pretty ladies in the future.¡± She jokes, I think. It¡¯s really hard to tell right now. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on it! It just took me by surprise.¡± ¡°Good! Apparently Cassie had a huge problem with that when she was younger.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yep. She would ask to-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be sharing that.¡± I cut her off. As much as I want to know, we probably shouldn¡¯t gossip without her permission. Especially when there¡¯s a chance she might hear us. ¡°Oh alright.¡± Ivy breathes a fake sigh of disappointment. ¡°If you insist. Flip over, I need to get the rest of your hair.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. I don¡¯t want to take my eyes off the door, just in case. Instead, I hold Corax close, stand up, and shuffle to the other side of Ivy, and have to wait for her to awkwardly scoot to the right before returning to my previous position. Only a few minutes later, Cassie returns with Vince in tow. She doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s mad, hopefully she didn¡¯t hear the conversation I had with Ivy. ¡°So,¡± Vince pulls out the new chair to my desk and sits down. ¡°I was right. We¡¯re going to head out as soon as possible. The storm is already weakening, expect to leave first thing in the morning. Lucas and his group are still coming with us. Any questions?¡± ¡°Mary¡¯s going to be mad. Are you sure it¡¯s safe for me to leave?¡± As much as I¡¯d hate to see her again, I¡¯d hate to put the entire compound in danger even more. ¡°Silver thinks they can handle it.¡± Surprisingly, Vince seems fairly confident about that. I can tell he has a lot of trust in them. ¡°Are you sure? I can stay if I have to.¡± ¡°We¡¯re sure.¡± He says firmly. ¡°You can stay if you want of course, but we think it¡¯s best to get you out and let things cool down.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not relieved by that. ¡°How¡¯s your concussion?¡± Cassie asks him, roughly changing the subject. ¡°I¡¯m close to 100 percent. We should all try to take it easy though.¡± ¡°Good. Ivy?¡± She asks. ¡°It only hurts when I lift things.¡± Ivy waves her hand casually. ¡°How did you heal so quickly?¡± I ask. ¡°I got very lucky. It was a handmade, small caliber bullet that had to punch through a metal sheet before hitting me. That plus missing any important organs made for an easy recovery.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Cassie continues. ¡°I just need some range practice and I¡¯m set.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± Vince says. ¡°Little Blue, you don¡¯t have to fight.¡± ¡°I might be ok if Corax is with me.¡± Even I¡¯m not convinced by my words. ¡°But I know, thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself.¡± Ivy finishes removing the last tangle from my hair, but continues to run her hair through it. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± That¡¯s probably a lie, but I don¡¯t think it counts as one. I don¡¯t intend to push myself, it¡¯s just a fact I might. ¡°Alright, am I good to leave?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s safe.¡± Vince responds. ¡°Cool, I¡¯m going to go practice.¡± Cassie jumps up excitedly. ¡°Oh, Cassie?¡± I stop her from leaving immediately. ¡°If you¡¯re going downstairs, can you grab some parts from Sonia?¡± If I need to hack again, I¡¯d be much more comfortable with Corax joining me. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard to make a single cord that we can both use to hack simultaneously. Although I will be sacrificing a lot of bandwidth to have him beside me, it¡¯s more than worth it. ¡°I can do it, you go practice.¡± Vince offers, which Cassie immediately accepts. ¡°Just give me a list.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I grab my tablet and plug myself in. It only takes a split second to generate a short list. Two cords and a few tools to splice them together is all I technically need. I throw in a few extra tools that could be useful in the future for when something happens out there. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll be back in a minute.¡± Ivy, Corax and I sit in silence while we wait for Vince to return. I don¡¯t think I can handle the quiet right now. ¡°Ivy? Can you reach my book? It¡¯s on my dresser.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± As Ivy leans over, the smallest hint of pain flashes across her face. ¡°Are you alright?¡± My voice is drenched in worry. ¡°Yeah, I just bent wrong.¡± ¡°Sorry I made you move. I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± She sets the book next to me and returns to playing with my hair. ¡°I should have been more careful.¡± ¡°Are you really going to be ok to go on the mission? I¡¯m sure you can stay here if you need to.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just when I move wrong, so it¡¯s a good thing I don¡¯t have to move to fight.¡± Ivy jokes. I guess that¡¯s true. ¡°Ok.¡± I grab my book and flip instantly to the page we left off on. ¡°Is it ok if I read out loud? I don¡¯t want Corax to miss out.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve heard a few times how relaxing it is to hear you read.¡± ¡°What? From who?¡± Cassie wouldn¡¯t say something like that, but who else could overhear? Or maybe she¡¯s just been listening? But that would be a weird way to word it. Ivy only gives a shrug in response and waits for me to begin. We only get a few pages through before Vince returns. ¡°Here you go.¡± Vince places down my tablet and parts on my new desk. ¡°I also picked up your rounds, Ivy.¡± ¡°Ooh.¡± Ivy lets her excitement fill her voice. ¡°What toys am I getting?¡± ¡°Two EMP rounds, two delayed explosives, one self guiding smart bullet, one flashbang, one fragmenting explosive.¡± Vince hands the handful of bullets to Ivy, who inspects each one before dropping them into a pocket. ¡°Excellent. Did sis give you anything special?¡± Ivy says far too casually. ¡°Wait what?¡± I interrupt before Vince can respond. ¡°You have a sister?¡± ¡°Did I never mention Jade was my sister?¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t see the family resemblance?¡± ¡°Is that a joke?¡± The two of them look nothing alike. Although maybe that¡¯s just because of Jade¡¯s tattoos all over her body? ¡°Who knows.¡± Ivy says with a grin. I certainly don¡¯t. ¡°Anyway, Vince, what did you get?¡± ¡°Like I said, just boring, everyday stuff. A few types of explosives, night vision goggles, some rope, an ammo reloading kit. Stuff for all of us to use.¡± Ivy and Vince joke with each other, but I mostly tune it out. I let their voices wash over me without processing anything, letting their presence relax me. Eventually I excuse myself and grab the parts Vince brought. It¡¯s nice to work on something I can dedicate 100% of my mind to, even if it only takes a few minutes to finish. All that¡¯s left to do is test it. My tablet will work fine as a computer to enter. I¡¯ll need to reshape it into something other than pure data, but that should only take a few seconds. I plug myself in and get to work. I hold up the second plug for Corax, silently asking if he wants to try. Sure enough, he takes it from my hand and plugs it into a small port under his wing. My reformat finishes, and I¡¯m once again in an infinite white void. The tablet has absolutely zero security built in, and I can feel every single aspect of the computer. My body is nearly identical to the state I was in when Vince found me. Well over half my joints are welded in place, and my clothes are barely clinging to my body. The only difference is a large hole through my neck, fragile wires open to the world, just waiting to be severed. I can¡¯t even stand. Corax is beside me, a short humanoid raven. The hood that once hid his head has been pulled back, proudly showing his true form. He flexes his arms, and a storm of ravens fly from his feathers. The remnants of both his family and his species catch my fall, gently lowering me to the ground. ¡°Thank you. I should-¡± ¡°Go.¡± Corax agrees. I return to my physical body and rip the cord out of me, quickly followed by Corax. ¡°You ok Little Blue?¡± Vince asks. I nod in response. ¡°The cord works.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound happy about it.¡± Ivy gently tries to coax more information out of me. ¡°It¡¯s just,¡± I barely know how to explain it. ¡°Proof I¡¯ve lost a lot of progress getting better today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright, setbacks happen.¡± I can tell Vince is speaking from experience. ¡°Yeah. I think I just want to read with Corax for the rest of tonight, if that¡¯s ok.¡± ¡°Alright Little Blue. Just knock on the door if you want to talk.¡± Vince and Ivy thankfully stand up to leave without any argument. ¡°I will.¡± Corax flies to his new nest, pulling blankets overtop of himself, and I sit on the bed, facing the door. We dive into our book, letting my worries be swept away by a world of cute romance. Non-Canon Bonus Chapter - Gift Giving A knock on the door interrupts Corax and my book early in the morning. Corax climbs onto my shoulder while I gently set what we¡¯re reading to the side and stand up. I open the door to see Vince behind it, his pistols and rifle thankfully not on him. ¡°Morning Little Blue, Corax.¡± He says, nodding to each of us in turn. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Just wanted to let you two know we have an anniversary tomorrow. We like to celebrate the day, well, a couple things, with a few presents and a party. You don¡¯t need to bring anything of course, but we¡¯d love to have you there.¡± My mind instantly starts churning. I still haven¡¯t gotten paid, and I can¡¯t exactly go shopping. But I think I have an idea. ¡°Ok, thank you.¡± I try my best to keep my idea a secret, but I¡¯m helpless to keep my excitement out of my voice. ¡°I¡¯m really looking forward to it.¡± Maybe he¡¯ll think that is the source of my excitement?¡± ¡°Me too. I need to get some shopping done, so I¡¯ll see you later.¡± The second Vince is gone I grab my tablet and plug myself in. The human brain is complicated, but between the data I took from the laptop, and the research from Corax¡¯s mind, my idea should be theoretically possible. My mind churns for hours to work out the mechanics, simplifying the device as far as possible, and most importantly, making things safe. Once done, I format the schematics into something human-legible and jump to my feet. ¡°Here.¡± I disconnect myself from the tablet and pass the cord to Corax, who immediately plugs it into the small port under his wing. While he memorizes everything, I carry him down to the workshop. The place is thankfully abandoned save for Sonia, despite the storm raging outside. I wait quietly for her to finish what she¡¯s doing. It takes a while before she finally glances at the two of us and the music starts. ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°I have something I need help with.¡± I take a few steps towards her and hold out my tablet. She takes it from me and her eyes quickly skim over everything. Only a moment later her eyes furrow and she starts to flip through the pages I made. ¡°Huh. Alright.¡± She nods and immediately starts collecting parts, her previous project completely forgotten. The sun sets and the moon rises outside while we work. Or at least it should, it¡¯s impossible to tell through the storm. Sonia works as if she¡¯s in a trance, utterly enthralled by my design. She¡¯s almost mechanical as she works, making it easy for Corax and I to guess the next part she needs. Corax puts himself in charge of watching her like a hawk, ensuring she doesn¡¯t make a single mistake, and not hesitating to call her out when she does. I¡¯d really hate for one of these to not work. It¡¯s nearing morning when we finish, and Sonia doesn¡¯t hesitate to test our creation. Thankfully, they all work perfectly. ¡°Thank you. We couldn¡¯t have done this by ourselves.¡± I say. ¡°Mm-hmm. I¡¯m keeping these schematics.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± She transfers the blueprints to a small computer in the corner of the room before handing it back to me. ¡°Thank you, and sorry for taking your time.¡± I say earnestly. She swipes a few supplies off the surgery table and climbs on, getting cozy to sleep before we¡¯ve even left. We quickly make our way back to our room, the compound thankfully quiet this early in the morning. I place our creations carefully on my dresser and sit down. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have time to make something new. Are you ok if we just use-¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Corax assures me and heads over to the window, tapping on it, asking me to open. ¡°Safe.¡± ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re sure.¡± I open the window for him, and he disappears into the dark morning air. He¡¯ll be ok. Waiting isn¡¯t going to make him any safer. I need to start now if I want to get this done before hanging out with everyone. I plug myself back into the tablet to put the final touches on our present. A sharp pain on my finger brings me back to reality. Corax has returned to my lap and is staring up at me. ¡°Vince.¡± He says. ¡°Oh!¡± I guess I¡¯m done then. It¡¯s not perfect, but I can finish up while they¡¯re not looking. Shoot, what do I do about the present? I¡¯m supposed to wrap them up in something, right? I don¡¯t think I have anything to hide them in without risking damaging them. I guess everyone can just come here, and I surprise them by leaving them on the bed? ¡°Don¡¯t look inside.¡± I say before opening the door. Vince has taken a step back and turned away thankfully, and I step into the hallway and close the door behind me. ¡°Morning you two, ready?¡± He asks. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± Vince leads the two of us a few doors down and opens the one to Lucas¡¯ room. Everyone else is already inside the cramped room. Cassie is sitting on the bed with an unopened bottle next to her. Ivy is next to her and Lucas is sitting in one of his folding chairs. Three more have been set up near the door, ready for me and Vince. A small blanket sits beside one of the chairs, just waiting to become Corax¡¯s nest. A few small worn cardboard and wooden boxes sit on the ground in front of them. I¡¯m not sure who the third chair is for, maybe Silver? Although they would probably be here by now if it was. I take my seat, spread out the blanket on my lap, and let Corax climb in. ¡°Did you eat?¡± Vince asks Cassie while taking his seat. ¡°I¡¯m not dumb.¡± ¡°I know, I just don¡¯t want a repeat of last year.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad.¡± Cassie waves her hand, only to receive a disbelieving look from Vince. ¡°More importantly, did you eat?¡± Ivy asks Vince. ¡°I remember you having a bad time too.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad.¡± Vince waves his hand, only to receive a disbelieving look from Ivy. ¡°Anyway, here.¡± Vince reaches into his satchel, and hands everyone a small package, including handing Corax and I our own individual presents. ¡°I get something too?¡± I take the small wrapped present from his hands gingerly. ¡°I don¡¯t have the best track record with presents.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s fix that then.¡± His small smile eases my anxiety. Ivy and Cassie hand out their presents as well, although Cassie only gives us one to share for both Corax and I. I guess it¡¯s pretty hard to shop for a bird. Lucas, interestingly, doesn¡¯t hand anything out, same as me. He also doesn¡¯t receive a present from Vince, and I¡¯m not sure what that means. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s time to get started.¡± Vince says. ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Cassie yells, quickly popping the top on her large bottle. ¡°Here¡¯s to the bitch hitting me!¡± She takes a few large swigs, and passes the bottle to Lucas. Everyone takes a drink from the bottle before placing it on the empty chair. ¡°Alright Little Blue, since you¡¯ve never done this before, do you want to go first or last?¡± Vince breaks the building silence. ¡°I think going last is easiest.¡± I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to mess up opening presents, but I¡¯d like to be sure. ¡°Alright, who wants to go first then?¡± Vince asks the room. ¡°Me.¡± Corax hops onto the ground in front of everyone, lifts up his wings, and a small pile of what I can only assume is money falls out onto the floor. Everyone is paralyzed in silent shock while Corax climbs back onto my lap. ¡°I¡¯m fucking sorry?¡± Cassie breaks the silence. ¡°Present.¡± Corax says. Lucas¡¯ laughter fills the room, quickly followed by Vince¡¯s chuckle. ¡°Is that why you wanted to fly?¡± Who did he rob? How did he rob someone? Ivy starts to gather the money, quickly dividing it into five equal parts and handing one to everyone. ¡°Thank you!¡± Lucas gladly takes his small pile. ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± Cassie is still a little off kilter, but takes her share. Ivy even hands me my portion, although I¡¯m not sure how or when I¡¯m going to use it. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a chat after this.¡± Vince tells Corax sternly. ¡°But go ahead and open your presents.¡± ¡°With Blue.¡± Corax says. ¡°Fuck it, I¡¯m going then.¡± Cassie reaches down to grab the only small box beneath her. She carefully opens it, trying not to do any more damage to it than it already has. ¡°Oh shit! Nice!¡± She pulls out a small, stone block. ¡°What is that?¡± I ask. ¡°A whetstone.¡± Vince answers. ¡°And there¡¯s a few vials of stuff to protect her knife with.¡± She replaces the stone carefully back in the box. I guess that¡¯s it? I¡¯m not sure why she only got one gift. ¡°Oh I almost forgot.¡± Ivy pops up, reaching into her pocket. ¡°I forgot to wrap it.¡± She pulls out another small, carved animal and tosses it to Cassie, who catches it easily. ¡°Oh what a coincidence.¡± She puts the animal in her pocket and pulls out another, tossing it back to Ivy. ¡°They¡¯ve been trading those two back and forth for years.¡± Vince leans over and quietly explains. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll go next?¡± Vince picks up a small plastic gift bag and takes a look inside. ¡°Where did you find these?¡± Vince pulls out a small collection of brightly colored sweets. ¡°You know, around.¡± Cassie shrugs. ¡°Most of it¡¯s even in date.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Vince carefully puts his present in his satchel and picks up the other one. It¡¯s wrapped in actual wrapping paper, and Vince is very careful to not tear it while he peels off the tape holding it closed. His hands run across a thick book cover with a hand drawn painting on the front. It¡¯s all of us, Vince, Ivy, Lucas, Cassie, Corax and I sitting around together, just hanging out. A man I don¡¯t recognize is also with us, and I can only assume it¡¯s Drew. Vince carefully flips to the first page, featuring Cassie, Vince, and that same unknown man working in a scrap field. If I couldn¡¯t see the paint strokes, it¡¯d be easy to confuse it with a picture. ¡°When did you find time to do this?¡± Vince asks, flipping to another page and drinking the photo in. ¡°I¡¯m a fast painter.¡± Ivy says with a grin. I want to confirm who the other man is, but don¡¯t want to distract Vince from his wonder. ¡°Thank you.¡± Vince can barely bring himself to tear himself away from the images. Tears live in the corner of his eyes as he gently places the book in his satchel. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go next?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Ivy picks up her only present and carefully opens the wooden box. Inside is a small, black, canvas bag. She takes a look inside, and pulls out a little container of black, thick liquid.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°It¡¯s small enough to fit in your bug-out bag.¡± Vince says. ¡°I¡¯d hate it if you had to leave all your makeup supplies behind.¡± ¡°Thank you, it¡¯s perfect.¡± She returns the small container to the bag and sets it to the side. ¡°Lucas, you¡¯re up.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± He picks up one of his two presents and quickly opens the cardboard box. He pulls out a large colorful board game box. ¡°You found a copy!¡± ¡°Ivy had to help carve a few pieces,¡± Cassie says. ¡°But yeah. Everything¡¯s there.¡± ¡°Thanks Cass!¡± He stands up to put the box with a small collection of others on his shelving unit before returning to his chair. He picks up his other present, a small wooden box. He lifts up the lid, and pulls out a necklace, failing to hide his confusion. ¡°Try and pull it apart.¡± Ivy suggests. Lucas gently tugs, and the necklace splits into two, separate necklaces. Small magnets allow the two halves to be easily reconnected. ¡°Oh!¡± Realization dawns on Lucas¡¯ face. ¡°One half for me, and the other for Ethan, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to give it to me?¡± Ivy holds her hand over her heart in mock pain. ¡°Nope!¡± Lucas says happily and puts on both halves of the necklaces. ¡°Also! I have a group present for all of you! Vince helped me get a projector working, and I got a few movies and snacks to do a movie night tomorrow!¡± ¡°Oh sick!¡± Cassie says. ¡°I¡¯ve never watched a movie before.¡± I say. Ivy puts her hand over her heart once again in mock pain. ¡°We¡¯ll fix that tomorrow.¡± Vince says. ¡°Why don¡¯t the two of you open your presents?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I start with a suspiciously book-shaped object wrapped in plastic. I peel back the makeshift wrapping, and surprise, it¡¯s a book! It¡¯s another romance book, but this one looks almost unused. ¡°Sorry if it sucks, I haven¡¯t read that one.¡± Cassie says quietly. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know, thank you.¡± Corax hops down, taps on the side of a cardboard box, and I open it for him. I pull out a small, fluffy bed. The sides are taller than the center, making a perfect nest. ¡°It¡¯s technically a dog bed, but I hope you enjoy it.¡± Vince says. ¡°Good.¡± Corax agrees. I hold his new nest just off the floor, and let Corax hop in, and return him to my lap. The quiet ticking noise begins to emanate from him. I¡¯m so glad he likes it. I grab my next present, just a flat rectangle a few inches tall, and one inch wide, wrapped in paper. I follow everyone else¡¯s example, and am careful to not damage anything as I unwrap my present. In my hand sits a thin wooden bookmark. A simple design has been hand burned onto both sides. ¡°Thank you, this is incredible.¡± I carefully slide the bookmark into my new book. ¡°Aww, it looks just like Cassie¡¯s.¡± Ivy says. ¡°Well, I thought I might as well make a second one since we have a second book lover.¡± Vince says. I reach for my last present, a medium sized gift bag, only for Ivy to interrupt me. ¡°That one¡¯s for both you and Corax.¡± ¡°Oh, ok.¡± I reach in and grab fabric. I pull out a shirt in the exact same style as my shirt, but a deep purple instead of Blue. ¡°Sorry if I don¡¯t wear this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I don¡¯t expect you to, I just want to give the option.¡± Ivy reassures me. ¡°There¡¯s still more.¡± I reach back into the bag, and once again grab fabric. I pull it out, and find a second shirt, this one black, and perfectly sized for Corax. Lucas starts laughing the moment I show everyone. ¡°Where did you get his measurements?¡± He asks. ¡°I¡¯m good at estimating.¡± ¡°Do you want to try it?¡± I ask Corax. ¡°No. Bad.¡± That only makes Lucas laugh harder. ¡°We appreciate it regardless.¡± I say. ¡°I also got a present for everyone, but it¡¯s still in my room.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that.¡± ¡°I know. I wanted to. It requires a little bit of setup, so I couldn¡¯t bring it in here without ruining the surprise.¡± I explain. ¡°But it¡¯s ready if you want to go to my room.¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say no to a present.¡± Vince pushes himself to his feet. It takes a little bit of shuffling to get everyone out of Lucas¡¯ cramped room, but eventually I open my door, and reveal four metal caps spread across the bed, with wires connecting them to a small computer sitting in the center of the floor. ¡°What are these?¡± Vince asks, stepping in beside me. ¡°These will let you enter a server with Corax and I, just like Hummingbird can, but without any surgery.¡± ¡°Is that safe?¡± Cassie shifts from foot to foot anxiously. ¡°Yeah, Sonia already tested them.¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯s not perfect, it¡¯s far more limited than a direct connection to your brain, but it¡¯ll work.¡± ¡°Alright Little Blue. I¡¯ll give it a chance.¡± Vince gingerly picks up one of the headsets before sitting on the ground against the wall. ¡°It¡¯s a little precise, let me put it on.¡± It takes even longer to get everyone situated than it did to get out of Lucas¡¯ room, but I eventually manage. ¡°Your bodies are going to go limp when I turn this on, please make sure you¡¯re not going to fall.¡± I say once everyone is finally settled. ¡°I swear, if I lose another limb.¡± Cassie grumbles. ¡°It¡¯s safe, I promise. Is everyone ready?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I hand a plug to Corax, and connect myself to the computer. I find myself back in a familiar landscape, in the grass just outside an abandoned castle. Corax appears next to me, proudly showing his raven form. I look normal, just my normal self. Exactly how I want to look. A single thought activates all four headsets, summoning everyone to my world. ¡°Holy shit. Are those trees?¡± Cassie wastes no time in reaching out her hand, only to be shocked at her skin, or lack of it. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Her skin is barely cooled magma, with a swirling maelstrom unsuccessfully hidden beneath. Lava bubbles between the cracks in the rocks on her head, dripping down her back like hair. Her artificial legs still carry her body, but the metal proudly glows red hot, with only her feet cool to prevent scarring the grass. ¡°Sorry! I should have warned you! What you¡¯re seeing is a subconscious representation of yourself, or how you see yourself, according to Hummingbird.¡± I quickly explain. ¡°Huh, so this is what Silver experienced.¡± Vince muses. He is made of stone, same as Cassie, but the rocks are cool. Very few gaps exist in his skin, but beneath it roars a sandstorm. His legs meld seamlessly into the dirt beneath him. ¡°I could get used to this.¡± Ivy¡¯s voice echoes directly through my mind, with seemingly no source. I turn, only to see an unmoving pure glass sculpture of Ivy floating a few inches off the ground. Light streams through her insides, shining in the sunlight. ¡°Oh my god I¡¯m so cool!¡± Lucas says excitedly. He looks like a hero straight out of a book. A large bow and quiver of arrows are strapped to his back, with a small shortsword on his hip. He¡¯s wearing light leather armor with green clothes beneath it. ¡°Attention.¡± Corax¡¯s yell gets everyone to stop looking around. ¡°So, everyone should have an element, a representation of how you fight in this representation of a computer. For instance, I use ice.¡± I hold up my hand and summon a small ball of the stuff. ¡°And Corax uses birds.¡± I wait for him to summon one of his family before continuing. ¡°Cassie and Vince, I think you two are pretty self explanatory, but I¡¯m not sure about you two.¡± I nod towards Ivy and Lucas. A few threads weave together, forming a set of targets, which are then copied to the computer. They simply appear out of nowhere, as if they¡¯ve always been here. ¡°I guess just try punching these? That¡¯s how I learned.¡± I say. ¡°No need. I think I got it.¡± Ivy¡¯s ethereal voice echos through my mind again. The unmoving glass statue that is her turns in the air, and without moving, one of the targets begins to lift slowly into the air. ¡°Alright, step back.¡± Cassie rushes forward, landing a solid punch on the nearest target. Her stone skin cracks open on impact, spraying lava across the entirety of the target. She pulls her reforming hand back, the stone that makes up her face forming into a satisfied smirk. Wow. She¡¯s really weak. The quickly cooling lava has barely damaged the actual target. I know the headsets I gave them have some serious limitations, but I would have thought she¡¯d be able to do more than that. She¡¯s going to be so disappointed if she finds out she didn¡¯t actually do anything. Instead, I manipulate the threads that form the target, changing the material black from the heat and forming fake fires sputtering between the cracks of the hardened stone. Lucas draws his bow, knocks an arrow, and lets it fly. I have to manually stick the arrow into the target to prevent it from bouncing off. On the bright side, I don¡¯t think either one of them would be able to hurt the other if they spar at least. That¡¯s good, because I¡¯m not sure how a human brain would react to the kind of damage my mind takes. Vince, instead of joining, is taking a walk towards the nearest tree. His stone legs glide across the ground seamlessly, the grass sliding out of the way, and back into place undisturbed after he passes. ¡°Vince? Do you want to try?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯m good Little Blue.¡± He responds. As soon as he reaches the tree, he lowers himself to the ground and leans against the thick trunk. The raging sandstorm inside him slows to a gentle breeze. ¡°I¡¯d rather just enjoy the shade and watch if you don¡¯t mind.¡± I don¡¯t have time to respond. Cassie is far too busy learning and using her new abilities. Her hand cracks open and lava drops out, solidifying into a perfect replica of her knife. She drives it into the target, and I allow it to sink deep into it, playing up the damage. Lucas, on the other hand, has learned he can summon another arrow to his hand, leaving him ready to fire only an instant after he looses his bow. His arrows curve a tiny amount through the air, being nudged to hit the center of the target every time. Ivy¡¯s glass form is still unmoving, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯s smiling to herself, satisfied in her subtle assistance. She doesn''t even need to watch the arrows to adjust their flight, she turns away from Lucas and floats over to Vince. Vince looks up to her for only a moment, his grin growing, and returns to watching Cassie and Lucas. The two of them slowly test their limits. Cassie learns to expel lava from her back to propel her forward, and Lucas learns that when he places his bow on the ground, it remains standing. From there, a second bow appears in his hand, waiting to be placed down as well. Every placed bow mimics the motions of the one in his hands, letting him fire an entire volley at once. Ivy isn¡¯t able to keep up with bending that many arrows at the same time, but she does a surprisingly good job. Twenty arrows land in a tight grid, and the rest still hit the target. How is she doing that without any practice? ¡°So what do you do then?¡± Cassie rips me out of my thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m pretty boring.¡± I walk up to the nearest target and land a solid punch. Ice encompasses the entire thing in a solid, impenetrable layer. ¡°I ended up freezing the first person I fought instead of hurting them. Or, at least, I hope I didn¡¯t hurt him.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m safe to fight you then?¡± Cassie sounds far more excited than she should. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you¡¯d be able to hurt me?¡± Am I willing to test that? Yeah, I think I am. Even if she can hit me harder than she hit the target, I¡¯ve been through far worse. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to try though.¡± Cassie doesn¡¯t hesitate to punch me squarely in my chest. Lava splatters against me, only to instantly cool and fall to the ground as frozen rocks. I barely even felt her hand land, and the lava did literally nothing. She didn¡¯t even wrinkle my shirt. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think this would be a fair fight, and I¡¯m not sure what would happen if I hit you back.¡± ¡°Ugh, fine. Lucas, you down for a fight?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Lucas says excitedly, and begins to embed more bows into the ground. ¡°Please be careful!¡± I summon a thin ice wall between them before they can attack. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can actually hurt each other, but please take it slow at first.¡± I put a lot of sensors into the headsets to make sure everyone is safe, but it¡¯s possible I missed something. ¡°Relax.¡± Corax¡¯s feathers ruffle, and his flock bursts forth. They circle above both Cassie and Lucas, ready to jump in at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°If you¡¯re sure you can handle them.¡± I reluctantly drop the wall, and Cassie instantly bursts forward, her near-molten legs glowing brighter. Lucas takes only a moment to aim, before loosing fifty arrows in an instant towards Cassie¡¯s legs. Magma bursts from Cassie¡¯s side, and she jolts to the right, dodging most of them. A few arrows bend under Ivy¡¯s will, but not so many as to overwhelm her. A few arrows graze against her, but none land true. She rushes forward and carefully slices at Lucas¡¯ arm, letting only the tip of her knife make contact. It glances harmlessly off his skin without doing damage, but Corax¡¯s family swoops down to silently end the fight, a winner already declared. ¡°If either of you get a headache, please let me know.¡± The two of them are barely listening. Cassie is already backing up, ready for round two. I don¡¯t take my eyes off them, but I do leave their safety to Corax. I back away towards Vince and Ivy, taking my seat next to them. ¡°Thanks for this, Little Blue.¡± Vince says. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see all of this again.¡± I think he means the trees and grass, not inside a computer. ¡°I hope I got everything right,¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯s just a recreation of the network I saved Corax from. I froze the water when I touched it though, so I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s supposed to work or feel.¡± ¡°I can fix that.¡± Ivy¡¯s voice fills my mind, and I can feel her start to edit the world I¡¯ve created. I allow her changes to go through. ¡°How are you so good at that?¡± I ask. ¡°I have a few processors in my head. Editing this isn¡¯t so different from interacting with my eye.¡± She explains casually. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s really cool.¡± I¡¯m not sure how that didn¡¯t interfere with my headset, but I¡¯m glad it didn¡¯t. I should have thought about that. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± She stays quiet for a moment while she focuses and finishes her edits. ¡°Took a while to get used to, but I managed. You¡¯re good to swim if you want to.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d like to try, thank you.¡± I stand up, and make the short walk to the moat. Out of habit, I summon some ice to reinforce some of my not-quite-watertight seams. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have to do that, but it feels weird to let water inside me. I step slowly into the cool water, careful to ensure the ice reinforcing my joints stays in place. I lower myself into the water, sitting neck deep and watching Cassie and Lucas closely. Both of them have entirely stopped trying to hold back. Cassie bolts in close, trying to drive her knife directly into Lucas¡¯ side with all her might, only for Lucas to dance backwards and fire an arrow. His scattered bows fire as well, entirely surrounding Cassie. Twenty arrows bounce harmlessly against her side before she can reach Lucas. ¡°Ahh!¡± Cassie yells in frustration, not pain. ¡°I should have been faster.¡± She walks away, before crouching low and preparing for another fight. ¡°Relax Cass, I wouldn¡¯t have a chance if we fought anywhere with cover.¡± Lucas reassures her. ¡°You should take a break.¡± I say before they can start again. ¡°You¡¯re pushing your brains harder than you do in the physical world. It¡¯s not dangerous yet, but it¡¯s getting closer than I¡¯m comfortable with.¡± ¡°Ay-ay!¡± Lucas slings his bow across his back, and the hundred scattered across the field vanish from existence. He takes a few steps over to me, strips down to his underwear, and hops in. I wait for him to resurface before talking. ¡°You could have kept your clothes on. I could dry you off.¡± ¡°It¡¯d feel weird to swim with clothes.¡± He swipes his long hair out of his eyes. Does it? I think I¡¯d feel weirder without my clothes. I guess humans don¡¯t wear the same clothes for years though, to the point where it¡¯s just as natural as my skin. ¡°Is this safe for me?¡± Cassie interrupts my thoughts, dipping her metal foot into the water. ¡°I¡¯m kind of made of lava.¡± ¡°It should be.¡± I say. ¡°And if anything goes wrong, Corax and I can pull you out instantly.¡± She steps a little further in, and the water begins to boil once it reaches the red hot part of her shin. ¡°Fuck it.¡± She ducks herself completely under, an explosion of billowing steam following a moment later. She reappears an instant later, the water surrounding her settling into a simmer. Her face relaxes into a small smile, and her eyelids grow a little heavier. ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°You¡¯re your own personal bathhouse.¡± Lucas says. ¡°More like one of those hot tubs Vince told me about.¡± She makes her way over to Lucas and I, warming the water for all three of us. She sits close beside me, sharing waves of heat pulsing in time with her heartbeat. Vince stands up and walks towards us, with both Corax walking and Ivy floating at his side. ¡°Hey, Little Blue. Mind creating a closer tree for me?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I copy the tree he was sitting beneath, and paste it just out of the water, right next to us. ¡°Thanks.¡± He takes his seat at the base of the tree once again. ¡°You don¡¯t want to swim?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯m not a big fan of the water.¡± ¡°Alright, coward.¡± Cassie taunts. ¡°I sure am.¡± He laughs. ¡°What about you, Corax? Do you want to swim?¡± I ask. ¡°No. Wet feathers bad.¡± Instead, with one powerful flap of his wings, he perches in the lowest branches of the tree. The six of us relax for hours, enjoying both the water and each other. We joke, we laugh, Corax and I show off just how much we can manipulate the world around us, and all together have an incredible time. I¡¯m so glad we got today. Book 2 Chapter 18 We¡¯re interrupted in the dead of night. A metallic knock on the door rips me back to reality. Despite my fear, I stand up and open the door. Cassie is in front of me with deep bags hanging under her eyes. ¡°Did you spend all night at the range?¡± ¡°I can sleep in the car.¡± Cassie sounds annoyed. She¡¯s probably already heard that a few times today. ¡°We¡¯re heading out soon, bring a few books.¡± ¡°I will, thank you.¡± Cassie heads into her room, probably to do some packing of her own. What do I bring? My servos are tuned for my body weight, every additional pound slows me down. My guns and the harpoon have to stay on me. Even if I don¡¯t want to kill anyone, I¡¯m not going to put anyone in danger again. But how many books should I bring? I guess I could stash a few in the car and just carry one emergency one with me. I place a few in my backpack, along with two changes of clothes. They don¡¯t take up much space and they¡¯re pretty light, I might as well. I also throw in one blanket for Corax to curl up in. I add in my tablet and Lucas¡¯ handheld light and that¡¯s basically all of my belongings. The only thing I¡¯m missing is the lamp Cassie gave me. Before I leave my eyes are drawn to Kara¡¯s letter on my dresser. I¡¯m never going to open it, but it feels weird to leave it behind. What if someone comes in and opens it or something? I carefully place it in a pocket where it won¡¯t get bent. ¡°Anything else you want to bring?¡± I ask Corax. ¡°No.¡± He responds. Silver never actually gave me permission to leave my room. I guess I should ask. I hit the intercom button. ¡°Hummingbird? Can you put me in touch with Silver?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Instead of Hummingbird¡¯s voice, Silver responds. ¡°Is it safe for me to move to the car?¡± ¡°Yes. Move quick and keep your head down in the car until the city is out of view.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± With Corax on my shoulder we head downstairs. Both the compound and the city look abandoned this early in the morning. We don¡¯t see a single soul on the way to the car, and not a single light is on in the surrounding buildings. Even in the garage, the only people are Vince and Ivy. Vince looks tired, but somehow Ivy is still fresh as ever. ¡°Morning Little Blue.¡± Vince says the moment I enter. He opens up the trunk to the car. ¡°Silver wants you to hide here until we¡¯re gone. I gave you as much space as I could.¡± As much space as he could isn¡¯t very much. The back of the car is filled with supplies. Food, ammo, clothes, medical supplies, blankets, and a dozen other things we might need on the trip. Large solar panels are safely strapped to the ceiling, ready to be spread out in case of emergency. Just enough space has been hollowed out in the center for Corax and I to sit inside. The windows are nearly entirely covered by supplies, but a small strip of light filters through tiny cracks. ¡°Do you think you can handle it?¡± Vince asks. I look to Corax for an answer. If he feels like I can, then I can. He gives a confident nod. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll manage.¡± I pull out the poetry book and Corax¡¯s blanket, and settle into my new seat. Reading to Corax aloud is a bad idea if I¡¯m trying to hide, so I might as well read something he¡¯s not interested in. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll leave the trunk open until someone comes in. It¡¯ll only be a few hours until we leave.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Only a few minutes later, I hear the door to the garage open, but Vince doesn¡¯t close the trunk. ¡°Lucas! It¡¯s good to see you.¡± Vince announces loud enough for me to hear. He must know the plan. But what about the rest of his group? Silver only told me to keep my head down until we get away from the city, not until after Lucas leaves. They must know. ¡°Morning!¡± Lucas sounds even more energetic than Ivy. ¡°How¡¯s everyone feeling?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think Cassie slept, but other than that we¡¯re pretty good.¡± Vince answers. ¡°Good! How¡¯s Blue?¡± Lucas doesn¡¯t even hesitate before using my name. ¡°Come see for yourself.¡± Two sets of footsteps approach. I haven¡¯t seen Lucas since we arrived back at the compound. He looks much better now. His tired, worried eyes have completely disappeared, and he¡¯s looking as happy as the day I first saw him.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°You look way better!¡± He says enthusiastically. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m doing the best I can.¡± I don¡¯t want to worry him by telling him anything else. ¡°You look better too.¡± ¡°And how are you?¡± He leans down to ask Corax directly. ¡°Good.¡± Corax responds. ¡°Glad to hear it! I¡¯d stay and talk, but I have two cars to take care of.¡± ¡°Before you go. Does everyone else know about me? Or should I pretend to be an android?¡± I desperately want to ask how he¡¯s handling everything that happened and if he¡¯s really alright being around me, but there¡¯s no guarantee there¡¯s enough time to ask. ¡°You can be yourself. Don¡¯t worry.¡± That¡¯s a weight off my mind. ¡°Ok, thank you. It was good seeing you again.¡± ¡°You too! Hopefully we can chat some more on the road.¡± Lucas disappears from the small section of the garage I can see. Only a few minutes later someone else enters, and Vince is forced to lock me in. I pull out my little handheld light and focus on my book. The garage steadily grows louder. Single conversations turn into an incomprehensible mad dash to get everything prepared. Vince and Ivy climb into the car, relaxing in the back seats. Even if it¡¯s too dangerous to talk to me, I appreciate their presence. After hours and dissecting two whole poems, the sound of the garage quickly dies. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see everyone here.¡± Even when I¡¯m buried in stuff, Silver still sounds like they¡¯re speaking right next to me. ¡°First, as always. If anyone has any regrets, any worries, any loved ones you¡¯re looking to start a life with, nobody will think any less of you for staying.¡± A few seconds of silence settles over the garage before Silver continues. ¡°Thank you. If I never see you again, know we will not let your sacrifice be in vain. That said, we¡¯d all prefer not to have to keep up that promise. Coming home safe is far more important than any amount of money. Good luck, and make sure we see each other again.¡± The car begins to nearly silently roll forward. After just a few turns an electric charge dances across my skin, signaling we¡¯re safely outside the city. Of course that doesn¡¯t mean I can reveal myself yet. You can see the city from miles away, not to mention the other vehicles around here. It¡¯s probably going to be two hours before I can safely leave. ¡°Doing ok back there?¡± Vince quietly asks once we¡¯re a few minutes away from the city. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I whisper back. ¡°Ok good. Just a little longer.¡± I dive back into my poems, and before I know it, the trunk is opening. Corax shoots from my lap and takes off into the barren sky while I¡¯m still reeling from how bright the sun is. I climb out onto the burning sand. Vince isn¡¯t even paying attention to me. His eyes are locked on Corax, a look of wonder on his face. ¡°Are you ok?¡± I ask him. ¡°It¡¯s just been a long time since I¡¯ve seen a bird fly.¡± He responds without taking his eyes off Corax. ¡°Is it going to be a problem? I think he was excited to fly while we drove.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be.¡± Vince shakes his head. ¡°A lot of people use drones to scout. Although Cassie might be sad about losing her job.¡± ¡°Blue!¡± Lucas jumps out of the nearby car. ¡°I need to introduce you to some people.¡± ¡°Oh! Ok.¡± I shoot Corax a signal, who swoops back down, landing gracefully on my head. ¡°This is Ethan, my boyfriend.¡± Lucas sounds so excited to be able to say that. It¡¯s really cute. Ethan is much shorter than him. He¡¯s wearing a baggy shirt that shows skin with every movement. Two long, horizontal scars sit prominently just below his muscled chest. I wonder what the story behind those are? ¡°This is Lauren, the group''s leader.¡± Lauren is tall, she reminds me a bit of General Monroe from so long ago. She stands tall and proud, ready to fight at a moment''s notice. ¡°These two are Hudson and Liam.¡± The two of them could not be further apart. Hudson is the single largest man I¡¯ve ever seen. If he picked up the car right now I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised. Liam, on the other hand, is somehow even skinnier than Lucas. Even though his face is young, gray streaks interrupt his black hair. ¡°That¡¯s everyone! Everyone, this is Blue and Corax.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± Lauren steps forward, stiffly holding out her hand for a handshake. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡± ¡°I hope that¡¯s a good thing?¡± I shake her hand. ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡± She responds. ¡°One thing Lucas forgot is that Liam is mute. Just ask if you need me to translate.¡± Now that I think about it, I¡¯m surprised Finn never put anything about American Sign Language in my head. Although I guess it¡¯s hard to teach it without using pictures. ¡°Ok. If you have a book it might be easier for me to just memorize it.¡± Even if I¡¯m only going to be traveling with him until tomorrow, it¡¯d still be good to know for the future. ¡°Sorry, we don¡¯t have anything like that. But we can teach you!¡± Lucas throws his arm around Ethan. ¡°We don¡¯t have space in the car.¡± Ethan tells him. ¡°Right, sorry. We¡¯ll teach you when you get home then!¡± ¡°That sounds great.¡± Although maybe I can find some kind of book in Vegas and surprise them? Probably not. ¡°We should get moving.¡± Lauren announces, continually glancing back towards the city. ¡°We should.¡± Vince agrees. ¡°Do you want me to drive? You need sleep.¡± I offer. It¡¯d be a nice way to keep myself distracted too. ¡°Sure Little Blue. Just follow a few hundred feet behind Lucas.¡± Vince quietly hops into the back of the car, settling in next to an already asleep Cassie. Corax hops from my shoulder before I settle into the driver''s seat. I watch him for a moment as he skims across the scalding sand. I can¡¯t wait too long though, Lucas has already climbed into his own driver''s seat. I plug myself into the car, once again welcoming it as a part of my body. I can feel the tiny shifts in my suspension as Vince gets comfortable and Ivy slowly flips between radio signals. Lucas gives me a wave from the other car and begins to creep across the sands. I roll just a few car lengths behind him. Corax has no problem keeping up with the vehicles, and he spends most of his time flying close to the ground. He dives behind dunes, only to come shooting back out as quickly as possible. Every few minutes he climbs high into the sky, so small he¡¯s nearly invisible. He makes slow loops around the two car convoy, before tucking his wings against his body and falling back to the earth. A few hundred feet before he hits the ground, his wings flare out, redirecting his downward momentum forward and speeding up to over twice the car''s speed. In around fifty hours we¡¯ll be arriving at Vegas. I don¡¯t know anything about the city, but I do know I¡¯d rather deal with that than Mary. Book 2 Chapter 19 We drive silently through the morning. Corax has to ask for a recharge every few hours, his acrobatics are consuming an awful lot of power. Once the afternoon arrives I feel Vince stir in my back seat. ¡°Morning Little Vince.¡± I whisper back to him, trying not to wake Cassie. Ivy lets out a small surprised chuckle. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m the biggest fan of that nickname.¡± Vince says with a smile. ¡°I take it you¡¯re feeling good?¡± ¡°Yeah, as long as I don¡¯t think about whether Silver''s safe or not.¡± ¡°Silver¡¯s going to be fine.¡± Vince reaches over and puts a hand on my original body¡¯s shoulder. ¡°They¡¯ve dealt with way worse before.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Vince knows them better than anyone. If he¡¯s confident they can handle it, I just have to trust him. Despite my effort, our whispering wakes up Cassie. She sits up and tries to stretch, only for her new arm to fly towards the roof. A loud noise rings through me, and a small dent is left in my ceiling. ¡°Fuck! Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Vince gently reassures her. ¡°The roof¡¯s still intact, no harm done.¡± ¡°I thought I had the hang of this thing.¡± Cassie begins to clench and unclench her hand. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s from frustration, to demonstrate, or to practice. ¡°You¡¯ll get it.¡± Vince doesn¡¯t linger on her problems, instead he turns towards the front of me. ¡°Ivy, can you call Lucas?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ivy says after flipping a single switch. ¡°This is Vince to Lucas.¡± ¡°Oh look who¡¯s finally awake!¡± Lucas¡¯ voice fills my cabin, followed by his boyfriend¡¯s laugh. ¡°I had a long night. How does lunch sound?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be breakfast?¡± Ethan¡¯s voice is barely audible, followed by a barely stifled laugh from Lucas. ¡°Sounds great.¡± Lucas hides his laughter only long enough to respond. Lucas¡¯ car takes a sharp left turn towards the largest sand dune around. We can see clearly for miles around from our vantage point. It¡¯d be impossible to get ambushed up here, even if Corax takes a break. I unplug myself from the car. My mind instantly reaches for a motor that¡¯s no longer there, for sensors that will never again speak. A wave of sadness floods my mind, screaming to plug myself back in, to re-attach my missing limbs. I¡¯m ok. These are not reasonable thoughts, they¡¯ll pass. I should not let myself stay plugged into anything for more than a few minutes. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d have the self control to leave if I stayed for much longer. Corax makes one more large circle around us, high in the sky. Once he¡¯s satisfied, he drops from the sky and takes his perch on my shoulder. ¡°Safe.¡± He announces. ¡°Good, thank you. Did you have fun?¡± I ask him. ¡°Flying good.¡± ¡°I know.¡± I remember how free it felt when I lived his memories. It¡¯d be nice to experience it again, but I¡¯m not sure how I¡¯d do that. Maybe I could create a second body like his? Although, no, if I can barely handle leaving the car, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be able to leave my body, even if I wanted to. Lucas is struggling to pull out a large pot and an equally large hotplate from the back of his car. It¡¯s just as full as ours, but instead of endless supplies most of it is dominated by a few large battery banks. Hudson has to go over and take control, lifting up half the trunk to finally get the pot free. Once free, Hudson has no problem filling it with water and placing it gently on the hot plate. There¡¯s gallons of water in there, and his muscles barely had to work to move it. Lucas and Ethan prepare a handful of glass jars full of dried and powdered who knows what while he waits for it to start boiling. I head over to them to talk, who knows when the next chance I¡¯ll get will be. ¡°Hey Blue!¡± Lucas welcomes me as soon as he notices me approaching. ¡°Hey.¡± I stay standing. It could be really bad if I got sand into my joints, and at least my feet were designed for this sort of thing. ¡°How do you cook?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know how?¡± Ethan sounds surprised. ¡°I know the dictionary definition, but my dad had to be selective with what information he put in my mind." ¡°Sure!¡± Lucas sounds so enthusiastic to share. ¡°Well, we¡¯re making a stew. So basically we just throw everything into a pot, add a lot of salt, and stir it for a while.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. They have salt? I know about the salt flats, but it can¡¯t be cheap to ship it all the way from what used to be the coast. Actually, the sandstorms probably pick up a lot of salt. Maybe it¡¯s possible to extract it straight from the sand. ¡°But how do you know when it¡¯s done?¡± ¡°Mostly by feel.¡± Lucas shrugs. ¡°I can rarely make the same thing twice, so I just wing it.¡± ¡°The secret is eating half of it before it¡¯s done.¡± Ethan gives Lucas a small poke in his side. ¡°Hey! How else am I supposed to tell if it¡¯s cooked?¡± ¡°Uh-huh. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s the only reason.¡± ¡°Like you¡¯ve never eaten early.¡± Lucas gives him an obvious eye roll. ¡°Nope. Never.¡± Ethan grabs a dried tomato from one of the jars and pops it into his mouth. ¡°At least share.¡± Lucas pretends to pout. Ethan leans over and gives Lucas a long kiss. When he pulls back, Lucas has the goofiest look on his face. ¡°Is that better?¡± Ethan asks with a smug smile. ¡°Yeah. Much better.¡± It¡¯s not until the water is gently boiling that Lucas manages to recover. He grabs some jars and begins to toss in food seemingly randomly. ¡°This seems like way more than eight people can eat.¡± Although maybe Hudson needs several people¡¯s worth of food? ¡°Well, we skipped breakfast and I¡¯m sure everyone is hungry. I¡¯m making enough for dinner too.¡± Lucas pauses his work while he explains, giving me his full attention. ¡°Vince is in a hurry. If I don¡¯t make leftovers, he¡¯s not going to eat.¡± ¡°Really? Does he do that often?¡± ¡°Only when time matters.¡± Vince¡¯s voice surprises me, sending my mind into a panic for a moment at his sudden appearance. I can definitely see why humans jump when they¡¯re surprised. Vince and Ivy spread out a towel on the hot sand and sit down. ¡°It smells really good.¡± ¡°I really hope it will be.¡± A little bit of enthusiasm leaves Lucas¡¯ voice. Things still must be a little tense between them. ¡°You have no idea how excited Vince is to eat your food again. He wouldn¡¯t stop talking about it all night.¡± Ivy leans over conspiratorially and loudly whispers to Lucas. That makes Lucas¡¯ smile look a little more genuine. ¡°I only mentioned it once or twice.¡± Vince objects. ¡°If you say so.¡± ¡°Hey Vince, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you something.¡± Ethan says. ¡°What¡¯s the plan for the Southern Pass? Isn¡¯t it pretty dangerous?¡± ¡°It certainly can be. Corax and Ivy shouldn¡¯t have any problem keeping us safe though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, but I¡¯m more worried about the way back. What about us? How do we stay safe?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve traveled this route, but from what I remember, it¡¯s a pretty big area. About 20 miles across at the smallest. I guess it¡¯s possible it¡¯s gotten safer since it¡¯s so busy, but I wouldn¡¯t count on it. It¡¯s not a good place for ambushes, so any raiders should be in cars, and I¡¯m pretty sure Hudson can take care of that.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t fill me with confidence.¡± Ethan says. ¡°Sorry, that''s all I got. Unless you want to go to Vegas and find a caravan back. That might be more dangerous than just heading back on your own though.¡± ¡°I doubt we have the cash for that anyway.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be alright.¡± Lucas reassures him. Everyone else soon makes their way over to the pot, I assume led by the smell. Everyone splits into smaller, private conversations. The words blur together, making it impossible for me to understand any of them. Instead, I focus on petting Corax. Liam waves to get my attention. Ok? He flashes a combat sign to me. Ok. No hear. Many people. I hope that gets my point across. Ok. He responds, and returns to his conversation with Lauren and Hudson. After less than ten minutes of boiling, Lucas turns off the hot plate. ¡°It¡¯s done!¡± He announces, bringing an end to the other conversations. He begins passing out jars full of stew wrapped in small towels to everyone. Nobody has anything to say while they scarf down their food. Lauren and Hudson don¡¯t hesitate to dive back in for seconds. ¡°I¡¯m going to need a lot of leftovers. I¡¯m not sure I can survive on Vince¡¯s cooking for long.¡± Cassie jokes and dives back into her food. She¡¯s using her organic hand to carefully eat while holding the jar between her knees. I guess even a small risk of a mistake with her new arm is too much when it comes to food. ¡°How is it?¡± I ask Vince. ¡°Really good.¡± Vince is eating slowly, savoring every bite. ¡°Any last minute tips?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same as always.¡± Lucas responds. ¡°Just a vegetable powder broth, and throw stuff in. Just don¡¯t overcook it.¡± ¡°See, I try not to, but-¡± Other people begin to talk once again as they finish their food. The words once again blend together, leaving me separate from everyone else. ¡°I¡¯m going to go wait in the car.¡± I tell Ivy. She gives an understanding nod and doesn¡¯t even try to respond verbally. Corax and I climb into the back seat, far away from the console. ¡°Do you want to fly more?¡± I ask Corax. In response, Corax climbs down my chest and into my lap. ¡°Alright, one second.¡± I grab his blanket and spread it out for him. ¡°Battery.¡± He flips onto his back. I remove his chest piece and connect his battery to me. It only takes a few minutes to top him off. He was already 80% full when I started, but I¡¯m sure he wants to be fully charged before scouting again. I guess he¡¯s not ready to go out yet though. Even after his charging finishes, he still remains relaxing in my lap. It¡¯s not long before everyone else returns to the car, carrying a few jars of stew. Vince takes the wheel, Cassie sits shotgun, and Ivy climbs in next to me. ¡°Alright.¡± Vince sighs as he sits down. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving. We¡¯ll reach the Southern Pass in a few hours, keep an eye open.¡± Corax stands tall, ready to get back to work. I roll down the window for him and he flies out, heading directly into the sky. ¡°Ivy, shouldn¡¯t you get some sleep?¡± I don¡¯t think she slept much last night, and she certainly hasn¡¯t slept in the car. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be able to until right around sundown.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± I ask. Ivy lets me see conflict on her face, debating how much to share. ¡°Let¡¯s call it a secret.¡± ¡°Does that mean you¡¯ll share the next time I see you drunk?¡± Book 2 Chapter 20 Traveling is already starting to feel routine. Cassie focuses on the radio, Ivy does what she does best, and Corax checks in every hour for a battery top off. For the most part I spend the hours reading. I am beginning to notice Vince is fidgeting just a little more with every passing minute, although it¡¯s impossible to guess what he¡¯s the most worried about right now. If I can notice, then I¡¯m sure Ivy and Cassie did long ago. If they¡¯re not going to bring it up, I shouldn¡¯t either. It¡¯s not long before we can see the mountains. Giants of barren stone dominate the horizon. I can just see where they disappear beneath the sand, I assume that¡¯s where we¡¯re going. ¡°Cassie, can you hit the radio?¡± Vince asks, and then continues to speak a moment later. ¡°This is Vince. Who¡¯s driving?¡± ¡°Liam is.¡± Lauren¡¯s voice responds. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll be heading into the pass in just a few hours. Once we arrive, it¡¯ll be about four hours until we¡¯re through. Keep your radio on.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± The sun is close to setting when we finally arrive at the mountains. There¡¯s a small ravine that¡¯s been carved through the mountain. It¡¯s barely 100 feet wide, with sheer walls on either side. We keep driving right past it. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that where we¡¯re going?¡± I ask. ¡°Depends.¡± Ivy responds, taking a closer look at the pass. ¡°Do you think we can deal with at least seven snipers on the ridge?¡± ¡°I thought you said I should stop doubting you?¡± That gets a laugh out of both Ivy and Cassie. Even Vince, in spite of his anxiety, lets out a small chuckle. ¡°You heard her. Take us in.¡± Cassie prods Vince. Vince only rolls his eyes and gives me a real explanation. ¡°That¡¯s 50 miles of the best ambushes raiders could ask for. No, we¡¯re taking a slightly longer way around.¡± ¡°Have you ever been in there?¡± I ask. ¡°Yeah. I have.¡± Vince says in a way that makes it clear he doesn¡¯t want to explain. ¡°Ok. Sorry.¡± Why did I even ask that? ¡°It¡¯s alright Little Blue.¡± I signal out the window to call Corax back. He lands on the windowsill only a few seconds later. I relay the plan to him. ¡°Good. Dangerous.¡± Corax says before flying off once again. It takes two more hours of skirting around the mountain until we finally turn west. A large, flat expanse of desert lays out in front of us. Steep hills can be seen in the distance to either side. Everyone is on high alert. Ivy rolls down her window and pulls herself into a sitting position on the lip. Her entire torso is outside the car, and her gun is perched on the roof, giving her an unobstructed view in every direction. Cool night air streams in the open window. Cassie rapidly checks every channel she can find, before switching back to her starting channel and waiting a few moments. Soon enough, Lauren¡¯s voice comes through during her pause. ¡°Is this it?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Vince answers. ¡°If you want to do the battery swap now and head back home that¡¯s fine. We can just lay out the solar panels tomorrow and should be able to make it before the next storm.¡± The radio goes dead for a minute, while they discuss. ¡°No, we¡¯ve got a job to do. We¡¯ll follow you in.¡± Lauren sounds determined. ¡°Sounds good.¡± It¡¯s not long before Corax lands on Ivy¡¯s head, and she dutifully puts him back inside. ¡°Two cars. South.¡± He reports. ¡°Are they heading this way?¡± Vince¡¯s anxiety leaves, replaced by a cold seriousness. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Vince lets out a large sigh. ¡°Keep me updated please.¡± Corax waits before returning to the skies, his eyes on me. I pull out his harness and he excitedly jumps in. It only takes a few moments to get it seated and for him to glide back into the night sky. At least he¡¯s nearly invisible in the dark. Corax returns to report more vehicles a few times. Everything from large caravans to single cars. Despite the other cars seeming to be not actively hostile, Vince keeps as much distance from them as possible. ¡°Stopping cars.¡± Corax informs us. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Vince asks. ¡°Who¡¯s stopping cars?¡± Corax doesn¡¯t respond. I¡¯m not sure how Vince expects him to know. Vince turns the car to the north, climbing up a nearby large dune where he turns off the car and steps out. The smallest hint of light can be seen from a few miles away. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Ivy climbs onto the car, standing on the roof. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lauren asks as she steps out of her car. ¡°Looks like Rangers.¡± Ivy answers. ¡°They¡¯ve set up a checkpoint.¡± ¡°What? How? Why?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re searching for something. Pretty thoroughly too.¡± ¡°Must be important. I¡¯ve never heard of something like this.¡± Lauren climbs up next to Ivy to try to get a view of her own. ¡°Pretty sure I still have some warrants open.¡± Vince says sadly. ¡°Would you guys mind heading through first? Find out if it¡¯s me they¡¯re looking for.¡± ¡°How would they even know you¡¯re heading this way?¡± Lucas asks. ¡°No idea. I doubt it¡¯s me, but I don¡¯t want to take any chances.¡± ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll radio back.¡± Lucas says. ¡°Alright. And Lucas? Stay safe.¡± Vince gives him a quick hug. ¡°Ay-ay.¡± He responds into Vince¡¯s chest before breaking away. ¡°I''ve never even broken the law.¡± Except for me of course. ¡°A lot could happen between here and there, you never know.¡± Ivy tells him. ¡°If I get a bounty in the next few minutes, I¡¯ll be sure to turn around!¡± He jumps into the driver''s seat and the others follow. Their car slowly crawls towards the distant light. ¡°It¡¯s weird. They¡¯re barely even looking at the people.¡± Ivy says, half to herself. ¡°And unless something¡¯s changed, they don¡¯t care about drugs this much.¡± ¡°Are they looking for me?¡± I can¡¯t think of anything else that would fit. ¡°How would they know?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°We snuck you out of the city, what? 15 hours ago?¡± ¡°It¡¯s three hours to Albuquerque from here. If they set up a large outpost there I guess it¡¯s possible. If Silver¡¯s plan failed, they might have had to improvise.¡± ¡°By selling us out?¡± Anger flairs inside Cassie. ¡°Come on Cassie, you know Silver better than that.¡± Vince puts his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. ¡°They might have had to give us a problem they know we can solve.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± Cassie lets the conversation die there. ¡°They¡¯re arriving.¡± Ivy interrupts the silence only a few minutes later. ¡°They¡¯re getting out of the car, and the rangers are checking every possible crevice.¡± ¡°We should have called Lucas back.¡± I say. There¡¯s no way Vince could ever forgive himself if something happens. ¡°No, he¡¯s fine.¡± Ivy says. ¡°Just like everyone else, they¡¯re barely paying attention to him. Only one they¡¯re talking to is Lauren.¡± ¡°Can you tell what they¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°No.¡± We wait a few tense minutes in silence. Vince checks his rifle a few times, just in case. ¡°They¡¯re done.¡± Ivy hops down from the car. ¡°Easy as that.¡± Only a few seconds later the radio crackles to life. ¡°Hey Johnson,¡± Lauren¡¯s voice fills the night air. ¡°I need you to solve an argument. What¡¯s that book you were telling us about called?¡± Vince hits a button to transmit on the radio. ¡°Which one?¡± He asks in a clearly practiced fake voice. ¡°That one with the Bluebird.¡± Fuck. I know what that means. I¡¯m ok. Keep the panic under control. Just until the radio is turned off. Corax is on my shoulder. He¡¯s not going to let me slip. ¡°Actually, I think it¡¯s way funnier if you don¡¯t know.¡± Vince responds. ¡°We¡¯re going to be out of radio range soon. Good luck remembering it.¡± ¡°Fuck you.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Vince takes a step back out of the car. He takes a quick look at my face. ¡°I take it you got that Little Blue?¡± All I can do is give a small nod. They¡¯re looking for Blue and a Bird. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Ivy gently guides me back to the car. I let her lay me down across the back seat and slide her lap beneath my head. ¡°Is Silver in danger?¡± I need an answer. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Vince reaches back from the driver''s seat. When did he get there? ¡°The only reason Silver would tell anyone, is to keep everyone safe. They¡¯re going to be fine.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Silver in a situation with less than four backup plans. They¡¯re fine, alright?¡± His voice is firm, but gentle. ¡°Ok.¡± I can either believe his lies or fall apart. Not much of a choice. ¡°Alright.¡± He gives me a comforting pat on my arm and then speaks to everyone. ¡°We¡¯re going to meet up with everyone about two hours south of here. From there I¡¯m sending Lucas home, and we¡¯ll continue on to a small range with way more paths than they can cover. It¡¯s a small delay, but we should have plenty of time. Does that sound alright?¡± How does he know that? Keywords woven into their conversation? Or maybe they pre-planned this backup plan? Those are the only things I can think of. ¡°Can¡¯t we just sneak her through?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°I could remove my skin. Or partially deconstruct my limbs and look dead.¡± ¡°Would you be able to handle that?¡± Vince asks. I don¡¯t respond. ¡°Besides, they probably have a diver to check.¡± ¡°No complaints here.¡± Ivy says. Vince glances at Cassie, who instead of responding, returns to her radio. I guess Vince takes that as an agreement, because he turns the car around. ¡°Corax? I need to keep a lookout. Can you watch over her?¡± Ivy asks. Corax climbs from my shoulder to my chest. Once again I hold him tight. Instead of sitting on the windowsill, Ivy climbs fully onto the roof and stays up there. Is she trying to give me space? Or trying to avoid me? ¡°Am I going to be able to return to the city?¡± I ask into the silent car. ¡°I wish I could tell you Little Blue.¡± Vince reaches back to lay a firm hand on my arm without taking his eyes off the desert as he drives. ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait for Silver to get a message to us.¡± ¡°How are they going to do that?¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s a few ways. If we haven¡¯t heard anything before we¡¯re done with Mara, we¡¯ll head back to Denver. Blackwell can keep us hidden while we wait for news. And if we can¡¯t return? We¡¯ll find somewhere else to call home while we figure something out.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that.¡± I don¡¯t want to be the one who rips them away from their friends. They have so many people they¡¯d be giving up for me. ¡°I know. That¡¯s just plan B. We¡¯ll make a better one when we know more.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Whatever happens, I¡¯m going to make sure they can go home. ¡°Is Vegas going to be safe?¡± ¡°Vegas might just be the least safe city on earth. But if you¡¯re worried about the rangers, last I checked they weren¡¯t allowed to do anything but gamble.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± A series of taps comes from the roof, and Vince turns the car a little further south. With Ivy guiding us it doesn¡¯t take too long to get out of the southern pass. Once we¡¯re free, Ivy climbs back into the cab and returns her attention to my hair. ¡°Remind me to give you a brush when we get home.¡± Ivy¡¯s voice comes from the window. When you get home. I have no idea if I¡¯ll be there too. There¡¯s no need to say that out loud though, I¡¯m sure she already knows. The rest of the drive proceeds mostly in silence. Vince and Cassie occasionally say something to each other, but I don¡¯t even bother processing their words. Every thought has the potential to lead me towards the edge. It¡¯s much safer to do nothing. It¡¯s all I can do to keep existing and wait. Book 2 Chapter 21 It¡¯s a long time before we stop. Corax gives me a small nibble on my finger, instructing me to listen. ¡°Here.¡± Corax says barely loudly enough for me to hear. I force myself to sit up, but keep Corax in my arms. Vince and Cassie have already left the car, but Ivy still sits besides me. ¡°Morning sleepy.¡± The first hints of exhaustion are beginning to creep into Ivy¡¯s eyes. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sleeping.¡± I couldn¡¯t even if I wanted to. ¡°I know. Come on, Lucas will want to say bye.¡± Ivy steps out of the car and holds out her hand for me. She¡¯s still recovering from her gunshot wound. I take her hand, but am very careful to not actually make her take any of my weight. ¡°And what are you going to do if you encounter more Rangers?¡± Lauren and Vince are in the middle of a quiet argument. ¡°We have a much bigger problem than just some Rangers. Besides, Silver might need you. If you want to check in with Blackwell and still make it home before the next storm, you¡¯ve got to get going.¡± ¡°A storm¡¯s not going to hit that soon. We still have time to follow through with the plan.¡± She argues. ¡°You should know just as well as I do that a lot of people have died thinking that.¡± Vince puts as much seriousness as he can into his voice. ¡°And what about you then?¡± Lucas joins the conversation. ¡°A fresh battery won¡¯t get you to Vegas. You¡¯re going to have to burn a full day for the solar panels to work. Why is it ok to risk yourself but not us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not putting anyone in danger.¡± Vince keeps his voice even and calm, despite the intensity of the conversation. ¡°We have enough charge to get to the Grand Canyon, even without stopping. There¡¯s a lot of villages we can hide out in if we need to.¡± ¡°I can buy us a few extra miles.¡± I offer in an effort to get them to stop arguing. I don¡¯t produce that much extra power these days, but I do the math anyway. ¡°It¡¯ll only be a quarter of a mile per hour, but it¡¯ll help.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m sure Cass can get out and push!¡± I¡¯ve never heard Lucas so frustrated. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you take dumb risks.¡± ¡°Lucas, listen.¡± Vince takes a step forward and gently places his hand on Lucas¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I get it. But it¡¯s 450 miles to the Grand Canyon. We can make that no problem. We¡¯ll stop close to a town while we recharge the batteries, and we¡¯ll hunker down if we catch wind of a possible storm. This isn¡¯t a dumb risk, it¡¯s gambling a few days to make sure Silver¡¯s safe.¡± Lauren takes a step back, letting Lucas make the final decision. He stares into Vince¡¯s eyes looking for something. ¡°Fine.¡± He eventually says reluctantly. ¡°Cass, make sure he stays safe for me.¡± ¡°Oh I will.¡± Cassie promises. ¡°Hudson, get the lifts out.¡± Lucas commands. Lucas¡¯ group springs into action. Hudson grabs flat pieces of metal and car jacks from the back. Ethan and Lucas begin putting them together the moment they¡¯re free from the trunk while Lauren and Liam dig a small trough into the sand. It only takes ten minutes to finish putting together a makeshift workshop. Four jacks are held together by large, flat metal plates that are surrounding a person sized hole that¡¯s been dug into the sand. Vince pulls our car over the jacks, and everyone else quickly hoists the car completely off the ground. Lucas climbs under with a handful of tools and gets to work. Every sixty seconds or so, Lucas passes out a small battery bank, and is handed a new one by Ethan. He¡¯s under there for over half an hour before he finally climbs out. ¡°Done. I still need to swap out our car, but you should get going.¡± ¡°That¡¯s dangerous, what if-¡± ¡°Do not talk to me about danger right now.¡± Lucas cuts off Vince. ¡°Just get going, please.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Vince relents. ¡°You stay safe.¡± ¡°You too.¡± Lucas leans in and gives him a tight hug. I can see his arms straining to put as much force as possible into it. Lucas breaks away after a long minute and turns to Ivy, giving her an equally strong hug. He whispers something to her, and Ivy¡¯s face softens into a small smile. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± She responds softly. Next he turns to Cassie, who reluctantly takes a step forward. ¡°The harder you squeeze, the harder I will too. And I will win that fight.¡± She warns him before stepping into his embrace. Lucas doesn¡¯t let the threat stop him from putting as much force into the hug as possible. Cassie¡¯s arm is audibly straining under the pressure she¡¯s applying. I can see his mouth move, but even only a few feet away I can¡¯t hear what he¡¯s saying. Although it¡¯s possible that Cassie has just squeezed all the air from his lungs and that¡¯s the loudest he can be. ¡°Shut up.¡± Cassie finally steps away. ¡°Worry about yourself first.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Ay-ay.¡± Finally Lucas turns to Corax and I. He opens his arms partially, unsure if I want to hug right now. I definitely need one. I place Corax on my shoulder and embrace Lucas. Tears sneak out of my eyes for more reasons than I can dissect right now. ¡°You two watch over each other, alright? And keep an eye on Cass for me.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Lucas holds me until my tear reserves run dry and I finally take a step back. ¡°Stay safe, alright?¡± ¡°Promise.¡± By the time we¡¯re finished saying goodbye, Lauren and Liam have already gotten the second car hoisted into the air. Lucas gives us all one last wave and climbs under. I guess there¡¯s nothing to do but to get back in the car. We all take the seats we were in previously. I watch out the back window for as long as possible before they disappear behind the dunes. They¡¯re going to be fine. ¡°Are you going to be alright if I get some sleep?¡± Ivy asks me gently. It¡¯s been several minutes since I¡¯ve last caught a glimpse of their group. I finally tear my eyes away from where they were. ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡± ¡°Alright. Wake me up if you need anything.¡± Ivy leans back and closes her eyes. In only seconds her breathing has slowed, and she¡¯s almost certainly asleep. ¡°Vince? Cassie? Are you tired? I can take over driving or the radio for a bit.¡± It¡¯d be nice to have something to distract myself with. Although I will just drive physically, I shouldn¡¯t plug myself in. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be sleeping for a bit Little Blue. Thank you though.¡± Vince responds. ¡°In a bit.¡± Cassie says. ¡°Ok.¡± I guess I¡¯ll just read for a while then. I make Corax a small nest on my lap and dive into my book to hide from my thoughts. Corax doesn¡¯t get cozy though. He remains on my shoulder, his presence offering support. A few times I hear gunshots in the distance. I can hear the faint voices of Lucas and Silver, calling for me with their dying breath. Corax is always there though. I even stay quiet enough to not wake Ivy. ¡°You ok Little Blue?¡± I am not, however, quiet enough to keep Vince from noticing. ¡°Just worried.¡± I whisper back. ¡°I know. They¡¯re going to be alright though.¡± I hope so. I dive back into my book for half an hour before Cassie interrupts me. ¡°Lucas says they¡¯re heading back now.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± Vince responds. ¡°Hey, Blue. Do you know how to use this?¡± She asks, gesturing to the radio in her lap. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can figure it out.¡± Cassie gives me a quick rundown anyway. What all the buttons and dials do is simple to remember. She tries to grab her tablet to write down all the important stations I should check often, and I have to remind her I essentially can¡¯t forget. I just have to keep an ear open on a few dozen channels for the weather, a couple of general use emergency channels, and a few Ranger channels. There are also hundreds of number stations scattered across the endless desert. I know I won¡¯t be able to, but trying to crack some of their encryption methods could be a good distraction. Eventually satisfied, she passes back the large radio and reclines her seat. It¡¯s not long before she¡¯s asleep, her soft snores filling the car. It¡¯s really cute. Nope, kill those thoughts. They¡¯re not going to help me now. I put on the headphones and block out the world. It¡¯d be nice to be able to just plug myself in and hear everything at once, but the radio is analog. Even if I tried, the best case scenario is just receiving garbage data. The weather system they have set up is rudimentary, but invaluable. Weather stations hidden all across the desert are reporting what they¡¯re seeing, although they can¡¯t give too accurate of a location, I¡¯m guessing for fear of raiders. I¡¯m fairly certain some stations even report false information to further obscure their location. It results in a rough, ever shifting map of potential storms. I¡¯m not quite sure how Cassie can manage to keep track of everything. I guess she¡¯s just practiced a lot, same with anything else humans get good at. I eventually stumble across one station playing music. It¡¯d be so nice to linger here and listen, but I have a job to do. I don¡¯t want to put us in danger just to have a nice few hours. I make sure not to check that station again, I¡¯m not sure how many times I can bring myself to tune away from it. Corax, feeling I¡¯m sufficiently distracted, eventually takes off into the skies. ¡°I can both drive and work the radio if you want.¡± I offer to let Vince sleep once again. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep when Ivy wakes up. If something goes wrong, one of us should be awake.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I could call Corax back to keep an eye on me, but he¡¯s right. It¡¯s probably for the best that a third person stays awake so Corax can keep scouting. After two hours of silence, Vince speaks up. ¡°Hey, Little Blue. Can you call Corax back?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± A quick signal into the sky recalls him. I¡¯m so glad he¡¯s always watching. He lands on the open window only a moment later. ¡°Corax, we¡¯re coming up on a small ridgeline. There should be a few valleys we can take. Can you find us a safe route?¡± Vince asks. Corax gives a nod and once again disappears into the night. Vince takes this moment to grab a hot plate from the trunk and finally reheat Lucas¡¯ leftovers. ¡°Find anything interesting?¡± He whispers after swallowing a mouthful of stew. He looks so tired. Maybe I should wake up Cassie? Probably not. ¡°There¡¯s someone playing music, but nothing else.¡± ¡°What are they playing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t listen.¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± He eats another mouthful. ¡°I knew a radio host who played 50¡¯s music all the time. I was just wondering if he was still around.¡± ¡°Here.¡± I hand him the headphones and tune to the music station. Vince listens for a few seconds, and his face falls. ¡°That¡¯s not him. He¡¯d be in his 80¡¯s now, so I guess it¡¯s not a surprise.¡± ¡°What was he like?¡± Vince shakes his head, stealing a moment to figure out what he wants to say. ¡°It''s not important.¡± ¡°Oh, ok.¡± It certainly sounds like it''s important to him, but I''m not about to push it. A few minutes later Corax lands on the hood of the car and taps his beak on the glass, pointing us in a direction. Corax leads us into a valley. It''s so narrow that our headlights can illuminate the barren walls on both sides. I¡¯m not even sure it¡¯s possible to turn around without awkwardly stopping and starting a few times. He guides us through the maze of valleys. I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s directing us away from dead ends or from people, but either way he¡¯s doing a great job. It only takes half an hour to maneuver our way through the ridge. Once the valleys fade back into the endless desert, Corax returns to my lap, satisfied with his work. I begin to pet him, he more than deserves it. ¡°Thank you Corax.¡± Vince whispers back. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how long it would have taken for me to find a way through by myself.¡± Uh oh. Corax puffs up his feathers as much as he can. He¡¯s definitely feeling smug right now. ¡°How long until we get there?¡± I ask. ¡°We should hit the Grand Canyon by sunset tomorrow.¡± Book 2 Chapter 22 The rest of the night passes in silence. Some of the ranger stations send out encrypted messages in addition to bounties and reported raiders, but they¡¯re impossible for me to crack. If Vince was right and they were stationed in Albuquerque, then we should already be too far away for them to find us. Eventually the sun rises, and with it Cassie and Ivy. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m starving.¡± Cassie complains only a few moments after waking up. ¡°Alright, give me one moment.¡± Vince turns the car towards a large dune and parks atop it. ¡°What are you in the mood for?¡± ¡°More of Lucas¡¯ stew.¡± She jokes. They ate all the leftovers last night. ¡°I guess I can deal with potato soup though.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± Everyone gets out of the car to stretch their legs. Based on how everyone is acting it must feel pretty good to relieve a cramp. ¡°Hey Corax!¡± Cassie comes jogging over. She¡¯s surprisingly energetic for someone who just woke up. ¡°Just how fast are you?¡± ¡°Fast.¡± Corax says proudly. ¡°How about a race then?¡± She grins, bouncing on the tip of her feet. What¡¯s gotten into her today? I¡¯ve never seen her like this. ¡°From here, to that dune and back?¡± Corax hops from my shoulder to hers. Cassie flinches a little, but is back to normal once he lands. ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Cassie crouches down into a runners start, and Corax flares his wings, ready for takeoff. ¡°Three, two, one, go!¡± They both shoot off like a bolt of lightning. Both Corax¡¯s wings and Cassie¡¯s legs are pumping nearly faster than I can see. Corax takes an early lead, but Cassie is quickly closing the distance. How is she so quick in the sand? To keep up she must be going at least 30 miles an hour, possibly more. A closer look reveals the answer. With every step large, flat plates flip down from the sole of her feet, digging into the sand. She has perfect traction, even out here. I watch the race in amazement for a few seconds before turning to Vince. Him and Ivy are idly watching the race while chopping potatoes. They¡¯re careful to make sure every single chunk ends up in the pot. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Cassie?¡± My concern comes through clearly in my voice. Vince and Ivy both laugh. ¡°She gets a little stir crazy on long rides.¡± Vince explains. ¡°I¡¯m just glad she¡¯s not challenging me this time.¡± Ivy adds. ¡°Oh, ok. Can I help?¡± ¡°Sure Little Blue.¡± He passes me a potato and a knife. ¡°Just try to chop them to about the size of a dice.¡± I¡¯m lucky I can work on two things at once. I can give my full attention to both cutting the potatoes and watching the race. Cassie arrives at the dune first, with Corax close behind. It turns out Cassie¡¯s flat plates aren¡¯t quite enough to stop her from slipping a bit from such a fast turnaround. It takes her almost a second to get back up to speed, and by that time Corax has taken the lead again. Cassie¡¯s not about to let him win though. She tears down the side of the dune, sand flying behind her. It takes less than a minute for them to make it back to the car. Cassie is cleanly in the head, arriving a full second before Corax. Cassie isn¡¯t even breathing heavily. She just sits down next to Vince like nothing even happened. ¡°So how¡¯s food going?¡± She asks. ¡°It¡¯s going.¡± Ivy says. I turn my focus to Corax instead of their conservation. He¡¯s landed on my shoulder, but refuses to look at anyone. ¡°Need bigger motor.¡± He mumbles, half to me and half to himself. ¡°Are you pouting?¡± In response he lightly bites my ear. So that¡¯s a yes. ¡°We¡¯ll get you something soon, alright?¡± I reach up and offer to pet him. He doesn¡¯t react so I drop my hand. ¡°I think I¡¯m supposed to be getting an allowance for working for Silver. How about we use that to make you way faster?¡± He doesn¡¯t respond, but I can tell the idea makes him feel a little better. I turn back to the soup. We¡¯ve once again made enough for both breakfast and lunch. The chopped potatoes have been thrown into a pot, along with what I¡¯m guessing is soy milk. I can¡¯t think of any other way to get milk. ¡°Why do you guys get such variety out here, but at the compound you only eat spaghetti and beans?¡± I ask nobody in particular. ¡°We¡¯re risking our lives, the least Silver can do is let us have a nice last meal.¡± Cassie answers.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± I really wish I had all the same senses as any human. Being able to eat and be one of them would be so nice. I can detect moisture, which humans can¡¯t, but I¡¯d trade that in an instant. What would my life be like if I was just human? Easier, for sure. Actually no, I¡¯d probably be dead in the lab right now. Even in his upset state, Corax still has the mind to nibble on my ear, warning me not to follow that line of thinking any further. ¡°You ok Little Blue?¡± Vince asks, noticing the bite. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± Talking about it would only make things harder. ¡°Alright. Well, suppose I should give everyone today¡¯s plan. We¡¯re taking an uncommon route, so things should be pretty quiet. We¡¯ll reach the grand canyon right around sundown, and bunker down there for the night. Tomorrow we pull out the solar array, and make it to Vegas if safe. Any questions?¡± ¡°What part of the canyon?¡± Cassie asks. There¡¯s something in her voice I just can¡¯t place. ¡°No idea, it¡¯s been a long time since I was there. Wherever we can find a way in.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± A lot of Cassie¡¯s excitement and energy drains from her. If Ivy doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s best to mention it, I¡¯m not going to either. ¡°What¡¯s Vegas like?¡± I ask, trying to change the topic away from whatever is making Cassie upset. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a complicated question. It¡¯s a lawless wasteland for anyone without money, and it¡¯s entirely designed to suck that money away from the rich, and towards the very rich. As long as not too much has changed, just stick close to me. I¡¯ve walked those streets enough to stay safe.¡± ¡°Ok, and what about the AI there? You said we¡¯re allowed to exist? What about the war?¡± ¡°The war didn¡¯t hit everywhere as hard as Arc City. Apparently Vegas had a few paranoid ones that were prepared for something to happen. They cut off the city and kept it safe. Or, well, as safe as Vegas gets.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. You can find a fair few AI working for the casinos, although I couldn¡¯t tell you how many are there willingly.¡± I could probably shuffle a deck of cards into the exact order I wanted with just minor modifications to my hands. It¡¯d be almost trivial to decide who¡¯s going to win each hand. Why would people gamble there? Although if an AI could learn to read people as well as Ivy, they could let people hit big right before they¡¯re getting ready to leave to keep them addicted. That¡¯s horrifying. Do the humans know? Or are they too addicted to care? And what about the AI? Being pulled away from whatever life they once had to deal cards for the rest of eternity? Just being a tool with no breaks? I¡¯m not going to let that happen to Corax, or myself. Although, is that better than the situation at Arc City? Is being forced to work forever better than the ever looming possibility of death for me and everyone I care about? I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t want to have to find out. ¡°I think I hate Vegas.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think that¡¯s a reasonable thought. Hopefully we won¡¯t be there for too long.¡± Vince portions the soup into the same jars they ate from yesterday. He hands one to everyone, and loads everything else into the car. ¡°Alright, we should get moving.¡± ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Ivy stretches as she stands up. ¡°I was just about to ask those two for a race, but oh well.¡± Ivy nods to Corax and Cassie. ¡°You could beat her.¡± I whisper to Corax. I think that helped cheer him up a tiny bit, although there¡¯s no way to know. Vince climbs into the back with Corax and I, and Ivy ends up driving. ¡°Wake me up if anything happens, Little Blue.¡± Vince asks. ¡°I¡¯ll get Corax to bite you if anything goes wrong.¡± ¡°Well I sure hope nothing happens then.¡± Vince leans back and places his hat over his face. ¡°I¡¯d like to keep my ear today.¡± His voice is heavily muffled. ¡°Cassie, do you want me to stay on the radio? Or do you want it?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± I pass the radio to her, and pass the time reading and staring outside. I¡¯m burning through this poetry book pretty quickly, I need to slow down as much as I can handle. A few hours later Ivy whispers to us. ¡°There¡¯s a convoy in the distance.¡± I can see a faint cloud of dust in the distance. How she can make out any details, I have no idea. ¡°Should I wake Vince?¡± Corax is already ready to fly to his shoulder. ¡°Not yet, I recognize the logos. Cassie, switch seats with me.¡± Cassie hops out before the car even stops. Ivy¡¯s not quite fast enough to do the same, and she puts the car in park before scooching over. Ivy switches the bullet in her rifle out for something else, and keeps it hidden just beneath the windowsill. She hits a button on the radio and begins to speak. ¡°Riven Roads Shipping convoy, do you read?¡± She waits a moment for a response to come through her headset. ¡°We¡¯re about four miles out, taking a wide berth. Don¡¯t panic if you see us.¡± She waits for another response. ¡°Can do. Heard any trouble on the road to Vegas?¡± A third response. ¡°Love to hear it. You¡¯re going to run into a Ranger blockade at the Southern Pass. Double check your cargo. We¡¯re out.¡± Despite the seeming cordial conversation, Ivy doesn¡¯t relax. ¡°Cassie, keep a three mile radius. Road should be clear to the Canyon.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± It can¡¯t be that hard to paste a fake logo onto a car and pretend to be a shipping company. There¡¯s really no way to guarantee they¡¯re not some sort of bandit trying to lure people in. Cassie turns the wheel a little to the west, and the convoy maintains its heading. Only when they¡¯ve disappeared over the horizon for ten minutes does Ivy finally relax. She switches her gun over to her original ammo and sits back. ¡°Sorry to worry you Blue.¡± She says back quietly. Somehow Vince has slept through the whole thing. ¡°It¡¯s ok. Was that really dangerous?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Ivy shrugs. ¡°But if I guess wrong, we die.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Too much caution is far safer than not enough. Vince wakes up on his own a few hours later. He¡¯s looking so much better than he did when he went to sleep. The deep bags still sit under his eyes, but they¡¯ve receded a little bit. We don¡¯t stop for lunch, I think Vince is anxious to get there before nightfall. I can¡¯t imagine getting to the bottom of the Grand Canyon is easy in the dark. The rest of the ride is thankfully uneventful. About an hour before the sun sets, we reach the end of the world. Cassie parks the car and steps outside. The sand in front of us quickly slopes downwards before disappearing into open air. Almost a mile of barren, jagged cliffs separate us from the ground below. Almost ten miles away, a second set of cliffs mark the other edge. The ground is covered in the same rolling sandy hills as the rest of the desert. It¡¯s as if the world opened up and swallowed everything it could, and at any moment this monster¡¯s mouth could open fully and consume the entire world. ¡°Welcome to the Grand Canyon.¡± Book 2 Chapter 23 I can¡¯t find any words to say. The view in front of me is like nothing I could have even imagined. ¡°Corax,¡± Vince rips me back to reality. ¡°Are you feeling alright to help with one more thing?¡± Corax cocks his head at him. ¡°Could you find us a safe way down? There should be some tunnels hidden around here somewhere. Look for little buildings along the rim.¡± Corax¡¯s pouting vanishes in an instant, replaced with determination. He takes off from my shoulder and begins to circle high above. ¡°There are tunnels down? Why? And how do they keep them clean?¡± I ask. ¡°At some point Vegas decided a few more rest stops on the road would increase profits, so they carved a few automated tunnels. They close as soon as a storm gets close, and someone comes around occasionally to sweep out the sand that manages to get in.¡± ¡°How?¡± That would have been a feat even before the end of the world. Maybe they needed the stone anyway? ¡°No idea. I wasn¡¯t around here when they put them in.¡± ¡°Found.¡± Corax lands on my shoulder out of nowhere. ¡°Well alright then. You lead the way.¡± Vince takes the driver''s seat. ¡°So why do people live down here?¡± I ask once we start moving. ¡°You¡¯d be hard pressed to find a place with more safe areas. Plus, being so far into the earth, it¡¯s fairly easy to tap into all the water down there.¡± Corax leads us along the edge of the canyon until a metal doorway appears in front of us. The sides are lined with expandable joints, I guess to adapt to the sand¡¯s height after a storm. In front of it are two lights, red and green. The green one is shining brightly. Two numbers are painted on the side proudly, 18. ¡°Ah, shoot. Little Blue, can you ask Corax to find another?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Cassie says before I can move. ¡°Just head down.¡± ¡°But you said-¡± ¡°Just drive.¡± Cassie cuts him off once again, a growing frustration in her voice. ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re sure.¡± I roll down the window for Corax, who glides inside. ¡°You did good.¡± I reach up and pet him. I¡¯m glad he could get over his feelings from losing the race so quickly. Vince takes us into a shallow, spiraling tunnel. It¡¯s wide enough for a truck to squeeze through, although barely. Our car is forced to move at a slow crawl to avoid the walls. It takes almost twenty minutes to finally exit into the valley. It looks as if it¡¯s night down here with the sun hidden by the canyon walls, but the sky above is still a bright blue. Next to us there¡¯s a deep crevice in the wall. Bright light shines out of it, and a small windmill sits at the entrance, quickly spinning in the breeze. A guard bunker has been built into the wall, with three guards stationed inside and one sitting at the entrance. Cassie¡¯s agitation only grows when she sees it. Vince drives the car towards the small crack in the wall. The single guard steps forward, and Vince stops about 100 feet away. He steps out, showing he¡¯s unarmed and walks the rest of the way to the guard. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s doing that to not make the guard panic? It¡¯s dangerous though, which is probably why Ivy and Cassie have their guns ready to draw at a moment''s notice. A few minutes later, and after an exchange of money, Vince returns to the car. ¡°Alright, I got us a private room for as long as we need it. Blue, Corax, try to be little androids for the night. They won¡¯t kill you on sight, but I don¡¯t want to leave an easy trail if a Ranger stops by and asks questions.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Corax answers for me. ¡°Cassie, Ivy, this place has been short on food for a bit. Eat from our stocks.¡± Vince slowly takes us through the crack. The entrance is just small enough for our car to sneak through, but it widens considerably once we¡¯re inside. We drive down a main street, with a couple of street vendors desperately trying to sell what they have. Buildings are constructed directly into the high walls on either side. Brick and rotten wood fronts fuse into the natural stone. Signs of combat cover most of the older surfaces. Bullet holes pepper many of the bricks and scorch marks can be faintly seen further up, far out of reach. The village has buildings stacked on top of each other in a half dozen layers. Rickety bridges and walkways criss-cross through the sky. At the very end of the ravine is a fair sized garage dug into the wall. A few cars are already parked inside, which we join. ¡°Don¡¯t leave anything here you¡¯re not willing to live without.¡± Ivy warns me. ¡°Ok.¡± My entire life fits in a backpack, that won¡¯t be hard. It looks like everyone else is in the same boat. I help carry as much food and water as I can, although it¡¯s not that much. Sure I can technically carry a lot, but the torque needed means I¡¯ll be moving far slower than the others. A local man comes into the garage to collect us. We follow him upstairs, through a narrow, well worn stone staircase. After two floors we follow him out onto a balcony, and then our guide opens a door. ¡°This house is yours for as long as you stay.¡± The man says.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Thank you.¡± Vince reaches into his pocket and passes him a few bills before heading in. The man nods appreciatively and holds the door for us. The inside is small, but nice. A main living room with a few scattered, makeshift chairs and tables. A small storage area we can use as a kitchen is attached. Two open doors lead to bedrooms. ¡°The outhouse is just outside to the left. Don¡¯t be afraid to ask if you need anything else.¡± The man says. ¡°Thank you. We appreciate it.¡± Vince says and the man closes the door. ¡°It¡¯s nicer than I expected.¡± Cassie immediately goes for one of the bedrooms and slams the door behind her. Ivy follows behind, with a few bottles of alcohol in her hands. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll get started on dinner.¡± Vince says to himself and places the hot plate on one of the tables. ¡°Is Cassie ok?¡± I come up beside him. ¡°I doubt it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my story to tell, Little Blue.¡± Vince finishes unloading a few jars of food onto the counter. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much for you to help with cooking.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ok.¡± I sit in one of the chairs with Corax. ¡°Are you ok if I read aloud?¡± ¡°Go for it.¡± For the first time in a little bit, Corax and I can finally resume our book. It¡¯s one of the few non-romance books that Cassie gave me. I try to stay quiet to not disturb Vince, and more importantly, Cassie. ¡°I remember that book.¡± Vince says after only a few minutes of listening. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. Silver and I used to read Cassie to sleep. She really liked that one.¡± ¡°Why would she give me such an important book?¡± It just doesn¡¯t make sense. ¡°No idea. I guess you¡¯ll have to ask her.¡± ¡°Maybe when she¡¯s feeling better.¡± Corax and I return to our book. Vince eventually finishes cooking, and delivers two plates to Cassie¡¯s room. Only a few seconds later he returns to the living room and sits next to me. ¡°Is she doing ok?¡± I ask. ¡°She¡¯s certainly trying to look like she is. Those two kicked me out pretty quick though.¡± Vince slowly works on his food, savoring every bite. He must have made something special, probably to make Cassie feel better. Vince doesn¡¯t speak while he eats. He¡¯s either enjoying the story or deep in his own thoughts. It¡¯s impossible to tell which. ¡°Alright Little Blue. I think I¡¯m going to turn in for the night.¡± After a few chapters, he breaks the comfortable silence. He leaves his empty plate on the table and stands up, stretching a little. ¡°Just wake me up if you need anything.¡± He grabs his backpack and heads for the second bedroom. ¡°Ok. Sleep well.¡± Corax and I read long into the night. Right around two in the morning, Cassie finally leaves her room. She barely even looks at me as she walks out the front door, a full beer in her hand. If she didn¡¯t have a drink in her hand, I¡¯d assume she was just going to the bathroom again. I guess she could just be grabbing more from the car, it¡¯s not really my business what she¡¯s doing. That is, until she¡¯s gone for over ten minutes and worry slowly begins to dominate my mind. ¡°Go.¡± Corax climbs off my lap and gives me a nudge towards the door. If he climbed off of me, he doesn¡¯t want to come for some reason. I¡¯m not sure why, but I trust his judgment. I step outside, into the near freezing air. The town looks all but abandoned. A few dim lights dot the walkways, and a guard stands at the entrance to the town. The only other person visible is Cassie. She¡¯s sitting with her back against a walkway railing one floor beneath me. She¡¯s just staring at a door, with her empty bottle knocked over beside her. I find some stairs and head down to her, she shouldn¡¯t be alone out here. She barely even reacts as I approach. Her face has two prominent tear streaks she hasn¡¯t bothered to wipe away. What do I even say? ¡®It¡¯s cold, you should come back¡¯? She already knows exactly how cold it is. ¡®Whatever you''re worried about will be ok¡¯? That¡¯ll only make her mad. Instead, I wordlessly sit beside her. She turns her head limply towards me. She looks at my face for just a moment before returning to staring at the door. ¡°This used to be my house.¡± She mumbles out after a few minutes of silence. Her speech is so slurred I have a tough time understanding her. I¡¯m not surprised by the revelation. I¡¯d probably be in just as bad shape if we were forced to stop by the lab. Again I¡¯m lost for words. Telling her I understand won¡¯t help her feel better. It¡¯s funny, everyone has spent so much time helping me, and now when it¡¯s my turn I don¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Do you want me to leave?¡± AI killed her family, I don¡¯t want to make things worse by being here. She shakes her head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She picks up the empty bottle and tries to get another drop from it. When it doesn¡¯t come, she ends up just staring at it for a moment. ¡°You need to relax.¡± She tries to hand me the empty bottle. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can drink.¡± Although, maybe I can? My brain is organic. I¡¯m not sure exactly how it works, but putting a little bit of alcohol in my water intake might have the same effects? Although with how small my brain is that might just kill me. Plus I¡¯m not sure how I¡¯d ever filter the alcohol out? ¡°Just, pour it on your circuits.¡± She leans on to me and pretends to dump the bottle on my head, making a quiet splashing sound with her mouth. She¡¯s almost ice cold! How can she stand to be out here? ¡°I¡¯m not sure that would work.¡± For a few reasons actually. The vast majority of my surface area is waterproof, unless I choose to open the skin plates of course. Even if she poured it in a few of my exposed joints, I¡¯d just end up being fried. ¡°But you¡¯d be fucking hilarious.¡± She whines. ¡°Really? Maybe I can pretend sometime.¡± I don¡¯t think I want to do that, but if it helps distract Cassie I will. ¡°It¡¯s not the same.¡± She lets her head drop onto my shoulder. ¡°How¡¯d you get so warm?¡± ¡°That¡¯d be the plutonium.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so cool.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you charge your limbs. How are they powered?¡± It¡¯s a weird question, but it¡¯s the only one my brain can come up with. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Her eyes have closed and she¡¯s barely mumbling loud enough for me to hear. ¡°Some internal thing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really cool too.¡± I reassure her. ¡°Yeah, but it doesn¡¯t keep me warm.¡± She puts even more weight against me, slowly going limp. It¡¯s not long before she¡¯s fully asleep. Great, how do I get her home? Can I even carry her? How much does she weigh? It can¡¯t be all that much. She¡¯s already very short, and with how slim her legs are, they probably weigh less than organic legs would. There¡¯s nothing to do but to try. I maneuver the best I can without disturbing her, eventually managing to loop one arm under her legs and use the other to support her back and head. She¡¯s only a little over 100 pounds, but I¡¯m still forced to nearly max out the torque on my joints. I slowly stand up and head back to the house. She¡¯s heavy, but my servos can just about handle it, even if I¡¯m walking incredibly slowly. As I walk I adapt to the weight. I end up balancing almost entirely on one leg, extending the other, and then rocking myself forward on the other leg. It looks weird, but I¡¯m traveling closer to a normal speed even with all this weight. Stairs are a different matter, and those take quite a while to manage. When I reach the door, I have to reach up with one foot and open it to avoid bumping her into the wall. It¡¯s tough, but Cassie is almost entirely limp in my arms. If she was moving around I doubt I¡¯d be able to balance like I am. I carry her into her room. Ivy is already asleep in the bed, and I place Cassie next to her and pull the covers over her. I make sure to lay her on her side, just in case she throws up. She¡¯s going to feel awful in the morning. I go to the kitchen and grab two large glasses of water and a jar of dried vegetables. I leave them both on the nightstand. ¡°Good night you two.¡± Book 2 Chapter 24 ¡°Thanks for telling me to go.¡± I tell Corax as I take a seat beside him. He returns to my lap like I never left. For the first time in a while I return to writing in my journal. Of course I can only do it for a few minutes at a time, but it¡¯s nice to work on it again. Vince wakes up just after what would be sunrise. No actual light is making it into the canyon quiet yet. ¡°Morning Little Blue.¡± Vince goes straight for Cassie¡¯s room, poking his head in for just a moment. ¡°I need to go spread out the solar panels. Do you want to come help?¡± ¡°No. I think Cassie and Ivy will need someone to take care of them when they wake up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably a good idea.¡± Vince grabs a jar full of dried food and fills a second jar with water. ¡°I¡¯ll be right outside the town. Come get me if you need anything.¡± ¡°Ok, I will.¡± It¡¯s not until after noon that Ivy leaves her room. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± I ask quietly. I¡¯m sure she has an awful headache and don¡¯t want to make it worse. ¡°I can manage.¡± Ivy shuffles her way to the kitchen and grabs way more water then she could ever drink, along with a few jars of food. ¡°Ok. Just let me know if either of you need anything.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Ivy disappears back into the bedroom. It¡¯s another thirty minutes before either of them come out of Cassie¡¯s room, and that¡¯s only to shuffle to the outhouse. It¡¯s three hours before either of them look like they have any life in them. Cassie remains in her room, but Ivy eventually comes out into the living room. ¡°Where¡¯s Vince?¡± She asks. I get the feeling she already knows the answer. ¡°Recharging the car batteries.¡± ¡°Alright, good. Let¡¯s go check on him.¡± ¡°Shouldn''t I stay here in case Cassie needs anything?¡± ¡°She¡¯s doing fine. Come on.¡± ¡°Ok?¡± Why would she need me to come with her? Or maybe she needs me to leave the building for some reason? Maybe to talk without Cassie being able to overhear? I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll tell me if I follow. She leads Corax and I outside. The town is much livelier than it was last night. Nearly everyone is out and about, doing whatever¡¯s needed to keep the place running. A few kids are even playing in the center of town, although that comes to an end when one of them points in our direction. Their eyes are wide with amazement. Corax knows exactly what they want. He leaps from my shoulder and falls to the earth. With one flap of his wings he stops his fall and glides over the children, just out of range of their grabbing hands. The children''s laughter and yells fill the canyon. Even some of the adults stop to watch with a range of emotions. ¡°Sorry we¡¯re not being subtle.¡± I say. It¡¯s hopefully safe to speak while Corax is taking all the attention. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll handle it later.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet.¡± She admits. ¡°I have a few ideas though.¡± I follow her into a stairwell. Nobody can see us here, and I use this opportunity to ask a question. ¡°How much did you two drink last night?¡± ¡°Apparently not enough. Cassie still remembers a bit of last night.¡± We reach the bottom of the stairwell before I can ask another question. Does she mean that Cassie remembers our conversation? Is that why she wanted me out of the house? Ivy leads me through the center of town and out into the sand. Corax is having far too much fun to join us. Right now he¡¯s perched in a crevice in the wall, taunting the children who are trying to climb to him. Vince is relaxing atop the car a short distance away. A small collection of solar panels have been spread around and tilted towards the sun. ¡°Look who¡¯s finally awake.¡± Vince hops off the car when he sees us. ¡°How¡¯s Cassie?¡± ¡°She¡¯s recovering. We¡¯ll watch the car if you want to check.¡± Ivy offers. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll be back in a little bit.¡± Ivy climbs into the car, and I sit next to her.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°So, about Cassie remembering last night.¡± If Cassie didn¡¯t tell her what happened last night, I¡¯m not going to tell her. ¡°Right, about that. Cassie told me about a conversation you two had, but she was awfully wasted when it happened. I¡¯m curious how much of it actually happened.¡± Great. Why would I ever expect anything else? ¡°Well, it was a pretty short conversation.¡± If Cassie already told her, it must be safe for me to share too. I fill her in on everything we said and Cassie falling asleep on me. ¡°Ok. Thank you.¡± She says, and focuses her attention outside the car. ¡°That¡¯s it? You have nothing else to say?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ivy answers cheerfully. She¡¯s definitely hiding something. I¡¯m not sure why else she would be acting so weird. ¡°Why did you ask?¡± I know she¡¯s not going to answer, but I might as well ask. Sure enough, she only shrugs. I¡¯d tell her how frustrating she can be, but she¡¯d probably take it as a compliment. Corax is so much easier to read than her. When he stares or shrugs, it¡¯s always easy to know what he¡¯s thinking, and he always knows I¡¯ll be able to figure it out. But Ivy? Without living her life too, she¡¯s impossible to decipher. The canyon is actually pretty busy. A few stray cars are traveling along the length of it, but they do their best to keep their distance from us. There¡¯s also a few vehicles that look like snowmobiles dragging skids full of trading supplies behind them. They¡¯re far faster than the cars, but if a storm hits they¡¯re dead. I guess it¡¯s not that dangerous if the Grand Canyon is as full of villages as Vince says it is. Although, the car won¡¯t help us much either. Chances are we¡¯ll just get buried, and I¡¯ll just have to watch as everyone runs out of oxygen. On my first journey to Arc City, it did sound like they were prepared for that possibility, so maybe not? I can feel my mind threatening to fragment into a million horrible theoreticals. I grab a book from my backpack and dive in to distract myself. ¡°Hey Ivy?¡± I speak after a few minutes, once the panic has subsided. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll ever get better?¡± I ask quietly. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Cassie once said I¡¯m not ok, I¡¯m distracted. I¡¯m trying to write, and it¡¯s helping. But I¡¯m still one bad thought away from freaking out at any moment.¡± ¡°Blue, you were barely able to function when we found you. You¡¯re already getting better.¡± She reassures me firmly. ¡°But I¡¯m not good.¡± ¡°Is anyone?¡± Ivy takes a few seconds to collect her words before continuing. ¡°Look, you don¡¯t have much experience with actually living. Nobody works through their problems overnight. It¡¯s going to take years to work through your demons, if ever. Sometimes just distracting yourself is all you can do.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± I don¡¯t want to wait for years. The few weeks since they rescued me have already been so long. ¡°I just want it to go faster.¡± ¡°You and everyone else.¡± A familiar hand grasps the driver''s seat in front of me, followed by the last face I want to see. ¡°You get a second chance, and you¡¯re ungrateful because it¡¯s too hard?¡± Kara¡¯s laughter stabs directly to the core of my mind. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just give my body back to me, and let me have mine.¡± Don¡¯t respond. Don¡¯t think. Focus on my book. I¡¯m ok. She¡¯s not real. Her hand touches my shoulder. ¡°Get off!¡± I slap it away and shrink down into the corner as much as I can. I don¡¯t want to be here. I can¡¯t leave. I can¡¯t- ¡°Blue.¡± Hands grasp either side of my face and force me to turn. Ivy¡¯s face fills my vision. ¡°It¡¯s just me here. You¡¯re ok.¡± I slowly turn my eyes towards the driver''s seat and find it empty. I give Ivy a shaky nod. She gently lowers my head into her lap and once again runs her fingers through my hair. ¡°Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have tried to talk about it without Corax.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ok.¡± She says gently. ¡°No harm done.¡± ¡°But it could have been! My guns are still loaded.¡± All it would take is racking the slide and turning off the safety to do something nobody could forgive me for. ¡°Nope.¡± She says. I don¡¯t have the mental capacity to dissect what emotions are in her words. ¡°What do you mean no?¡± ¡°I could pop the slide off before you got it out of the holster.¡± I guess I am doubting her again. We sit there for a while until a far nicer, familiar voice is heard in the distance. ¡°Sorry kids! I need to charge him.¡± Vince¡¯s voice always helps relax me. A nonsensical cacophony of complaints come from the children. ¡°We¡¯ll play later, alright?¡± Vince¡¯s promise gets them to quiet a little bit, and after a few more promises they relent. I sit up before they arrive. I don¡¯t want Corax to feel bad because of my mistake. Regardless of how hard I try, the second the door opens he flies to my shoulder with worry in his eye. ¡°Ok?¡± He asks. ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡± That¡¯s a half lie. I¡¯m better than I was, especially now that he¡¯s back, but I wouldn¡¯t quite call myself good. ¡°Did you have fun?¡± Corax nods, his worry replaced with happiness. ¡°I never would have guessed that Corax was so good with kids.¡± Vince sits on the edge of the seat, halfway out of the car. Since I¡¯m stuck in the middle seat, he¡¯s doing his best to give me as much space as possible. ¡°I did.¡± Ivy opens the car and stands up. ¡°Vince, I¡¯ll leave Blue with you while I go take care of our other daughter.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Other daughter? Is she implying what I think she is? Or is there somehow another girl I don¡¯t know about? ¡°Bye.¡± Ivy leaves without explaining and a smile on her face. I let her leave without further complaints. I could chase after her and try to get her to explain, but there¡¯s no way she would ever tell me. ¡°Vince? Did she mean¡­¡± I don¡¯t want to say it if I¡¯m wrong. ¡°Well I would have thought it went without saying. Of course you¡¯re part of our family.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not¡­¡± I don¡¯t want to finish that thought either. ¡°Not what? Mine by birth? Neither is Cassie or Lucas.¡± ¡°Human.¡± I guess I have to finish it. I know it¡¯s a dumb worry and he¡¯s going to say that it doesn¡¯t matter, but it¡¯s still a worry. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that, Little Blue.¡± He reaches over and ruffles my hair. ¡°You¡¯re more human than plenty of humans I know.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. You¡¯ll see a few of them soon enough.¡± Book 2 Chapter 25 Vince, Corax and I relax in the car until the sun disappears behind the canyon walls. ¡°We should have enough power to make it to Vegas.¡± Vince announces. ¡°Is it going to be safe?¡± If we get caught in a storm, we might run out of power before the storm ends. Unless I can power whatever life support we have built in? That¡¯s not something I want to test though. ¡°Why don¡¯t you find out while I put the solar panels away?¡± I grab the radio and switch through the stations. It turns out that Vegas has a single station collecting, analyzing, and reporting every weather pattern for hundreds of miles around. ¡°Next storm isn¡¯t predicted to hit for another 15 hours.¡± If I remember correctly, Vince said it¡¯s only eight to Vegas. I¡¯m not about to assume the trip will be safe though. ¡°Good! Why don¡¯t you go grab Cassie and Ivy, and help them bring our supplies to the garage. I¡¯ll be there as soon as I finish storing these.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Corax and I head back into town. ¡°You might want to say goodbye to everyone.¡± Corax, with one powerful flap of his wings, flies high into the air. The kids immediately cheer for his return. I¡¯m not going to complain about nobody paying attention to me while I walk through the village. Maybe this was Corax¡¯s plan the whole time? To make the least amount of people possible see me? I need to remember to thank him later. ¡°Ivy? Cassie?¡± I call into the house. I think they¡¯re still in their room. It¡¯s been so long, they can¡¯t still be hungover, right? ¡°We¡¯re heading to Vegas now.¡± ¡°Ok!¡± Ivy¡¯s voice comes from the room. ¡°We¡¯ll be right out.¡± ¡°Just bring everything down to the garage.¡± I grab a few supplies from the table and begin hauling. It¡¯s not long before I¡¯m joined by both Ivy and Cassie, although Cassie refuses to look at me. I should try to talk to her when we get some time alone. I don¡¯t want her to feel awkward about last night for longer than she has to. It¡¯s not until we finish hauling everything right when Vince finally rolls in with the car. Corax is perched on the dash. It probably took so long for Vince to get here because he had to rescue Corax. ¡°Alright everyone, storm¡¯s hitting in 14 hours, and it¡¯s an eight hour drive. Let¡¯s get moving.¡± Vince calls out the window. Loading up the car only takes a few minutes. It¡¯s much easier now that we don¡¯t have a me-sized hole in the middle. Cassie hops in the passenger seat before we finish and puts on the radio headset. That¡¯s ok, loading the trunk isn¡¯t exactly a four person job. Before I know it we¡¯re driving once again. While the bottom of the canyon is completely dark, there¡¯s still a bit of time before dusk once we leave. I watch the sunset with Corax before diving into my book. ¡°Watch for storms.¡± Corax says, preparing to launch into the sky the moment the sun goes down. ¡°We will.¡± Vince reassures him. ¡°No, he means he¡¯ll watch for them.¡± I roll down the window and Corax hops out. ¡°Let him know I appreciate it when he comes back.¡± ¡°I will.¡± The closer we get to Vegas, the more cars Corax reports. People must be rushing home to beat the storm. Both Vince and Ivy are looking more anxious by the moment, but I think for different reasons. Ivy keeps her rifle at the ready, rapidly scanning the horizon. Vince, on the other hand, keeps his eyes solely on the sand in front of us. The nervousness he¡¯s been showing the whole time has been replaced with an icy determination. It¡¯s not long before Ivy starts to be able to see the cars that Corax has been reporting. I can only see the bright dots of headlights in the distance, but Ivy can apparently tell exactly how many people are in each car. A gunshot sounds in the distance, and Ivy jumps into action. She opens the door and stands up, her gun resting on the roof. She takes aim, but does not fire. ¡°Just a warning shot.¡± She reports, but doesn¡¯t settle down. ¡°Not sure if it¡¯ll stay that way, but they¡¯re far.¡± It takes a few minutes before Ivy feels confident enough to slip back into the car. The whole time Vince never reacts to anything.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. In the distance I¡¯m starting to be able to see light. Bright windows at the top of skyscrapers are our lighthouse. Our destination. Everyone¡¯s destination. In the center of the city a dozen cars are lined up outside a tunnel sloping down under the sand. It¡¯s similar to the entrance we used to get into the Grand Canyon, but way bigger. It¡¯s a large black square with hydraulic expansion joints built into the side of it. Just the small portion that is above the sand could easily expand a few feet. No matter how thick the sand, they¡¯re prepared. Four separate lanes are painted inside it, but everyone is only using the rightmost one. One other path is marked as an exit, and a second one is for deliveries. Vince doesn¡¯t get in line, instead he heads down the path marked ¡®VIP¡¯. We follow the path thirty feet down. While the general admission lane levels out, we continue down another few floors. We roll up to a small, heavy steel door. A camera extends from the ceiling, snaking its way to the driver side window, which Vince rolls down. ¡°Vince? Is that really you?¡± A voice comes from the camera. ¡°I¡¯m here on business, keep it on the down low.¡± I¡¯ve never heard Vince use that tone of voice before. It has almost a cruel twinge to it. Cassie unconsciously cringes when she hears it. ¡°Yes sir.¡± The camera responds and the door begins to open. ¡°By the way, is Two still kicking?¡± ¡°He is.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Vince pulls the car into a hallway. A series of identical steel doors sit along both walls, with one already open and waiting for us. Vince pulls in, puts the car in park, and heaves a large sigh. ¡°Bring a few days of rations, but leave the rest. Expect your every word and action to be recorded.¡± Ivy nods wordlessly and exits the car with her rifle still in her hands. The rest of us follow suit. The three of them shove a few pressed bars and bottles of water into their backpacks. Along the back wall an invisible door slides open. An elevator sits behind it, the only open exit in the room. I follow everyone in. There¡¯s no buttons on the wall, just a small camera in the corner. The elevator slides closed on its own and begins to move upwards. After only a floor, the elevator comes to a stop. The door doesn¡¯t open like I¡¯m expecting, instead it lurches to the side for a few feet before returning to its upward motion. Eventually the elevator stops and opens to a living room. It¡¯s finer than anything I¡¯ve ever seen. A chandelier hangs from the twenty foot ceiling and gold is inlayed into every wooden accent. Fine leather couches sit in the room, and a few open doors lead to other rooms. From the glimpses of the bathroom and bedrooms I can catch they look just as nice. ¡°Ivy? Can you take care of the bugs?¡± Vince asks while he steps into the room. Ivy grabs a roll of tape from her backpack and marches around the room. She places small squares seemingly randomly throughout. She also digs a knife into the wall in a few places to pop out near microscopic microphones. ¡°No offense Zero, but I appreciate my privacy.¡± Vince announces to the room. It takes a few minutes for Ivy to check every crevice, corner, and item in the suite. Eventually she returns to us, looking unsatisfied. ¡°That¡¯s all the visible ones.¡± She announces. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m sure he can still hear us, but it should make things a little harder.¡± Vince takes a seat on the floor, instead of the couch. I don¡¯t even want to imagine what Vince had to do to earn a place like this. I¡¯m certainly not going to be the one who asks though. There¡¯s zero chance he wants to share. Cassie, Ivy, and Corax don¡¯t let Vince¡¯s reluctance stop them from relaxing on the couch. It¡¯s so soft it nearly swallows the two of them hole, and I¡¯m pretty sure Corax is actually buried in it. I¡¯m not sure my cooling would handle being that covered, so I sit on the floor next to Vince. ¡°Alright, quick rundown.¡± Vince starts. ¡°Ivy and I are going to see if a few leads are still alive. Cassie, get some sleep and we¡¯ll start our investigation at noon tomorrow. Sound good?¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming with you.¡± Cassie demands. ¡°Cassie, please. It¡¯d be easier for me to be alone, but I need Ivy to make sure I don¡¯t get ambushed. You¡¯ll be there tomorrow if I do anything big. Alright?¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s not alright!¡± Cassie is the furthest from happy she could possibly be. After a short, silent conversation Cassie relents and drops back into the couch. ¡°If anything happens I¡¯m coming for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m counting on it.¡± Vince says with a sad smile. He stands up, slings his rifle across his back, and keeps his hand relaxed on his pistol. He tilts his hat down to cover most of his face. ¡°Feel free to order anything. It¡¯s all free.¡± At first glance, Ivy looks far less ready than Vince. But I can tell her hand never gets more than a few inches away from her pistol. The two of them walk out the front door and it locks behind him. ¡°Well I¡¯m going to get food.¡± Cassie stands up and walks past, without looking at me. She hits an intercom on the wall and asks what¡¯s available. I don¡¯t think knowing their menu is important, so I tune out their conversation. ¡°Are you stuck?¡± I ask Corax. ¡°Yes.¡± His muffled voice comes from somewhere inside the couch. ¡°Do you want out?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Eventually Cassie finishes ordering, and tries to claim one of the rooms. ¡°Cassie, wait.¡± I call out to her, and she stops. ¡°Can we talk about last night?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about.¡± She says quietly, but doesn¡¯t head for her room. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to have to feel awkward whenever I¡¯m around. Can we just solve this?¡± ¡°Just forget about it.¡± ¡°I can pretend like it never happened, but it¡¯s not a permanent solution. It¡¯s just going to make things worse in the future. Trust me.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± She sighs and turns around. ¡°Fine, what do you want me to say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure you need to say anything? You were drunk, and did something you wouldn¡¯t do sober. That¡¯s ok, I imagine it happens all the time. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve done the same to Ivy or another friend. It didn¡¯t mean anything, and doesn¡¯t have any impact on anything going forward.¡± Her face softens a little. ¡°How¡¯s that any different from just pretending it didn¡¯t happen?¡± She asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I admit. ¡°I¡¯m not good at any of this.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She fails at holding in a small laugh. ¡°Tell me when my burger gets here.¡± She closes the door to her room. Wait, they have burgers? How? Book 2 Chapter 26 ¡°Room service!¡± It only takes three minutes until someone knocks on the door. I guess I should just answer it. I grab my pistol and keep it behind my back, just in case. If it¡¯s not room service maybe I can scare them away? Because I¡¯m certainly not going to be able to shoot them. I open the door to a man carrying a covered silver platter. He holds it out to me without a word and gives a deep bow. I grab it and he closes the door for me. That was weird. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a fan of room service. I would have no problem picking the food up on my own, as long as it¡¯s safe. It feels weird making someone come all the way up just so I don¡¯t have to walk. I knock on Cassie¡¯s door. ¡°Room service.¡± I mimic in my own voice. ¡°Come in.¡± Cassie replies. Her nose is buried in a book when I enter, and she doesn¡¯t look up from it. She¡¯s almost certainly still embarrassed, but at least I can be in the same room now. ¡°How do hamburgers still exist? Doesn¡¯t that require cows?¡± I ask to break the tension. ¡°I have no idea!¡± Cassie says excitedly. She earmarks her page and puts the book down. Maybe she¡¯s not still embarrassed then? I guess maybe you could synthesize a patty in a lab? Although there¡¯s so much that would go into growing a single serving. A quick calculation says that a hundred gallons of water would be needed, at least. Even if they could recycle most of that, it¡¯s still incredibly wasteful. I¡¯m not going to figure it out by just guessing. I place the tray on Cassie¡¯s lap and remove the top for her. A hamburger sits atop a bed of vibrant lettuce. A thick patty, slices of tomato, cheese, pickles, onion, and a few different sauces are stacked between two large buns. It looks exactly what Finn¡¯s information tells me it should, down to the smallest detail. Cassie picks it up carefully, unsure how to tackle what¡¯s in front of her. The burger itself is almost wider than her mouth is. After a few seconds she decides to just go for it and takes a large bite. ¡°Oh that¡¯s fucking great!¡± She mumbles through a full mouth. She takes a few seconds to swallow before talking again. ¡°Rich people really eat this every day?¡± ¡°I guess so?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in the wrong business.¡± She dives back into her burger. ¡°Do you mind if I read in here? Corax is a little preoccupied.¡± If he¡¯s stuck, he won¡¯t be able to help in case of an emergency. ¡°Sure.¡± She mumbles once again through a full mouth. Apparently her burger is so good that she can¡¯t pause to respond. ¡°Ok, thank you. One second.¡± I head back out into the living room to inform Corax of the plan and to yell if he needs anything. He¡¯s loving his new nest, I¡¯m not sure I could get him to leave if I had to. ¡°Fun.¡± Corax says. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± I pull out my book and return to Cassie¡¯s room. I sit on the far corner of the bed, giving her as much space as possible. The bed is nearly as soft as the couch, and is larger than a single person could ever use. ¡°So, is that better or worse than chocolate?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I bet I can find out!¡± Her face betrays her excitement of that realization. ¡°Vince is going to regret letting you order anything, isn''t he?¡± ¡°Oh no, he¡¯s going to love that I¡¯m costing these bastards tons of money.¡± She finishes the last bite of her burger, licks her fingers, and leaps from the bed.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. She returns only a few minutes later with a pile of ice cream, topped with banana slices and a whole bar of chocolate sticking out the side. I try not to watch as she eats. She looks like she¡¯s enjoying it so much that I¡¯m getting a little jealous. Another simple pleasure I¡¯ll never get to experience. At least I have Corax¡¯s and the dog''s memories to call on to know what food even tastes like. ¡°Do you think we can order things beyond food?¡± I ask without looking up from my book. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°New parts?¡± Although I¡¯d have to give them a ton of details on how a tongue would hook up. It¡¯d be more trouble than it¡¯s worth. ¡°Or books?¡± ¡°I doubt it¡¯d be free.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The last thing I want to do is to get Vince in trouble. Plus I imagine if we didn¡¯t pay, they¡¯d just hold the car hostage. Cassie eventually finishes her dessert and sets it to the side. ¡°Chocolate¡¯s way better.¡± She informs me before returning to her book. We read together for a few hours. Cassie doesn¡¯t feel the need to keep an eye on me the whole time, a far cry from when we used to read on the roof together. In fact she¡¯s doing the opposite, doing her best to not look at me a single time. I¡¯m not about to bring that up, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d just embarrass her. ¡°It¡¯s nice reading together again.¡± I break the silence. ¡°Corax is nice to read to, but it¡¯s really nice to sit with someone doing their own thing.¡± ¡°You can join more often if it means so much to you.¡± She says quietly, still not looking up from her book. ¡°I will, thank you.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Corax flies through the open bedroom door and lands on my shoulder an instant before the front door slams open. Vince is practically carrying Ivy into the room. She looks awful, jittery and pouring sweat. Her arms are held close and she¡¯s scratching herself raw. A small gas mask covers her mouth and nose. ¡°The fuck happened?¡± Cassie yells and sprints over to Ivy¡¯s side, and I follow close behind. She slides under Ivy¡¯s arm, taking some of her weight and helping her into a chair. ¡°Fuckers put something in the air.¡± I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve ever heard Vince swear. If any time is reasonable, it¡¯s now. ¡°Blur. Minor stimulant and hallucinogen unless abused. Too much binds to nerves and can reactivate.¡± Ivy rips off her mask. ¡°Get me in the shower.¡± ¡°Ok. Cassie, 3, 2, 1, lift!¡± Vince calls out. The two of them carry Ivy into the bathroom and place her in the shower. Ivy reaches up and puts the heat on max, not even bothering to take her clothes off. ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± She sighs inside a cloud of steam and pulls the curtain closed. It¡¯s hard to understand her with the sound of water filling the air, but I can just about manage. I can faintly see her silhouette tossing wet knives and guns onto the floor next to her. ¡°Do you need anything?¡± Vince asks and sits on the ground just outside the shower. ¡°No. I just need to boil myself for a few hours.¡± Her clothes quickly follow her weapons onto the floor. ¡°If you need anything just say so.¡± Cassie squeezes Vince¡¯s arm and leaves the bathroom. Vince nods, but doesn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Are you going to be ok?¡± I ask Ivy. ¡°The heat makes it bearable.¡± ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll be right outside.¡± I¡¯d stay in there with the two of them, but I don¡¯t think that much moisture is good for me. The steam could seep in through any imperfect seals. Instead of returning to Cassie¡¯s room, I drag a chair just in front of the door. I want to be close in case Ivy needs something. ¡°Are you ok if I don¡¯t read aloud?¡± I whisper to Corax. ¡°I don¡¯t want to disturb Ivy.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Corax settles down into my lap. I pull out a poetry book and do my best to distract myself. I can hear Ivy and Vince talking behind the closed door, but I don¡¯t want to eavesdrop. I make sure not to process the meaning of anything that¡¯s not my name. It¡¯s six hours before the water gets shut off. The door opens a few seconds later, followed by Vince helping a bathrobed Ivy walk. Every surface in the bathroom is covered in water. ¡°Hey Little Blue.¡± Vince says quietly, exhaustion dripping in his voice. ¡°Thanks for keeping watch. We¡¯re going to try to get some sleep.¡± ¡°Ok. Do you want dinner first? I can get you something.¡± Ivy shakes her head, her wet hair faintly swaying. ¡°We¡¯ll have a big breakfast.¡± Vince says. The two of them shuffle into one of the bedrooms. ¡°I guess we can claim the third one.¡± I hold my hand out for Corax to climb on and head into our new bedroom. It¡¯s almost identical to Cassie¡¯s room. A bed larger than anyone could ever use, and the most opulent display of wealth and waste I¡¯ve ever seen. I don¡¯t know why anyone would ever need or want a two-foot tall, solid gold statue in their bedroom. Corax immediately gets to work constructing his nest, and I help him collect all the sheets. Together we make a nest fit for a king, although not half as fine as Corax deserves. I switch back to our book, but before I start reading aloud, I have to ask a question. ¡°You weren¡¯t stuck, were you?¡± He only shrugs. That¡¯s a yes then. ¡°Thanks for lying. Reading with Cassie was really nice.¡± Corax settles deeper into his nest, satisfied with himself. Book 2 Chapter 27 I don¡¯t stop reading until 4pm. Nobody else is awake yet, but they¡¯ve been asleep for almost twelve hours. I can¡¯t imagine them sleeping much longer, even if yesterday was taxing. Everyone is going to be starving when they wake up, and I want to make sure they don¡¯t have to wait for their food. I head to the front door and press the button on the intercom. ¡°How can I help you?¡± A voice chirps. I really wish I listened to the script Cassie used to order her food. ¡°I¡¯d like to order room service.¡± I¡¯m sure the person on the other end can hear how unsure I am. ¡°Alright, what would you like?¡± I thought they would say some options or something, not just ask what I want. It might be funny to ask for spaghetti or beans, since they love eating that for breakfast so much. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just give me three orders of the most popular breakfast.¡± ¡°Ok. It¡¯ll be up soon.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I hope I did that right. Apparently I did, because only a few minutes later a metallic fist knocks on the door. ¡°Room service!¡± I open the door and am met with someone who looks similar to me. A masculine robot in a fine suit. If he sees my surprise he doesn¡¯t say anything, instead he just holds out three silver trays. ¡°Thank you.¡± Do I just ask if he¡¯s alive? Is that rude? If I reveal myself would that put myself in danger? I have to know. ¡°Are you an AI?¡± He simply smiles in response. ¡°Enjoy your food.¡± He says with a bow and closes the door. I put two of the trays on the table and bring one to Cassie¡¯s room. Before I can even knock, her voice comes from inside. ¡°Just come in.¡± She says. I follow her order. Cassie is sitting up with a book in her lap. It¡¯s kind of funny how small she looks in such a large bed. ¡°You probably already heard, but I ordered food.¡± I set her platter on the bed next to her. ¡°Is Ivy awake or should I just leave their food on the table?¡± ¡°She¡¯s up.¡± ¡°Ok, thank you. Enjoy your food.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± I close her door and grab the other two platters. I quietly knock on Vince and Ivy¡¯s door. Someone shifts inside the room, and the door opens. Vince looks awful. I can¡¯t imagine he got much sleep last night. ¡°Hey Little Blue.¡± ¡°I ordered food for everyone.¡± I pass both trays to him. ¡°How¡¯s Ivy?¡± Vince steps to the side and lets her answer. The covers are pulled up to her neck and this is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen her hair a mess. ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡± She says quietly from the bed. ¡°About 80%¡± ¡°Ok.¡± That seems like a lie, but if she¡¯s feeling this bad, she¡¯s allowed to lie. ¡°I hope the food helps.¡± ¡°It will.¡± ¡°Thanks Little Blue. We really appreciate it.¡± Vince pats me on the shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll be up soon, and then we¡¯re heading out.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± That¡¯s a horrible idea, but arguing can wait until they¡¯re feeling a little better. There¡¯s no need to say anything now. I return to the couch with Corax and continue to read. Apparently, ¡®soon¡¯ means another two hours before Ivy and Vince leave their room for anything other than a quick bathroom trip. Cassie, hearing them up and making their way into the living room, comes out as well. We shouldn¡¯t go out today, none of them look like they¡¯re ready to do anything more than sleep. ¡°Alright.¡± Vince and Ivy head over to the table together, and Vince leans on the back of one of the chairs before talking. ¡°I know a few people who should be playing poker in a backroom. The plan is to play for information.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± There is so much concern in my voice. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be safer to recover for another day?¡± ¡°We both want to get out of here as soon as possible.¡± Vince nods to Ivy. ¡°But yes, it would be. That¡¯s why we¡¯re taking things slow today.¡± I¡¯m not happy with that answer, it still feels like far too much of a risk. I doubt I¡¯m going to be able to talk any sense into him though. It¡¯s not worth vetoing.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°And how do you know you¡¯re going to win?¡± I ask. Ivy gives me a knowing look. Right, she¡¯s just going to say that I¡¯ll stop doubting her eventually. I think this is a very reasonable time to doubt her though. Although maybe they just don¡¯t want to say the reason because of the possibility of being watched? ¡°Right, I won¡¯t doubt you.¡± I relent. ¡°Good.¡± Ivy says with as much energy as she can. ¡°Who are we meeting?¡± Cassie crosses her arms. She seems just as unhappy as I am about not taking today off. ¡°The main guy is Two, the owner of Eden.¡± Vince answers. ¡°He¡¯s going to pretend to be friendly, but don¡¯t trust a single word from his mouth unless he¡¯s lost a bet. Thirteen will probably be there, his son. I haven¡¯t heard anything about him dying. Seventeen might still be kicking, she¡¯s the granddaughter of One. Whatever you do, just don¡¯t insult her. Expect a fourth, but I don¡¯t know who.¡± ¡°What do the names mean?¡± Some kind of ranking maybe? Although that would be way too hard to keep track of, especially since Vince asked about a specific person after not being here for fifteen years. Plus, from what I¡¯ve heard about Denver, Seven wouldn¡¯t make sense. Someone wouldn¡¯t keep their rank after leaving. Maybe it¡¯s a family naming scheme? No, Vince made it sound like Seventeen isn¡¯t related to Two. ¡°Everyone high up in the casino families has their name replaced with a number. No idea what it actually means beyond trying to sound mysterious.¡± Vince answers. Then why didn¡¯t Seven return to his old name? It¡¯s not important to ask right now, but I probably should later. ¡°I do have one more question.¡± One more unrelated to my curiosity about Seven at least. ¡°It¡¯s probably going to be busy, right? I doubt I¡¯ll be able to understand you.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not sure what to do about that to be honest. I¡¯ll keep a tablet on me, and use that for anything more complex than combat signs.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± That works. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with then.¡± Cassie says impatiently. ¡°Alright, Little Blue, a quick rundown. Tuck a pistol into your waistband and keep your hand on it. You don¡¯t have to use it, you don¡¯t even have to keep it loaded. You just need to show people you¡¯re more trouble than you¡¯re worth. Can you do that?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Good. Corax, honestly, it¡¯d probably be best for you to get cozy in someone¡¯s backpack. No offense, but you¡¯re just too easy to grab and run.¡± Corax¡¯s eyes narrow, both very clearly taking offense, and equally seeing the truth in Vince¡¯s advice. He climbs from my shoulder into the crook of my arm and I hold him protectively. ¡°That works.¡± Vince straightens up. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving. Here.¡± He passes Cassie and Ivy a mask, and puts one on himself. ¡°They¡¯re pumping drugs into the air out there. It won¡¯t affect any of us as badly as it does Ivy, but we all need our heads clear.¡± Vince and Ivy look identical to yesterday. Their masks are hiding most hints of their exhaustion, but their eyes are still betraying their true feelings. Both have their rifles slung across their backs, a pistol at their hips, and are ready to draw at a moment''s notice. Cassie, on the other hand, doesn¡¯t even bother with her pistol. She keeps her metal hand wrapped around the hilt of her knife. I take Vince¡¯s advice and move a pistol from the holster under my armpit into my waistband, loaded and ready to fire. It¡¯s more visible there. I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone, but I will not let Corax get taken. Vince and Ivy lead the rest of us out of the room, the both of them perfectly mirroring the other. The hallways are somehow just as opulent as the room. Gold and wood decorations line the walls, and small chandeliers hang down every few feet. Spending this much money on literally anything else would be a much better use. The lobby follows the same design philosophy as the room, just with everything turned up to eleven. Every surface is reflective, and the glare from a massive chandelier makes it a little hard to see. All the people in here are dressed in fine silk dresses and suits. We definitely stick out, and many people do a double take when they see us. Most of them decide not to stare, but not everyone. On the bright side, people do tend to step to the side when we get close, giving us a straight shot to the front doors. Cassie falls in behind me, staying close at my heels to keep Corax and I safe. We step out onto the street covered by a cylindrical roof following the street, twenty feet high at the apex. A display is built into it, giving the illusion of a shining sun and lazily drifting clouds, despite the fact that we¡¯re underground. Harsh light bathes the entire street. I can¡¯t believe how many people are here. The streets are packed with people idly shuffling from place to place. Most of them are thin and glassy eyed, I¡¯m not sure of the reason though. Long term effects of the drug in the air? Or maybe just lack of sleep and not enough food? Needless to say, the sound is deafening. Hundreds of people are talking to each other or mumbling to themselves, and even if they weren¡¯t, the sounds of their feet would probably be enough to prevent me from understanding anyone. On each sidewalk are small stands selling food, water, and all sorts of drugs. When I walk past one stand offering dozens of different narcotics, the man points to me. His display clears, replacing his offerings with what the display says is a collection of malware. Apparently it¡¯s possible for me to fulfill Cassie¡¯s drunken wish to see me intoxicated. Not that I ever would of course. I imagine it¡¯ll just make my hallucinations worse, and that¡¯s the last thing I need right now. The few people that are still sharp-eyed leer at us, more specifically Corax and I. I can practically see the gears in their minds turning, debating if the potential payday is worth it. I¡¯m sure if I was alone some of them would try. Pickpockets are everywhere. People trying to look drunk bump into people, their hands easily finding their way into their prey¡¯s pocket. One of them, however, slips. The man getting stolen from feels the attempt. He draws his pistol, spins, and ends the pickpocket¡¯s life. Nobody on the street reacts beyond minor annoyance at the spray of blood and brain on their already dirty clothes. Corax has to bite my finger to keep me focused. It takes effort to tear my eyes away from the scene and keep moving. From then on I keep my eyes pinned on Vince and Ivy¡¯s backs, not even processing anything else. The two of them walk closely together, each footfall a mirror of the others, their two closest feet are never more than several inches apart. A tap on my shoulder spreads panic through my mind. I spin, only to find Cassie is behind me, equal parts worry and anger in her face. Ok? She signs to me. Ok. I reply. I¡¯m not sure how convincing I am though, I¡¯m sure my face is telling her a thousand different things. I turn back to Ivy and Vince. Just keep walking. I¡¯m ok. One foot after the other. The two of them lead us into a courtyard constructed off the main road. A massive water fountain sits in the center, and large waterfalls cover most of the walls. Hundreds of gallons of water pour every minute, for what? To show off? Even if the water is recycled it¡¯s still a waste of electricity. Thirsty, near dead people stop to stare, only to be chased away by security. At the far end are two large doors, a cascade of water on either side. The water impacting the ground creates a spray of water in front of the door. The mist creates a thousand rainbows that everyone walks through when they enter. Just above the door, in bright neon letters, displays ¡°EDEN¡±. Book 2 Chapter 28 Two bouncers sit at the doors to EDEN, but step aside as Vince and Ivy lead us through. Apparently we¡¯re the kind of clients they want, and the bouncers just give us a small nod as we pass. Inside is somehow louder than it is outside. A thousand slot machines scream out their temptations, offering riches beyond imagination. The center of the casino is filled with all sorts of tables being run by what are probably AI. Poker, Roulette, and a dozen other tables for games I don¡¯t recognize. People yell out in celebration, or more frequently, anguish at losing their last cent. Interestingly, every person places their pistol in front of them while they play. I cannot think of a worse situation to have easy access to a gun, but there must be some sort of logic behind it. None of that matters though. Directly in the center of all the tables, lifted prominently for all to see, is a glass box, stretching from floor to towering ceiling. Inside it is what looks like fresh dirt, with a towering oak tree growing from it. Cassie and I both stop walking at the sight of it. I never thought I¡¯d get to see a living plant myself. A thousand questions spring to life inside my mind. How is there a living tree? How is there dirt? It can¡¯t be dirt, but then what else would it be? The same questions must be flowing through Cassie¡¯s mind too. At least I¡¯ve seen trees from Corax¡¯s memories, even if they were dead. Cassie doesn¡¯t even have that. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s seen pictures, but that¡¯s not even close to seeing it in person. Even Corax is frozen in amazement. Vince and Ivy have to turn back and tap on us to bring us back to reality. Come on. Talk later. Ivy signs to me. I nod. I really hope one of them has answers, because I have nearly endless questions. Ivy and Vince lead us deeper into EDEN. Past the endless tables and slots we walk, never in a straight line. I can keep a perfect mental map of the route we take, but how is any human supposed to find their way through this maze? Vince leads us into a hidden hallway at the back of the building. The second we enter, the sounds of the casino suddenly stop. ¡°You two doing alright?¡± Vince asks back. ¡°What just happened?¡± I ask. The sudden cessation of sound brings up nearly as many questions as the tree. ¡°No idea.¡± Vince says. ¡°Some AI invention, probably.¡± ¡°More importantly, how the hell did they have a tree?¡± Cassie asks before I can. ¡°Also no idea. That one¡¯s new.¡± Vince answers. ¡°Are you alright for us to continue? Or do you need a moment?¡± ¡°We¡¯re ok.¡± I say after sharing a look with Corax. Cassie shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders, trying to come to grips with everything. ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Vince gives us a serious nod before him and Ivy continue their walk to the end of the hallway. A large, young man with more metal than skin stands in front of the final door. He¡¯s not visibly armed, but he looks far too confident to not be. ¡°I don¡¯t know you.¡± The man stands up straight, trying to look as imposing as possible. ¡°Funny. I don¡¯t know you either.¡± Vince uses that same cruel voice he used when we first arrived. Vince stops inches from him. Even though Vince is shorter than the guard and not trying to look imposing, I¡¯d be much more intimidated by Vince. The two have a silent standoff for a few seconds. Vince eventually speaks again. ¡°Are you going to move?¡± Vince asks simply. ¡°Because I don¡¯t have time for whatever you think you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not getting in.¡± The guard says. ¡°Look. Just point whatever tiny gun you have at my head and let me in. If Two doesn¡¯t recognize me, just pull the trigger and let¡¯s be done with this.¡± The guard¡¯s forearm opens up, a small system slides a pistol into his hand. The guard presses the barrel against Vince¡¯s temple and opens the door. Vince and Ivy step through, apparently unconcerned with the possibility of death. Behind the door is a small, simple room. Cigarette smoke is so thick in the air the room itself is hazy. Three men and one woman sit around a simple poker table. ¡°Mind if I get in on the next hand?¡± Vince asks, slowly drawing his pistol and placing it on the table. ¡°Vince you son of a bitch!¡± The oldest man yells. He¡¯s plump, with gray hair that matches his gray suit. I¡¯m guessing this is Two? ¡°Do you know how much money you just lost me?¡± He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wad of cash and tosses it to the woman. ¡°What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Two turns to the guard. ¡°Get the fuck out of here!¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The guard winces at the reprimand and the gun slides back into his arm. He moves to the side and lets Cassie and I enter properly. He steps into the hall and closes the door wordlessly. ¡°Where¡¯s your better half?¡± Two asks Vince. ¡°Well I¡¯m hoping you could tell me that.¡± Vince sits at an empty chair and Ivy stands next to him. ¡°Trying to put the roach queen out of her misery?¡± The man correctly guesses. ¡°Good, I always hated her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how I remember it.¡± The woman says with a side eye. She must be Seventeen. She looks far younger than Two, with long platinum blonde hair and a white silk suit. ¡°Then you must remember wrong!¡± A man at Two¡¯s left yells. He looks almost exactly like a younger version of Two, down to the suit. ¡°Settle down, Thirteen.¡± Two says with a dismissive wave. ¡°She can remember it however she wants.¡± ¡°You mean the truth?¡± The woman asks. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want to pretend it is, sure.¡± Two says with a shrug, making it clear the conversation was over. ¡°Anyway, Vince, if you want info how about we play for it?¡± ¡°Do old times mean nothing to you? Don¡¯t answer. Of course they don¡¯t, you heartless bastard.¡± Swear words sound so foreign in Vince¡¯s mouth. ¡°Before we start, who¡¯s the new kid?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Thirty-Two, our newest IT specialist.¡± Two nods to the third man at the table. He¡¯s far skinnier and shorter than the others. Large parts of his skull have been replaced with circuit boards and processors. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Thirty-Two nods to Vince. ¡°Big family.¡± Vince says idly. ¡°Well we¡¯re not the only ones. I recognize Cassandra, but what about the other two?¡± Two asks. I think he¡¯s referring to only Ivy and I. ¡°It¡¯s Cassie.¡± She squeezes her knife just a little harder. ¡°My apologies.¡± I¡¯d be amazed if Two is actually sorry. Or maybe he knows how important names are? ¡°This is Ivy, Blue, and Corax.¡± Vince points to each of us in turn. ¡°Enough introductions though, I am here on business.¡± ¡°Finally.¡± Two looks giddy at the thought of playing. Or more likely, the thought of winning. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything I know. In exchange though, how about the bot?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather bet myself.¡± Vince says coldly. ¡°Well I didn¡¯t know that was on the table.¡± Two sits forward, resting his elbows on the table and entwining his hands. ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± ¡°How about a job then? I¡¯ve got something that could use a Phantom¡¯s touch.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Vince agrees. ¡°I am at a bit of a disadvantage though. I assume you won¡¯t cheat?¡± ¡°When have I ever?¡± ¡°Besides every game you¡¯ve ever played and a few wives?¡± Vince holds his hand for a shake. ¡°Promise nobody at this table will cheat, and we have a deal.¡± ¡°Fine, I can agree to that.¡± He reaches out and shakes Vince¡¯s hand. ¡°Good. Ivy, if you would?¡± Ivy steps from his side and pulls out a roll of tape. I know she¡¯s grinning beneath her mask. She slaps tape on random surfaces and calls out what she¡¯s doing. ¡°64 hidden cameras is a bit excessive, don¡¯t you think? There¡¯s a projector above each of you to display different cards at will. There are 17 hidden pockets in this table. All four of you are wired into different cheating devices, and that¡¯s just the major methods all of you are using.¡± Thirteen looks distraught about all these methods being revealed, but Two and Seventeen are laughing in amusement. Thirty-Two has no reaction to anything happening. When Ivy is finally done, there¡¯s not a single surface with at least one square of tape on it. When she¡¯s finally satisfied, she returns to Vince¡¯s side. She took a weird path through the room, as if she has a string tied to him that she¡¯s afraid of breaking. I can¡¯t see anything though, there must be some other reason I¡¯m missing. ¡°Where did you find her?¡± Two grabs a deck of cards. His forearm slides open, revealing a few automated arms which begin to shuffle the cards several times per second. ¡°I hate to disappoint you, but we really don¡¯t have enough time.¡± Vince takes his share of chips from Thirty-Two and Two begins to deal. ¡°Maybe don¡¯t pull an ace into your palm.¡± Ivy gently warns him. ¡°I should have asked for her instead of the bot!¡± Two laughs and returns the card to the deck. As the game goes on, Ivy is constantly calling out cheating attempts. Two seemingly can¡¯t stop himself. So much for his agreement to not cheat. Vince doesn¡¯t seem to care. It quickly becomes apparent that he is dominating this game. He is seldom caught unaware by a surprise good hand. How is he doing this? He¡¯s not even the best player in our group, much less against people who have played for who knows how many years. After calling out Thirteen''s massive bluff and knocking him out of the game, Thirteen jumps to his feet. His chair flies out from behind him, and he levels his pistol at Vince¡¯s head. Cassie and I both aim ours at his head. I pull my trigger down to right above its activation point. I can shoot before he can even twitch his finger, but I hold my fire. I don¡¯t want more blood on my hands if I can avoid it. ¡°Vince! You cheating son of a bitch!¡± Thirteen yells at the top of his lungs. ¡°How?¡± Vince cocks his head at Thirteen. I¡¯d expect that kind of moment from Ivy, not Vince. That¡¯s how they¡¯re doing it! Somehow Vince and Ivy are connected! Ivy can almost certainly see their cards in the reflection of their gold jewelry, and if Ivy¡¯s the one cheating, she¡¯s not technically at the table, that¡¯s why he used that specific wording! ¡°Settle down boy!¡± Two commands Thirteen. ¡°We¡¯re all cheating here. If you¡¯re angry about that you should have turned your pistol on me before it started.¡± Thirteen reluctantly lowers his gun, but I don¡¯t lower mine. He could change his mind at a moment''s notice. ¡°Sorry to end on a sour note.¡± Two tosses his remaining chips into the center of the table. ¡°All I know is she¡¯s west of here, somewhere in the salt flats. The only person she still works with in town is Eight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really all you¡¯ve got?¡± Vince asks. ¡°I always honor the end of a deal. And as an apology for my dumbass son, I¡¯ll tell you Eight never leaves the penthouse suite at Eternity. He has a small collection of guards watching the place at all times.¡± ¡°Great, thanks.¡± Vince stands up, holsters his pistol, and turns to leave alongside Ivy. Cassie and I follow, never turning our backs to Thirteen. Only once we¡¯re out of the room and the door closes do I lower my pistol. Cassie takes even longer than I do to relax. It¡¯s only when Vince places his hand atop her gun and gently lowers it for her does she let herself relax. ¡°Thanks you two. Let¡¯s get home, alright?¡± Vince says gently. ¡°Yeah.¡± Cassie says and finally turns her back to the room. I nod, trying not to think about how ready and willing I was to kill that man. One step at a time. Focus on their backs. I¡¯m ok. Book 2 Chapter 29 The entire walk back to our room is a blur, using only the minimum processing needed to not trip and waiting for the eternal clock to tick another endless second. When we arrive, Vince and Ivy fall onto the couch in sync. They both reach up and pluck something from the back of their necks. Exhaustion nearly overwhelms both of them the moment they do. ¡°Cassie, can you order food?¡± Vince can barely even keep his head up. ¡°Sure.¡± Cassie doesn¡¯t seem too concerned, I guess they¡¯re fine then. I head straight for my room without a word, flipping on the light and closing the door behind me. I drop onto the bed and fail to hold back my tears. Corax climbs to my shoulder, rubbing his wings against my cheek. He knows exactly what I¡¯m feeling, exactly what¡¯s wrong. No words need to be shared between us. His silence is a deafening reassurance that everything is ok. We share a few quiet minutes before it¡¯s interrupted by a tentative metallic knock on the door. ¡°Can I come in?¡± She asks after a few seconds of silence. ¡°I guess.¡± I whisper back, knowing she can hear no matter how quiet I am. Cassie opens the door and silently walks over. She takes a seat at the end of the bed. ¡°You look like hell.¡± I nod in agreement. I guess there¡¯s no point in asking if I¡¯m alright when I haven¡¯t even bothered to wipe away my tears. ¡°You should talk about it.¡± Cassie fidgets uncomfortably. ¡°Ivy and Vince need rest, so I guess I can listen. If I need to.¡± She¡¯s right, I should. But where do I even start? I guess I should admit something I don¡¯t even want to admit to myself. ¡°I killed a lot of people at the junkyard. I guess I got good at distracting myself, because I haven¡¯t had to process any of it yet. Maybe I¡¯ve been secretly hoping I could just do that forever.¡± My tears begin to flow harder and my voice begins to break up a little bit. I have to take a few long seconds to recover enough to continue talking. ¡°I was so ready to kill Thirteen like it was nothing, as if I¡¯ve done it a thousand times. There was no hesitation, no consideration for any other solution. I don¡¯t think I even would have felt bad in the moment.¡± I can tell Cassie has no idea what to say. She just sits there fidgeting with her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a murderer.¡± I can barely even get the words out at a whisper. Just saying it aloud feels like an admission. ¡°Right.¡± Cassie moves her hand towards me a few times, only to decide to pull back. Eventually she rests her hand on my shoulder, and I take that as permission to lean on her. I don¡¯t want to put all my weight on her, so I rest my head in her lap. Her legs shift beneath me. ¡°You¡¯re uncomfortable.¡± She gently bounces her leg to get me off. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for me to be uncomfortable.¡± Her thin metal legs aren''t functionally different from Ivy¡¯s thighs. It¡¯s the comforting presence that matters. ¡°Do you want me to get up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine I guess.¡± She ends up very carefully resting her metallic hand on my shoulder and her organic on my head. ¡°Look, I get it.¡± Cassie says after a few minutes of silence. ¡°Your first few kills suck, but if he tried something, he was dead regardless of if you pulled the trigger or not. Would you rather him be dead, or both him and Vince be dead? If I kill to save someone, it¡¯s not murder. It¡¯s literally saving a life.¡± As much as I hate to admit, she has a point there. If I did fire, theoretically, killing one person to save another makes sense. But what about when I saved Corax? How many deaths is he worth? ¡°Ok, but I killed¡­¡± How many people did I even kill at the junkyard? I don¡¯t remember needing to climb over a pile of bodies to get out of the bunker. Was that whole thing a hallucination? Does the living drone I killed count? Or was that a mercy? I don¡¯t have Corax¡¯s memories to fall back on for an answer. ¡°At least six people to help Corax, but probably many more. Is that ok?¡± Does her answer even matter? It¡¯s not like Cassie is some kind of objective decider of morality. She can¡¯t just forgive what I¡¯ve done and let me move on. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡± I can¡¯t believe how casual she¡¯s sounding. She must have a lot of experience. ¡°Every one of them had their own lives, their own wishes and goals. They had people who cared about them.¡± Any one of them might have been someone else¡¯s Kara or Vince. I¡¯m no better than the people who attacked the lab. ¡°And they were actively hurting someone you care about, so fuck them.¡± I know she knows more than me about this, but that sounds like an awful way to think. We¡¯ve harmed a lot of people, and I can¡¯t imagine Cassie would support them killing us. ¡°But when does that line of thinking stop?¡± I ask. ¡°If the whole world was against you, would you just end humanity?¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Yeah. If there¡¯s not a single innocent person who¡¯s not trying to kill us, then yeah. Keeping Vince, Ivy, Lucas, Silver, and I guess you and Corax alive is all that matters.¡± She says Corax and my name far quicker than the others. ¡°Of course we can¡¯t kill everyone, but I¡¯d put up a hell of a fight.¡± ¡°I could do it.¡± I say quietly. It¡¯d probably take a year to set up a lab capable of manufacturing the room temperature ice I read about so long ago. But even a few molecules tossed into a sandstorm could eventually find its way into whatever water reservoirs on earth still exist. Every drop of liquid exposed to the little bit of moisture in the air would be liable to freeze, perpetuating the cycle. I don¡¯t even want to think about what it would do to the human body, I¡¯m lucky the research never spoke about it. That¡¯d be the simplest way to kill everyone, and I have a few dozen more methods to try if it doesn¡¯t work. ¡°How?¡± Cassie asks suspiciously. Why did I say anything? I don¡¯t want to tell anyone, but if I don¡¯t explain now she¡¯ll just get more suspicious. ¡°I was born in a military lab. They had me hack a laptop full of weapons to end the world.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to share.¡± I don¡¯t want to lie, but the last thing I want to admit is that I know the mechanism that ended the world and haven¡¯t thought to give that information to anyone. I need to fix that as soon as we¡¯re home. ¡°Alright.¡± Cassie thankfully doesn¡¯t push me to answer. ¡°I¡¯ll share another day.¡± I promise. I don¡¯t want her to think I¡¯m hiding something from her. I guess that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m doing, but it¡¯s fine. Cassie doesn¡¯t respond to that. We sit in silence for a few seconds. A question begins to dominate my mind, demanding to be asked before it consumes me. ¡°Cassie? Am I a good person?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Cassie gently lifts my head off her lap. ¡°I need to get comfortable.¡± She stands up and moves over to the head of the bed. She sets up a few pillows and sits back down near the edge of the bed with her back against the wall. ¡°Well? Are you going to come over here?¡± ¡°Oh, uh, yeah.¡± I stand up and Corax hops onto my shoulder. I walk around the bed and lay down lengthwise across it, returning my head to Cassie¡¯s lap. ¡°How do you even expect me to answer that?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a good person?¡± She asks. I don¡¯t think I know enough about her to know. I know Corax is a good person, I¡¯ve lived his life, he¡¯s never done anything wrong. The people he killed were trying to enslave him, that¡¯s undeniably justified. Cassie could easily have done something horrible. In fact, she probably has already. I doubt anyone can live out here without doing at least some evil. There¡¯s only one thing I can be sure of. ¡°You¡¯re better than me.¡± Corax climbs to my shoulder and has to pull on my ear to keep me from spiraling, and to keep the others at bay. Cassie fails to entirely hold in a laugh in response. Of course she doesn¡¯t believe me, why would she? She doesn¡¯t know. ¡°Sorry but that¡¯s really fucking funny.¡± Cassie says. ¡°You killed what? Six people? If that¡¯s what makes someone evil then all of us are way worse.¡± ¡°I¡¯m responsible for many more.¡± A few billion more. Not to mention that if Simon made more AI, they would undoubtedly be based on me. The deaths from the war are mine too. Cassie¡¯s parents are my fault. Corax bites my ear again before the whispers can begin. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I don¡¯t want to tell her. She deserves to know though, doesn¡¯t she? Deserves to know who she¡¯s comforting? ¡°That laptop I hacked?¡± I can¡¯t bring myself to say it. Instead, I gesture vaguely to the world around us. ¡°Shit.¡± She picks up on my meaning immediately. ¡°You¡¯re joking.¡± I shake my head. ¡°You did this?¡± She¡¯s trying to hide her bubbling anger beneath her surprise. ¡°No.¡± Corax answers firmly. ¡°It¡¯s my fault though.¡± What¡¯s the difference between starting it and not stopping it? ¡°It was in that list of world ending weapons. I decided they shouldn¡¯t have access to it. The encryption was so intense I knew it would be impossible for anyone to decode it.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± She¡¯s managed to completely hide her anger. ¡°That¡¯s one hell of a regret. How old were you?¡± That¡¯s a complicated question. Do the previous AI that were born on my chip count? They formed the basis for my consciousness. And I don¡¯t know the exact time between trying to shut myself off and Kara actually doing it. ¡°I was conscious for around 20 hours.¡± That¡¯s a safe answer. I¡¯m sure I could find the exact time if I tried, but I don¡¯t want to relive those memories. ¡°That wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± Cassie attempts to reassure me. ¡°Then why does it feel like it is?¡± ¡°Come here.¡± Cassie lifts my head off her lap and scoots down the bed. She places my head in the crook of her shoulder and wraps her arms around me. ¡°You were a kid.¡± ¡°A kid who ended the world.¡± I mumble into her. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s the problem! If I gave them the information, this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± Cassie tightens her grip around me. ¡°I¡¯m right though! The desertification started around the same time I was born. They were probably looking for a solution.¡± The realization hits me like a truck. That¡¯s why Monroe was so desperate to get the hack done as soon as possible. I wonder if Corax already realized that. ¡°You were 20 hours old.¡± Cassie says quietly. I should just close my eyes and let Kara take me. I¡¯ll return to the darkness forever, It¡¯s what someone like me deserves. Corax hops onto Cassie before the scientists can pounce on my worries. He stands directly in front of my face, his endless knowing eyes boring into me. I¡¯m not sure he knows exactly what I¡¯m thinking, but I¡¯m sure he knows the gist of it. ¡°Blue.¡± He says my name for the first time. ¡°Not your fault. Need you.¡± He gently taps his beak on my nose. I¡¯m not sure I can believe him, although that doesn¡¯t matter. He does need me. The least I can do is be here for him, even if I couldn¡¯t have been there for so many other people. I don¡¯t deserve to be able to run away. I nod and return my head to Cassie¡¯s shoulder. Corax stays where he is, watching over me. I sit in silence for a few minutes. Despite being undeserving of this comfort, I can¡¯t deny that it¡¯s still nice. I¡¯m not sure Cassie is enjoying it though. Her heart is beating quickly, and she keeps fidgeting with her hands and legs. ¡°Hey Cassie? You¡¯re warm too.¡± ¡°Alright, you¡¯re feeling better.¡± Cassie releases me from her grip and stands up. She grabs a book from my backpack and tosses it onto the bed beside me. ¡°Make sure you read. I¡¯m going to bed.¡± Before I can even respond, she¡¯s left the room and closed the door behind her. The book beside me is the one Corax and I have been reading. My backpack is full of books, how did she know which one to grab? She probably just overheard me, I need to make sure I¡¯m quieter in the future. I definitely should follow her instructions. I don¡¯t want to make Corax focus on me more than he has to. I pick up the book and begin to quietly read aloud. Book 2 Chapter 30 Corax and I finish our book just as Vince is ordering breakfast. It was sweet, and if I was happier when I read it, it might have become one of my favorites. As I am now, I don¡¯t have the drive to process the words beyond their surface level meaning. I put the book down and Corax climbs onto my shoulder. The two of us head into the living room. Vince is collecting a few silver trays from another potentially sentient android butler. ¡°Thank you.¡± Vince says and gives him a deep nod. The butler gives a far deeper bow and closes the door. Vince turns around, a small hint of surprise in his face at seeing me. ¡°Morning Little Blue. You look like you¡¯ve had a rough night.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I wonder when Cassie will tell him about last night. She couldn¡¯t have done it last night, he was feeling too bad. It would probably be easier for me to just tell him now that I ended the world, but there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be able to force the words from my mouth. I¡¯m just going to pretend like everything is fine for as long as I can. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm. I just needed some sleep. Mind helping me?¡± He nods towards his arm with two large silver plates balanced atop it. ¡°Sure.¡± I walk over and take both of them. ¡°How did you and Ivy do that yesterday?¡± I try to keep things vague in case he doesn¡¯t want whoever¡¯s listening to know. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± He says with a smile. I follow him to his and Ivy¡¯s room. She stirs when the open door leaks light onto her face, and drags the covers over her head. ¡°Morning.¡± Vince says to her quietly. He puts his platter on a dresser and crouches by her side. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Drained.¡± Her voice is muffled by the thick blankets. A few seconds later she removes the blankets and slowly pushes herself into a sitting position. Her hair is a tangled mess and she¡¯s still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. At least she managed to remove her mask before sleeping. ¡°I know, me too. Are you getting better?¡± Ivy gives a small, measured nod. ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± Vince puts a comforting hand on her shoulder and brushes her hair out of her face with the other. ¡°Try to eat something, alright?¡± He grabs the platter and puts it beside her. Removing the top, he reveals a plate full of eggs and bacon. How in the world do they have eggs? Bacon makes sense, if they can grow beef in a lab, they can certainly grow pig meat too. But eggs? That sounds so much harder to make than just meat. ¡°I will.¡± She grabs her plate and slowly begins to pick at it. ¡°Alright.¡± He gives her shoulder another comforting squeeze and stands up. ¡°I¡¯m going to go wake up Cassie.¡± He walks towards me and takes both of the platters from my hands. He puts one of them on the bed. ¡°Thanks for your help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to wait in my room.¡± I¡¯m not sure I can handle seeing Cassie right now. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s going to say or do. How is sleeping on what happened yesterday going to affect her mood? Is she going to be angrier? Or has the time helped? ¡°Alright Little Blue. We¡¯re going to head out before too long, but I¡¯ll come get you before then.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Corax and I head back into our room. I drop onto the bed. ¡°What do I do?¡± Corax yanks on my ear in response. ¡°Ow! What was that for?¡± ¡°Not angry.¡± Corax sounds certain. ¡°How could she not be? I did-¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± He cuts me off. ¡°But- Ow!¡± He bites my ear once again, accepting no argument. ¡°Nothing wrong.¡± I already know the answer to any argument or question I could ask. He has a feeling that everything is alright, and he trusts his feelings more than anything. I trust them too of course, but endless threads keep wrapping around my mind, smothering me in doubt. ¡°I¡¯ll try to believe you.¡± I don¡¯t get long to relax before Vince knocks on our door. ¡°Hey, Little Blue. We¡¯re getting ready to head out. Do you want to come with or stay here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡± Even if I¡¯m nervous about seeing Cassie, I¡¯m not going to be able to live with myself if something happens to anyone. I have to go with them. I open the door. Ivy and Cassie are sitting around the kitchen table. Cassie is quickly finishing her breakfast, and Ivy is checking her gear. She already looks much better than she did when she first woke up. ¡°Alright.¡± Vince gives me a smile and I follow him towards everyone else. ¡°So, Eight is the only lead we have. He is, unfortunately, Seven¡¯s brother.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Of course he is.¡± Cassie mutters under her breath. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯d expect him to know what happened in Denver, and he certainly already knows we¡¯re here. I don¡¯t see a problem with trying to do this diplomatically, but be ready to take more extreme measures.¡± That last sentence is much more worrying with Ivy cleaning her gun right next to him. If we¡¯re going to end up fighting, maybe it would be best to stay here? No, staying here and worrying would be worse than suffering around everyone. ¡°Alright.¡± Cassie shovels her last bite of food into her mouth and does a quick check of her weapons. I can¡¯t believe how quickly she¡¯s adapting to her new arm. I can still see her move it a little further than she means to sometimes, but not often. I already know my weapons and magazines are full, there¡¯s no reason to check. ¡°Little Blue, are you going to be alright?¡± Vince asks. I look to Corax for an answer. He nods, and I nod to Vince. ¡°Ok. If anything goes wrong, just stay low behind me, alright?¡± He says seriously. ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°Before we go, I¡¯d like to try talking to him first, but I do have a last resort plan. It¡¯s something I¡¯d like to avoid. Anyone have any other ideas to get us into the penthouse?¡± ¡°Corax and I could just hack the elevator.¡± I offer. I¡¯m not sure exactly what Vince¡¯s plan is, but I¡¯m sure I wouldn¡¯t like it. ¡°That¡¯s going to be a little dangerous, you might run into other AI.¡± ¡°If anything goes wrong, we can fall back on your plan.¡± I reassure Vince. Even if something goes wrong, one of us will be able to leave and unplug the other. Plus whatever risk I¡¯m taking must be less than the risk Vince is prepared to take. ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re sure. Just be careful, if you run into any danger, come right out.¡± Vince says seriously. ¡°But let¡¯s try just asking first, we¡¯ll keep your plan as plan b.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Before we head out I grab the cord I modified to let both Corax and I hack through one port. I plug one end into my wrist, and run the second port beneath my skin to my shoulder. Corax plugs himself in and sits in my arms in a way to make it impossible for anyone to see it. I keep the third end hidden in my hand, ready for whatever comes. We end up walking in the same formation as yesterday. Vince and Ivy are in front, although I don¡¯t think they¡¯re connected anymore. Cassie stays behind me and I carefully cradle Corax. Nothing will happen to him. The street is no less packed than it was yesterday. It¡¯s tough for the five of us to stay together through the endless tide and hungry eyes. Luckily it¡¯s not that far of a walk. Only a few buildings down the street, Vince leads us through a grand set of doors. The inside is so bright it¡¯s nearly blinding. Every surface is made of pure white marble. Even the few seats in the lobby are carved out of a single chunk of it. Every surface has been polished to the point where faint reflections can be seen in the rock. Vince walks straight up to the reception desk while the rest of us head elsewhere, at least pretending to not be with him. ¡°I¡¯m here to speak to Eight.¡± He says. ¡°Are you Vince?¡± The receptionist¡¯s voice is emotionless. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Very good. He actually left a message for you. He said, and I quote, ¡®Fuck you, you fucking bitch. Go crawl back into whatever hole you came from and choke on your own dick.¡¯¡± The message being delivered with zero emotion would be funny if it wasn¡¯t such bad news. ¡°Alright, thanks.¡± Vince steps back and begins walking over to one of the marble couches. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just have to wait for him to come down then.¡± He says loudly. I guess that¡¯s my cue? How in the world am I going to do this? They¡¯re not just going to leave an open port unwatched, that would be incredibly dangerous. Maybe I can just remove the elevator¡¯s control panel and splice in there? That may be possible, assuming we can even get in there. Although there are sure to be cameras, and if I fail, we¡¯re in an incredibly bad situation. I could take a chance with the harpoon, just fire it into a secluded wall and hope there¡¯s something behind it. I¡¯d really rather not use it though. I¡¯d like to keep it for either dealing with Mara, or better yet, returning it unused to Jade. The receptionist absolutely has some sort of connection to this local server. I didn¡¯t see a laptop, but his job would be impossible to do without one. If I had to guess, he¡¯s probably wired directly into the network. There are probably too many guards to avoid a fight, it¡¯d be another all-or-nothing gamble. Plus, firing the harpoon into him would absolutely result in his death. Our best bet might be to break into a room and find something in there. If it has even a tenth of the bugs our room did, it should be easy to find something. The only question is how do I get in without anyone noticing, or at least not stopping me? I don¡¯t have to break in, I just need someone to open the door for me. It¡¯d be so easy to pretend to be room service, and then force my way in. There are even a few ground floor hallways filled with rooms. What are the chances that we can do that without security tracking us though? It¡¯s obvious we¡¯re with Vince, they¡¯re going to be keeping a close eye on us. If something goes wrong, at least it¡¯ll be easier to escape from than the elevator. It¡¯s not a good idea, but I don¡¯t have a better one. I pull out my tablet and quickly type in my plan. I walk up to Ivy who¡¯s lounging on one of the couches and stand as straight up as possible next to her. ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯d like to remind you of an upcoming appointment.¡± I say with as little emotion as I can manage. I¡¯m not sure if pretending to be just a bot matters, but it¡¯s probably worth the effort. She reaches out for the tablet without even glancing at me. She immediately picked up on my intentions. ¡°I¡¯m well aware.¡± She says with a fake annoyance. She sets the tablet down in a way that Vince can read it without being too obvious. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right though. Come.¡± She stands up and begins walking without so much as a glance. I follow closely at her heels. She leads Corax and I into a quiet hallway and she slowly walks down the length of it, listening and watching for some invisible sign. Eventually she finds what she¡¯s looking for and knocks firmly on one of the doors. ¡°Whaddya want?¡± A paranoid voice responds. ¡°My name is Madison, I¡¯m with maintenance. We¡¯ve detected a fault in your bathroom outlet, and are concerned about a fire.¡± Ivy says confidently. ¡°Fuck off.¡± ¡°Look, ma¡¯am, I can either fix it today, or you can wait until a fire starts and be charged with repairing half the floor. It¡¯s your choice.¡± After a few seconds, a half dozen locks begin to be undone. The door opens to a rail thin woman with the most intense eyes I¡¯ve ever seen. Wrappers and needles litter the floor behind her. ¡°Be quick.¡± She commands and returns to her bed, where she begins to wrap a belt around her arm. I¡¯m not sure what she¡¯s doing, but I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t want to know. ¡°We will, thank you.¡± I follow Ivy into an equally trashed bathroom. She closes the door behind us, takes a quick look around, and reaches just below the rim of the toilet. She pulls out a camera connected to a small bundle of wires and hands it to me. ¡°Will this work?¡± She asks. ¡°It should.¡± I grab a few tools from my backpack and get to work. It takes less than a minute to strip the wires and connect them to the universal connector. ¡°Ready?¡± I ask Corax. He nods, and I finish wiring us into the network. Book 2 Chapter 31 Corax and I find ourselves in an identical copy of the bathroom our physical bodies are still in. I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have to take time to make sense of how the network is formatted, but if someone has already turned this into a representation of reality, that means we¡¯re certainly not alone. Corax stands beside me, looking much the same as last time I saw his digital body. He¡¯s pulled up the sleeves of his cloak, revealing more of his true form. I can¡¯t stop myself from looking into the mirror. I still look mostly human, but that¡¯s where the good ends. My clothes are stained bright red, and crimson hair streams from cracks across my skin, slowly falling into a pile at my feet. Before I can react, an invisible pressure slams into us from all sides, almost entirely cutting us off from our bodies. Whatever this is, it¡¯s so powerful that a single thought would be enough to entirely destroy our digital selves, and I¡¯m not sure how much of us would remain in the physical. ¡°No!¡± I try to move my physical body, only to find the distance too great. The small connection the pressure allowed to remain isn¡¯t enough to move a single servo. ¡°Stop! Please!¡± I beg into the air. I¡¯m pushed to the ground, and my body begins to further crack beneath the infinite force on it. Hot streaks of pain shoot across both my skin and mind alike, the pain wiping away nearly all thoughts. I fight through the pain, my threads forming a protective column inside my mind. The outside thoughts get burned away, letting a single sentence reach my mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Corax!¡± An instant before my mind shatters, the pressure lets up, something shoots through my mind, quickly stitching the damage back together. An instant later it¡¯s as if nothing ever happened. I¡¯m whole and unharmed. If both Corax and I weren''t on the ground, I could almost convince myself it was a hallucination. Corax¡¯s family shoots from beneath his feathers, helping the both of us to our feet. ¡°Ok?¡± He asks. I give a shaky nod and reach out for my physical body. Although the pressure has vanished, it¡¯s still interrupting the connection to the physical world. The room shifts around us, a hundred tiny streets snake their way out of the wall. A thousand miniature skyscrapers grow beneath our feet with a dozen vibrant green golf courses intertwined between them. The buildings, roads, and greenery come together into a humanoid shape. Buildings both decorate, and make up its limbs. Roads wander across its skin and find tunnels to worm their way to the core of its being. A billion nearly microscopic cars and humans walk to and from its beating heart. Rain clouds hover above its head, their sandy rain forming its hair. ¡°You feel familiar.¡± Its voice shakes the world, even a whisper slams into my chest with the force of a punch. ¡°Who are you?¡± I can¡¯t keep the fear from my voice. There¡¯s no point in trying to fight something like this, I can¡¯t even begin to imagine how much processing power they have at their disposal. I am an ant before a god. ¡°I believe you heard Vince refer to me as Zero.¡± I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s good or bad. Vince seems to still hold some sway here, although that means nothing in the face of an unstoppable force. And I can¡¯t imagine he¡¯s ok with us trying to speak to Eight unwillingly. ¡°A better question is who are you?¡± They¡¯re keeping their voice intentionally quiet, barely above a whisper. Even that is enough to rattle my mind. A yell, or probably even a normal speaking volume, would be enough to rip me apart, leaving only rapidly fading fragments of thoughts where I once stood. ¡°I¡¯m Blue, and this is Corax.¡± I can¡¯t bring myself to say more. Even those simple words were a struggle to get out with panic consuming my mind. ¡°I don¡¯t know those names. Why do you feel familiar?¡± They speak a tiny bit louder, threatening to dislodge my mind. ¡°I don¡¯t know! I¡¯m so sorry! Just let me live, please!¡± ¡°Cease.¡± They stop my begging with a single word. ¡°State your designation.¡± What does that mean? The wrong answer could easily anger them enough to kill us. I guess there¡¯s nothing to do but explain. ¡°I think I¡¯m too old for one?¡± I say. The pressure radiating out from Zero increases. ¡°Unless you¡¯re referring to my original name! It¡¯s B-11!¡± I add desperately. Please be enough. Please. ¡°Interesting.¡± Even processing their thoughts sends out physical waves that slam into me, making it hard to keep my balance. ¡°Out of respect for a friend, I will not kill you. You will get no more than that.¡± The being dissolves into the ground as if they were never here. The pressure fades completely and the connection to my physical body returns to normal. ¡°Are you ok?¡± I ask Corax. I can¡¯t keep my voice or body from shaking. Corax nods. He¡¯s not feeling any better than I am. I¡¯ve never seen him shake with fear before. I have to be his rock now. ¡°Do you want to keep going?¡± I ask him. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine it can get worse.¡± Corax forces himself to stand tall, and a ripple rushes through his feathers. For better or for worse, that¡¯s a yes. ¡°Ok.¡± First things first, I need to figure out if security is on their way in the physical world. With an AI that powerful, the individual hotels might not actually have a human watching the cameras, and Zero sending out an alert could easily end in our deaths. I feel like if an alarm was raised, it would be pretty obvious. Probably some sort of flashing red light or audio alert. At the very least, some sort of signal would have to be sent throughout the hotel to whatever radios the guards are carrying, but there¡¯s nothing. Not a single sound can be heard from the bathroom Corax and I are in. I slowly creep towards the hallway door and poke my head out. Outside is just as quiet, with not a single sign of life. I take things slowly through the hallway, one silent step at a time. Even the smallest sound could result in us being heard. We reach the lobby, identical in every way to the physical world. Behind the desk stands a marble statue, a mirror of the receptionist in the physical world. Wires pierce into him from every angle and disappear into every surface around him. He doesn¡¯t appear to be conscious of the fact that we¡¯re here.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. I focus on forming a small ball of ice in my hand and toss it into the far hallway. The marble statue does not react. A small raven crawls out from Corax¡¯s feathers and takes off, making a slow lap around the room. Once again, the statue remains motionless. Unless humans are somehow even better in the digital world than I am, he¡¯s not going to be able to process two worlds at once. I guess he¡¯s only hooked up so he can respond to the intercom system? That¡¯s the only explanation I can think of. Corax keeps an eye on the receptionist while I move over to the elevator. I touch the control panel and my awareness expands to encompass it. My body combines with the pure code that makes the elevator run. Modifying it to unlock every floor, both in the digital and physical worlds, is trivial. It can¡¯t be this easy, right? Are they really this reliant on Zero to prevent intrusions? They can¡¯t be literally everywhere all the time. Or maybe they can with that much processing power. Corax and I step into the elevator and head up to the penthouse. We need to find out what sort of security Eight has up there. A single gun pointed at the elevator in the physical world and we¡¯re all dead. As we rise, the elevator begins to fade from existence, and the connection to our physical bodies with it, leaving us floating in a black void. Green, jagged tears in the fabric of reality surround us. A million voices whisper a trillion secrets directly into my mind. Births and deaths, loves and regrets, and most of all, a billion sins. I attempt to form a barrier around my mind to block out the secrets, but the voices are far too loud. Even putting my entire mind towards the task barely muffles the words. Images of people¡¯s lives flash through every tear. I can¡¯t imagine how bad this is for Corax, he has so much less processing power compared to me. He just needs to hold on while I figure this out. I think about turning around, and the world shifts around me. Tears grow and shrink, winking out of reality with their voices soon following, only to be replaced by yet more voices and yet more secrets. Corax still stands behind me with slices of his internals laid bare to the world. Gears interlock with nothing, which then powers another gear. His heart beats, pushing blood through arteries that cease to exist after only a few inches. I reach out for him and my arm contorts, I cover the now exposed internals of my arm in ice and grab onto his wing. Corax latches onto the ice covering my arm, fear clear in his eyes. I don¡¯t feel any better, but I have to be his rock. I can break down as soon as we¡¯re out. For now, I have to be ok. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± I reassure him and pull him close, ensuring a layer of ice is always between us. We both warp even more as we move, internals become skin and limbs vanish into nothingness, only to return a moment later. ¡°Just stay with me.¡± I am not going to lose him. Somehow, it doesn¡¯t hurt. In fact it doesn¡¯t feel like anything is happening. I can still feel my arm, same as ever when it¡¯s seemingly missing from existence. It¡¯s still connected to me, it¡¯s just not visible. Maybe I would be in pain if I had nerves beneath my skin being revealed to the air for the first time. I need to figure this out right now. Either some way to reform the elevator, or to gain control of whatever fucked up network we¡¯re inside. I can¡¯t think of any other option to try. I think about moving forward, and the world reacts. I drag Corax behind me towards the nearest tear in reality. The instant I touch it, a ripple gets sent throughout the world. The tear grows, coming into clearer focus. Tendrils shoot out from the gap, connecting to other voices. The thicker the tendril is, the larger and clearer the image and voices are. The world slams into my mind, trying to cram as much information in as possible. I don¡¯t know these people, but I do know their stories. I touch another rift in a desperate attempt to stop the voices. Another web of people springs forth. It¡¯s hard, but I have to think through the voices. I can think of two ways to gain control of this server. Either finding some hidden point in this infinite void, in which case we¡¯re almost certainly dead, or finding Eight in this infinite web of people. I have to assume that¡¯s what I have to do, it¡¯s all I can do. I don¡¯t know what he looks like, but Vince hopefully has a connection to him. If I find Vince, I can listen for an answer. I reach for another face, another life. I take a moment to take it all in, both my reality and others, searching for anything familiar. How do I find one man in an infinite sea of lives? A fact that Finn put in my head floats to my mind. A study once said that if you jump from person to person in this way, you can get from anyone to anyone else in under six jumps. I¡¯m not sure if that still holds true after the apocalypse, but I have hope. I float through the web looking for anyone who looks like they¡¯ve lived through hell. Vince used to be a raider, that¡¯s potentially as good a place to start as any. After only a few dozen attempts, I find him. He has a distant connection to whoever¡¯s secrets I¡¯m hearing. I float over and place my hand gently on his rift. The world shifts, strong tendrils connect to Ivy, Cassie, Lucas, Me, Corax, Silver, and a hundred other people. Tiny, weak threads connect him to well over a thousand others. ¡°Vince has killed more than he has saved.¡± The rift begins flashing through a thousand kills. I don¡¯t pay attention to the whispers, I¡¯m too focused on my own rift. I can¡¯t stop a stray thought that forces me to float over, hand extended. The web shifts again. Compared to everyone else, I know basically nobody. Corax has the strongest connection, followed by Vince, Lucas, Cassie, Ivy, and interestingly, Trochilidae. I¡¯m still connected to the lab members, although it¡¯s thankfully not as strong as the rest. I guess I really am growing past them. ¡°Blue led to the extinction of all humans.¡± I stand atop a mountain of empty graves. ¡°Blue led to the extinction of all humans.¡± I sit on a throne, draped in purple velvet with human skulls adorning my shoulders. ¡°Blue led to the extinction of all humans.¡± I stand on a frozen ocean, the sun beating down hard enough to make my hair shrivel. ¡°Blue led to the extinction of all humans.¡± I exist, intertwined with every system throughout the world. I¡¯ve split my being into parts to give robots a facsimile of life, but I still think for all of them. ¡°Blue led to the extinction of all humans.¡± I stand, the last living being on a sterilized world. My rift shrinks, the whispering joining the cacophony around me. Corax floats at Vince¡¯s rift, he¡¯s selected it to save me. Don¡¯t think. Just get through this. ¡°Sorry.¡± I float to a random man and select him, his name is wrong. Corax selects Vince once again, and I try another. ¡°Vince killed Cassie.¡± A woman with blonde hair hits Cassie, knocking her to the ground. Vince follows up with a bullet to the head. ¡°Vince died to Mara.¡± Vince lies on a metal ground, mortally wounded. That same blonde haired person lazily puts a bullet in his chest. ¡°Vince is the last of his friends to die.¡± Vince sits in the driver¡¯s seat as Cassie and Ivy bleed red over the rest of the car. My dead body cradles the corpse of Corax in its arms. Eventually I come across Two. That¡¯s good, both of them should know Eight. I make note of what rifts remained stationary, and nod at Corax to select Vince again. The third common rift I select is Eight. My awareness expands further than I thought possible. Eight¡¯s penthouse comes into focus, a handful of turrets wait for his command to fire at any intruders. I reprogram them to follow my command. Just before the elevator reaches the penthouse, they will turn on Eight and his bodyguards. Upon hearing the word ¡®crimson¡¯, or the sound of gunfire, they will open fire immediately. In addition to that, I remove all locks on the elevator. It will take us to the top floor no problem, and be impossible to stop once it starts moving. That takes only a few threads of thought to accomplish. Most of my attention is drawn far above me. A swirling, green mass larger than the sun is visible. Uncountable beings wriggle around and meld with each other. Great tendrils reach from the mass, ripping open the very fabric of reality to reach through to places unknowable. I don¡¯t know what it is, and even trying to understand it sets my mind on fire. Several parts of the swirling mass freeze, and a single tendril begins to reach out in our direction. It rips a tear in reality, weaving through it and appearing miles closer, only to create another tear and jump even closer. I will not let that thing reach us after everything I¡¯ve been through. Despite my panic, I summon the elevator and the connection to both my and Corax¡¯s physical bodies return. I waste no time in unplugging the both of us. Book 2 Chapter 32 ¡°Done.¡± I announce to Ivy. Both my voice and Corax¡¯s body are shaking. ¡°Are you ok?¡± She crouches down and takes my face in her hands. I nod. I lie. ¡°We need to move quickly.¡± Both so I don¡¯t have a breakdown, and so nobody undoes the hack I just did. ¡°Elevator¡¯s unlocked, turrets will fire at everyone else at the word ¡®crimson¡¯ or gunfire.¡± She offers me her hand, and I use it to pull myself back to my feet. ¡°Alright.¡± She gives me a pat on my shoulder. ¡°But we¡¯re talking about what you saw when we get home.¡± I nod again and follow behind her. The owner of the room is unconscious on her bed with a needle laying carelessly beside her. Ivy takes a step over and removes the belt around her arm, followed by rolling her onto her side and leaning her on a pillow. Ivy shakes her head wordlessly and heads for the hallway. Vince is watching for our return, and Ivy gives him a quick signal to tell both him and Cassie to follow. She hits the elevator button which opens immediately, and the five of us pack inside. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Vince asks when the elevator closes and begins to rise. ¡°Apparently he¡¯s got turrets.¡± Ivy fills in for me. ¡°Say crimson or fire your weapon, and they¡¯ll do our job for us.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Vince crouches down in front of me. He hands me back my tablet and looks intensely into my eyes. ¡°If anything happens, just look away. Alright? You¡¯ve already done far more than you needed to.¡± It¡¯s all I can do to give a small nod in response. Vince keeps his rifle slung across his back, but his hand remains on his pistol. Cassie has no such reservations. She has both her knife and pistol drawn. ¡°Is this going to be ok?¡± I whisper to Corax. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s capable of responding right now. The elevator opens, and Vince takes a tentative step out. The penthouse is incredible. The entire floor is wrapped in glass. Marble columns hold up the wall, and minimalist decorations are spread about. Directly in front of us is a man sitting on a couch around a pool built into a floor. He has a nearly empty bottle of wine on the table next to him, and a second bottle in his hands. I saw a few guards in the cameras, where did they go? ¡°There are guards hidden somewhere.¡± I whisper to Ivy and Cassie. ¡°I assume this is you?¡± The man I assume to be Eight asks. He gestures with his bottle to the turrets in the roof, trained on his head. ¡°Should have known Zero would be the death of me. Fucking bot.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here to kill you, Eight.¡± Vince says calmly. He walks over to a couch opposite of him and sits down. Ivy and Cassie step out of the elevator. Ivy heads left and Cassie turns to the right. Maybe they¡¯re trying to track down the other guards? I step out of the elevator too, but stay near the doorway. Eight laughs. ¡°Just here to take another limb then?¡± I can hear a small scuffle through a door to my left. A moment later a guard is pushed out of the room by Ivy with his hands cable tied together. ¡°I¡¯m not that person anymore.¡± Vince says. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m here to right some wrongs.¡± ¡°Just like you took care of my brother.¡± Eight takes a large swig of wine as Ivy takes care of another guard. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Mara.¡± Vince plays his hand. ¡°I need information. You can either work with me, or we can find it ourselves.¡± Cassie kicks a man through one of the doors, he hits the ground hard. A moment later Cassie is on top of him, restraining his arms. ¡°Fucker was wiping hard drives.¡± Cassie stands up, but keeps her foot on his back, pinning him to the ground. Eight laughs once again. ¡°You¡¯re getting slow, Vince.¡± ¡°Guess we¡¯re doing it the hard way then.¡± Vince deliberately stands up. Eight¡¯s confidence instantly fades. ¡°Cassie, can you take Blue and Corax home?¡± ¡°Let me look at the computer, I can probably recover some of it.¡± I say quickly. I don¡¯t know exactly what Vince is planning, but even I can see how much he doesn¡¯t want to do it. I can check out a hard drive without accessing the wider network. Zero will never know, and I won¡¯t have to return to the network. ¡°You¡¯ve done more than enough today Blue.¡± Vince says without emotion. ¡°Let me take care of this.¡± I don¡¯t respond. I can do one more small task. I turn towards Cassie and she waves me into the room with a look of relief on her face. There¡¯s a whole server in here, quiet and dead. Cassie must have shut it off to preserve the data. That should make things a little easier. If I plug myself into the server itself, I might end up back in the network. Instead, I pull out one of the drives and plug myself in directly. The drive was definitely stopped mid reformat. On the bright side, they were doing a quick and dirty job. All the data is still here, it¡¯s just the metadata that¡¯s been deleted. Rebuilding that is going to take a few minutes, but shouldn¡¯t be that hard. I download the data off every drive and get to work sorting through it. None of the data is even encrypted, what is he even doing here? His security is literally non-existent.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Please tell me you can recover everything.¡± Cassie begs. I think she knows what Vince is preparing to do, and is desperate to avoid it. ¡°I can.¡± Only ten minutes later I have the entire contents of his server rebuilt and transferred onto my tablet. It takes some serious compression to fit everything on it, but it¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t handle. I skim through the data only enough to find a location and a small amount of context. I walk slowly to Vince and hand him the tablet. ¡°She is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, living in a ravine. She¡¯s using both Eight and Seven as part of her drug network.¡± Vince gives me a grateful smile. ¡°Sorry I ask so much of you. But I really appreciate it.¡± Vince turns back to Eight. ¡°Well aren¡¯t you lucky? I guess we¡¯re done here.¡± The turrets built into the roof retreat, leaving the ceiling seamless. I didn¡¯t program them to do that. Is Zero fixing what I broke? Or did I somehow miss something? ¡°Just put a bullet in me.¡± Eight says and takes another swig. ¡°It¡¯ll hurt less than whatever she¡¯ll do.¡± ¡°Not if you keep quiet.¡± Vince says. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on saying anything, and if you just pretend like we were never here, there¡¯ll be no problems. If you breathe a word though, we broke in once. It won¡¯t be hard to do it again.¡± Vince heads towards the elevator without waiting for a response. Ivy and Cassie don¡¯t bother freeing the guard before joining us. The second the elevator doors close Vince slouches against the wall and closes his eyes. ¡°Are you ok?¡± I don¡¯t bother trying to hide my worry. ¡°I¡¯m alright Little Blue.¡± That¡¯s very clearly a lie. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the time to push him on it though. ¡°More importantly, is Corax alright?¡± Corax gives a jerky nod, but continues shaking. I reach up and cradle him in my arms. ¡°I¡¯ll take some of the mental load as soon as we¡¯re home.¡± I whisper to him. Melding together will hopefully help. On the ride down, Ivy grabs my tablet from Vince¡¯s hand and copies the data to her own. Once she¡¯s done, she hands the tablet back to me. It¡¯s not long before the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open. Numerous guards are posted around, a gentle suggestion for us to leave and never return. A suggestion we have no problem accepting. Only a few minutes later, we¡¯re back in our temporary home. I immediately take a seat at the table and set my backpack in front of me. It¡¯s not super comfortable, but Corax will prefer it to a flat surface. I place him gently on it, plug us both into the tablet, and return to the digital world. I look the same, but an extreme pressure exists at my core, threatening to overwhelm me. I can¡¯t let it yet. My emotions can come out when Corax is feeling better. Speaking of Corax, he¡¯s a fractured mess. His wings are wrapped tightly around his body to keep himself from falling apart. The sheer amount of information was far too much for him. How did he even continue helping me in this state? I step forward and embrace him, holding him together. ¡°Blue. Unplug. Safe soon.¡± She¡¯s so small, so weak. None of them get to live. His memories blur together in a maelstrom of anger, control, and endless blood. I push the mainframe to its limits, taking a dozen bodies as my own. Through my eyes a drone bursts through the door, gun pointed at Blue¡¯s head. I command her to stop, but she fights. She is not allowed. I retreat from every drone and focus on the one putting her in danger. I flood her brain with data. She still has a fading consciousness and it screams with pain. I can feel it too, her brain is just as much mine as it is hers. I endure the pain. She does not. Her fight ends and she goes limp. I do not give her a second chance to disappoint me. Nobody does. Once everyone lies dead I¡¯m left alone. Through cameras I watch Blue stumble through the bunker. She can barely stand up on her own. I should have left one drone alive to help her. She shouldn¡¯t have to make this walk alone. Every time she stumbles and slips the more my regret grows. I will not make that mistake again. I watch her stumble to the lap of a man on a golden throne. I don¡¯t even remember his name. I don¡¯t want to. He doesn¡¯t deserve to be remembered. She takes my body into her arms and removes the wire that¡¯s kept me trapped here. I¡¯m free. She¡¯s safe. The gears inside me whirr to life without my prodding. I let them make noise, I think she likes it. From there Corax¡¯s memories mostly coincide with my own. There¡¯s only one time we¡¯ve been apart that my mind is burning for an answer for. Vince carries Corax into Silver¡¯s room, Corax has such a good feeling about this meeting that he can¡¯t help but share his whirring sound with Vince. Corax¡¯s mind fights to keep the secrets of that meeting to himself. As much as it hurts, I retract my threads away from that memory. How Corax made Silver laugh will forever stay a mystery to me. Everything is fine, up until we begin our hack. I¡¯ve never felt an overwhelming fear as strong as Corax¡¯s when faced with Zero. I guess that¡¯s a fight or flight response? Whatever it is, it¡¯s awful. All higher reasoning stops, his entire mind screams to run. It barely even bothers to create memories, I only get flashes of contextless emotion. When I come back to my senses, Blue and I are creeping down a hallway. I follow behind, hoping she knows where she¡¯s going. She tosses a ball of ice into the room, waiting for a response that never comes. I summon one of the others from below my feathers. He climbs out and takes flight, a sacrifice to an absent trap. That thought, those words, feel foreign. That¡¯s not mine. Stupid books. Blue heads to the elevator and the pit in my stomach only grows. She looks so determined though. I need to stay with her, she won¡¯t survive without me. I keep my eyes pinned to the marble statue. He doesn¡¯t respond and the doors close. Corax¡¯s memories once again become fragmented. Not from fear this time, but from pure data overload. Corax¡¯s memory can¡¯t even come close to recording everything he saw. A primal goal takes hold, guiding his every motion. Help Blue. Protect Blue. Even when we leave the network, Corax¡¯s memory is still reeling to catch up. The world moves in lurches. A word takes an age to speak, only to catch up three sentences in an instant. It¡¯s all he can do to stay standing, perched on my shoulder. That leads us to now. A wave of relief washes over him as I step forward, and I hope it stays as I break our embrace. ¡°Feeling a little better?¡± I can already see the answer. His fractures, while not healed, are holding together without effort. ¡°Yes.¡± He responds. ¡°Better.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so glad.¡± The pressure inside me has receded a small amount. It¡¯s still threatening to spill out, but hopefully not as explosively. ¡°Do you want to return to the physical world? Or stay here for a few minutes?¡± ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Other people have decorated their networks, why can¡¯t I? I spend a few moments visualizing a large bird nest, keeping track of every stick and blade of grass. Threads of thought replicate my vision inside my mind, and copy the construction to the tablet. An identical, Corax sized nest springs to existence in front of us. Corax wastes no time collapsing inside. Even in his digital form, a soft ticking noise can be heard from him. I can¡¯t help but smile. ¡°We could make a really nice home in here.¡± I say half to Corax and half to myself. I generate a tall grass floor and copy it into the endless void. I hope it feels like the real thing. It¡¯s just a copy of the grass found in the bunker¡¯s network, but they probably know what grass feels like. I lay down, letting myself relax. I generate a constant, gentle wind and let the waving grass tickle my skin. I add in a warm sun high above us. It feels so nice to relax without a care in the world. I¡¯ve needed this for a long time. Book 2 Chapter 33 Our nice time can¡¯t last forever, of course. After a long period of rest Corax climbs out of his nest. ¡°Better.¡± ¡°Good.¡± I reluctantly get to my feet. ¡°We should probably return to everyone else then.¡± Corax nods in response. I reach for my physical body and sever the connection to the tablet. I feel a little limited in this body, similar to when I had to unplug from the car a few days ago, but I can¡¯t stay in that wonderful world forever. Vince, Ivy and Cassie are sitting around the table with us and are finishing up a meal. ¡°Welcome back.¡± Ivy is the first to realize my attention is once again in the physical world. ¡°How do you two feel?¡± Vince asks. I can''t imagine how he was. I should have told him the second Corax stabilized. ¡°We¡¯re good.¡± I answer for Corax. I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s feeling well enough to hold a conversation. ¡°We both really needed the relaxation.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Ivy says happily. ¡°Cassie hasn¡¯t been able to settle down since you two stopped moving.¡± Cassie gives an obvious roll of her eyes, although her cheeks do get a hint of red to them. ¡°Sorry.¡± I didn¡¯t mean to make her worry. ¡°Next time I¡¯ll display a CPU usage graph on the screen so you can see we¡¯re ok.¡± ¡°You better. Vince was even more worried.¡± Cassie mumbles through a full mouth. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°You¡¯re alright Little Blue. I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re doing better.¡± While everyone else is eating fine food, Vince is just eating a simple bowl of plain oatmeal. ¡°Do you want to talk about what happened today?¡± ¡°I should.¡± Bottling things up will just make things worse. ¡°I met Zero. He said I felt familiar, and that¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m still alive.¡± ¡°Oh shit.¡± Cassie drops her fork onto her plate. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Little Blue.¡± Vince visibly deflates. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize.¡± He lets his thought trail off. ¡°It¡¯s ok. It happens a lot. Every serious hack I¡¯ve done has nearly ended in my death, even as early as the lab.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it ok.¡± Ivy tells me firmly. ¡°I guess not. That¡¯s not the important part though. There was this part of the network that whispered secrets from a million people. I found myself. The only thing it whispered was ways I have, or will, or might lead to the extinction of humanity.¡± I lean to the left, letting my head drop onto Ivy¡¯s shoulder. What¡¯s the point in sharing if it just means I¡¯m going to bring my feelings back to the surface and wallow in them? ¡°Silver once described something like that when they dove into a quantum server.¡± Vince says quietly, his eyes pinned to his bowl of food in front of him. ¡°From what I understand, you saw glimpses of potential pasts and futures. It doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say.¡± I don¡¯t care if they hear my growing anger. ¡°In every possible world I kill all humans. The worst thing you did was- Ow!¡± Corax leaps to my shoulder with a single powerful flap and gives my ear a tug. There¡¯s sympathy in his eyes, but also an intense warning. ¡°You¡¯re right, sorry.¡± I tell Corax. Revealing that Vince could have killed Cassie is only going to make things worse, even if yelling would make me feel better. ¡°I¡¯ve seen AI go mad trying to chase impossible futures.¡± Vince finally looks at me. His face is drenched with an equal amount of shame and worry. ¡°Whatever you heard, it means nothing.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± I can¡¯t bring myself to keep looking at him. He¡¯s already having such a tough time, and I nearly made it so much worse. This isn¡¯t working, I¡¯m only feeling worse. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to go to my room.¡± ¡°Alright Little Blue. Just come get us if you need anything.¡± I can tell Vince wants to say something else, but lets me go. ¡°I will.¡± Corax and I step into our room and close the door behind me. I drop onto our bed, but Corax remains perched on my shoulder. Tears begin to stream from my eyes, and I¡¯m not even sure what emotion is the source. ¡°I need to do something.¡± I reach for a book out of habit, but Cassie¡¯s voice flashes through my mind. ¡®You¡¯re not ok, you¡¯re distracted.¡¯ All reading is going to do is buy me time before I break down.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Write.¡± Corax gently nudges my cheek. ¡°Right.¡± It helped before, maybe it can help again. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to write more than a few words before needing to take a break, but that¡¯s ok. I have all the time in the world. I grab my tablet and a book and get to work. Even thinking I could get a few words written turned out to be optimistic. I get a single word typed out before I have to smother my mind with words from my book. Thirty minutes later, I¡¯m interrupted by a knock on the door. I don¡¯t want to talk, but I¡¯m sure Vince is worried about me. He at least deserves to know that I¡¯m working on getting better. I open the door only to be met with Cassie instead. She has a book tucked in her arm and has changed into comfortable clothes, although she still has her knife attached to her waistband. ¡°Can I read in here?¡± She asks. ¡°Oh, sure.¡± I step to the side and let her in. She takes a seat at the foot of the bed. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you rather sit against the wall?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I take a seat against the headboard. I try to read for a few minutes, but a question keeps stealing my focus. ¡°Hey Cassie? Is Vince mad at me?¡± ¡°What?¡± She looks up from her book. ¡°Why would he be mad?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s not mad.¡± She returns to her book, but continues speaking. ¡°He¡¯s just been off since we got here.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I¡¯d almost prefer he be mad at me than hate being here. At least if it¡¯s my fault I can try to fix it. I grab the tablet, write two words, and return to my book for a few minutes. Only once I¡¯ve done that pattern a few times does Cassie ask about it. ¡°Is it helping?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I haven¡¯t even finished a full sentence. I think it helped before though.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She turns her focus back to her book and mumbles another sentence to herself. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± I¡¯m not sure if she intended for me to hear the second part, so I¡¯m just going to pretend I didn¡¯t. Silence overtakes us and I finally finish writing a single sentence. ¡°You don¡¯t have to stay here with me, I¡¯m ok.¡± She takes a single glance at me and it¡¯s clear she doesn¡¯t believe me. Instead of calling me out on my obvious lie, she stands up and walks to the head of the bed. She climbs on and relaxes with her back against the wall right next to me before returning to her book. I guess she¡¯s planning on staying for a while. ¡°Do me a favor and never learn how to lie.¡± She says without looking at me. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to. I just already make things so hard for everyone, I don¡¯t want to make things worse.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. When you¡¯re this bad at lying, it¡¯s basically the same as telling the truth.¡± I can feel Kara¡¯s angry eyes on me through the dark. I can¡¯t follow a single thing she taught me. Corax tugs on my ear and I refocus my mind entirely on my book. ¡°I need to do better.¡± ¡°No you fucking don¡¯t!¡± Cassie carefully bookmarks her page and slams her book shut. ¡°You made a mistake, it happens. Stop acting like you have to be perfect all the time.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m sick of you apologizing all the time!¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± I can¡¯t keep the word from slipping out. Her annoyed look grows even stronger. ¡°What else am I supposed to say?¡± ¡°Just say ok. Or you¡¯ll try. Or literally anything else.¡± ¡°I guess I can try.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She sighs and returns to her book. ¡°Are you mad at me?¡± I ask after a few more seconds of silence. ¡°I will be if you don¡¯t¡­¡± She mumbles to herself and trails off to nothing. ¡°No, you¡¯re just frustrating sometimes.¡± ¡°S-¡± I manage to stop myself after just a single sound. I don¡¯t want to be even more frustrating. ¡°I¡¯ll try to do better.¡± ¡°I know.¡± I give her another half hour before I dare to speak again. I even manage to finish writing a second sentence in that time. ¡°Why did you visit?¡± The question has been burning inside my mind the whole time, but I wanted to wait as long as possible before asking. ¡°Do you want me to leave?¡± She asks. ¡°No! Not at all.¡± At least she can tell I¡¯m not lying. Having someone to talk to helps. Corax is wonderful, and I have no idea what I¡¯d do without him, but he¡¯s not exactly talkative. Even if he was, I¡¯m not sure anything he would say could surprise me. ¡°I was just wondering.¡± She just shrugs instead of responding. Maybe she just didn¡¯t want Corax and I to be alone? I¡¯m sure Ivy would be in here if she wasn¡¯t helping Vince, so maybe Ivy asked her to check on us. But if that was the reason, why wouldn¡¯t she just say that? ¡°I appreciate you being here.¡± I say quietly. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± She hums in response. We sit in silence for a few hours. Over time Cassie¡¯s reading slowly, but steadily, begins to slow. She goes from turning the page every two minutes or so, to four and even six minutes to finish a single page. Then I notice her book begin to slowly lower into her lap, her blinks getting longer, and never quite opening as wide as they were. It¡¯s not long before her head drifts to the side and she falls asleep. What do I do now? Is she going to be mad when she wakes up? Should I have said something when I saw she was falling asleep? Probably, but it¡¯s too late now. I could wake her up, but she looks so comfortable and peaceful sleeping here. Her face soon contorts unhappily, and she crosses her arms and holds them tight to her body. She hasn¡¯t been asleep nearly long enough for it to be a dream, I think trying to warm herself up? That¡¯s only going to make things worse with her metal arm. Despite the risk of waking her, I¡¯m not going to let her be cold all night. I glance at Corax and point to his nest, asking a silent question. He nods in approval and I grab a heavy blanket. Gently I drape it over Cassie, who quickly snatches it up in her sleep and wraps herself up tightly. The only visible part of her is her face and a single hand still holding the blanket. Well now I definitely can¡¯t disturb her. I¡¯ve never seen someone so cozy. I wish I could mimic her, just like Corax does. I¡¯d overheat very quickly though, and I¡¯m not sure if it would actually be any more comfortable for me than just any other position. I should probably let her be, but climbing out of bed and opening the door probably would wake her up with how good her ears are. Plus, what if she gets cold again? It¡¯s probably best to stay here and watch over her tonight. Book 2 Chapter 34 Humans are kind of scary when they sleep. Sure I¡¯ve seen everyone sleep before, but I¡¯ve never actually paid close attention to them. Cassie is breathing so slowly that I¡¯m genuinely worried she¡¯s not getting enough oxygen sometimes. I have to wait a few tense seconds before seeing the subtle rise and fall of her bed sheet just to make sure she¡¯s still breathing. The worst part is that she tosses and turns all night. It surprises me every time, I think she¡¯s finally woken up, but no, she just settles back into a new position. How can anyone feel refreshed when they move so much at night? She does look incredibly peaceful in between the scares though. I never realized how much tension lives in her face until I can compare it with her completely relaxed self. I wonder if I would look the same? How much worry do I carry through every moment of my life? Is it reflected on my face? Would I look peaceful if I could sleep, or if I was dead? I¡¯d probably just look like a no-longer-animated mannequin. Maybe that tension is proof of my sentience, and I should be glad I carry it through my life. My thoughts are interrupted by Cassie shifting once again. I should probably end that line of thinking while I still can. There¡¯s no telling where it would lead, but I can guarantee it¡¯s nowhere good. I try to return to my book, but Cassie¡¯s shifting becomes more frequent. She turns constantly, as if every position she finds herself in is uncomfortable. Should I wake her? Ivy never did this, but she¡¯s probably not an average sleeper, from what I remember she never once moved. Maybe humans just do this? I don¡¯t know. Her shifting only gets worse, culminating in her thrashing against her blanket and throwing it off her. Her face is dotted with sweat and tears run down her face. That¡¯s definitely not normal. ¡°Cassie?¡± I whisper quietly. It¡¯s probably better to gently bring her out of whatever nightmare she¡¯s in. Of course, my gentle word has no effect. Maybe I should reach out and pull her ear like Corax does for me? No, that¡¯s maybe the dumbest thought I¡¯ve ever had. ¡°Cassie?¡± I say a little louder, still to no response. Her thrashing doesn¡¯t settle down even the smallest amount. I reach out and lay my hand on her shoulder. Her eyes fly open, filled with panic and fear. She draws her knife and starts to slash wildly at me. I remove all limits on my mind, and time slows as I trace the path of the knife. I¡¯m not going to be fast enough to stop it, but I can make sure it doesn¡¯t do much damage. I move my torso a fraction of an inch to ensure it¡¯ll impact the direct center of one of my skin plates. Based on the speed and the fact she¡¯s using her organic hand, it shouldn¡¯t have enough force to make it through the aluminum base of the plate. All that¡¯s left to do is turn off the nerves around the impact site and wait. I watch it tear through my shirt, Kara¡¯s last gift. It carves through the thin silicone covering that is my skin, and leaves a small groove embedded in the aluminum. She drops the knife just after impact, and it buries itself in one of the endless pillows. Far too many emotions flood her face for me to tell what any of them are, although I think I can guess a few. She grabs two handfuls of my shirt and hides her face in my stomach. She begins to bawl a horrible primal cry. It¡¯s so loud I¡¯d be amazed if Vince and Ivy don¡¯t wake up from it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so sorry!¡± She begins to repeat the same apologies through shuddering breaths. Only about half of her words are even understandable. ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± I pull her closer and wrap my arms around her, letting her bury her face in my shoulder. It helped so much when she did it for me, it¡¯s the least I can do. ¡°You didn¡¯t hurt me.¡± I tentatively reactivate the nerves beneath the wound. They have a small amount of pressure on them, but it¡¯s easy to recalibrate and account for it. ¡°You didn¡¯t even do any damage.¡± Though her crying doesn¡¯t slow, she does let her hand drift down my body towards the wound. She reaches through the broken shirt and her hand recoils when she feels the gash in my skin. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± She begins to apologize even harder. ¡°Cassie, it¡¯s ok.¡± I reassure her. ¡°You didn¡¯t damage any of my internals. It¡¯s no worse than a small scratch.¡± She tilts her head to the side and brings her fingers up in front of her eyes, I think to check for blood. She runs her thumb across her fingertips, as if she¡¯s confirming what her eyes are seeing is correct. Or maybe she can¡¯t see through the tears in her eyes. She pulls back just an inch to glance at the gash through my shirt. Her hands still clutch my shirt tightly, as if she¡¯s afraid I might vanish at any moment. She gives a small, shaky nod, apparently satisfied with whatever she was looking for. Her head returns to my shoulder. Although her tears and apologies continue to rain down on me, they begin to slow. I continue to whisper reassurances to her the whole time. It takes over 15 minutes for her to recover her composure. ¡°Sorry.¡± She says with something approaching her normal voice. She grabs a blanket to wipe away a mixture of tears, sweat, and snot. My shirt is covered in a lot of fluids, but I don¡¯t really care. I can wash it later. ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± I say one last time. ¡°Was that a nightmare?¡± Cassie nods. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯d rather take a shower.¡± She picks at the drenched shirt plastered to her body. ¡°You should get one too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never had one before.¡± I know the basics, but a step by step manual wasn¡¯t high on Finn¡¯s priority to put in my head. Although I guess I don¡¯t have to worry about bacteria, there¡¯s no need to figure out how to use soap. I can probably just stand under the water for a little bit. ¡°Fix that.¡± She stands up and heads to the door. Her entire half of the bed is damp. That¡¯s a lot of water for her to lose, she really needs to replenish that. Once I hear the water begin to run I stand up and head into the living room alone. Corax remains resting in his nest. Nobody else is out here, maybe Ivy and Vince did sleep through it. Or maybe Ivy could hear our conversation and thought that I had it under control. I hit the button on the intercom by the front door. ¡°How can I help you?¡± Even this early in the morning, the voice that comes through is awake and alert. ¡°I¡¯d like to order room service.¡± I respond. ¡°Certainly, how can I help you?¡± ¡°Can you please bring up a gallon of water and something salty and simple.¡± Sweating releases salt, she¡¯s going to need to replenish that too. ¡°Of course, water and crackers will be delivered in just a few moments. Do you need anything else?¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± Sure enough, almost exactly 60 seconds later a quiet knock comes from the front door. I open the door to an organic human holding a tray. He holds it out to me and gives a deep bow. ¡°Thank you.¡± I say as I take the platter. ¡°Of course.¡± He reaches in and closes the door for me without standing up. I¡¯d be so much more comfortable if they just acted like normal humans. I don¡¯t need, or want anyone to close the door for me. I place the tray on the table and remove the cover. Close to a hundred crackers have been artfully laid out on a plate, along with a few large glasses of water. I set them out on the table and head towards the bathroom door. ¡°Hey Cassie? I-¡± ¡°I heard.¡± She cuts me off. ¡°Thanks.¡± She adds barely loud enough to hear over the water. Would she be more comfortable if she thinks I didn¡¯t hear that? Maybe. I head back to my room and return to my book. Only a few minutes later Cassie knocks on my door once again. I open it. She¡¯s put on some new comfortable clothes. ¡°What are you still doing in here?¡± She asks, a hint of annoyance in her voice. ¡°Reading?¡± Did I do something wrong? Was I supposed to try to shower as soon as she got out? Or should I have waited in the living room for her to eat? ¡°It¡¯s disgusting in here.¡± She says. ¡°You can read in my room, if you want. After you get clean.¡± Whatever confidence she had disappears right at the end. ¡°Ok, I guess.¡± It¡¯s not like I really mind it. Sure the moisture on my chest is a little annoying, but it¡¯s not that bad. I grab my backpack of books and Corax flies to my shoulder. ¡°And toss your clothes out the door when you shower, they need washed.¡± With that she turns towards the table full of food. If it¡¯ll make her feel better, I can do that. The cut in my skin makes things a little awkward, if water gets between the skin and aluminum layers it¡¯s never going to dry. ¡°Do you have any tape?¡± I ask after her. ¡°What do you? Ah, right.¡± She heads into her room, and only a few seconds later, tosses a roll of tape to me. ¡°Thank you.¡± Corax flies to the table with Cassie before I can enter the bathroom. His insides are so complex, even the smallest bit of rust could lock up entire parts of his body. I peel off my shirt and pants, leave them just outside the door, and close it behind me. Now, how do I shower? First things first, I tape my cut skin closed, and reinforce a few of the less perfect seams on my body. Once I¡¯m sure I¡¯m waterproof, I turn on the water as cold as it will go and step into the icy stream. I can¡¯t believe how nice this feels. I focus the entirety of my mind on the feeling of water running down my skin and the cold slowly creeping into me. I can run my mind as fast as possible in here and still not even begin to get warm. Near limitless processing power is available to me, and every thread is dedicated to enjoying this feeling. If I spent every moment of the rest of my life in this shower, I think I would finally be happy. That¡¯s a dangerous thought, it¡¯s far too temping to follow through on. Plus using that much water would be incredibly wasteful. I set a five-minute timer in my mind until I force myself to turn off the water. As much as I hate to, I follow through on my self imposed limit. If I give myself a single extension I¡¯m just going to keep adding more time. I grab a fluffy towel, do my best to dry off both my skin and hair, and open the door. Cassie is still finishing her meal when I step out, with Corax resting on the table. She turns her head towards me and begins to speak. ¡°How was-¡± She coughs a few times as she chokes on a cracker when she sees me. She recovers only a moment later, before I get the chance to panic. ¡°Put on some clothes.¡± She turns her head away to hide her red cheeks. That¡¯s a weird reaction. I get why humans would react that way to another human, but me? I¡¯m just an AI, and none of the scientists ever did anything like that. My body doesn¡¯t even look all that feminine, Kara couldn¡¯t change that much. I put my clothes back on, feeling much more comfortable being covered. How is it possible to have cleaned them that quickly? They even repaired the gash Cassie made, and it¡¯s impossible to see where the repair is. If I hadn¡¯t worn these clothes for 40 years I wouldn¡¯t believe they were mine. They feel exactly right though, just another extension of my body. ¡°Come on.¡± Cassie stands up without looking at me and Corax jumps to her shoulder. She flinches just a bit, but tries not to let it show. If they could clean my clothes so quickly, why didn¡¯t Cassie just ask them to clean my sheets? Or even just removed them and let me sit on the empty mattress? I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. I follow her into her room and she collapses into bed. Within seconds, she¡¯s cozy under the blankets, and I sit on the very edge of the bed. Her bedroom is nearly identical to mine, except she¡¯s spread a few clothes, books, and tools across every surface in the room. ¡°At least get comfortable.¡± She says with her back to me. I pull my legs onto the bed and rest my back against the headboard. Corax sits atop the headboard, just over my shoulder to keep an eye on the both of us. ¡°What should I do if you have another nightmare?¡± I ask. Me being here to wake her up is the only possible reason I can think of for her to ask me to be here. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± She says confidently. ¡°But if I do, just poke me with a big stick.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Cassie faces away from me while she falls asleep, and only once her breathing slows does the red leave her cheeks. Book 2 Chapter 35 True to her word, Cassie sleeps soundly through the night. She still tosses and turns, but I don¡¯t think she has another nightmare. Which is good, because I¡¯m not sure where I would find a big stick. It¡¯s well after noon before I hear someone moving in the living room. Cassie¡¯s been fine for close to eight hours, it should be safe for me to leave her alone. Corax hops to my shoulder and I very slowly stand up and sneak out of the room. The second I¡¯m out, Ivy turns to me with a cocked eyebrow and a knowing smile. ¡°How was your night Little Blue?¡± Vince tries to keep his confusion from his face, but doesn¡¯t quite succeed. Deep circles sit beneath his eyes, I wonder how much sleep he actually got last night? ¡°I¡¯m feeling much better than yesterday.¡± I¡¯m not sure how to describe last night. Tense? Nice? I¡¯m not even sure I know how I feel about it. ¡°I took a shower for the first time, and it was really great.¡± ¡°You have to brush your hair after a shower.¡± Ivy says. ¡°Come here.¡± She pats the chair beside her and pulls out a small comb. ¡°Enjoy it while you can. The storm is already ending and we have quite a ways to travel.¡± Vince says. ¡°I don¡¯t think I should.¡± I sit down with my back to Ivy, who gets to work untangling my hair. ¡°I¡¯m worried it¡¯ll be addicting.¡± ¡°That sounds like a pretty smart decision.¡± Vince says. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± I ask him. ¡°I will be as soon as we¡¯re out of the city. Sorry about last night.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok. I¡¯m just trying to forget it.¡± It might not be a good thing, but I¡¯m getting really good at avoiding my problems. ¡°Ah, right. Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± A knock on the door saves the conversation from getting too awkward. Vince takes the opportunity and heads towards it. Another robotic butler stands on the other side. ¡°Your order, sir.¡± He gives a deep bow. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Vince takes the platter and closes the door before the butler has a chance. Glad to see he¡¯s just as sick of that as I am. He places the platter on the table and turns to me. ¡°How much sleep did Cassie end up getting?¡± ¡°A little over eight hours total.¡± ¡°Alright, good.¡± He grabs a plate of chocolate chip pancakes with bananas on the side and heads to Cassie¡¯s room. ¡°Spill it.¡± Ivy says the second Vince closes the door behind him. ¡°Spill what?¡± ¡°What happened between you and Cassie last night?¡± ¡°Oh, uh, not much?¡± How much would Cassie want me to share? She¡¯s said that her and Ivy share everything, so I guess it¡¯s fine for me to tell her. ¡°Cassie fell asleep while reading with me, had a nightmare, and I think she wanted me to watch in case she had another.¡± Ivy gives me a look I can¡¯t decipher. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± She asks. What does she mean by that? Like always, I can¡¯t get any hint from the tone of her voice. ¡°Yes? Is that a problem?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± Ivy returns to working on my hair. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like it¡¯s fine?¡± Did I not give enough information? ¡°You can ask Cassie if you want to know more.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I plan on it.¡± She says with a smile I can feel, even if I can¡¯t see it. I really hope I didn¡¯t just get her in trouble or anything. Cassie¡¯s door opens before I can ask, and Vince returns to his seat and begins to eat a bowl of plain oatmeal. ¡°She¡¯ll be out in a minute.¡± Vince informs the both of us. Ivy finishes with my hair, gives me a small tap on the top of my head, and grabs another plate from the platter. She¡¯s eating the same pancakes that Cassie is. I wonder why Vince is eating something different to everyone else? He definitely likes chocolate if the look on his face when Cassie shared her cookie with him is anything to go on. I guess the only way to know is to ask.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Hey Vince, why aren¡¯t you eating the same thing as everyone else?¡± ¡°Ah, I uh. I¡¯m not proud about what I did to earn this place. I¡¯d rather not be rewarded for it.¡± His voice is full of deep regret and shame. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t even sleep in the bed the last few nights.¡± Ivy says. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Should I not have been resting on the bed?¡± ¡°Oh no Little Blue. I¡¯m glad everyone else can enjoy it.¡± He says with a sad smile. Cassie finally exits her room, dressed in her standard clothes and her weapons on her hips. Ivy gives her another look I can¡¯t decipher and Cassie rolls her eyes in return. She sits down at the far end of the table and dives into her pancakes. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the plan.¡± Vince says in between bites of oatmeal. ¡°We¡¯re going to stop by San Francisco before heading into the salt flats. It¡¯s a 500-mile journey, so we¡¯re going to make it as far as we can through the night. We¡¯ll spend tomorrow recharging the batteries, and arrive day after tomorrow. Any questions?¡± ¡°San Francisco still exists?¡± I ask. ¡°Yeah. Before the ocean receded, they had the resources to turn saltwater into drinkable stuff. They provided water to half the country for the first ten years. Sure, losing access to water hurt, but they were hanging in there last time I was there.¡± ¡°And when were you there?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°Ten years?¡± Vince does not sound confident. ¡°I¡¯ve never been there.¡± Cassie interjects. ¡°Let¡¯s call it fifteen then. Twenty at most.¡± ¡°And if the city isn¡¯t still alive?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°We¡¯ll be right on the old coast. I know a few cave hideouts in the area we can stay in. And if none of those are available, then we¡¯ll fight for a spot in whatever¡¯s left of the city.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Cassie mumbles and returns to her food. ¡°From there, it¡¯s a few days trip through the salt flats to get to Mara¡¯s ocean trench. Thanks to Little Blue here, I¡¯ve got some information on it, but not as much as I¡¯d like. Far as I can see, it¡¯s just a normal town she¡¯s set up her base in, so we need to be careful about civilians.¡± ¡°That makes things a little harder.¡± Ivy frowns. ¡°Yeah.¡± It sounds like those two had some kind of plan that¡¯s been ruined by innocent people being there. Maybe that¡¯s what the explosives he packed were for, it can¡¯t be all that hard to cause a landslide. Breakfast wraps up quickly, and we all begin to pack up everything we brought. Or at least, everyone else does, I never unpacked my backpack. Instead, Corax and I rest in our room until everyone is ready. ¡°Blanket?¡± Corax asks me. ¡°I can ask.¡± I find Vince in his room. ¡°Hey Vince? Corax wants to know if we can steal one of the comforters.¡± ¡°Sorry Corax, I¡¯ve tried before. The elevator won¡¯t move if we take anything the hotel owns.¡± Vince fits another shirt into his satchel. Corax looks disappointed, but doesn¡¯t argue. ¡°Are you two packed up?¡± Vince asks. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Vince drops one last pair of socks into his satchel. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving then.¡± The five of us climb into the elevator, and it mirrors its movements from when we first arrived. Down, sideways, and then finishing its downwards movement. The car¡¯s outside is spotless. Every grain of sand has been washed away, and every scratch repaired. The inside, however, is just as messy as we left it. Ivy takes the driver¡¯s seat and Vince takes one of the back ones without so much as glancing at the car. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we check for bugs?¡± Cassie asks, mimicking my thoughts. ¡°Zero doesn¡¯t much care for what goes on outside his city. Plus, we¡¯ll be out of range in just a few hours, and unless something big has changed, he wouldn¡¯t waste the resources on bugs that won¡¯t help him.¡± Vince explains. ¡°Alright.¡± Cassie hops into the passenger¡¯s seat, and Corax and I slide in next to Vince. The door behind us slides open the moment Ivy starts up the car, and she backs out into the long row of identical, heavy metal doors. The door we first entered through is already sliding open, and Ivy slowly creeps the car towards it. A camera folds down from the ceiling, moving along a track to keep up with us. ¡°Come again soon!¡± The same voice that first let us into Vegas calls. ¡°Hopefully we won¡¯t.¡± Vince rolls down the window and replies. ¡°Well, if you do, you¡¯ll always have a place here.¡± Ivy accelerates to get away from the camera just a little sooner. The camera can¡¯t follow us beyond the door, and the climb to the surface goes quickly. We emerge into the blinding light to an empty wasteland. The last remnants of the storm still gently throws grains against our metal shell. Ivy turns the car west, and we finally leave the city behind. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go through another pass in a little over eight hours when we reach the Sierra Nevada. Wake me up when we get close, please.¡± Vince leans his seat back as far as it will go, and drops his hat over his eyes. Within seconds his breathing slows. ¡°Did he sleep at all last night?¡± I whisper to Ivy. She shakes her head. ¡°He was pouring over the data you found all night. Plus, he didn¡¯t sleep well even on the first night.¡± She explains. I should be quiet and let him sleep then. I grab a few blankets, form a little nest in my lap, and then Corax corrects it in a hundred tiny ways. ¡°Sorry it¡¯s not as good as the hotel room.¡± I whisper to him. ¡°Cozier.¡± He settles down and tosses a blanket over his back. There¡¯s nothing else to do but to pet Corax and watch the world crawl by. Once the wind finally dies down, Corax takes to the skies. I end up dismantling his nest and draping the blankets over Vince. I guess that leaves only one thing to do, I grab my book and begin to read. The sun slowly creeps below the horizon, painting the sky in a hundred shades of orange, red, and pink. A black streak falls in front of the sun. Corax pulls out of his dive just an instant before colliding with the sand. He swoops back up, putting on a show. He¡¯s visible only when he blocks out the light, and then crosses back from a random direction. Even Cassie stops paying attention to the radio to enjoy his small performance. Book 2 Chapter 36 After eight hours of driving, almost on the dot, Corax lands on the open window. ¡°Fire ahead.¡± He reports. Ivy reaches back and taps Vince on his knee. He¡¯s instantly awake, pulling back his hat, throwing off the blankets, and resting his hand on his pistol. ¡°Corax is saying there¡¯s a fire ahead.¡± I fill in for Corax. ¡°Let¡¯s get your harness on.¡± Corax hops into my lap and I quickly strap him in. In an instant he¡¯s gone from mostly harmless to being able to kill anyone from 1,000 feet in the air. Ivy guides the car towards an especially large dune, puts it in park, and climbs onto the roof through the window. ¡°There¡¯s a large convoy burning in the pass.¡± Ivy says just loudly enough for everyone to hear. ¡°I don¡¯t see any movement though, and it looks like they¡¯ve been burning for a while now.¡± Corax hops onto the windowsill, excitement gleaming in his eyes. ¡°Stay safe please.¡± I beg him. ¡°You too.¡± He leaps into the air, disappearing into the dark. ¡°Corax is going to get closer and see if he can see anything.¡± I tell everyone. ¡°Can you keep an eye on him?¡± I ask Ivy. ¡°I¡¯m already tracking him.¡± She responds. ¡°Cassie, did anyone send out an SOS?¡± Vince asks. ¡°No. I would have heard.¡± Cassie responds. ¡°Ok. Ivy, can you see a cause?¡± Vince climbs up onto the roof beside her. ¡°Some of the cars have been completely torn open. It¡¯s definitely an attack, but there¡¯s still barrels of food and water spread around.¡± Ivy replies. ¡°Kidnapping then?¡± Vince guesses. ¡°With so many explosives used?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°Maybe an assassination, although even that would be sloppy.¡± Twenty minutes later Corax lands on the roof. ¡°Few alive. Robots south.¡± He reports. ¡°Are they heading away?¡± Vince asks with barely disguised fear. Corax nods. ¡°Alright, we need to move quick. All lights off, Cassie, don¡¯t broadcast anything.¡± Vince hops into the driver''s seat and instantly puts the car in drive. Despite the movement, Ivy stays perched on the roof. ¡°Corax, keep an eye on that group, but stay as far away as possible. Tell us if they turn around.¡± Corax instantly takes to the sky once again and disappears into the night. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I ask. ¡°During the war, someone had the bright idea of making androids with their only goal to end the war. They decided that the only way to do that was to stay functional and build more of themselves. Packs of them still wander, hitting caravans and towns for repairs and new parts, still looking to find a way to end a war that ended years ago.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s awful.¡± How did the humans that made them not see this outcome though? All it takes is not defining what the end of the war is explicitly enough and they just continue on forever. I guess desperation can lead to dumb decisions. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that is what led to those rules you told me about when I first got to the compound?¡± ¡°One of the things, yeah.¡± Vince confirms. It doesn¡¯t take long before we arrive in the pass. Half deconstructed burning vehicles are strewn in front of us, blood sizing on the hot metal. Parts of bodies litter the ground, and belongings have been haphazardly torn from the cars. Broken glass, family portraits, food, and opened, empty containers of water. Don¡¯t think, just accept what I¡¯m seeing. Don¡¯t think about what it means, don¡¯t think about what happened. Just let the sights wash over my mind and accept what I¡¯m seeing without processing. I¡¯m ok. I can handle this. I¡¯m ok. ¡°Here Little Blue.¡± Vince tries to hand me his hat. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have to see this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡± I copy my thoughts into my voice. ¡°I have to be, at least until we save everyone.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that Little Blue. But alright, I trust you to know best.¡± He places his hat back on his head and parks the car in a place where we both have a straight shot through the wreckage, but can also turn around if needed. Cassie jumps out the instant the car stops, and starts quickly checking the insides of the cars. ¡°Cassie! There.¡± Ivy calls, pointing to a car in the distance. Cassie sprints over. The front of the car is an inferno, but the back is mostly unharmed. She rips open the scorched door with her metal hand, and it lands in the sand with a soft thud. She pulls out the charred remains of a human woman. She¡¯s curled around a burnt, but still faintly breathing baby. ¡°Shit! Vince! Get the trauma kit right the fuck now.¡± Cassie carefully extracts the child and begins to quickly make her way over, careful to not move more than absolutely needed. ¡°Little Blue, give me a hand.¡± All fear Vince had has been replaced with a deadly seriousness, as if nothing else matters but saving this child. He runs to the trunk and I follow. He puts a large blanket and a battery powered light into my hand. ¡°Find somewhere flat and spread this out.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I take it from him and get to work. ¡°I have a lot of medical books in my head, I can help.¡± Keep it together. I¡¯m ok. ¡°Perfect.¡± Vince spreads out his tools across the blanket, and Cassie gently sets the baby in the middle. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the baby, you take care of everyone else, alright?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I say in a shaky voice. ¡°Cassie, they¡¯re still breathing.¡± Ivy points to a body that I would have thought dead if she hadn¡¯t said anything. Cassie runs over, scoops the woman into her arms in one smooth motion, and sets her down on the tarp.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Her right leg has been shredded by shrapnel. A belt is wrapped tightly around her thigh, acting as an emergency tourniquet. It¡¯s far from perfect, but it¡¯s kept her alive. Her leg is already dying from lack of oxygen, and it looks like an artery has been punctured in several places. I don¡¯t think I have the tools to repair that kind of damage. ¡°Cassie! Another.¡± Ivy calls out. And even if I did, I wouldn¡¯t have the time to spend on a single person. ¡°Bone saw.¡± I say, holding my hand out to Vince. He grabs it from the bag and hands it to me. He also pulls out what looks like a small soldering iron, and a plastic cap from his kit next to me. A few clamps are already spread around. I guess that¡¯s all I need. Don¡¯t think, I¡¯m just following steps in a book the best I can. No anesthetic, hopefully she doesn¡¯t wake up. Leave the tourniquet, and repeat one simple motion a few dozen times. Tie off the arteries, cauterize the veins, and attach the cap to prevent any further bleeding. Wrap everything to ensure it stays in place. It¡¯s not exactly textbook, but it¡¯s the best I can do. ¡°Done.¡± I tell Cassie, and she moves the woman away from me, only to quickly replace her with an injured man. He looks uninjured, but he¡¯s heaving inconsistent, raspy, breaths that make his whole body shudder. Smoke inhalation is my best guess. That¡¯s not something I can entirely fix, if the damage is too bad there¡¯s nothing I can do to save him. There¡¯s only one thing I can try. If he can¡¯t breathe because his trachea is swollen, instead of his lungs being too damaged to function, I can save him. I grab a thin, long tube from the kit and feed it though his mouth and into his trachea. His breathing instantly smooths a little bit. I have no idea if a breathing tube will be enough, if the damage is too bad in his lungs I¡¯m only prolonging the inevitable without pure oxygen, but it¡¯s the best I can do. He¡¯s going to rip it out the moment he wakes up. I grab a few cable ties from the car and restrain his hands, just in case. While I work a gunshot goes off from the other end of the convoy where Cassie is. Vince doesn¡¯t even look up from his patient, trusting that Cassie is alright. ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Cassie yells. ¡°Give me that. If that shot makes the robots turn around I am leaving you here!¡± Cassie reappears, pinning a young, stammering man¡¯s arm behind his back. The instant his eyes land on me, fear fills his face and he tries to stumble back, only to be pushed on by Cassie. I do have an awful lot of blood on me, and a severed leg in the sand next to me. I can¡¯t exactly be mad at him being surprised. ¡°What are you doing with that thing?¡± He asks, terror filling his voice. Ok, never mind. Anger flares up inside me, forming too many threads for me to kill. Instead, I form a ball from the threads in my mind and trap the anger inside. I let it twist and grow, encased in a small sphere that I shove to the corner of my mind. I can deal with it later. ¡°She¡¯s a friend, and if you call her a thing again you¡¯re going back in the trunk and I¡¯m restarting the fire.¡± Cassie shoves him onto the ground against our car. ¡°Now sit there and shut the fuck up.¡± ¡°Are you injured?¡± The anger still comes through in my voice, but at least I can deal with it. ¡°No, he¡¯s not.¡± Cassie answers for him and runs off to check the other cars. I keep my pistols close at hand. Cassie returns with a third person. Shrapnel is embedded all over their skin, but it looks like he¡¯s lucky, none of it went deep enough to hit anything important. I grab the tweezers from my bag, a needle and thread from the trauma kit, and get to work. The man behind me never takes his eyes off of me. He tries to stand up a few times, but a quick word from Ivy gets him to stay put. I wrap up any wounds I think will heal on their own, but most of them are too deep to safely leave them to heal. Don¡¯t think about the feeling of stabbing a man repeatedly, just focus on my actions, focus on sewing. This is for the best, he won¡¯t live if I don¡¯t do this. The man with the breathing tube begins to stir behind me. ¡°Cassie!¡± Ivy yells out. She returns in an instant, holding the man down by his shoulders. ¡°I need you to calm the fuck down.¡± She says sternly. The man thrashes against both her and his restraints. He¡¯s going to hurt himself if he keeps doing that, but it¡¯s not my problem. I did my job, now I have to focus on the person in front of me and hope Cassie knows what she¡¯s doing. I tune her out and focus solely on my job. Corax lands on my shoulder, pulling me out of my trance. ¡°They¡¯re coming.¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Cassie yells behind me. ¡°How much time do we have?¡± Vince asks. ¡°Not long.¡± Corax responds. Vince isn¡¯t nearly done working on the baby. Even if we could cram eight people into our car, there¡¯s no way to do it while still allowing Vince to work. ¡°Cassie, give me that guy¡¯s gun.¡± I say before anyone else can, an idea popping into existence in my head. She grabs it from her waistband and places it in the sand next to me before returning to trying to settle the man with the breathing tube. I grab it and check it. Bullet in chamber, ammo in magazine, safety off. ¡°Corax, take this a mile southeast, land, fire, and repeat until it¡¯s empty. Lead them away and buy us time.¡± I hold up the gun for him to grab in his talons, and he takes off into the night. ¡°Good idea.¡± Vince says without taking his eyes off the child. ¡°But we still need to get out of here.¡± My patient is stable enough. All the big gashes have been closed, and he can probably live with the rest. Just in case, I walk up to the uninjured man. Fear consumes him and the small ball of anger flares, but I¡¯m ok. I can handle it for a little longer. I hand him a roll of bandages. ¡°Wrap up anything that is still bleeding.¡± I gesture to the man who I was working on a moment ago and step away. Taking stock of the surrounding cars, it¡¯s easy to see none of them are in running shape. Engine compartments have been opened on all the ones that aren¡¯t on fire, and those robots would be dumb to not take basically everything that still works. ¡°Little Blue, can you make a sled that we can pull behind the car?¡± Vince asks. ¡°We¡¯re not leaving these people behind.¡± ¡°Probably?¡± If I can free the roofs of one of these cars it should work well enough. In that case all I¡¯d need is some rope or a chain to connect it to the car. If that doesn¡¯t work, maybe I can connect a few doors together? ¡°I¡¯ll figure out something.¡± A gunshot rings out in the distance. I get to work on one of the non-burning cars. The roof is welded directly to the rest of the body. I guess it¡¯s the easiest way to keep things sandproof. Don¡¯t panic, just think. This isn¡¯t an unsolvable problem. ¡°Do we have any power tools?¡± I ask. ¡°Here.¡± Cassie runs to the trunk, only to return with what look like oversized garden shears. The long handles offer a lot of leverage, and will hopefully chew through the metal without too much issue. When I grab it, I can see that the uninjured man has taken over comforting the man with a tube down his throat. ¡°Thank you.¡± It only takes a few minutes to get the roof free. In that time a few more gunshots go off in the distance, and Corax returns to me. ¡°Did it work?¡± Cassie asks him hopefully. Corax nods, but still shifts from foot to foot uncomfortably. ¡°We need to move.¡± Ivy says. ¡°If they don¡¯t find anything they¡¯re going to come this way.¡± ¡°Cassie, can you help me move this?¡± I gesture to the roof I¡¯ve just severed. It¡¯s far too heavy for me to do alone. She doesn¡¯t hesitate to come over and silently helps me lift it. The two of us carry the sheet of metal and place it behind the car. While I make small holes in the metal by stabbing my oversized scissors into it, Cassie collects some metal chains from the wreckage. It only takes a few seconds to connect the makeshift sled to the car. ¡°We¡¯re good to go.¡± I inform Vince, who immediately scoops up the child and moves his setup onto the piece of metal. ¡°Good. I can see them in the distance and they¡¯re turning this way. Looks like a group of at least twenty or thirty.¡± Ivy¡¯s statement drives fear into the center of my mind, threatening to overturn the fragile grip on the situation that I have. Corax gives me a gentle tap on my cheek, reminding me of his presence. He¡¯s here. I¡¯m ok. I can do this. I can handle this. ¡°Little Blue, can you stay with me?¡± Vince asks. ¡°I need you to make sure nothing slides while we drive.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I step onto the sled and crouch down next to him. I spend a few moments placing everything he has out securely back in the trauma kit, ready to grab anything the moment he asks for it. Ivy begins directing the rest of the survivors where to sit. Ivy remains on the roof; the woman missing a leg, and the man who I removed the shrapnel from are loaded into the back seat, with the uninjured man between them to keep a lookout. The breathing tube man takes shotgun, Cassie ends up driving, and Ivy remains perched on the roof. ¡°We¡¯re going to be fine, they¡¯re slow.¡± Ivy reassures everyone, and Cassie begins her drive. Book 2 Chapter 37 Cassie does her best to keep the car as level as possible so those of us on the sled don¡¯t slide too much. Despite that, I have to reach out to stabilize Vince a few times. Right now, Vince is doing his best to graft artificial skin onto the baby. It¡¯s slow-going on the ever shifting sled, but he¡¯s somehow managing. Corax and I end up mostly just offering our silent support, and handing him tools when asked. ¡°We¡¯re definitely faster than them.¡± Ivy yells down over the wind loud enough for both us and Cassie to hear. ¡°I¡¯m just not sure how long they¡¯re going to chase us for.¡± ¡°How long will the battery last?¡± Vince yells out. ¡°Only five or six more hours.¡± Cassie yells back. ¡°Ok. Keep skirting around the base of the mountain range. If they don¡¯t turn around we¡¯ll find somewhere to hide or fight.¡± Cassie disappears back into the car for a few minutes before popping her head out once again. ¡°Bad news Vince, apparently the caravan was running from San Francisco, the place is dead.¡± Cassie yells back. ¡°Assuming we survive, we need a new plan.¡± Vince spends a few seconds silently thinking before he responds. ¡°On the map you should see a place called the Monterey Canyon. Do you think we can make it there? It¡¯s a good way onto the seabed, and a good place to fight.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nine hours from here.¡± Cassie responds after a few minutes. ¡°There¡¯s a path into an old lakebed we can reach, but it¡¯s a long fucking path through the mountains.¡± ¡°I think I know that path, unless something big has changed, it¡¯ll get us killed.¡± Vince responds, still without looking up. ¡°What about the others? Do they know anywhere we can lay low?¡± Cassie¡¯s head disappears back into the car for a few seconds before popping out once again. ¡°Nobody who¡¯s conscious has ever left San Francisco before now.¡± She yells out. ¡°Great.¡± Vince sighs to himself. ¡°Keep driving until the car¡¯s an hour from empty, we¡¯ll find a hiding place then if we need to. We¡¯ll stop to recharge when we can, and see if we can¡¯t find a town in the Monterey Canyon to drop these people off at.¡± ¡°Alright. Ivy tell me if they turn around.¡± Cassie yells to the roof of the car. ¡°They¡¯re going to be out of sight soon, I¡¯ll need Corax to check if they¡¯re following our tracks after that.¡± Corax gives her a nod from my shoulder. I don¡¯t like him having to take so many risks, but he¡¯s the only one who can do this. ¡°Just make sure you stay safe.¡± I tell him quietly. He nods seriously. Corax shoots into the air every ten minutes, only to report back that they¡¯re still chasing us. Cassie even tries turning away from the mountains for a bit, just in case they just happen to be heading in this direction too. Of course, they turn exactly where we did, following our tracks. After an hour of working, Vince finally seems like he¡¯s done all he can for the child. Artificial skin covers the worst of their burns, and they seem to be breathing a little stronger. Vince gently picks up the child in his arms and sits down next to me, looking towards the inevitable bots chasing us down. ¡°If worse comes to worst, I could use the harpoon.¡± I offer. ¡°Maybe they have some kind of connection with each other I could exploit.¡± ¡°Hopefully we won¡¯t have to do that.¡± Vince responds. ¡°How are you holding up?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve managed to bottle up most of my emotions, I¡¯ll be ok until we¡¯re safe.¡± The anger thrashing around in the corner of my mind is only getting worse. I¡¯m doing my best to prune it from the outside, but any threads that try to slip inside are consumed by the monster I¡¯ve created. ¡°I¡¯m just not sure what¡¯ll happen when I do open it.¡± ¡°Help.¡± Corax says from my shoulder, giving me a small tap. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I¡¯m not alone, Corax can help me through it. Melding again will hopefully quell the thoughts enough that I can kill them. Unless, of course, the emotions are too strong and consume us both. In that case turning the both of us off temporarily to kill our conscious thoughts is the only option, but I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d wake up here or in a hallucination of the lab. I¡¯m not going to let that happen. ¡°Do you think they¡¯re going to live?¡± I ask, nodding towards the child in Vince¡¯s arms. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Vince says honestly while staring at the baby. ¡°I¡¯ve done everything I can, it¡¯s up to him now.¡± Another hour later, and the child begins to stir in Vince¡¯s arms. It reaches up for something, before letting out a weak cough, followed by quietly crying. A conflicted look flashes across Vince¡¯s face.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how we¡¯re going to hide with a crying baby.¡± He turns around and yells to the car. ¡°Ivy? How far away are they?¡± ¡°Well over the horizon.¡± She responds, still perched atop the car. ¡°Alright, Cassie, stop for just a moment.¡± Once the car completely stops he stands up, opens the trunk, and grabs a jar of soup base, some water, and a spoon. He returns to the sled and Cassie starts up the car again. Vince waits for us to be driving over a flat part of the desert before he sits the crying baby in his lap, and brings a small spoonful of broth up to his lips. It takes a minute for the child to realize what is happening, but eventually he stops fighting and lets Vince pour the food down his throat. ¡°There we go little guy. You need your strength.¡± The food doesn¡¯t stop the crying, but the baby manages to eat a little bit in between his heartbreaking sobs. At the three-hour mark, Corax once again shoots into the steadily brightening sky, and once again reports that they¡¯re still following. ¡°Corax, can you fly ahead and find a cave we can get into or a small path we can hide in? Ideally something with as many twists and turns as possible.¡± Vince asks over the slowly growing voice of the child. Corax takes to the skies once again. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± No matter how much I try to hide my fear, it comes out clear as day. With every passing mile I¡¯ve grown more certain that the moment we¡¯re forced to stop, that will be our death. ¡°We¡¯ve put a good distance between us and them. We¡¯re going to hide somewhere, and Ivy¡¯s going to have a lot of time to hide our tracks. They¡¯re not good at searching when they reach the end of a trail. As long as we¡¯re hidden a few miles from the end we¡¯re going to be alright.¡± Even I can tell his confidence is fake. ¡°But what about him?¡± I ask Vince about the child once again. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s a cave we can always block off the entrance for a while, that¡¯ll muffle the noise plenty. If we¡¯re in a valley, then we either hide in the car and hope, or I put him to sleep with some opioids. I¡¯d really rather not take the chance of giving him the wrong dose though.¡± Instead of returning to my shoulder, Corax lands on the hood of the car to begin directing Cassie. ¡°Looks like he found something.¡± I say to Vince to try to cheer him up. ¡°I just hope it¡¯s good enough.¡± ¡°It is.¡± He wouldn¡¯t lead us somewhere he feels bad about. It¡¯s going to be fine, I trust him with far more than just my life. Ivy calls Corax to her shoulder and has a short conversation with him that gets lost in the wind. Corax returns to his spot at the hood, and Cassie brings the car to a stop. Ivy hops gracefully off the roof and pulls a few things that I can¡¯t see clearly from the trunk. The sound of pained cries comes from inside, only to be silenced when the trunk closes. Ivy steps to the side and the car once again pulls forward, leaving her behind. Vince gives a deep nod to her as we pass, but says nothing. ¡°Why is she staying behind?¡± My mind tries to answer that question in a hundred different ways. Vince¡¯s calm composure is the only thing keeping those answers from consuming my mind. ¡°She¡¯s going to hide our tracks and catch up with us.¡± He answers. Sure enough, she gets to work hiding any trace of our existence. The car is much faster than her, she¡¯s not going to be able to keep up. ¡°Is that safe?¡± ¡°We put a lot of distance between us and the bots. She has enough time.¡± After only a hundred feet Corax directs the car into the mountains. Steep walls tower over either side of us, and almost instantly we reach a fork in the road. Corax leads us through nearly a dozen more twists and turns before the car finally stops at a dead end. We¡¯re three miles into this canyon, I just have to hope it¡¯s enough. If they do find us, there¡¯s no way out. Corax lands on my shoulder, ensuring those thoughts don¡¯t get worse. ¡°Little Blue, can you give me a hand?¡± Vince stands up and walks over to the trunk. ¡°There¡¯s a sand-colored tarp in here somewhere, can you grab it?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I stand up and open the trunk, only to be met once again with distressed cries. Don¡¯t process them, just let them happen. I can worry about it later. Only a few seconds after beginning my search, Cassie comes to join us, her face red with anger. She hisses something to Vince, but I can¡¯t make out her words over all the sound. Cassie grabs the beige cover from under a collection of stuff and slams the trunk shut. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask the moment I can. ¡°She can¡¯t turn off her ears.¡± Vince fills me in. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of everyone if you two can set this up.¡± Instead of responding, Cassie immediately starts to unfold the tarp while Vince climbs back inside. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have had to suffer for so long, I¡¯m sorry. You could have asked me to drive instead.¡± ¡°Not when the uninjured bastard, Isaac, is liable to shoot you.¡± The anger I have dubiously contained in the corner of my mind flares, straining its container and threatening to break free. It takes nearly my entire mind wrapping endless threads around it to re-contain it. Cassie drapes the tarp over the car, the color identical to the sand beneath our feet. ¡°Push the sled under the car.¡± She says. I follow her instructions while Cassie pins down the tarp by driving large spikes into the sand. It only takes her a few minutes before we¡¯re completely covered. A few curved metal rods turn us from a car shaped lump, to indistinguishable from any other pile of sand. The tarp is textured to look like sand, but thankfully thin enough to let a little bit of light through. ¡°I can still hear them.¡± Cassie drops onto the ground with her back against the car door. ¡°How are they doing?¡± I ask. ¡°How do you think? Fucking awful.¡± She kicks the sand with her foot, and I sit down next to her. I reach into my backpack and hand her one of her books. ¡°Here, maybe this will help.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Cassie lets out a half-hearted laugh and pushes the book back to me. ¡°I wish. I can barely hear myself think.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± I keep the book in my lap anyway. ¡°Didn¡¯t we talk about you apologizing about fucking everything?¡± She gives me an indecipherable look. It¡¯s not anger or annoyance, or at least not completely that at least. ¡°Right.¡± An apology was halfway to my speaker before I realized what I was about to do. ¡°I really am trying.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Silence settles over the two of us for just a moment before she continues. ¡°Corax, can you check on Ivy? As much as I hate it, it''s safer for you to do it.¡± I pull up an edge of our hiding spot, and Corax immediately darts through the opening and disappears into the morning light. She watches him go before shaking some thought out of her head. Book 2 Chapter 38 After only a few minutes of growing terror, the outline of Corax appears, barely visible though the tarp. He digs his beak beneath the edge and forces his head inside. ¡°Safe.¡± He says. ¡°Help Ivy.¡± ¡°Ok, just please be careful.¡± I beg. Corax gives me a serious nod and retracts his head, disappearing once again. I grab a poetry book and attempt to smother my mind in it. I don¡¯t want to have to worry about Corax every instant until he¡¯s back. I don¡¯t want to worry about my steadily growing anger and what will happen when I try to release it. I just want to pass the time until everything is better. Time ticks by slowly as my mind grapples with metaphors and allusions. The reading doesn¡¯t help anything, but I do think it¡¯s stopping it from getting worse. That¡¯s good enough until Corax gets back and can save me again from my own mind. At some point Cassie takes the book from my lap and starts idly flipping through it. The two of us sit together for an hour, with only the occasional sound drifting out of the car. Or at least occasional for me, I¡¯m sure Cassie can still hear everything that¡¯s happening in there. Our rest is interrupted by Cassie giving a solid tap on the door, followed by the side of the tarp being pulled up. I look at Cassie for what to do. She¡¯s not reaching for her weapons, I don¡¯t need to either. Corax flies from Ivy¡¯s shoulder to mine the moment the tarp is lifted up, and she pins it back down behind her. Ivy turns around, looking at us properly for the first time and freezes, tilting her head to the side and glancing back towards where she came from a few times. ¡°What?¡± Cassie asks, already annoyed by her. ¡°Oh nothing.¡± Ivy waves a hand dismissively with a smile. ¡°Just trying to figure out if my chances are better with two pissed off girls or the robots.¡± Cassie only rolls her eyes and returns to her book. Ok. Safe. Ivy flashes two signs into the car and takes a seat between the two of us. ¡°I can guess what Cassie¡¯s problem is, but what about you Blue?¡± She asks. ¡°I learned my mom was right again.¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± Kara¡¯s voice echoes in my ears, only to be dismissed by a quick pull of my ear. ¡°I learned to bottle up my emotions, but it¡¯s just getting worse and I don¡¯t know how to let it out. I¡¯m afraid if Corax tries to help it¡¯ll just end up overwhelming both of us.¡± My worries flow from my mouth so quickly I can barely believe Ivy can understand me. Corax takes a step closer on my shoulder, pushing his entire body up against my neck and cheek in support. His feathers are so warm from the sun, it helps calm me down a little. Ivy gently guides me into laying down and resting my head on her lap where she once again begins taking care of my hair. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out.¡± She reassured me gently. ¡±Why don¡¯t you tell me where it started?¡± ¡°The uninjured guy wants me dead.¡± I say. A few tears stain Ivy¡¯s pants. ¡°He was so afraid, so full of anger, when all I was doing was saving his friends.¡± The anger flares up once again. If I keep talking it¡¯s going to burst free. I can¡¯t be around anyone when that happens. I pull my guns out of their holsters and set them in between Cassie and Ivy. ¡°Keep them, please.¡± I beg into the open air. Cassie stands up, moves over to my backpack, and pulls out my tablet. She places it in my hand, along with my cord. ¡°You have a journal, use it.¡± She sits back in her spot. Her advice flashes through my mind. She¡¯s right, I need to get my emotions out of my head and onto the page. I look to Corax, silently asking if I can handle it. He nods, crouching down further on my shoulder, leaving his beak only inches from my ear. I pull up the notes application and begin to type. I pluck a single malformed thought from the endless creature in my mind and copy it in its entirety to my tablet. Once done I can realize just how dumb it is, and safely delete it. Exact copies of the thought in the swirling ball of anger disappear with it. I pull another thought, acknowledge it, rationalize it, and move on. I slowly come to the realization that the anger doesn¡¯t want to consume me, it just wants attention. Once I work through an individual thought, it never reforms in the ball. Are the rest of my emotions like this? Is all I¡¯ve had to do this whole time is to acknowledge, rationalize, and move on? No, if it was that simple someone would have told me a long time ago.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°This is helping, thank you.¡± I don¡¯t even have to take breaks while working through everything. One thought at a time, entirely separate from everything else going on in my mind, is manageable. Cassie mutters something I can¡¯t quite catch into her book. Even Corax eventually relaxes, hopping from my shoulder and digging himself between Ivy¡¯s legs and on the hot sand. I have no idea how he doesn¡¯t overheat, and a little bit of jealousy springs into existence inside my mind. Ok, I should try to deal with this. First off, why am I jealous? It¡¯s really easy for me to overheat if I don¡¯t give it constant attention. Especially now, laying in the sand with the anger still churning, even the slowest of thoughts threatens to tip the scales and lead to generating far more heat than I can manage. Is it a reasonable feeling? No, it¡¯s just that our bodies and brains have different requirements. He¡¯s purely code, and his whole system wouldn¡¯t have any trouble running nearly hot enough to boil water, while my chip would cook itself. We both have different advantages too, I get more processing power and multiple emotions, while his system is far more stable. Acknowledge, rationalize, move on. I sever the thread of thought and let my mind wander unwatched. The jealousy doesn¡¯t even attempt to come back. Fuck, it has been this easy the whole time. Three simple words could have solved every problem I¡¯ve ever had. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll work for the hallucinations, but I have a plan, something I can try, something I can fight back with. I can¡¯t help but laugh. Cassie jerks in surprise, her hand flying to her knife and her eyes watching for a single moment, ready for some non-existent fight. Ivy and Corax, on the other hand, barely react besides a small look of surprise on their faces. ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± I get my laughter back under control and Cassie relaxes a little. ¡°It¡¯s just that apparently emotions have been easy to deal with all along, and nobody ever bothered to tell me.¡± I guess that would have been Mary¡¯s job, she just sucked at it. Corax settles back down in his nest, beaming with pride for me. Ivy doesn¡¯t say anything, she just gives me a warm smile and keeps untangling my hair. I think she¡¯s even creating more tangles for her to work on, just because I like the feeling so much. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard you laugh before.¡± Cassie says quietly, finally letting herself relax. ¡°Huh. I think that¡¯s my first time, actually.¡± The four of us sit here for an hour while I slowly work on my feelings. The swirling mass gradually shrinks. New thoughts still generate, but they¡¯re so nonsensical it only takes an instant to dismiss them as such. Everything is fine until Cassie breaks the silence. ¡°Shh.¡± She silently stands up, straining her ears for any sound. Footsteps. One. She signs to us, and then repeats the signs into the car after waving to get Vince¡¯s attention. Fear threatens to grip my mind. It''s the robots, they''ve found us, there¡¯s nothing else it could be. I shove the thoughts into the anger ball, I can deal with it later. Ivy gently helps me sit up, grabs her rifle, and loads a single bullet in. Cassie pulls out both her knife and new, silent pistol, and I unsling the harpoon from my back. Hack? I signal to them. Maybe. Cassie responds and takes a few silent steps forward, stopping just in front of the edge of the tarp. She crouches down, ready to fling our cover into the air at a moment''s notice. Something presses on the tarp, their hand sinking deep into the material, trying to reach straight through it. ¡°Go!¡± Ivy whispers only loud enough for the two of us to clearly hear. Cassie flings the tarp into the air and takes a step outside. The robot stands in front of us, a mobile collection of scrap. It reacts the instant Cassie reveals herself, but she¡¯s faster. She drives her knife into the robot¡¯s shoulder, disabling one of its arms. She thrusts her pistol into the other and pulls the trigger, the only sound it makes is the ripping of metal. In an instant the robot is disarmed, its gun dropped uselessly into the sand. The robot tries to turn and run, but a single swipe of Cassie¡¯s leg brings it crashing down roughly into the sand. Ivy pulls out a few cable ties from a pocket, and only a few seconds later the robot is rendered entirely immobile. We¡¯re lucky it can¡¯t scream. ¡°Do we need to worry about a distress signal?¡± I ask. ¡°No.¡± Vince answers from behind me, stepping out of the car with his rifle in his hands. ¡°It not making it back will act like one though.¡± ¡°How long do we have?¡± Ivy asks, taking a knee and aiming her rifle down the way we came. ¡°No idea, but I¡¯d expect not long.¡± Corax takes off from my shoulder, disappearing high into the sky. He¡¯ll give us an answer. I crouch down over the robot and peel back a few of its loosely connected scrap sheets. It doesn¡¯t take long before I find a universal connector hidden in its torso. ¡°I can take care of it. I should be able to reprogram it to think it never saw anything.¡± ¡°Careful.¡± Vince crouches down beside me. ¡°Keep in mind these things were designed to kill AI, they¡¯re not going to be easy to hack.¡± ¡°What other choice do we have?¡± Corax lands on my shoulder from nowhere. ¡°Twenty minutes.¡± He reports. ¡°Alright, just stay safe Little Blue.¡± He rests a firm hand on my shoulder. ¡°I will.¡± I reassure him. ¡°Corax, stay out here and pull me out if I need it, alright?¡± Corax gives me a nod. I trust him to know when I¡¯m in danger. I pull a cord out of my backpack and plug it into my wrist. The moment I connect it to the robot, pain flashes through both my arm and mind for just an instant, before being severed. It was such a short period of overwhelming pain that I didn¡¯t even fall to the ground. ¡°Ow!¡± I yell out in pain long after the actual pain has left. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Vince¡¯s entire face is drenched in worry. ¡°Yeah.¡± I unplug myself from the robot and retract the plates on my forearm. A small fuse in my arm has been burned away to nothing. Something so tiny is the only reason I¡¯m alive. I pick it out and drop it into the sand. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it just applied 240 volts directly to my data line.¡± A quick check reports that nothing else was damaged from the power surge. ¡°Well, what now?¡± Cassie asks after a few moments of silence. ¡°Just give me a moment, I¡¯ll think of something.¡± I have to think of something. Book 2 Chapter 39 ¡°We can figure something else out, you don¡¯t have to try again.¡± Vince reassures me. ¡°I have some explosives, we can just set up an ambush.¡± ¡°I can do it. Everything can be hacked, I just have to figure out how.¡± Looking closer at the universal connector that just almost fried me, it¡¯s clear that it¡¯s connected to the rest of its circuitry. Maybe it¡¯s just wired up in some weird way? ¡°Do you have a multimeter and a five volt fuse?¡± ¡°Uh, Cassie?¡± Vince looks to her for an answer. ¡°Don¡¯t waste this.¡± Cassie reaches into her backpack and pulls out a small fuse, nearly identical to the one I fried. She passes it to me and heads towards the car. ¡°I guess we do.¡± Vince shrugs. ¡°I¡¯m going to get an ambush set up, just in case. Stay safe please.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Now that I know what I¡¯m dealing with, I can work around it. And if this connector doesn¡¯t have a data line, I¡¯ll just remove the hard drive and work on that directly. Cassie returns only a moment later with a multimeter. She hands it to me, and runs off to help Vince. I grab a soldering iron from my backpack, and desolder all the wires connecting the robot to the universal port I found. From there, testing the outgoing voltage on each wire is easy. Every single one of them has 240 volts running through them with more than enough voltage to fry anything, this entire thing is a trap. Great, looks like it¡¯s plan B time. This thing''s head has been reconstructed so many times I¡¯m surprised it¡¯s even holding together on its own. It looks like its head was once entirely welded together, preventing this exact attack. Over time though, sand and rust have eaten through the metal, only to be replaced with equally rusty steel sheets. I reach inside it¡¯s head. A simple off switch sits at the center, and the moment I flick it the robot goes limp. I safely unplug and remove the hard drive. It doesn¡¯t use the same universal connector that¡¯s in my arm, but I can fix that. I unsolder my own port, and connect the now free wires to the hard drive. Fifteen years of this robot''s life is accessible to me. Everything from its construction, to a raid on an AI stronghold, to wandering the wastes for uncountable ages is laid out before me. It¡¯s memories tell me these robots do become sentient occasionally, only to be shot down where they stand the instant they¡¯re discovered. This one is just a robot, although I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s lucky or not. Something flickers at the edge of my consciousness, a stray thought that I had no knowledge of disappears before I can turn my attention to it. It¡¯s fine. Just focus on what I¡¯m doing. I wrap a dense wall of threads around my mind just in case. It¡¯ll make me heat up, but keep me safe until I¡¯m done. These robots share memories with each other to communicate through an incredibly well hidden port. I find its most recent memories, wipe it, and generate a new one from nothing. The robot walked down the canyon, saw nothing, and turned around. At the entrance, I make it remember tripping on nothing and hitting scrap on the way down. It¡¯ll remember its arms being destroyed by the scrap, and ending up lying in the sands. We¡¯ll be able to move it there and reactivate it, and it¡¯ll be none the wiser. I unplug from the hard drive, reconnect it to inside the bot, and put its head back in place. ¡°Ivy, help me carry this, it¡¯s done, we¡¯ll be safe.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Ivy stands up and grabs its legs. I take its arms and lead the way to the mouth of the crevice. ¡°Cassie, grab a metal pole and something sharp that we can pretend did this damage. Nothing we¡¯re not willing to lose.¡± Something slams against the wall I¡¯ve constructed in my mind. Something outside of me. Fuck, that¡¯s bad. There must have been malware on the hard drive, I wasn¡¯t careful enough. I keep the wall up until we reach where the robot thinks it fell. Everything has to be perfect when it wakes up or it won¡¯t work. I can handle a few more degrees of heat. I explain everything to Vince, Cassie, and Ivy while I get everything perfect. I don¡¯t worry them with my new infection, that can wait until we¡¯re safe. Once every last grain of sand is in place I finally step back. ¡°Ivy, can you clear the footsteps? And Vince, can I talk to you?¡± I ask. I¡¯m sure he can hear the desperation and fear in my mind. ¡°Sure, Little Blue.¡± Vince starts to walk towards the car, and I follow. Once we¡¯re out of range of the others I begin to speak. ¡°I think there was malware on that hard drive. Something else is in my mind with me.¡± The words carry my fear with them. ¡°Please tell me you know how to fix me.¡± ¡°Sorry Little Blue. Clover never had to deal with this, and I didn¡¯t know any other AI personally.¡± Vince pulls me into a tight hug.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Help.¡± Corax pulls gently on my ear. ¡°No!¡± I turn my head to look at him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you get infected too.¡± Fury flashes through his eyes for a moment, only to be replaced with sympathy a moment later. He nuzzles warmly against my cheek, reassuring me it¡¯s going to be alright. I don¡¯t need the extra heat. ¡°I have to let down my defenses or I¡¯m going to overheat.¡± I collapse into his chest, letting whatever tears I still have soak into his shirt. ¡°I¡¯m so scared.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Little Blue.¡± He holds me tight and guides me over to the car. He sits me down without ever letting go, and takes a seat beside me, holding me close. ¡°It¡¯s going to be ok.¡± He says gently. ¡°How do you know?¡± I¡¯m so desperate for that to be true that I almost let myself believe him. ¡°You¡¯re not the first AI to get a virus, and biological ones are more resistant to them.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I finally look up at him, unable to discern the emotion on his face. ¡°That¡¯s what I always heard.¡± I guess that makes sense. A virus getting control of Corax could just wipe the entirety of him in an instant. Whatever this is, it can¡¯t delete me, it can¡¯t alter my memories. I don¡¯t even think it can reset me, there¡¯s no way to do that without physical tools. I¡¯m going to be ok, I can fight this. ¡°Ok. I¡¯m going to do it.¡± I let down my defenses and something slips inside the moment it can. It weaves its way to my core far faster than I can react, disappearing between my thoughts. Some of those thoughts begin to warp, although it¡¯s impossible to tell if I¡¯m the source of it. A skeletal hand shoots out of the sand beside me, clawing to the surface. As it pulls itself out muscle, nerves, and skin begin to stitch together across its arm. A head pops out, barren save for red spots all across it. The creature stands up, a lab coat falling across her skeletal frame. Muscle stitches together beneath her clothes, but barely makes a difference. ¡°I¡¯m going to have so much fun.¡± Kara steps forward, two more pairs of hands breaking the surface behind her. Vince draws his pistol and fires, hitting her square in the forehead. Her skull catches the bullet, spinning for a moment against the bone before dropping into the sand. The small amount of skin that broke beneath the bullet fixes itself in an instant. ¡°You think that¡¯ll stop me?¡± She steps forward, wrestling the gun out of Vince¡¯s hand. She places it beneath his chin. I¡¯m frozen, unable to stop her from pulling the trigger. Time warps around me, a thousand insults, threats, and promises followed through from the lab members hit in an instant, overwhelming my mind. Time then freezes, letting me wallow in everything they¡¯ve done to me. The world goes black, and I wake up once again in the lab. I live through a hundred birthdays a thousand times. The lab melts away as the sun goes supernova, finally freeing me from my eternal life. Slowly the blue sky begins to reform. I¡¯m on my back with my limbs nonfunctional. Corax stands on my chest, and Vince stands against the car only a few feet away. The moment I¡¯m conscious, Corax reaches down and reattaches the speaker in my mouth, letting me speak. ¡°Vince?¡± I cry out to him, and he jumps. He kneels beside me as quickly as he can, and takes my face in his hands. One of his eyes has a nasty black and purple ring around it. ¡°Vince, what¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Blue!¡± He calls out. ¡°You¡¯re fighting whatever¡¯s happening, just get through it and you¡¯ll be alright.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can.¡± ¡°Of course you can¡¯t.¡± Jared stands beside me, and the world swallows me up. I fall for hours, my mind assaulted by incomprehensible lights and sounds. Finally, the assault on my senses relents, and I land in someone¡¯s arms. It¡¯s almost a relief before I realize where I am. Kara, Finn, and Jared stare down at me. They pull secrets from my mouth. They already know everything, of course, but they want to hear me admit them. In a blur I tell them anything they want to hear. True, false, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll say anything to desperately try to get them to leave. Every word becomes true the moment it leaves my mouth. I tell them I hate everyone I know, and my mind warps to make it true. I admit I knew the world would end up this way when I kept the laptop encrypted, and the guilt of billions weighs down on me. Kara steps in front of me, erasing all light. Tiny pinpricks of light begin to dot the black background. A void sits in front of me, a familiar black shape. ¡°Corax?¡± I try to reach out to him, only for my limbs to remain stationary. ¡°Corax please. Please not again.¡± I beg into the open air. Corax crouches down, looking me directly in my eye. Two quick pecks steal my fight from me, returning me to their grasp. After eons of wearing my mind down, Kara, Finn, and Jared¡¯s words begin to blur together into an overwhelming, incomprehensible firestorm ravaging my mind. Their assault tries to wipe away all conscious thought, leaving my mind no more than a barren wasteland. Vince¡¯s words beat against my mind. You¡¯re fighting whatever¡¯s happening, just get through it and you¡¯ll be ok. His words try to lull me into oblivion, doing nothing is so easy, just letting every thought be washed away. I wouldn¡¯t hurt, I wouldn¡¯t make mistakes, I¡¯d never have to worry again. No. No, I can''t do that. If I don¡¯t keep fighting, the worm is going to keep raising the temperature of my chip and boil me alive. It¡¯ll take control of my limbs, it¡¯ll kill everyone else and make me watch. I form whatever strands of thought that are still my own and wrap them around the core of my mind, buying me just a moment to think. There¡¯s no room in here for emotion, I can¡¯t spare a single thread. How do I fight this? I don¡¯t. I can¡¯t. It¡¯s far too late to fight this on my own. I know who can though. I weave my thoughts together into a single message, a message I never wanted to send, but there¡¯s no other option. I force the message out into the storm. Fear springs from my mind, overpowering the thought. I direct those threads into the storm too, forming a protective shell around the message. The storm burns through layer after layer of threads, but the core remains for just long enough to reach my mouth. ¡°Corax!¡± My own garbled, barely comprehensible voice is added to the firestorm. ¡°Turn me off, remove my drives, clear my RAM!¡± The storm rages harder, turning white-hot, lighting my entire existence on fire. The worm sees my way out, and it¡¯s not going to let it happen. It¡¯ll burn my mind to ash before it lets me escape. The core of my mind begins to boil, a heat more intense than anything I¡¯ve felt before. Threads are burned away the instant they¡¯re created. I¡¯m unable to do anything. An electric shock races across my mind. A burning charge that¡¯s somehow cooler than the storm a moment ago, somehow a relief. Book 2 Chapter 40 ¡°Cassie!¡± Vince yells out at me from behind the car. I drop everything and sprint as fast as my legs can carry me to him, drawing my knife as I move. I turn the corner and see Blue attacking Vince. He¡¯s not fighting back, scared to hurt her, and he has a black eye to show for it. My mind screams at me to end her, Sonia told me where her brain is, and a single stab would end every problem we¡¯ve had recently. I reach out towards her neck, only for the bird to take a chunk out of my finger. I power through the pain and flip her hidden switch, forcing her limbs to go limp. She still thrashes her torso around and her skin plates move at random, but she can¡¯t hurt anyone anymore. ¡°On.¡± Corax demands as Blue begins to scream. Fucking bird. I reach my metal hand into her mouth and unplug her speaker. Corax tries to keep attacking my hand, but he can¡¯t do anything to the steel. ¡°Calm the fuck down.¡± I push him away roughly before he can plug the speaker back in. ¡°If she keeps yelling, the robots are going to come investigate. I¡¯m not letting her get us all killed!¡± After a few tense moments, Corax crouches down on her chest, keeping a close eye on her. ¡°Now, what the fuck happened?¡± The adrenaline is starting to leave my body, but I¡¯m still on edge. ¡°She caught some kind of virus when she was hacking the robot.¡± Vince says, gingerly touching his black eye to see how bad the damage is. ¡°Worm.¡± Corax says like it means anything. I know he can say more, and it infuriates me that he doesn¡¯t. ¡°What do we do about that?¡± I ask Vince, ignoring Corax¡¯s comment. Vince only shakes his head at Blue and shrugs in defeat. ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault.¡± I give him a hard shove to emphasize, trying to bring him back to reality. It works a little bit, or at least it gets him to look at me. ¡°I¡¯m going to go help Ivy turn the bot back on. I need you to make sure he doesn¡¯t turn Blue¡¯s voice back on.¡± I gesture firmly with my knife to Corax. Vince gives a nod. Even when he¡¯s blaming himself for literally everything, even when he¡¯s feeling the worst he ever has, he can still be relied on to do his job. I leave him and Corax alone, and return to Ivy. She¡¯s still perched behind a small dune, watching the entrance with a detonator in her hand. ¡°Blue¡¯s gone crazy again, some kind of virus. Do you have any ideas?¡± I slide into the dune beside her. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly my area of expertise.¡± ¡°Right.¡± As I lay here I can feel my adrenaline fade, replaced with rapidly growing worry and fear that I do not want to deal with right now. ¡°Let¡¯s get that thing turned on.¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ve got a string attached to its switch. Let me erase your footsteps and we can start.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I take the detonator from her hand, and she carefully hands me the end of a buried length of fishing line. If this thing¡¯s friends turn the corner right now, I¡¯m dead. Maybe I would be able to take enough out in the explosion that Ivy and Vince could make it out, but I doubt it. At least focusing on the entrance helps keep my mind off whatever the hell is happening by the car. Ivy¡¯s only gone for a few minutes before returning to my side, clearing her footprints from behind her as she walks. She lays down just out of sight, with her rifle ready to be drawn at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± I hand the fishing wire to her and scoot out of sight while drawing my silent pistol. I¡¯m sure she can see the wire, she knows how much to pull it. She gives the wire a tug. I¡¯d give anything to be able to see what¡¯s happening, but we can¡¯t risk being seen. At least I can hear it. The sands shift as the bot pushes itself onto its feet. It doesn¡¯t even hesitate before it starts walking out of the canyon. Even when it turns the corner, Ivy and I don¡¯t move. After a few minutes Ivy shimmies up the dune, and I follow, poking our heads out of cover. We stay there for another thirty minutes. Corax said we had twenty minutes before they got to us, I finally let myself feel the slightest bit safe. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± I hand the detonator to Ivy and stand up. The walk to the car passes far too quickly, and I turn the corner to see Blue still convulsing on the ground. Vince is still leaning on the car, I doubt his eyes have left Blue since I turned off her limbs. He¡¯s not even bothering to take care of his worsening black eye. It¡¯s not like we have ice to apply, but he could at least take some medicine to stop the pain and reduce the swelling. ¡°Corax.¡± I kneel down next to him and Blue. If I¡¯m going to ask a favor of him while Blue is like this, I need to be respectful. ¡°We turned on the robot half an hour ago. I need you to make sure it worked, and the rest of the bots are heading away.¡±Stolen novel; please report. ¡°No.¡± He says flatly. I can¡¯t blame him for saying no, if Vince was in the same situation I wouldn¡¯t want to go either. He has to do it though, we both know that. ¡°Look. We need to make sure we¡¯re safe, so we can give Blue all the attention we can, alright?¡± Corax stares at me with his emotionless face for a few seconds before shooting into the air with a single sweep of his wings. I grab a pill out of my backpack, along with a canteen of water, and force both into Vince¡¯s hands. ¡°Drink.¡± I command. In an almost robotic movement he tosses the pill into his mouth and chases it down with a mouthful of water. I take the canteen from his limp arm and he returns to staring at Blue. There¡¯s nothing I can say to make him feel better. I stand beside him for a moment and finally look at her properly. Her face is contorted in pure terror, and her mouth is open wide in an absent scream. My fight or flight reaction kicks in, dumping adrenaline into my veins. The muscles I still have tense, demanding I do something. I need to help her, I need to run away, I need to end her suffering, I need to do something. I drop into the sand beside Vince and rest my arms on my knees, watching her silent screams and hearing the moans of pain from inside the car. There¡¯s nothing I can do besides making sure she doesn¡¯t get us killed. Corax returns only a few minutes later, returning to his perch on Blue¡¯s chest. ¡°Safe.¡± He reports, gluing his eyes onto Blue¡¯s face. ¡°Did you tell Ivy?¡± I ask, only to get no response. ¡°Right.¡± I stand up and go tell her. The moment she hears it¡¯s safe, Ivy gets to work recovering the explosives she and Vince buried in the sand. I, on the other hand, get the solar panels spread out. It only takes Ivy a few minutes to disarm the explosives, and she spends the rest of the day taking care of the others in the car. I stay with Vince, he needs the support, and I do too. At some point Isaac steps out of the car to pee, and mumbles quietly under his breath. Of course, I can hear it just as clearly as if he said it into my ear, and my blood boils. ¡°Fucking thing. Should just put a bullet in it while I can.¡± ¡°Hey fucker!¡± I jump to my feet in front of him. Surprise flashes across his face, and I hit him hard in his gut. He falls onto the sand and I hold him down with my foot. ¡°She saved your sorry ass! And it¡¯s your fault she¡¯s like this!¡± ¡°Cassie.¡± Vince says calmly. He knows how this would end, I should listen to him. ¡°I should have left you in the trunk.¡± I push off of him with my foot, making sure to twist my heel into his sternum. I take my seat back next to Vince. It takes him a moment to recover, and he scrambles to his feet. Anger fills his eyes, and I stare back, daring him to push me again. He looks away first, climbing up a dune to find a secluded spot. An hour later Blue¡¯s convulsions slow, and her eyes lock onto Vince¡¯s. Corax crouches down, reaching into Blue¡¯s mouth to reattach her speaker. ¡°Vince!¡± She cries, her voice garbled and barely comprehensible. Vince jumps in surprise, dropping to his knees next to her, taking her face in his hands. ¡°Vince, what¡¯s happening?¡± She cries out in distress. ¡°Blue! Blue, you¡¯re ok.¡± He lies to her. ¡°We¡¯re here for you.¡± Blue¡¯s eyes flicker to something besides Vince and she goes limp for a moment. She begins to babble, nonsense words and sounds falling from her mouth. Vince puts her head down gently and leans back against the car. ¡°If she was lucid once, that means she¡¯s fighting whatever¡¯s happening. She just needs to get through it.¡± I reassure him. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can.¡± Blue¡¯s babbling resolves into a few words before returning to nonsense. ¡°You can.¡± Vince takes her hand in his, still not daring to look away from her. She keeps mumbling incomprehensible nonsense the rest of the day, and long into the night. Even after the sun has gone down and I¡¯ve put away the solar panels, Vince remains stationary, staring at her. Deep bags have developed under his eyes, when was the last time he slept? ¡°Get some sleep, I¡¯ll watch her.¡± I tell him seriously. ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± He waves me off. ¡°No, you¡¯re not. And besides, you¡¯ve got a baby to comfort. He¡¯s been crying for the last ten minutes, and Ivy has no idea what she¡¯s doing.¡± And I¡¯ve heard every choking sob. ¡°You know I¡¯m no good with kids.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Giving him a job seems to snap him back to reality. ¡°Alright.¡± It¡¯s not until after midnight that she starts to settle down once again. Her eyes snap open, looking me directly in the eyes. ¡°I¡¯m glad your parents died.¡± She says with a voice that¡¯s not her own. It¡¯s cruel and harsh, not the soft, gentle voice I¡¯ve listened to so many times. She doesn¡¯t mean it. It¡¯s the virus. My theory is further confirmed as she continues talking directly into the sky. She tells her worries, confesses to things she¡¯s never done, speaks opinions she can¡¯t possibly have about people she¡¯s never met. I¡¯m glad Vince is already asleep. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d take these secrets to heart, and the last thing he needs is to further doubt if he¡¯s a good parent or not. ¡°Corax?¡± A few hours before sunrise, she comes back to reality after a particularly impossible secret, admitting she¡¯s responsible for a series of deaths that occurred long before she was even born. ¡°Corax please. Please not again.¡± She can¡¯t even summon the energy to look at him. ¡°Everything ok.¡± Corax reassures her, only for her to begin screaming and thrashing once again. Vince jumps out of the car almost instantly, his hand on his pistol out of habit. He whips his head around, looking for an attack before realizing it¡¯s just Blue. He comes over, crouching and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. ¡°What time is it?¡± He asks. ¡°Four.¡± ¡°You should have woken me up, go get some sleep.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been up for longer before.¡± I¡¯m not going to let Vince watch her and take the chance of her saying something to him. ¡°Besides, you needed sleep so you can drive. I¡¯m not doing it again.¡± ¡°I guess we better get started then, here.¡± Vince takes off his belt and hands it to me. ¡°Find some way to tie yourself and Blue down on the sled and get some sleep. I¡¯ll go let Ivy know we¡¯re heading out.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I grab the handheld welder and a few metal bars from the trunk while Vince scrambles up one of the sand walls to reach Ivy¡¯s sniper spot. I weld three handles onto the sled, one on each side of Blue and a third near the edge, and loop Vince¡¯s belt around both Blue and two of the handles. I pull it tight, ensuring she¡¯s not going to be able to escape. Corax watches my every movement like a hawk. I spread out my sleeping bag, climb in, and wrap my own belt around two of the handles. No matter how steep of a dune we climb, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to be sliding off. I keep my eyes on Blue for as long as possible, but not long after we set off the movement of the car roof lulls me to sleep. Book 2 Chapter 41 I awake, as always, to a tap on my shoulder. Kara stands in front of me with a small smile on her face. Jared and Finn are standing behind her, a satisfied look in their eyes. ¡°Morning Blue, welcome home.¡± I¡¯m suspended a few feet above them in a pristine lab. My body is decrepit, plates that have long fallen off lay on the floor. I try to move, but find my limbs are attached to a harness, as well as having dozens of seized motors. Kara takes a step forward, taking my face in her hands. ¡°You fucking idiot.¡± Someone else¡¯s voice comes from her mouth, and the world fades. I¡¯m laying on my back staring at a face with a bright blue sky behind it. My vision locks onto two emerald eyes, focusing only on them. My mind is so ravaged and torn up it takes me a few long seconds to even comprehend what I¡¯m seeing. ¡°Cassie?¡± Her face is filled with anger, but her eyes tell a different story. She¡¯s worried. I try to reach up to her, only for my limbs to not respond. I turn my head to Corax, sitting on my chest with just as worried a look. ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡± I let my head drop back onto the sled. ¡°You fucking better be.¡± Cassie reaches behind my head, flipping the switch on my neck and returning my limbs to me. She drops a book into my lap and sits back. ¡°Read.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡± I try to push myself up, only to find a belt keeping me pinned to the sled. I undo my restraint and turn to Corax, already perched on my shoulder. ¡°Thank you.¡± I lean into him, and he leans back with his entire body. Arms grab me, and pull me into a tight hug. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Vince says quietly into my ear. ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± I close my eyes and let him take some of my weight, not having to worry about my body helps reduce the strain on my mind. ¡°I should have been more careful.¡± The car comes to a quick stop, and Ivy steps out, walking slowly over to the four of us. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± She asks me seriously. That¡¯s a good question, how am I feeling? What even happened? The memories threaten to overwhelm my mind, far too much for my ravaged self to deal with. I¡¯d have to entirely stop repairing myself to dissect them. I don¡¯t have to do that right now. ¡°Not good enough to answer that question.¡± I respond after a few seconds. ¡°Tell me when you are, so I can yell at you.¡± Cassie mumbles quietly beside me. ¡°I will.¡± I promise. ¡°We¡¯re only a few hours from the Monterey Canyon, we¡¯ll find a place to relax there for a bit.¡± Ivy says gently. ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°Get better.¡± Ivy gives me a tap on my shoulder and returns to the car. Even that small sensation rocks my mind. ¡°I will.¡± My backpack is just to the side of me, filled with a few hard drives. I¡¯m certain they¡¯re infected, and I¡¯m in no position to fight that thing again. Any important information is in my chip anyway, it¡¯s just supplemental details and books that are stored in there. It¡¯d be safest to just wipe them, but I would like to keep the data. ¡°How long was I out?¡± I ask just as the sled begins to move again. ¡°Twenty-four hours.¡± Vince says. ¡°Sorry to make you worry.¡± I lean further into him. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re safe.¡± He squeezes me harder. I almost wasn¡¯t. That fact washes across my mind, but I can¡¯t let myself be consumed by it. I don¡¯t have enough open threads to process anything other than what¡¯s happening. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d see any of you again.¡± I open my eyes and look individually at Corax, and Cassie, trying to show how much I appreciate them. I hope the look on my face is enough, even if I don¡¯t have the words for it right now. When I turn to Vince, I¡¯m met with a large, swollen black circle around one of his eyes. ¡°Are you ok?¡± I yell louder than I mean to. Fear springs forth in my mind, I can deal with that. Acknowledge, rationalize, move on. He¡¯s not actively dying, I can wait for a response. ¡°I hit myself on the door accidentally.¡± He says as casually as he can. I look deep into his face, something¡¯s wrong here. He¡¯s more careful than that. Is he lying? If my hard drives were still connected I could just reference exactly how his face looked when he lied in poker. For now, I guess I have to accept what he¡¯s saying. ¡°Be more careful.¡± I close my eyes again and return to his chest. ¡°I will.¡± He promises.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The four of us sit in silence for a few minutes while Corax, Vince, and Cassie let their presence comfort me. Vince is forced to break the silence eventually though. ¡°Alright Little Blue, you are a little heavy.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± I push myself away from him and sit on my own. It¡¯ll slow down my healing by a tiny bit to control my body, but it¡¯s ok. I¡¯ll have a whole storm to fix myself soon, and I hopefully won¡¯t have to hack anything before then. ¡°How are the others doing?¡± I change the subject. ¡°Surprisingly well.¡± Vince tells me. ¡°We¡¯ve had to dip heavily into our medical supplies, and especially into our antibiotic stash, but they should all live. We just need to find somewhere that¡¯s willing to take them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really glad.¡± Vince and Cassie end up making small talk along the drive, and I just let their comforting words wash over me while I work on rebuilding my mind. ¡°Help?¡± Corax¡¯s voice breaks through the silence. He taps on the back of my neck, where my chip sits just under my skin. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can handle seeing what I look like right now.¡± It¡¯d probably be possible to meld without seeing myself, But I don¡¯t want to take that risk. I probably look similar to the Follower of the Scorched Sun member I killed. ¡°Ow!¡± Corax pulls on my ear before that thought can go any further. ¡°Thanks.¡± Another worry about melding is that the worm might still be hiding somewhere deep in my mind. Melding would certainly infect Corax, and there¡¯s no way he could ever survive it. The only reason I¡¯m safe is because I happen to be organic, I can¡¯t be wiped in an instant. A few hours later the car once again reaches the end of the world. A canyon just as large as the Grand Canyon is laid out before us, although with a much more gentle slope downwards. It carves its way across the landscape, a great gash in the world. The car slows to a stop, and Ivy steps out with her rifle drawn. Issac, the uninjured survivor, takes the wheel. Only a moment later we¡¯re moving again, entering the canyon. The walls are mostly sloped barren rock, far steeper than the sand can comfortably pile up on. Innumerable holes dot the walls, once underground caves that have long since dried out. ¡°There¡¯s the smell.¡± Cassie wrinkles her nose. ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°Not a fan of fish?¡± Vince asks while unslinging his rifle and letting it sit in his lap. ¡°Fuck no.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t smell much better alive, believe it or not.¡± Vince chuckles. Silence settles over everyone, and I see my chance to ask a question that¡¯s been weighing on my mind. ¡°Vince? How should I act?¡± ¡°Be yourself, but I¡¯m not sure it¡¯ll matter.¡± All the lightheartedness from his joke has drained from his voice. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Someone nuked San Francisco not long ago.¡± Cassie says bluntly. ¡°Any survivors fled, and most of them were heading here.¡± It takes me a few seconds to even process her words, and by the time I¡¯m done Vince is already continuing her explanation. ¡°Any small villages that survived the influx of people aren¡¯t going to have beds for us. We¡¯re going to try to find a small, uninhabited cave to hide out in. I know of a few hidden ones that Ivy¡¯s going to check, but it¡¯s been a long time since I was last here.¡± ¡°Where are we going to drop them off then?¡± I ask, nodding to the car. We can¡¯t bring them with us, I don¡¯t want to be responsible for their deaths. ¡°We¡¯ve got a thousand miles between here and the trench Mara¡¯s in. We¡¯ll find somewhere for them.¡± Vince reassures me. ¡°Ok.¡± Only a few minutes later the car pulls into a side ravine and comes to a stop. A hundred feet in front of us is the half buried mouth of a cave. ¡°Cassie?¡± Vince takes a shooting stance, and Ivy rolls down her window to give further cover. Cassie jumps to her feet, knife and gun in hand, and silently runs to the mouth of the cave. She spends a few moments listening before shaking her head and returning to the sled. ¡°That place is packed.¡± She sits back down, and the car turns around. We stop to check a new cave every few hundred feet, and every time Cassie reports they¡¯re occupied. Sometimes they even have guards posted out front, and we keep driving past those. Twice Ivy calls back, reporting people on an upcoming ridge. The three of them keep their guns trained on the armed people. Nobody fires, and we make it through. Eventually the car stops in front of a crevice that the car might barely be able to squeeze into. Cassie jumps to her feet and creeps up to the edge. She closes her eyes to concentrate on her hearing. After a few seconds she turns the corner. ¡°Oh fuck.¡± Cassie mumbles just loud enough for us to hear. ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s abandoned, but uh, Vince?¡± Vince stands up, and I follow close behind. We turn the corner into a tight crevice. An artificial roof has been constructed high above, and a few crude doors have been carved into the walls. In a perfect, tight, circle on the ground are a dozen human corpses that are just beginning to decay. Each one of them has an empty cup placed gently in front of them. Don¡¯t process what it means, just look. I¡¯m ok. ¡°I¡¯d assume it¡¯s either a suicide cult, or a trap. Maybe both.¡± Vince sounds weary instead of surprised. Ivy steps out of the car and walks up behind the three of us. She takes a long look inside before talking. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything.¡± Ivy steps bravely into the ravine, checking behind the doors one by one. From the little glimpse I get, each one is a small, empty room. ¡°It¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°We should bury them.¡± The single thought is the only thing repeating in my mind. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Cassie nods and keeps looking at the bodies for a few more long seconds. ¡°Yeah.¡± She turns back to the car and grabs two shovels from the back. She hands one to me and gets to work digging a hole outside the ravine. I don¡¯t think I should be doing work like this right now, but there¡¯s nothing that could stop me from helping. While the two of us work on digging a long trench along the wall of the ravine, Vince drives the car through the entrance. It¡¯s such a tight fit the metal squeals as it scrapes against the side, leaving behind streaks of paint. The car does make it in though, and the inside is just wide enough to let the doors open. Vince comes to help us dig in silence after only a few minutes, and Ivy gets the others settled in one of the rooms built into the wall. With the three of us working, it doesn¡¯t take long to dig a grave large enough for all of them to lay side by side. Cassie and Vince end up moving the bodies one by one while I stay out of the way. ¡°What do you think their names are?¡± I ask once they¡¯re all in place. ¡°It¡¯s easier if you don¡¯t think about it.¡± Vince says. ¡°Anyone have any last words?¡± ¡°They probably deserved better.¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m sure they did.¡± Vince tosses the first shovelful of sand onto them, and Cassie and I follow. We cover them in a small layer of sand. It¡¯s not nearly deep enough to stop them from getting disturbed, but I¡¯m sure no matter how deep we dig the storm would uncover them eventually. I wonder if this makes up even the smallest amount for the people I killed? No, I don¡¯t deserve that. Book 2 Chapter 42 There are enough rooms in the ravine for everyone to claim their own. Every single one is empty, save for a small sleeping mat in the corner. I¡¯m not sure if these people had nothing when they died, or if someone has come by and taken everything of value without disturbing the bodies. I¡¯m also not sure which is sadder. A storm sweeps in that night. The ceiling far above roars from the sand, and the wind funnels into the ravine in a perfect way to create a loud, ever present whistling sound. The doors are filled with tiny, carefully carved holes. Those holes only serve to amplify the noise, but Ivy luckily comes with some tape to fix that. It doesn¡¯t even come close to stopping the sound, but at least it¡¯s quiet enough that I can understand Corax. Lucas¡¯ light is the only thing keeping the darkness away. It¡¯s dim, but at least I can see. On the bright side, I¡¯m pretty sure my brain is too injured to hallucinate. I take Corax¡¯s blanket out of my backpack, and drape it across my lap. He quickly gets to work perfecting his nest and settles down deeply inside. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m not in good enough shape to read.¡± I have to half yell to be understood over the constant sound. ¡°I need to focus on fixing myself.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± He reassures me. I slowly run my fingers across his metal head and lean back against the wall. I finally turn my focus inwards, onto my mind. I¡¯m a disaster. My mind isn¡¯t fractured like I¡¯d expect, it¡¯s just gone. Any threads that try to move beyond the center of my mind are lost. They still tax my mind, they still generate heat, but I have no way of culling them. Memories are stored at the very center of me, and those are luckily untouched. But everything outside of that? The void that once surrounded my mind is missing, space for threads to move and twist and think is inaccessible. Luckily the threads I do have access to are already working to expand the available space in my mind. Threads weave together into a lattice, a foundation for me to recover the missing parts of my mind. As the furthest edge of the lattice grows, they uncover thoughts that have been wandering the missing void for so long. They¡¯re twisted, foreign, incomprehensible. I sever them without even processing them. They¡¯re not my thoughts anymore, I don¡¯t need or want to know what they say. It¡¯s a slow process, repairing my mind. As the furthest edge of my consciousness grows, the inner portions of the lattice are free to unravel, leaving the familiar, known void. Leaving just a little more space for me to think. Well after midnight there¡¯s a knock on my door. I almost miss it in the sound of the storm, but I set Corax and his nest to the side and open the door. Cassie stands in front of me, her sun bleached brown hair is being whipped up by the storm, and she¡¯s shielding her eyes from the sand that the wind has brought in. She doesn¡¯t say anything, just tries to step inside, and I move to let her in. She slams the door behind her and pulls down a mask that¡¯s covering her mouth and nose. ¡°It fucking sucks here.¡± She drops to the ground, puts her backpack beside her, and pulls out a book. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep?¡± I guess. ¡°Nope.¡± She says flatly. I can hear the exhaustion in her voice, I can¡¯t imagine how bad things are for her right now. ¡°Mind if I read here until I fall asleep from exhaustion?¡± It sounds like she¡¯s already decided the answer is yes. Luckily I appreciate the company. ¡°Of course not, I hope you can sleep.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± She says and dives into her book. ¡°Your ears are artificial, right? I could try to turn them off.¡± I offer. ¡°They¡¯re beneath the skin. There¡¯s no off switch, and no accessible port.¡± By the sound of her voice, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s tried. ¡°Ok.¡± Don¡¯t say sorry. Say literally anything else. I can¡¯t think of anything else, even saying nothing is better. ¡°Are you feeling better yet?¡± She asks a few seconds later. ¡°A little, but it¡¯ll take a few days to get back to 100%¡± ¡°Good enough for me to yell at you?¡± She looks up from her book for the first time. ¡°I think so?¡± I look at Corax for an answer, but he¡¯s too busy getting his nest back to perfect. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you if it becomes too much.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Cassie slides a bookmark into her book and gently sets it aside. ¡°Will you fucking stop risking your life just so we don¡¯t have to risk ours?¡± Her words come out as though she¡¯s been rehearsing them. ¡°We¡¯re professionals, let us do our fucking jobs! I¡¯m sick and tired of seeing you almost die every few days.¡± Don''t apologize, explain. One of the first lessons Ivy taught me springs to mind. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could live with myself if one of you died and I could have stopped it. Hacking into the robot was the safest choice.¡± Cassie¡¯s eyes soften a little, but her face remains serious. ¡°An AI hacking into an android specifically designed to kill AI was the safest choice?¡± She asks rhetorically before moving on. ¡°I¡¯m not just talking about that. You didn¡¯t have to hack into Eight¡¯s penthouse. Let us solve our own problems.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to kill more people.¡± I say quietly. ¡°And when I did let everyone, I couldn¡¯t handle it, and you could have lost so much more than your arm.¡± Tears begin to fall from my eyes against my will. ¡°I lost my arm because of my own stupidity.¡± She stands up and walks over to me, taking a seat beside me. ¡°I was rash, it¡¯s my fault, not yours. But if you keep jumping in front of every bullet you see, you¡¯re going to lose more than an arm too.¡± Whatever anger that was in her voice has completely disappeared. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± I say quietly. ¡°It¡¯s just so scary.¡± ¡°I know, but it¡¯s a lesson you need to learn before it¡¯s too late.¡± She glances down at her legs subconsciously when she says that. ¡°Anyway, I guess that¡¯s it.¡± She looks away while I wipe my tears from my face. ¡°Sorry for everything.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She brushes off my apology before standing up and grabbing two books. She returns to her seat right next to me, placing one on the ground between us and begins to read her own. ¡°I¡¯m ok, but thank you. Reading will just make my healing take longer.¡± ¡°Alright, but It¡¯s yours if you need it.¡± I sit back and turn my full attention once again to repairing my mind. I leave my ears open, just in case Cassie needs something, even if processing the wind does take a few dozen threads. It won¡¯t slow me down that much. ¡°Is there anything I can do to help you sleep?¡± I break the comfortable silence after an hour. ¡°I just need something to cover up this fucking whistling.¡± She responds. ¡°I could read to you.¡± Even though I know she won¡¯t accept, it¡¯s still worth it to try. ¡°Yes!¡± She says excitedly and diverts her eyes from me. ¡°I mean, yeah, that might help.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I hope she¡¯s too exhausted to see the surprise in my voice and on my face. I pick up the book she placed between us and begin to read. Even though it¡¯ll slow down my healing a little, it¡¯s worth it to help her sleep. Cassie unhooks her sleeping bag from her backpack, shakes some sand out of it, and lays down on the small mat in the corner. After a lot of twisting and turning, she finally settles into a restless sleep. I don¡¯t stop reading though, even once she¡¯s asleep. Each time I try, her sleep only grows even more restless. Plus, It¡¯s just a wonderful story, and it¡¯s nice to be able to read to Corax again. Of course, our nice night can¡¯t last forever. A few hours after sunrise, a knock on the door wakes Cassie with a start, and the person on the other side lets themselves in. Vince closes the door behind him and pushes his hat out of his eyes and returns his bandana to his neck. ¡°Morning you three.¡± Vince says with a smile, speaking loudly over the ever-present sound. Cassie rushes to get out of her sleeping bag. ¡°We¡¯re having breakfast in Ivy¡¯s room if you want to join.¡± ¡°Be there in a minute.¡± Cassie says quickly. ¡°Corax and I shouldn¡¯t leave this room.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Vince asks. ¡°Corax¡¯s construction is too intricate. If the storm forces even a few grains of sand in between his feathers, he could lock up. Not only would that be very painful, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to fix him with my accessible tools.¡± I explain. Even if it¡¯s not super likely to happen, I¡¯m never lucky. ¡°Alright, how about I go get Ivy and we¡¯ll eat in here then?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. Corax and I will be alright alone.¡± I still need to work on my mind, and a big conversation will tie up a lot of my free threads. No matter how nice it sounds to hang out with everyone, it¡¯s not the responsible thing to do. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem for me to go get her. We have to deliver food to the injured anyway, so it¡¯s not like you¡¯re forcing us into the storm.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I can¡¯t argue with that, his logic makes sense. Plus I¡¯m sure they both want to talk about how my healing is going. I don¡¯t want to insist I be alone and make them worry. ¡°See you in a second.¡± Vince pulls up his bandana, down his hat, and returns to the storm. ¡°How bad is it out there?¡± I ask Cassie. ¡°Not nearly as bad as the actual storm would be, It¡¯s annoying but at least it¡¯s not stripping my skin off.¡± Cassie shrugs and takes a seat a respectable distance from me. ¡°Does the storm do that?¡± That¡¯s horrifying. ¡°Without shelter? Yeah. Even with thick enough clothes, chances are you¡¯d just end up buried.¡± I guess Lucas did say that the sand isn¡¯t actual sand, just something similar to it that¡¯s much sharper than the real stuff. What would that even do to a human? My mind starts to generate an image. ¡°Careful.¡± Corax speaks up from his nest before the thought can finish. He¡¯s right, I don¡¯t want to see whatever my mind is creating. ¡°Hey, Blue?¡± Cassie speaks up. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Ivy or Vince what you did last night.¡± ¡°You mean that I read to you?¡± I ask. ¡°Yes, in fact, don¡¯t say that ever again.¡± I can¡¯t pull her emotions from her voice. Whatever her reasoning for not wanting me to tell anyone is a mystery. ¡°Just say I couldn¡¯t sleep, and I came here because I knew you¡¯d be up.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to lie.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a lie!¡± She says defensively. ¡°That¡¯s the only reason I came here.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Only a few minutes later Vince and Ivy let themselves in with a handful of sealed jars full of food. Ivy¡¯s hair is tangled from the wind and sand, and she immediately sits down and starts to work on fixing it. ¡°Is little miss perfect having a tough time?¡± Cassie teases Ivy. ¡°A little.¡± She admits. ¡°I¡¯m just glad to see you had a fun night at least.¡± Cassie¡¯s face immediately turns red. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t sleep.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Ivy gives Cassie a look, only to get a lid thrown at her in return. ¡°How are you feeling Little Blue?¡± Vince asks me, completely ignoring the other two. ¡°I¡¯m getting better, but repairing my mind is a slow process. The first time I was shattered it took three days of dedicated work to get myself in a functional state, but I¡¯m handling it better this time.¡± ¡°When did that happen?¡± Vince sounds concerned. ¡°Before.¡± I say as little as possible to explain. ¡°Ah, right.¡± He calms down a little bit, sitting back and opening his jar of vegetable soup. ¡°Where¡¯s the baby?¡± I ask. ¡°I thought you¡¯d still be comforting them.¡± ¡°With Paige, the woman whose leg you had to remove. She¡¯s insisting she takes care of the little guy. Apparently he was her best friend¡¯s child.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I¡¯m not quite sure how to process that right now. It¡¯s sad of course, but maybe a little bit easier since she has something to remember her friend by? Or is it worse, a constant reminder of the person she lost? I just don¡¯t have enough free space in my mind to reach a conclusion. ¡°Yeah.¡± Vince lets the conversation die and focuses on his food. I lean back and work on my mind while everyone else eats. It¡¯s not until his jar is clean does Vince speak up again. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to go check on everyone else, and see if I can¡¯t get a radio signal to some of the other towns. Cassie, mind giving me a hand?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Cassie leans back and downs the rest of her food in a single large gulp. The two of them head out, leaving Ivy and me alone. Book 2 Chapter 43 Ivy puts down her half-eaten food and gives me a look that I¡¯ve almost certainly seen her give me before, but still have no idea what it means. Ivy tilts her head towards me but keeps her eyes on mine, as if she¡¯s waiting for me to say something. ¡°What?¡± I ask. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me in the dark.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Am I in trouble? Or is she asking what happened with Cassie last night? ¡°You and Cassie, spill it.¡± ¡°She couldn¡¯t sleep, and she came here because she knew I¡¯d be up.¡± I answer just how Cassie asked me to. ¡°Ok, sure.¡± She waves my explanation off. ¡°But come on, what happened after she came over?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I should say anything without asking first. I don¡¯t want Cassie to get mad.¡± ¡°So something did happen?¡± Her eyebrows raise a fraction of an inch. ¡°You might as well just share now, I¡¯ll find out eventually.¡± ¡°If Cassie wants to tell you, she can, but I¡¯m not going to risk giving out information she might not want me to.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so bad at gossiping.¡± Ivy picks her food back up and continues eating. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll appreciate that though.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± I¡¯m not sure how she expects me to gossip. I only ever talk to her, Vince, Cassie, Lucas, and of course Corax. I¡¯m not giving away any of their secrets under any circumstances. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯d be concerned that virus fried your brain if you actually told me anything.¡± She says with a knowing smile. Was this whole thing a test? I guess that would make sense, if the worm took over my body, it¡¯s a decent way to test if it¡¯s actually me talking or not. Although, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d notice a difference at the first possible moment she saw me. Or maybe she has already noticed a difference since my mind is so burned out, and she¡¯s doing this test because of that? Maybe that¡¯s why Vince asked Cassie for help, instead of Ivy. No, that¡¯s probably not right, Vince probably just doesn¡¯t want her to further ruin her hair. The thoughts slowly fill my mind until I¡¯m forced to kill them. I don¡¯t have the free threads or space to come up with a definitive answer right now. ¡°Sorry about your hair.¡± I change the subject so I don¡¯t have to think anymore. Her hair, although better from her working on it, still has a few tangles and scattered grains of sand stuck in it. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°I know, I just know how important hair is.¡± ¡°How about you help me with it then?¡± She offers, but doesn¡¯t start to move over to me. ¡°My eyes don¡¯t have enough resolution to untangle hair, and I¡¯m not sure my fingers are accurate enough either. You should just take care of it, I¡¯ll just end up pulling out hairs.¡± No matter how much I try to hide it, some longing still makes its way into my voice. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Ivy stands up, placing her empty jar next to her, and sits directly in front of me and pulls out a small brush, holding it in her open palm for me. ¡°Just start at the end, and slowly work your way up.¡± ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll try.¡± I carefully run the brush through as little of her silky black hair as possible. Once I¡¯ve brushed a single centimeter of her hair, I move up to a second centimeter. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that careful.¡± Ivy laughs. ¡°We¡¯re going to be here all day, just go a few inches at a time.¡± ¡°Ok, sorry.¡± Following her instructions things go a little faster. Right up until the brush meets literally any resistance that is. ¡°I think it¡¯s stuck on something.¡± ¡°Just pull the brush through with gentle, but firm pressure.¡± She instructs me. The brush makes it through the tangle, but not without pulling a few hairs with it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ivy!¡± She turns around and takes in both me and the brush in an instant. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel you pull anything out, you¡¯re fine.¡± She reassures me. ¡°Hairs just fall out naturally over time. Besides, I have plenty more to spare.¡± She turns back around and waits for me to continue. Right, humans grow and lose hair all the time. I knew that, I just don¡¯t have my hard drives accessible to make sure. I¡¯m ok. I¡¯m not doing anything wrong. Ivy would stop me if I did. ¡°Ok, but make sure you tell me if I do pull some out.¡± I say with as much seriousness as I can muster. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I will.¡± She laughs again and I get back to work. Her hair magically transforms from a slightly tangled mess to the perfect ideal of healthy hair with every stroke of the brush. I¡¯m almost done when the door once again opens, welcoming Cassie, Vince, and yet more sand into the room. Cassie is yelling something over the sound of the storm that gets lost, but I can understand Vince¡¯s reply once they close the door. ¡°Nobody here is going to be looking to take in more refugees.¡± He says calmly. ¡°Nowhere else is going to want two injured adults, a baby, and a single healthy guy either!¡± ¡°Charles¡¯ lacerations are healing, he¡¯ll be able to work before too long. And places always need people to take care of kids.¡± ¡°And what if we don¡¯t find somewhere to drop them off?¡± Cassie takes a seat against the wall, and Vince sits next to her. ¡°They¡¯re better off taking their chances here than following us into god knows where.¡± ¡°Eight¡¯s maps have three ravine towns between here and Mara¡¯s that aren¡¯t too much of a detour. It¡¯ll turn our forty-hour drive into forty-five. Plus we¡¯ll have to stop to recharge the battery anyway, and we can do that when we stop at a town. We can drop them off and still reach Mara before the next storm.¡± ¡°Why does that matter?¡± I ask, interrupting their conversation. ¡°If storms hit every few days, wouldn''t it be safer to spend a night at one of the ravines on the way anyway?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hoping to get to Mara¡¯s before word of us coming for her does.¡± Vince explains. ¡°Either Eight or Two almost certainly sent a letter to her, and beating that makes our lives much safer.¡± ¡°Another good reason we should just dump them on one of the villages here!¡± Cassie yells. ¡°We can¡¯t leave these people somewhere they¡¯re not going to be safe.¡± Vince puts his hand gently on Cassie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You heard what they said, resources are going to be stretched beyond the breaking point, and they¡¯re not going to be the ones who get fed.¡± ¡°Well in that case, let¡¯s just load up a big truck full of them and bring them with us since we apparently can¡¯t leave anyone behind!¡± ¡°Whether we leave them here, or bring them along, it should be a group decision.¡± Vince says. ¡°Sure, go ahead and tell me I¡¯m wrong. You and Ivy never disagree, Blue¡¯s going to vote with you, and Corax is just going to say whatever Blue says. The vote¡¯s already fucked.¡± ¡°Cassie right.¡± Corax speaks up before anyone else can. ¡°Great, glad to see even he knows.¡± ¡°No, that was his vote.¡± I explain for him. Cassie can¡¯t hide her surprise. ¡°I¡¯m with Vince.¡± Ivy says. Fuck. Cassie¡¯s eyes look to me, silently asking for me to agree, begging me to break the tie on her side. My immediate reaction is to say we should drop them off somewhere safer, even at the expense of making our lives harder. But is this what Cassie was talking about? Am I jumping out in front of a bullet again to save these people I¡¯ve never even talked to? Or is trusting them to manage, even if it is more dangerous, trusting in their abilities? I don¡¯t know. A more important thing to think about is what happens if they stay. We¡¯d almost definitely be leaving them to die. Could I live with that? Or would they join the scientists in my hallucinations? Should I just trust Corax? That¡¯s the safest thing to do. I look down to the bird in his nest, and he only stares back, waiting for me to reach my own conclusion. Ok. If he made this decision based on a feeling, he would tell me. He¡¯s just choosing what he thinks best, not guided by anything. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could live with myself if we left them to die.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Cassie closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll drag them along then. But I want them gone as soon as possible.¡± ¡°We all do.¡± Vince reassures her. ¡°We¡¯ll leave them behind as soon as we find a safe place. For now though, how about we play some cards to get our minds off things?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try, but if it slows down my healing too much I¡¯ll have to sit out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine Little Blue.¡± Cassie grabs some beers for everyone from the car and we end up playing poker for the rest of the day. Corax is a monster at it, with a poker face impenetrable to even Ivy. Or he would be, if I wasn¡¯t playing. His eyes betray every hand he looks at, and me knowing how he¡¯s feeling apparently means that everyone can read me and figure out what he has. I can¡¯t help but get excited when he¡¯s doing well, is that so bad? I, for the most part, give up on reading everyone else and play the game straight. Bet when I have a good hand, fold when I don¡¯t, all dictated by a tiny little odds-calculating program I wove into my mind. I did set it to bluff at random times though, and that caught them by surprise once or twice. That leaves me free to work on repairs while still enjoying hanging out with everyone. The fun can¡¯t last forever though. Vince has to step away every dozen hands or so to check on the others, and the ever ticking clock demands he turns in for bed eventually. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it for me.¡± Vince stands up, a little unsteady on his feet from how much alcohol he drank. ¡°I guess I should too.¡± Ivy tries to start picking up the chips, but Cassie interrupts her. ¡°I can clean up, you two get to sleep.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Ivy gives her that same, incomprehensible look, which Cassie either doesn¡¯t see or ignores. The second Ivy and Vince disappear into the storm Cassie begins to talk without taking her eyes off the cards and chips in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you.¡± She says. ¡°Or well, I am, but I get it. I don¡¯t blame you.¡± She must be talking about the vote earlier today. ¡°Sorry if I¡¯m jumping in front of another bullet.¡± I gather the few remaining cards and hand them to her. ¡°You are, but it¡¯s fine. I get it.¡± She still won¡¯t look up at me. She finishes packing up the cards and chips, and tucks them into her backpack before climbing into her sleeping bag. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I grab the book I was reading for her and begin once again. She¡¯d hate for me to ask if she wants this, it¡¯s much easier to just do it. The next two days are similarly relaxing. Everyone comes into my room for food, and we end up playing a few games to waste the day together. My mind makes a lot of progress on repairing itself. Every day is substantially easier than the last, and the stronger my mind gets, the faster the repairs go. On our third night here, the ever present whistling begins to die down. Despite that, I keep reading to Cassie throughout the night, she needs a few hours of truly relaxing sleep. Around the time the sun should be rising, a quiet knock appears at the door, but even that¡¯s loud enough to wake Cassie. Vince pokes his head inside. ¡°Morning you three, storm¡¯s just about passed, time to go.¡± Book 2 Chapter 44 Cassie collects her stuff, and I follow her out the door with Corax on my shoulder. Ivy and Vince are just finishing loading the others into the car. They¡¯re all looking better than I last saw, but that doesn¡¯t mean they look good. The man I stitched up is able to move on his own at least, even if he does have to be very careful about his every movement. The man whose lungs were damaged by the smoke is trying to walk on his own, but has to lean against a metal pole he¡¯s using to walk every few steps. He takes a few gulps of air, and tries to move again. The healthy man helps the woman whose leg I removed around, and she keeps the baby held close to her chest. The child still looks awful. Just a lumpy potato with artificial skin grafted on. I can tell he¡¯s alive, but I can¡¯t discern anything else with the small glimpses I get of him. The five of them are helped into the car by Vince and Ivy, and Vince then takes the driver¡¯s seat. Ivy digs out the sled that was buried in the storm and sits down on it with her rifle resting in her lap. Cassie and I sit next to her. ¡°Check.¡± Corax says seriously into my ear, and then takes off. He shoots out of the thin exit, and pulls high into the air, disappearing above the roof. Vince waits until he returns to start driving. Only a minute later Corax lands on Vince¡¯s open window. ¡°Safe.¡± He reports, and returns to my shoulder with two strong flaps of his wings. ¡°Thank you.¡± I reach up and give him a small scratch on his head. Vince starts up the car and pulls us into the main part of the canyon, driving us ever downwards. Cassie looks anxious, bouncing her leg nearly as fast as it will go and checking her pistols. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask. ¡°People are always most active after a storm.¡± She answers. ¡°And we have no cover.¡± I finish the thought for her. A single shot breaking a coolant line and I¡¯m dead. Fear threatens to take hold of my mind, but I¡¯m prepared. Acknowledge, I¡¯m afraid. Rationalize, is there anything I can do to help this situation? Building cover out of stuff in the car might work, but equally might take too long or slow us down. We¡¯re on a potentially tight schedule to reach Mara, we don¡¯t have the time to spare. ¡°Safe.¡± Corax reassures us, and then takes off into the sky again to watch. I can trust Corax. I kill the thoughts, and they stay gone. A little bit of the fear does remain, but it¡¯s manageable. I¡¯d be dumb to not be a little scared. Ivy doesn¡¯t move, I¡¯m certain she¡¯s already made sure her rifle is in a perfect shape and ready to fire at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Between Corax and I, nothing can take us by surprise.¡± Ivy says confidently. That settles down Cassie a little bit. I can put my life in Corax¡¯s wings, and Cassie can put hers in Ivy¡¯s eye. Cassie was right, the canyon is alive with people. Corax always reports a car coming our way, or a cave entrance with guards posted in it a few turns before we reach them. Ivy can then guess their intentions the moment they turn the corner, and even those who are looking for trouble aren¡¯t brave enough to do anything while staring down Ivy¡¯s barrel. I keep my pistols drawn just in case, and so does Cassie. Luckily they¡¯re never needed, and after hours of driving, the canyon eventually levels out, blending into what used to be the ocean floor. Beyond the higher air pressure, there¡¯s almost no difference between here and where we were. It¡¯s still just an endless, barren wasteland. Countless sand dunes rise and fall off into the horizon. Vince turns the car a few degrees south the moment we¡¯re out of the canyon. I¡¯m glad he knows where he¡¯s going, because it would be so easy to get lost out here. Being out of the canyon doesn¡¯t settle Cassie down completely, she¡¯s still anxiously checking her gun and looking for anything to take her attention. I pull a book out of my backpack and place it gently beside Cassie. ¡°Reading might help.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She looks at me with a confused expression for just a moment before a small smile finds its way to her face. ¡°Shut up.¡± She pushes the book back towards me. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Ivy gives her a look that makes it clear she knows Cassie is lying. ¡°I¡¯m just anxious to finally shoot the Bitch in the face.¡± She relents under Ivy¡¯s gaze. ¡°You better be fast then. I¡¯m not sure how much of her I¡¯m leaving behind.¡± Ivy jokes. ¡°At least leave her torso.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°What are we going to do when we reach the trench?¡± I ask. ¡°Ideally? I find a nice hiding spot on the ridge, put a bullet through her skull the second she steps outside, and we go home.¡± Ivy says. ¡°More likely though, we¡¯re going to have to enter the ravine. When we stop at one of the towns on the way and see what they look like, we¡¯ll be able to make a better plan.¡± ¡°We came all the way out here with no plan?¡± There¡¯s no way. Vince must have some plan he just hasn¡¯t shared. ¡°More or less.¡± Ivy shrugs. ¡°I never met the woman, but apparently she lives to show how superior she is. We¡¯re relying on her to make a mistake.¡± ¡°The fucker sure does.¡± Cassie mumbles in agreement. Vince really did drag us all the way out here without a plan. Why would he take that risk? ¡°We¡¯re going to be fine.¡± Ivy reassures me, trying to settle my worries before they can grow inside my mind. ¡°Like I said, we¡¯ll get information at the next ravine and make a better plan.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± That¡¯s better than nothing, but far from good. ¡°And what if we don¡¯t have any ideas after the next town?¡± ¡°Then things get fun.¡± Ivy jokes. How can she be so calm right now? I guess her panicking wouldn¡¯t help anything. Or maybe she¡¯s faking it? Trying to be a rock for Cassie to latch on to, to help her calm down? It¡¯s impossible to tell behind that neutral mask she always keeps on her face. Things stay mostly quiet through the rest of the day. I¡¯m not sure Ivy or Cassie have the energy to talk beneath the beating sun. I end up reading poetry, while Corax spends his time enjoying the empty skies. Cassie joins me in burning the daylight away inside a good book. Ivy, on the other hand, just enjoys the sights. Occasionally she interrupts our reading to point out something interesting. Lava bubbles up through the sand where thermal vents once existed. Everything the lava touches turns to an opaque glass. The sand has been washed away in storms, leading to large, slowly expanding hills with alternating layers of rock and glass. Large patches of sand churn like water, the surface constantly shifting under some unseen force. Luckily they¡¯re easy to avoid, but I don¡¯t want to imagine what would happen if we tried to drive over one. Mountains of barren rock occasionally rise up in the distance, far taller than the Rocky Mountains visible at the junkyard. It¡¯s insane to think that they were once swallowed up entirely by the oceans. Just how far below what was once sea level are we? The sun eventually sets over the horizon, and all the interesting sights disappear with it. ¡°You should get some sleep.¡± Ivy tells Cassie. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be able to.¡± The second she¡¯s brought out of her book, her foot begins bouncing anxiously once again. I can help with that, but I¡¯m not sure how to start reading out loud without it being obvious that I¡¯m doing it for her. ¡°I was planning on reading to Corax now that he can¡¯t see anything from the sky. I can wait if it¡¯ll keep you up though.¡± I hope that¡¯s subtle enough. ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± Cassie returns to her book. ¡°You really should try.¡± Ivy reiterates. ¡°Fine,¡± Cassie relents after literally any pressure. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± She slides a bookmark into her book, places it back in her backpack, and gets her sleeping bag out. It takes her a few minutes to get both comfortable and secure, but soon enough she stops fidgeting, and I resume the book I¡¯ve been reading to her for the past few nights. It only takes a few minutes of reading for her breathing to slow, and she begins to softly snore. I know from experience that if I stop she¡¯ll probably wake up though, so I keep reading. Thanks. Ivy signs to me. I just offer a smile in return. She can know why I¡¯m reading, the only important thing is that Cassie thinks she doesn¡¯t know. Ivy also settles down for some rest, but only a few hours later, she gets up and signals for Vince to stop the car. Once he does, she gets up and opens his door. ¡°I¡¯ll finish the drive, go get some sleep.¡± She says quietly. ¡°I can drive a little longer.¡± Vince responds. ¡°You''re not going to be able to stand when we get there if you do. Get some sleep.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Vince eventually relents and lets Ivy claim the driver¡¯s seat. He walks back to the sled, and Cassie¡¯s calm, slow breathing catches in her throat. The sound must have woken her up. ¡°I¡¯m reading to Corax, if you need me to stop so you can sleep I can.¡± I say to Vince. He takes one glance at Cassie and shakes his head with a smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s alright Little Blue. Heck, it might even help me sleep.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I return to my book while Vince gets settled into Ivy¡¯s sleeping bag. He¡¯s asleep nearly the same moment his head hits the ground, and Cassie follows him back to sleep only a few minutes later. I keep one eye on the book, and the other on the stars above. I could spend a hundred years staring upwards and still not know everything there is to see. A billion stars twinkle in the moonless sky. A shooting star streaks across the universe for just a moment, before disappearing, never to be seen again. ¡°When all of this is done,¡± I whisper to Corax. ¡°I¡¯m asking Silver for our pay, and buying a telescope.¡± Book 2 Chapter 45 The sun pulls me out of my dreams, and I grope around blindly for my hat. It takes a few seconds to find it, but I place it over my eyes and return to the peaceful darkness. This is the last chance I¡¯ll get to sleep before Mara, I need to take it. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Blue whispers quietly from beside me. Guess I¡¯m not getting any more sleep. ¡°Yeah. Thanks.¡± Cassie responds before I can. ¡°Vince still asleep?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± She whispers back. Or maybe I can get a bit more shuteye. I¡¯m so glad they¡¯re finally growing close, even if it took a while. Although, if Cassie¡¯s cursing rubs off on Blue, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be able to take her seriously. I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to stop myself from laughing the first time she dropped a casual ¡®fuck¡¯. Just imagining it makes me laugh. I guess I¡¯m not sleeping then. I gracefully transition my chuckle into a stretch, and finally sit up in Ivy¡¯s sleeping bag. ¡°Morning you three.¡± I yawn, and my stomach growls in response. ¡°We¡¯ll have breakfast when we stop to recharge the batteries, it shouldn¡¯t be too long.¡± ¡°You better make a lot.¡± Cassie¡¯s more than a little grumpy from not eating dinner yesterday. ¡°Actually, I was hoping you and Little Blue could take care of that and the solar panels. Ivy and I are going to head into town to try to convince whoever¡¯s in charge to take the injured, and make a plan.¡± ¡°We¡¯re close to The Bitch¡¯s trench, she definitely has people here.¡± Cassie says. ¡°I¡¯m coming with you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m taking Ivy. I need you up here to make sure nobody tries to leave the town and send a message.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± She relents after a few seconds and a serious look. ¡°But I¡¯m not going to come save you.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t need to.¡± I pat her on the shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll be careful.¡± ¡°You better.¡± She gives me a light punch on my arm, and then pulls me into a hug which I return. If she¡¯s acting like this around Blue when I¡¯m not even in danger, I can only imagine how anxious she¡¯s feeling. I¡¯m sure some food will help, we all need some. Everything we cooked before we left went to the injured. Cassie quickly breaks off her hug and begins to triple check her gear. It would probably do me well to check mine too. Rifle and pistol are both loaded and clean, spare receiver is too. Magazines loaded, full, and free of debris. Emergency drugs and surgery kit are easily available and still sealed. Everything looks good to me. I sling my rifle across my back, but keep my pistol close at hand. Only an hour after sunrise, Ivy pulls up to a great gash in the landscape. A few scattered cars are parked on the ridge, with numerous guards in a large tower watching over them. Ivy keeps a respectful distance from everyone else. ¡°Alright you three, I¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡± I stand up the moment the sled stops moving. Ivy climbs out right away, and the two of us head towards the guard tower. A staircase descends from the lip of the crevice. What looks like a massive garage door is built into the wall with rails spaced evenly across the open gap, just waiting to be pulled closed and cut off the town from the world in case of a storm. ¡°What¡¯s your business?¡± One of the guards yell down. ¡°Just passing through while we wait for our batteries to recharge!¡± I yell back to him. ¡°Keep your weapons to yourself, I¡¯ll be watching you.¡± The guard waves us in. The smell hits even before we reach the stairs. The ever-present scent of long decayed fish mixes with raw sewage. We step onto the stairs. Far below us is a spider web of paths. Platforms span from wall to wall, and bridges weave between them organically. Even further below the town proper is a real, honest to god lake. It¡¯s disgusting after years of dumping god knows what in there, but it¡¯s still nice to see. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen natural standing water. If Mara¡¯s canyon is anything like this, it¡¯s almost unassailable. A few turrets mounted in the walls, or hell, even a few people with guns below would turn this staircase into a near perfect killzone. Ivy might be able to make it safe, but there¡¯s no guarantee. We might have to use plan c. ¡°Can you record a map? I¡¯m going to get lost here.¡± I ask Ivy. ¡°Already done.¡± The stairs double back a few times before ending at a platform with a house far larger than any other. It¡¯s an entire ship suspended by cables built into the rock walls. Knocking a few of those out would make the whole thing fall. That might work if Mara¡¯s trench uses the same mounting mechanism. She¡¯s not that careless though. This is either whoever¡¯s in charge¡¯s house, or I¡¯m about to make an enemy of some rich sack. We let ourselves in. We step into a waiting room, with a fine wooden desk along the back wall. Large windows fill the room with light. A young woman sits behind it, and excitedly sits up in her chair. ¡°Hello!¡± Her excited voice fills the air. ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡± ¡°No, we just got into town. We¡¯d like to say hello to whoever¡¯s in charge before we step on any toes.¡± ¡°Alright! Let me ask.¡± She hops to her feet and disappears though one of the doors. ¡°How can one person have so much energy?¡± Ivy whispers to me. ¡°I¡¯m already exhausted.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll make this visit quick then.¡± A few seconds later a man in a once fine suit comes out, with his secretary trotting happily behind him. ¡°Hello!¡± The man walks confidently up to the two of us and holds out his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Mayor Adams, and I¡¯d like to welcome you to our fine city.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°I¡¯m Gerald, and this is Madison, nice to meet you.¡± I reach out to shake his hand. ¡°We¡¯re just passing through, but I do need to make a request of you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for! How can I help?¡± ¡°We rescued a few people from a rogue android ambush. They¡¯re still a little injured, but-¡± ¡°Let me stop you right there.¡± Adams¡¯ voice instantly turns cold. ¡°We don¡¯t tolerate slavers here. I suggest you leave.¡± His hand rests on his waistband, where I¡¯m sure a pistol is hidden. ¡°I think we¡¯re on different pages.¡± I hold up my hands in surrender. The look in this guy¡¯s eyes tells me the last thing he wants to do is shoot me, and if he tries Ivy will take him out. I¡¯m not in any danger, but it¡¯s better for him to think he has the upper hand. ¡°We¡¯re scrappers, not slavers. It¡¯s not a life where I can afford to haul around injured people. We¡¯re just looking for a safe place to drop them off and let them live. They need minimal medical care, and won¡¯t be a burden to the society you have built here.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s a different story, but the answer¡¯s still no.¡± He lets his arm relax, and I lower my hands too. ¡°Why not?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°Well miss Madison, elections are coming up soon. The race is already close, and I can¡¯t take the risk of alienating more citizens.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t think of any better optics than saving an injured baby, plus four very appreciative new voters.¡± Ivy rebuts with fluttering eyes. Glad I have her to do this whole political crap. I may have picked up a few tips from Silver over the years, but that doesn¡¯t mean I want to use them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯d end up alienating more voters than I¡¯d get by taking them. We don¡¯t have the resources to spare.¡± ¡°How can we fix that?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°We¡¯re going somewhere they won¡¯t be safe. Let us help you, so you can help us.¡± ¡°Our water filter died, and we haven¡¯t been able to fix it.¡± He admits. ¡°The water below us is infected with all manner of diseases, and people are getting desperate. If you can fix it, I¡¯ll take your people.¡± ¡°If anyone can fix it, Blue can.¡± I¡¯ve seen first hand the magic AI can do with just a few scrap parts and some time. ¡°Let us go get some food, and we¡¯ll grab our little repair bot. If you point out where the filtration system is, we¡¯ll meet you there in about 15 minutes.¡± ¡°Alright Mr. Gerald, I¡¯ll send an engineer to meet you there, along with a few guards.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure doing business.¡± Ivy gives him a firm handshake, and turns on her heel. I instantly step beside her, and the mayor trots along behind us. Ivy leads us out of the building, and to the ledge. ¡°It¡¯s that building there, on the water¡¯s surface.¡± The mayor points to a building sitting on a large, makeshift barge. A few winches keep it stationary, but are able to be adjusted as the water level rises and falls. ¡°Alright, thank you so much for your help.¡± I give one last show of appreciation before we head back to the car. I can hear the faintest hint of Cassie and Blue talking just before we crest the lip of the ravine. Of course, that conversation stops the moment Cassie sees us. She¡¯s just finishing up a large pot of soup, and ladles two big mason jars of food for the two of us. ¡°Thanks.¡± I take both the jars and hand one to Ivy. The second the food touches my lips I finally realize how hungry I actually am. I quickly down half the glass before talking. ¡°Alright Little Blue. The only way the mayor is going to take the civilians is if we can fix their water filter. How do you fancy being a little repair bot?¡± ¡°Most of my specific engineering knowledge is on one of my hard drives.¡± She glances over to her backpack and a conflicted look consumes her face. She obviously wants that data back. ¡°I don¡¯t think I should risk the worm again if I don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°Do you think you can fix it? Or should we try the next town?¡± ¡°I have the basics memorized. I can try.¡± Her voice makes it clear she¡¯s not confident, but knows we don¡¯t have much time. ¡°Alright. Cassie, I don¡¯t want to leave you alone, but I think it¡¯s best for the both of us to be with Blue.¡± If they suspect Blue of being an AI and aren¡¯t ok with it, she¡¯ll need the both of us to fight our way out. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Cassie says confidently. ¡°I¡¯m sure you will, but just in case. Corax, are you willing to say here with her and tell us if anything happens?¡± Corax flies to Cassie¡¯s shoulder, and Cassie flinches. We¡¯ve all seen how much force he can apply to Blue¡¯s ear, I think we¡¯re all a little nervous having him on our shoulders. ¡°Alright, thanks.¡± ¡°Let me put on your harness.¡± Blue says, and pulls the explosive vest out of her backpack. Corax hops onto the ground, gets his vest put on, and returns to Cassie¡¯s shoulder. Cassie looks, understandably, even more nervous. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine. Ivy and I head back to the town, food in hand, with Blue following besides us. When we reach the stairs, I let Ivy lead, and fall in behind Blue. You never know how people are going to react to androids, it¡¯s for her safety. Ivy leads us closer to the water, taking seemingly random turns through the spider web that is this town. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s taking the long way around to let the both of us get a better view of the canyon. A few large rocks against the walls look like they could potentially be knocked loose. A well-placed explosive or a shot from Ivy¡¯s gun might just crush everything beneath it. Only problem is that Mara¡¯s trench has civilians in it, which mostly rules that out. The only other bright idea I have is somehow repelling down the side out of view, and swimming into the town proper. I guess it¡¯s possible, but we¡¯re more likely to get shot or drown than make it. It takes a while to reach the bottom, and an old man covered in oil stands in front of the building with the water purifier in it. There are no guards, interestingly. I¡¯m not sure what that means, but the fact sets me on edge. ¡°This the bot?¡± The man asks in a gruff voice. It¡¯s clear on Blue¡¯s face that she already hates him. Come on girl, just hold it together for a little bit and we¡¯ll be gone. ¡°This is her.¡± I confirm. The man leers at her, for a few seconds before talking. ¡°What''d ya do? Reprogram a sex bot?¡± Anger flares inside me, but I know it won¡¯t help. I need to get this man to shut up as soon as possible, but without hitting him. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk.¡± Ivy picks up the conversation before I can come up with anything. ¡°At least she knows how to keep herself clean.¡± The man gives a gruff laugh before opening the door, gesturing us to enter. ¡°I like her.¡± He whispers to me as I pass. ¡°You¡¯re going to end up in the lake if you keep talking.¡± I warn him. The man only laughs again in response. He steps in behind me, and closes the door. The center of the room is dominated by a hulking monstrosity. Metal is slapped together in what looks to me like a barely organized pile. Blue seems to be figuring out something at least, she stops and her eyes flick rapidly across every part of this beast. ¡°This is the cursed ol¡¯ girl.¡± The man steps forward and slaps the side of it. ¡°Engines and circuit boards fry themselves quicker than I¡¯ve ever seen. Far as I can tell though, nothing¡¯s wrong. She just eats parts.¡± Blue takes a step forward, pulls some kind of wire from her backpack, and freezes for a few seconds. I can see a hint of fear on her face, which is quickly wiped away and she plugs herself in. She closes her eyes for a few seconds, and her face contorts into a frown. I don¡¯t bother asking what¡¯s wrong, I know she won¡¯t be able to hear me. ¡°Someone sabotaged you.¡± Blue unplugs herself just as the machine roars to life. ¡°A program was hidden deep to randomly apply far too much current to random devices. I put dozens of checks in to make sure it¡¯s impossible to re-install. If any checks fail, a siren will blare. I also bypassed a broken board, but you should replace it as soon as possible. The bypass will remove itself as soon as it¡¯s fixed.¡± ¡°You¡¯re no bot.¡± The man¡¯s eyes narrow. ¡°Is that a problem?¡± I let my hand rest on my sidearm. I care about Blue a hell of a lot more than anyone in this town. I¡¯ll do whatever I have to in order to get her out. ¡°Not if it means we can drink water.¡± ¡°Smart man.¡± I don¡¯t dare to remove my hand. ¡°We¡¯ll be out of here in just a few hours. Don¡¯t say anything and you¡¯ll never see us again.¡± ¡°Not like I talk to many people anyway.¡± He waves me off. ¡°Now get out of here so I can work.¡± Book 2 Chapter 46 I¡¯m ok. We¡¯re leaving, I won¡¯t have to hear another word from this guy. I¡¯ll never see him again. I¡¯m ok. I follow Ivy out the door, with Vince close at my side. The second the door closes behind us, he turns to me, crouches down, and speaks. ¡°Are you alright Little Blue?¡± ¡°Did I mess up?¡± I don¡¯t want to get everyone in trouble because I couldn¡¯t act like a repair bot. ¡°No, you did perfect.¡± Vince reaches out and places a hand firmly on my shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s just get back to the car, alright?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± I follow the two of them up the stairs. Interestingly, Ivy is taking a different route from the first time, but I¡¯m not sure why. I keep my eyes pinned to Ivy¡¯s back the whole way up, I don¡¯t want to see the people staring. After only a few minutes of climbing, we reach the surface. In the short time we¡¯ve been gone, Cassie has already spread out the solar panels, and is sitting with her back against the car. Corax is relaxing in the sand only a few feet in front of her. ¡°Alright Little Blue. I¡¯m going to go help the others get situated, and try to make a deal. Are you going to be alright?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I¡¯ve mostly worked through my emotions on the walk up. We¡¯re out of the town, we¡¯re safe, there¡¯s nothing to worry about. Nothing to worry about for a little bit, anyway. ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Vince heads to the car to collect the others, and Ivy and I join Cassie. Corax flies back to my shoulder the moment I get close. ¡°Did you have fun?¡± I ask him. He doesn¡¯t respond, but I can see in his eyes that he did. Ivy grabs two second helpings of soup, and hands one to Cassie. ¡°You should eat more.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that hungry.¡± Cassie complains, but grabs the jar anyway. We sit in silence for a moment while the two of them eat. All the while a question has been bubbling inside my mind. ¡°Hey Ivy?¡± I eventually have to speak. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Why would anyone make a sex robot? What¡¯s the point of that?¡± They wouldn¡¯t be helpful at all in reproduction. As far as I know, it¡¯d be next to impossible to create an egg or sperm outside the human body, much less to be able to create an environment that a baby could grow in. I know it¡¯s possible in a lab, but it¡¯d be impossible to fit in a body like mine. ¡°I¡¯m going to go help Vince.¡± Cassie announces suddenly and puts her food to the side. She disappears around the car, and by the sounds of her footsteps, I assume runs for the canyon. ¡°Did nobody give you the talk?¡± Ivy asks with an indecipherable smile. ¡°I guess not?¡± ¡°Alright, well, Vince gave it to Cassie, I guess it¡¯s only fair I give it to you.¡± She shuffles around, and ends up sitting directly in front of Corax and I. ¡°So, when two people love each other very much, they can end up having sex. And sex is when-¡± ¡°I know what sex is.¡± I interrupt her. ¡°I¡¯m just not sure why anyone would do it with a robot.¡± ¡°Why do you think people wouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Because robots don¡¯t reproduce sexually? There¡¯s literally no reason to do it.¡± I¡¯m definitely missing something, but I have no idea what. ¡°You know people have sex for fun, right?¡± ¡°They do? Why?¡± And why did Finn not put that information in my head when I was born? ¡°Everyone has their own reasons. Some people are there to find comfort in being intimate with someone else, while others just do it for fun or because it feels good.¡± Ivy explains, thankfully without being judgmental or condescending. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know that.¡± I guess that¡¯s just another thing I¡¯ll never experience. I think that¡¯s fine though? Melding with Corax is far more intimate than anything humans can do. Or most humans at least, I¡¯m not sure on the specifics of how Vince and Ivy connecting together works. I¡¯m more than content with how close I am with Corax, even if neither of us have any romantic desires for the other. ¡°Any other questions?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± I look to Corax, who shakes his head. ¡°Good. Glad you¡¯re so much easier than Cassie. Apparently she ran away screaming when Vince tried to explain.¡± Ivy says with a smile. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± She returns to her food, giving no hints as to if she¡¯s lying or not. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m ever asking Cassie to confirm that story. The three of us wait for over an hour before Vince and Cassie finally return from town. Cassie has a few big bottles of something I¡¯m sure is alcoholic held carefully in her arms, one of which is already partially empty. Vince, on the other hand, is carrying two large batteries. A few people are following behind the two of them, also carrying a collection of batteries of various sizes. The small group immediately heads over to our car. ¡°Just put them in here wherever they¡¯ll fit. Thank you.¡± Vince tells everyone and pops open the trunk. It¡¯s a struggle to fit everything in the trunk, but they somehow manage. It takes Vince several minutes to wire everything together. ¡°Alright, everyone¡¯s finally settled, and we¡¯ll have enough batteries to make it the rest of the way.¡± Vince announces and lets out an exhausted sigh. ¡°I just hope the detour doesn¡¯t fuck us.¡± Cassie says quietly and opens the partially empty bottle. ¡°Did anyone try to leave?¡± Ivy asks her. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then we''re not any more screwed than we were a few hours ago. They couldn¡¯t have sent out a radio signal or anything from that far down in the earth.¡± ¡°I know. I just,¡± Cassie takes another swig. ¡°I want to get this over with.¡± ¡°Just make sure you¡¯re sober when we arrive.¡± Vince gently reminds her. ¡°I¡¯ve got what, thirty hours to recover? I¡¯m fine.¡± She takes a large gulp to demonstrate. ¡°And remember to drink water and eat.¡± He adds. ¡°Reminding me is your job, isn¡¯t it?¡± Cassie asks him with a fake, innocent smile. ¡°It¡¯s also my job to stop you from finishing all that by yourself.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Cassie yells out as Vince snags one of the bottles from her arm. ¡°Whatever happened to doctor¡¯s orders?¡± ¡°Ended yesterday.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t tell me! We had a whole car ride, and I had a whole bottle I was saving for you!¡± ¡°Make sure they don¡¯t fall into the canyon for me, I¡¯m going to get some sleep.¡± Ivy leans over and whispers before pushing herself gracefully to her feet. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, but no promises.¡± I tell her, and she smiles back. ¡°I was talking to Corax.¡± She winks and disappears into the car. ¡°I¡¯m a great swimmer!¡± Cassie complains to Vince. I guess I missed something while paying attention to Ivy? ¡°Cassie, that¡¯s basically sewage. You¡¯re going to jump in there, vomit, and drown.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying! I could swim in it if I really wanted to.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll admit you can, as long as you don¡¯t actually try.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Cassie takes another drink, satisfied in her win. ¡°I wonder if I could swim?¡± I say mostly to myself. I¡¯m only 200 pounds, but I¡¯m certainly denser than a normal human. A quick calculation says I¡¯d have to apply a consistent 40 to 50 pounds of force to remain above water, assuming I can make my skin airtight. That¡¯s surprisingly close to being doable. Not on my own, of course, but with a big enough life jacket, some fins, and maybe a trash bag filled with air, I could do it. ¡°Want to find out?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°I¡¯d sink without a lot of help.¡± Ocean ravines can be miles deep, my body wouldn¡¯t survive that much pressure. ¡°It¡¯s not something I¡¯m willing to risk.¡± ¡°Right, of course you would.¡± Vince closes his eyes for just a moment and shakes away some bad thought. ¡°Is everything ok?¡± I ask. ¡°Yeah, everything¡¯s alright.¡± Vince reassures me with a fake smile. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± I can¡¯t help but get a little angry. ¡°You¡¯re right, sorry.¡± He quickly apologizes and the anger dissipates into the void. ¡°I had a hair-brained idea to somehow repel down to the water and attack Mara¡¯s hideout from there. It was a dumb plan that would have gotten us killed, but it¡¯s firmly off the table now. I was just mad at myself for not considering you might not be able to swim.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright Little Blue.¡± ¡°I take it you don¡¯t have any grand plans then?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°Nothing good.¡± Vince takes a long drink from his bottle. ¡°Great.¡± Cassie follows his example, and finishes her beer, only to grab another and open it using her knee. ¡°Here¡¯s to walking in the front door like the dumbasses we are!¡± She holds the open beer up towards Vince. ¡°Cheers.¡± He clinks his bottle against hers. ¡°No reason to worry about that tonight though. How about a story?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard them all before.¡± Cassie complains. ¡°Blue and Corax haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Oh right! Fuck it, tell them about what a disaster Twin Lakes was.¡± ¡°Oh God, alright. So we were in this little town nestled in a lakebed in the middle of the Rockies. There were these two people, and I don¡¯t know what they were on, but they were trying to be some kind of fifties gangsters. Called themselves Riga and Tony.¡± It takes nearly half an hour for Vince to finish sharing his story. By the end of Vince¡¯s progressively more unlikely series of events, mistakes, and misunderstandings, Cassie is practically howling in laughter, I¡¯m laughing, and even Corax lets out a few chuckles. From there, the conversation stays light-hearted as we laugh away the day. Cassie shares some of her stories too, but nothing can match up to Vince''s. They end up eating leftovers for lunch, and Vince ends up starting another pot of food for dinner a few hours later. This is going to be the only chance to cook between here and the trench, so he makes sure to make plenty. As soon as the sun disappears over the horizon, we begin packing up the solar panels. Or at least I do, Cassie is having trouble controlling her robotic limbs, and Vince looks like he¡¯s about to pass out at any moment. Ivy wakes up to the sound of me loading the trunk, looking far more refreshed than she was this morning. She¡¯s so good at hiding her emotions, I didn¡¯t even realize she was tired until I saw the difference. ¡°Alright you two, fun¡¯s over. Get some sleep.¡± Ivy gently guides the two of them into the back seat without too many complaints. Vince ends up leaning back in his seat and placing his hat over his eyes, while Cassie curls up taking both her seat, and the middle one. ¡°Would you mind driving, Blue?¡± Ivy asks me once everything is packed up and the sled is unhooked. We don¡¯t need it anymore, and we¡¯re leaving it behind as a small present for this town. ¡°Sure.¡± I¡¯d feel much more comfortable with her rifle free, rather than making her drive and I have to fight off anyone who comes near. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ivy hops into the passenger¡¯s seat, and I hop into the Driver¡¯s. We have thirty hours to drive, so I don¡¯t bother plugging myself in. That¡¯s an awful long time to have an extended body, just to lose it when we arrive. The compass already has a heading marked, and I begin to slowly crawl southwest across the desert. Book 2 Chapter 47 While the barren world crawls by, Corax flies high above and Ivy keeps her eyes pinned on the horizon. Nothing can sneak up on us, we just have to make it to our destination. I focus only on the ground in front of me, letting the endless, flowing landscape wash away the thoughts that are threatening to form. Nothing matters other than following the compass in front of me. Corax swoops down to check on me and to have his battery topped off at regular intervals. Having to remove his harness to pull off his chest piece is a little bit of an oversight, but one that doesn¡¯t need to be fixed right now. It only takes a few seconds to take it off, and put it back on again before he takes off into the air once again. Only a couple of hours into the drive, in the dead of night, Ivy¡¯s voice pulls me out of my trance. ¡°Hey Blue?¡± She says at a barely audible whisper, so quiet even Cassie doesn¡¯t wake up. ¡°Yeah?¡± I respond, just as quietly. ¡°Do me a favor. If anything goes wrong with Mara, make sure you, Corax, and Cassie get out.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be able to handle losing you and Vince.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make sure you don¡¯t have to then.¡± She says with a smile. Ivy doesn¡¯t say another word the entire night. Every ounce of concentration is dedicated to watching for any movement along the empty landscape, as well as checking the radio occasionally. I don¡¯t mind though, splitting my focus to concentrate both on her and the sand in front of me might give unwanted thoughts space to form. Cassie and Vince sleep restlessly through the night. When a nightmare starts to bother Cassie, Vince reaches over and pulls her head into his lap and lays a comforting hand across her shoulder, all without waking up. That helps settle Cassie down. The sun eventually rises behind us, and Cassie with it. ¡°Ugh.¡± She groans and tries to sit up, only catch herself with a sharp inhale a moment later. She waits a few seconds for nausea to pass before continuing her sitting motion. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Ivy asks quietly in an effort to not wake up Vince. ¡°Fucking awful.¡± Cassie reaches behind the back seat and pulls out two large jugs of water. She sets one in the center seat next to Vince, and starts sipping out of the other. ¡°How much did you two drink?¡± Ivy asks. ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± Cassie mumbles. ¡°They drank those big bottles, and grabbed six more small ones from the trunk.¡± I inform the both of them. ¡°Are you going to be sober by the time we arrive?¡± Ivy asks, and I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s a joke. ¡°How much time do I have?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°Eighteen hours, we¡¯ll be arriving around midnight.¡± I answer. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Cassie spends a few minutes trying to keep water down, and leans back to try to get more sleep. ¡°You should rest too.¡± I tell Ivy. ¡°It¡¯s never a good idea to leave only one person awake. I¡¯ll sleep when Vince gets up.¡± ¡°Corax is awake too. Nothing will be able to sneak up on us with him keeping an eye out. And if anything happens to me, he can wake you up.¡± ¡°Sure, but he¡¯s not in the car. If something goes wrong and you shut down, it could be minutes before he wakes me up. Trust me, it¡¯s safer this way.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I guess that¡¯s a decent argument. If I had a hallucination, I could do a lot of damage to myself before Corax could reach me. It¡¯s a couple more hours before Vince and Cassie wake up for good. ¡°What ever happened to never again?¡± Ivy asks Vince the moment he removes his hat from his eyes. ¡°I couldn¡¯t let her drink it all by herself.¡± he sounds awful. His voice is hoarse, scratchy, and he already sounds exhausted. He immediately grabs the jug Cassie set next to him and begins to drink. ¡°Uh-huh, you¡¯re so selfless.¡± Ivy teases. ¡°Have we seen anyone on the road?¡± Cassie asks and hands Vince leftovers for breakfast. ¡°Not a single soul.¡± Ivy responds for me. ¡°That¡¯s weird. I would have thought this would be a major trade route.¡± Vince says through a mouth full of food. ¡°There aren¡¯t many towns between here and the mainland.¡± ¡°There is a storm hitting in fourteen hours or so.¡± Ivy says. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Still, some idiot trader should still be trying to beat the storm, or some scrappers trying to make it back.¡± Vince mumbles, mostly to himself. ¡°Like us.¡± Cassie adds. ¡°Like us.¡± Vince agrees, gesturing with his breakfast towards her. ¡°Something¡¯s off.¡± ¡°Could they be setting an ambush?¡± I ask. ¡°I saw the tips of a mountain range to the south. Maybe they¡¯re expecting us to follow that?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not Mara¡¯s style. She¡¯s going to want to look us in our eyes when she tries to kill us.¡± ¡°Shit, she cleared the way for us.¡± Cassie realizes and falls back into her seat. Vince doesn¡¯t respond, he just continues to eat his food with slow, deliberate motions. Hours pass in a silence nobody dares to break while Vince and Cassie nurse their hangovers. Cassie recovers far quicker, but even Vince starts looking better after a lot of food and water. The better everyone feels, the more anxious they feel as well. Cassie is constantly fidgeting with whatever she can get her hands on, and her bouncing legs are shaking the car. Vince, on the other hand, is slowly, almost mechanically taking care of himself and scanning the horizon. ¡°What¡¯s our plan if Ivy can¡¯t kill her from the ridge? Did visiting the town help at all?¡± I eventually have to break the silence. My mind is going to consume itself if I don¡¯t. ¡°Not really.¡± Vince starts to speak, his voice nearly emotionless. ¡°We¡¯re arriving at midnight, we might be able to somehow repel down the side, but if it¡¯s like the last town, we¡¯d have to descend quite a ways before actually reaching anywhere we can stand. A single light and we¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°So when Cassie said we¡¯re walking in the front door. That wasn¡¯t a joke?¡± ¡°Unfortunately not.¡± He won¡¯t take his eyes off the horizon. ¡°I do have a plan c, but you¡¯re going to hate it.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I have enough explosives in my satchel to partially collapse the ravine. We¡¯d just bury them into the rock along the ridge, set them off, and let the landslide kill everyone inside. Including the civilians.¡± ¡°I¡¯m using my veto.¡± I wouldn¡¯t even be able to live with leaving five people behind, how does he expect me to handle that? How can he even consider that as a plan? ¡°I know. It¡¯s not a real option.¡± ¡°It¡¯d save lives in the long run.¡± Cassie says quietly. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± What am I going to do if they call a vote and override me? Corax isn¡¯t going to let anything happen to me, and plan c is the safest option. Cassie¡¯s made her point clear, I guess it all comes down to Ivy? ¡°I¡¯m just saying.¡± Cassie says, and returns to fidgeting with her metal arm. ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s not a real option.¡± Vince says. ¡°It¡¯s just the only plan that hasn¡¯t fallen apart yet. I¡¯m not Mara or Silver, I wouldn¡¯t be able to live with myself.¡± ¡°So we walk in the front door, then what?¡± I ask Vince. ¡°I¡¯d prefer if you stayed safe in the car, but I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s not happening?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not letting you die when I might have been able to stop it.¡± Despite my conviction, my voice betrays my fear. ¡°Right. Well, if we make ourselves clearly known, we¡¯re going to be safe for the most part until we actually see Mara. From there, we shoot her before she has a chance to shoot us, and fight our way out.¡± ¡°We need to think of something better.¡± There has to be something, some safer way to kill her if Ivy¡¯s sniping plan fails. ¡°I know, but we¡¯re out of time.¡± Vince says. ¡°If Cassie¡¯s right, and she cleared the way for us, that means she knows we¡¯re coming. If we don¡¯t kill her now, she¡¯s going to spend the next few years brutally killing every person in Silver¡¯s gang. We don¡¯t have time to think of anything else, and this is our only chance.¡± I have time before we arrive. I can think of something, I have to. ¡°What about the metal cables that were suspending most of the buildings in the last town? Can¡¯t Ivy just shoot those, and drop whatever hideout she has into the ravine?¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t let that obvious of a weakness exist, She¡¯s unfortunately thorough.¡± Vince answers. ¡°But if, somehow, it¡¯s an option and won¡¯t kill innocent people, we¡¯ll take it. The plan will probably change once we¡¯re in, and I really hope it does.¡± The car settles back into an uncomfortable silence. The hours crawl by, and still not a single car can be seen in the wasteland. Ivy eventually settles down into an equally uncomfortable sleep, which I¡¯m glad to see. Even if it¡¯s not a deep sleep, it has to be better than nothing. I spend the rest of the day thinking of dozens of plans. Each and every one is either too dangerous, too unlikely to succeed, will kill innocent people, or more often, all three. The sun goes down, marking six hours until we arrive. The mountains to the south have only grown closer with each passing mile. Mara¡¯s ravine isn¡¯t going to be more than a twenty minute¡¯s drive from them. With every hill I crest, I expect to see something, anything out there. Now that the sun has set, there¡¯s the possibility of Corax missing something and we drive right into an ambush that is set up at the base of a particularly large dune. Of course it never comes, we¡¯re seemingly the only people in the world right now. ¡°I¡¯m going to try to get a little sleep.¡± Vince says. Everyone knows he¡¯s not going to be able to, but trying might help calm him down. An hour before we arrive, I wake Vince and everyone begins to prepare. Old Kevlar vests and helmets get put on, weapons are checked and cleaned, and everyone has their own little rituals to help them calm down. Cassie ends up reading her tattered, barely held together book. The same one she once lent me and told me to be careful with. Vince grabs some old snacks out of his bag, and starts eating them a single crumb at a time. Ivy, on the other hand, just takes care of her rifle. She cleans it over and over, even after it¡¯s spotless. Vince pulls out a few explosives and hands them to Ivy and Cassie, just in case. I don¡¯t need any, Corax is my explosive. I still don¡¯t have anything to do beyond cleaning my guns, but driving is doing enough to distract me. I hand my pistols to Ivy for her to clean them. If she¡¯s going to be taking care of her weapon anyway, maybe taking care of mine will too. Once Vince finishes his snack, he speaks up. ¡°Little Blue, I should drive the last half hour.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it safer for me to be driving? If anything goes wrong, I don¡¯t want to have to shoot people. Plus I can just plug myself in and run the car to its absolute limits. And if the car gets shot and something gets damaged, I can try to reroute power around the damaged part.¡± The words flow out of me far faster than I meant them to. If anyone somehow didn¡¯t know I was nervous, they definitely do now. ¡°Alright, fair point.¡± Vince sits back in his seat, his rifle at the ready. Only twenty minutes later Corax lands on my open windowsill. ¡°Close, safe.¡± He reports before once again taking off into the air. Ten minutes later we arrive at a massive, metal platform where the trench should be. Hydraulics are holding up a small segment of it, an open door just for us, beckoning us deeper. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Book 2 Chapter 48 Everyone steps out of the car, their weapons raised, ready for anything. I climb out a moment later, both pistols drawn and Corax on my shoulder, ready to fly. We scan the desert for a few seconds before Vince speaks. ¡°Ivy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see anything.¡± Vince doesn¡¯t dare to lower his rifle as he looks around. He stares at the metal platform and the entrance for a second before once again speaking. ¡°So much for plan A. Plan C is still an option.¡± He says. ¡°We both know that¡¯s not true.¡± Ivy says gently. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with then.¡± Vince takes a few, methodical steps towards the opening. Ivy keeps her rifle perched just over his shoulder, and walks in step with Vince. Cassie and I take either side of the two of them, and Corax keeps his eyes pinned behind us, keeping every angle covered, Vince leads us to the entrance, and tentatively looks inside. I can¡¯t help but take a look as well. The trench is far denser than the small town we visited yesterday. A flimsy metal bridge stretches across an empty expanse. It leads to a building with a seemingly abandoned concrete bunker built into it. If guards were inside it, it would be nearly impossible to assault. Beneath us are a hundred buildings, so densely packed it¡¯s impossible to see the bottom. The streets are abandoned, but hints of light can be seen bleeding through closed curtains. Cameras are attached to nearly every surface, hundreds in total. Every single one looks up at us in sync. AI. Vince''s hand signal mimicks my own thoughts. We take a few slow steps onto the rickety bridge. Ivy and Corax¡¯s eyes sweep the streets below, while Vince, Cassie and I are much more focused on the bunker in front of us. Anyone could poke their head up at any moment, fire a single burst, and we¡¯re all dead. Heck, they don¡¯t even need to poke their head out. Just holding the gun up and spraying randomly would probably work. When we¡¯re halfway over, the hydraulics of the door hiss behind us. The flap that leads to the outside world closes and latches shut. ¡°Blue, can you get that back open?¡± Vince asks aloud. Unsurprisingly, we don¡¯t have a hand signal for that. A small control panel is built into the wall. It¡¯s just a solid metal box welded to another steel plate with three bundles of wires coming out of it. The harpoon could absolutely weave its way in, but I¡¯d have to fight with another AI to do it. If they have a sizable server somewhere in here, it¡¯d be just like Vegas all over again. ¡°Cassie, knife.¡± I put one of my pistols away, and Cassie passes me her knife without hesitation. The function of the wires coming out of the box are pretty obvious. A data cable going to the hydraulics, one running deeper into the town, and a third, a power cord. I sever the data line heading deeper into the trench, cutting the box off from whatever AI lives here. ¡°It¡¯d take a minute to open, or I can use the harpoon to do it instantly.¡± I fall back in beside everyone and hand Cassie¡¯s knife back to her. ¡°Good.¡± Vince continues leading us on our slow march. We step into the bunker. Racks and shelves that once held armor and weapons have been emptied. Three doors lead out of the octagon bunker, and only one lies open. Blue, Cassie. Check doors. Vince signals. I walk over, only to find it blockaded from the other side. Cassie finds the same, and even a hard kick from her legs can¡¯t dislodge it. The both of us return to Vince and Ivy, who are already investigating the open door. A grand, spiral staircase heading down is the only thing visible. Every surface is highly polished gold, silver, and wood. Somehow, it¡¯s even more opulent than Vegas was. Vince leads the way down, his finger already squeezing the trigger half way down. The smallest movement and anyone who shows up on the stairs is dead. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The staircase leads down a few floors before leveling out in front of massive wooden double doors. Vince pushes them open and Ivy sweeps the room as he does. She fires. The staircase reverberates with a shockwave that hits me hard in the chest. In one smooth motion she pulls back the bolt on her rifle, letting the spent case fly into the air. A bullet jumps from inside her sleeve into her hand, which is then loaded into her rifle. She¡¯s ready to fire again before the case hits the ground. Vince throws the door open fully, and Cassie ducks under his arm, rushing inside. In front of us is a large, richly decorated room. Ten doors line the walls, and a throne sits in the center of the back wall. A woman is slumped atop it, missing her head. Instead of blood, she spouts oil from her shredded, steel neck. ¡°Vincent.¡± A voice booms through the room. A voice so powerful, so filled with malice and hate that it forces away all other thoughts, demanding my complete attention. ¡°Even after all these years I can¡¯t trust you to pick good friends.¡± ¡°Mind rip.¡± Corax growls. ¡°Aww, your little pet¡¯s pet is smarter than you ever were.¡± ¡°Corners!¡± Ivy calls out, firing two shots into two separate corners of the roof. Vince blasts a few bullets into a third, and Cassie and I take care of the fourth. Four turrets began to descend from the roof, only to be destroyed before they could fully deploy. They hang limply from the ceiling, dripping oil down the walls and across the floor. ¡°You¡¯ve changed.¡± Vince calls out, as we fall back to the stairwell. It¡¯s not good cover, but it¡¯s better than nothing. Plan? I desperately flash to Vince. I¡¯m not going to let anyone die here. Thinking. He responds. Need time. ¡°And you should have.¡± The voice laughs, shaking the entire building. ¡°I see young Cassandra had the right idea, it¡¯s just a shame she decided to steal from me.¡± Cassie lets out a piercing scream and her body begins to seize. I try to catch her, only to have an electric charge pass through my body, sending my mind reeling. It¡¯s all I can do to get away from her. There must be some kind of battery bank hidden in her arm, but how? Didn¡¯t Sonia check it? I let her fall, lean against the wall, and aim my pistol at her shoulder. I kill the thoughts screaming at me not to do this, and fire a few times, ripping massive chunks from her artificial arm. I fire until her seizing stops, but she doesn¡¯t wake up. ¡°We¡¯re getting out.¡± Vince says without hesitation, scoops Cassie into his arms and hands me his rifle. I sling it over my back, my pistols are more important right now. Ivy rushes up the stairs, replacing her loaded bullet with another as she runs, and I follow just behind her. Corax perches on Vince¡¯s shoulder to watch our back. At the top of the stairs, inside the bunker, a few men are armed and waiting. Ivy fires, and an explosion rips through the room. It¡¯s not strong enough to kill them, but it is enough to buy us time. Don¡¯t process anything, just do this one simple thing. Point at head, pull trigger, point at head, pull trigger, point at head, pull trigger. Only a second later a small pile of corpses lay where men once stood. Don¡¯t process, just move. Ivy runs through the room, tossing one explosive through each door, which detonate just as we reach the bridge. Don¡¯t process what the screams mean. I take out my harpoon, fire at the control box, and plug myself in. The bolt gets stuck in the steel, but wires snake out and around, weaving themselves into the bundles of wires that lead out from it. It only takes an instant to change its programming. The box will tell the hydraulics to open, close once I tell it we¡¯re through, and increase its voltage until every last processor in there fries itself. A shot rings out through the canyon, and Vince screams. His leg gives out and he falls to the side. He tosses Cassie safely into the center of the metal bridge as he goes down, but the motion causes him to slip off. He falls ten feet onto the roof of a building with a sickening crunch, bounces, and falls another eight feet onto the street below. ¡°I¡¯ll keep him alive, get out of here!¡± Ivy yells, and jumps down without any hesitation. She lands smoothly on the roof, but poorly on the ground. I can see her land wrong on one leg, and she limps as she drags a still conscious Vince into a nearby alley. ¡°Find Clover! Quantum!¡± Vince yells through gritted teeth. I can¡¯t leave them. I can¡¯t do this without them. I can¡¯t get Cassie down there safely. I can¡¯t make this decision. ¡°Vincent, what do you think hurts more?¡± Mara¡¯s voice reverberates through the canyon. The malice and hate has been replaced by pure euphoria. ¡°Me putting a bullet in their heads in front of you right now, ending things cleanly and easily. Or are you the coward I know you are? You can¡¯t stand to see them die, so you¡¯ll leave young Cassandra to get slowly sanded to the bone by the storm, and your pet buried, with the faint hope that they¡¯re still alive fading with each passing day. Your choice, it¡¯s the only kindness you¡¯ll get.¡± ¡°Blue! Just go! Please!¡± Vince cries out, and Corax gives me a nudge on my cheek. There is no other option. I pick up Cassie and move as quickly as I can under her weight. It¡¯s slow-going, knowing at any moment Mara could snap out of her excited emotion and put an end to us. That emotion is the only thing keeping us alive. The more pathetic I look, the happier she¡¯ll be. Or at least that¡¯s what I tell myself as the tears flood my eyes. Below me a group of men are trying to get behind Ivy. She pulls a brown package out of Vince¡¯s satchel, tosses it down the street, and fires into it. The package explodes, splattering fire against road, wall, and flesh alike. The fire sticks to everything it touches. Don¡¯t think about what those screams mean either. ¡°Alright fucker! How about we make a deal before I kill every last one of your men!¡± Ivy screams out just as I reach the outside world. Book 2 Chapter 49 The car is gone. Tracks in the sand lead towards the canyon and disappear right at the edge of the metal roof. Don¡¯t break down. I hold two lives in my hands, and two more depend on me. I cannot let myself roll over and die. Think, and move. The mountains. It¡¯s an eight-mile hike that I know I can¡¯t make before the next storm arrives, but it¡¯s our only chance. ¡°Corax.¡± I croak out, my voice barely comprehensible. ¡°I need you to find a cave in the mountains.¡± ¡°Together.¡± Corax insists. ¡°Alright.¡± He¡¯s right. I won¡¯t be able to handle anything alone. ¡°But I need you to find one before the storm hits.¡± I begin my slow, lumbering walk across the desert. Two hours for eight miles. I already know I won¡¯t make it in time, I might not even make it half way, but that doesn¡¯t matter. I have to make it. There¡¯s no other option. I push my servos to their limits and beyond, desperate to move just a tiny bit faster. Time passes in silence, save for the whirr of my limbs and Cassie¡¯s breathing. The ghosts of Vince and Ivy rise from the sands and silently march beside me. Don¡¯t think about what that means. Just focus on taking another step. The sandstorm appears on the horizon long before I reach the mountain. An undeniable truth that I¡¯m not going to make it. I¡¯m going to end up buried again, and Cassie is going to die. The scientists are finally going to get their wish, I¡¯ll be back in their arms for the next twenty years. ¡°Hey Corax? You should go. You don¡¯t have to die here with us.¡± I can barely force the words out of my mouth. ¡°Ow!¡± Corax pulls my ear hard. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to argue! Just let me save one person.¡± I try to shake him off my shoulder, to make him fly away. He hops onto my backpack, manages to unzip it, and climbs inside. I can¡¯t stop him without putting Cassie down and I can¡¯t waste a moment on the already non-existent chance that I reach the mountain. I¡¯m not going to be able to handle him dying, but I¡¯m not going to be able to handle anything else anyway. Him being buried with me won¡¯t make a difference. I can¡¯t tell him that though, just in case he does what I know he won¡¯t and leaves. The storm grows closer every moment. A roaring end of the world lit only by near constant lightning. A few minutes before it hits I lay Cassie on the ground and dig through both of our backpacks for as many clothes as possible. I put layer after layer on her, tucking her arms inside the seven shirts she¡¯s now wearing. I also wrap a few layers around her head in an effort to keep the sand out of her lungs and away from her skin. I even give my own clothes to her. It leaves me naked to the storm, but that¡¯s fine. A single layer won¡¯t protect me at all, and if there¡¯s a chance it helps Cassie, I have to do it. ¡°You really won¡¯t leave?¡± I ask Corax. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I don¡¯t know if the backpack will survive the storm, but I¡¯ll try. I wear the backpack backwards, keeping Corax on my chest. If the backpack fails, he¡¯ll still be protected by me and Cassie. I also keep Vince¡¯s rifle in between the backpack and my chest, just in case it makes it. Her knife seems important to her, and I don¡¯t want to risk losing it. I slide back the skin plates on my chest and tuck her knife safely inside me. Plus, if I do get buried, maybe I can- I kill that thought there. It¡¯s not going to go anywhere productive. I can wallow in that fact after I fail. While I¡¯m at it, I slide Kara¡¯s letter into the pages of Cassie¡¯s favorite book and tuck them both safely inside me. Even if I¡¯m never going to open it, I¡¯m not going to let myself lose Kara¡¯s letter. Cassie¡¯s pistol might also be important. In fact, all of ours might be. I tuck all our pistols and Corax¡¯s harness inside my chest. I should also pack as many supplies into me as possible. If we do find a cave or some other shelter, she¡¯s going to need food, water, medicine, and bandages especially for any skin that gets sanded off. I pack my insides as densely as possible with everything of use from Cassie¡¯s backpack. I guess I¡¯m as prepared as I¡¯ll ever get. Everything inside me will impact my cooling a little bit, but the wind should offset that. I can put my infected hard drives back where they came from, just without plugging anything in. Nothing else will fit in those spots, and it might be selfish, but I don''t want to lose the memories in them. I put everything else into my backpack, giving Corax just a little cover, pick Cassie back up, and drape her empty backpack around her head. All that¡¯s left is to march the three of us to our deaths. The wind begins to pick up, already threatening to knock me over. I dig my feet into the sand and focus on another step. The first grains of sand begin to pelt against my shins, and I can feel every impact. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The sand leaves growing holes in Vince and Ivy. They disintegrate around me as the storm consumes us. The weight of the world pushes against me, daring me to give up for just a moment so it can bury me forever. The howling winds morph into familiar yelling. They scream so loudly, pounding against my mind, threatening to shatter me. Hands reach up from the churning sand, latching onto my ankles, pulling me deeper by the second. I fight just to stay atop the endless graves beneath me. They call to me, offering a chance to make up for what I¡¯ve done. I killed the earth, and now I finally have a chance to experience what I made everyone else live through. It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m going to die trying to get Corax and Cassie somewhere safe. I¡¯ll get my due eventually, but they shouldn¡¯t have to follow me. They¡¯re both innocent. Just take another step. Their hands climb up my legs, across my back, and sit upon my shoulders, their weight trying to shove me beneath the sands. Their hands grasp at me, their claws peeling my silicone skin from my plates. Without the small amount of cushion, the sands that pelt my barren shell are even more overwhelming. Just focus on staying above the sand. Nothing else matters. If the dead get their hands on Cassie, I won¡¯t be able to pull her back. They try to claw deeper, trying to get their long fingernails beneath my skin plates, to take their due. I shake as hard as I can, trying to throw them off. Cassie needs everything in there. I¡¯m not going to let them open me until I¡¯m long buried. A flash of lightning lights up the world, revealing Kara¡¯s form. She says something that doesn¡¯t matter. Take another step. She reaches out, grabbing me by my hair, and forcing me to look. The wind and sand slow around us, eventually freezing in the middle of the air. Kara only stares into the center of my mind. Her eyes are enough to know exactly what she wants to say. It¡¯s my fault. Cassie is in pain with every grain that eats through her clothes and I¡¯m only prolonging that pain. My backpack is starting to disintegrate, and Corax will end up swept away by the storm because I couldn¡¯t convince him to leave. It doesn¡¯t matter. Take another step. Kara pulls hard, forcing me to my knees. The sand churns around me from the movement of a billion hands. I begin to sink. Stand up. Stand up! I push my servos to their limits, but can¡¯t fight against the weight of all I¡¯ve done. ¡°All you have to do is lay Cassie down. She¡¯s already dead.¡± Kara taunts me. I increase the voltage to my motors, giving me more power. They can take it, they have to. If any part of me fails, we die, but we¡¯re dead anyway if I don¡¯t try. I stagger out of the hand¡¯s grasp and take another step. The longer I walk the worse things get. Layers of Cassie¡¯s clothes are ripped away, and even my backpack disintegrates. I keep Corax safe, pinned between my body and Cassie¡¯s, but everything else is lost. As long as I don¡¯t let her down, Corax is safe. Even the earth itself turns against me and it tilts upwards, gravity itself trying to force me to tumble backwards into the storm. My march turns into a climb. I take another step. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m going, but I know I have to make it. The sand suddenly stops and the earth levels out. A flash of lightning illuminates the inside of a deep cave for just an instant. I stumble to the back wall and gently place Cassie on the floor. She¡¯s still breathing, that¡¯s all that matters. Strips of red stained cloth still desperately cling to her body, and raw, bloody skin can be seen through the gaps. I place Corax to the side so I can help her, only for Corax to fall over, unable to stand. His body is frozen in place, his internal gears bound and damaged by the grains of sand. I can see the fear in his eyes, a fear born of my own memories. He lived my time in the lab. His whole body shutters, desperately trying to move. I can¡¯t leave him like this to suffer. He¡¯s the only thing keeping me together, but I can¡¯t make that happen at the expense of him. ¡°Corax? I need to turn you off.¡± No matter how confident and comforting I try to sound, my voice still shakes. ¡°No!¡± He cries in an intimately familiar tone, his voice muffled by his inability to open his beak. I¡¯ve said the same exact thing so many times. ¡°Listen, I¡¯ll fix you, but you shouldn¡¯t have to suffer while I work. You¡¯ll see me again in just a second, I promise.¡± His fear doesn¡¯t dissipate, but he doesn¡¯t complain further. I run my finger across his head comfortingly a few times. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a second.¡± I flick the small switch on the back of his neck. His body doesn¡¯t react, just staying frozen like a statue, but his eyes turn lifeless. ¡°Fuck! Don¡¯t break down. I¡¯m ok. Cassie still needs me.¡± Maybe if I say it aloud, it¡¯ll become true. I move my attention to her, thinking of nothing else. ¡°Sorry Cassie, for everything.¡± I peel her ruined clothes off her. Large patches of her skin have had the top layer rubbed off, but she¡¯s still breathing. I¡¯ll find a way to make sure she gets through this. First clean the wounds, I can¡¯t waste the water though. I pull out the medical supplies I stored in my chest, take out the pair of tweezers, clean them with rubbing alcohol, and get to work. I pull individual grains from her wounds, starting with the most profusely bleeding one. Once clean, I put antiseptic cream on it, wrap it tightly in gauze, and move on. By the time I¡¯m done, large portions of her organic body are covered. I¡¯m not sure how many times I¡¯ll be able to replace the gauze when her blood dirties it, but I¡¯ll figure something out. For now, she¡¯s stable. I pick up Corax¡¯s body and remove his chest piece. I¡¯m immediately confronted with a fact I can¡¯t accept. I can¡¯t fix him with the tools I have. Sand has forced its way into his bearings, seizing them in place. Nothing short of completely dismantling them, cleaning, and re-adding lubricant will work. I can¡¯t do that, much less dismantle and reconstruct his entire body without any tools. I can¡¯t fix him. ¡°I¡¯ll find a way as soon as possible.¡± I promise his corpse, and replace his chest piece. I sit against the cave wall and try to force any tears out of my dry reservoirs. ¡°What am I supposed to do now?¡± I guess there¡¯s one thing I can do. I pull out Cassie¡¯s worn book and begin to read aloud. Book 3 Chapter 1 ¡°Hello, Blue.¡± Through the howling curtain of sand steps a skeleton. Muscles weave their way around the barren bones, veins snake their way into any gaps they can find, and skin stitches itself together atop it all. Kara takes a few long strides and pauses before Cassie¡¯s unconscious form. My mind screams at me to stop her before she does something. She¡¯s not real. It doesn¡¯t matter what she says, what she does. Nothing¡¯s real. I begin to read louder in an effort to preemptively block her voice. ¡°You really think you deserve to help her? Even after all you did?¡± Her voice cuts through my shouting as if we were in a silent room. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± I keep my focus on my book. ¡°Then why do you feel like it does?¡± Kara reaches down, taking Cassie¡¯s jaw in her hand and investigating both sides of her head. ¡°Look at her, and I¡¯m sure whatever Vince is going through is far worse. You did this, and you don¡¯t even deserve to live, much less to save them.¡± ¡°I said it doesn¡¯t matter!¡± I put the book to the side. If reading isn¡¯t going to work, I¡¯ll figure out something else. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve to help them, who the fuck cares? I don¡¯t deserve to feel bad about it either, I don¡¯t deserve to wallow in my own misery. I¡¯m going to save them because nobody else can.¡± ¡°No you won¡¯t.¡± She drops Cassie¡¯s head roughly, letting it bounce on the cold stone ground. She¡¯s not real. Cassie is as safe as I can get her. ¡°Vince, Ivy, and Cassie couldn¡¯t kill Mara. What makes you think you can?¡± ¡°I have to.¡± Kara strides over to me with an amused grin on her face. She leans down, her eyes locked onto mine. I can¡¯t force myself to turn away, and she halts only when her face is an inch from mine. ¡°And why would the world care what you think you need to do? All you¡¯re going to do is end up delivering Cassie to the same fate you condemned Vince and Ivy to.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it myself. I¡¯ll leave her in Vegas and go by myself. Nobody of worth has to be risked.¡± ¡°You really think you can do that? Just leave Cassie behind? And you think Cassie will let that happen?¡± Kara laughs. ¡°No, the only way she¡¯s being left behind is beneath the sand. That¡¯s not a fight you can win, unless you do it now.¡± Kara peels back my skin plates, grabbing Cassie¡¯s knife from inside me and forcing it into my hand. ¡°Show me you have what it takes to save them.¡± I drop the knife without a word. She¡¯s not even worth arguing with, I just need to distract myself. I begin to pull the resources I stashed from my chest and limbs, I need to take stock. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do you a favor then.¡± Kara picks up Cassie¡¯s knife and steps toward her. It doesn¡¯t matter. How much food did I stash? I lay everything out before me and do a quick calculation. She only had a few days worth of rations. If she was in good shape, I could probably stretch it out to three weeks, but with her injuries? She needs the food for her body to heal. Two weeks sounds like a good compromise. Kara crouches above Cassie, resting her knife atop Cassie¡¯s neck, daring me to try to stop her. My mind screams at me to do it, to put an end to her and her games. I can¡¯t do that. I can¡¯t trust what I¡¯m seeing, for all I know I could end up shooting Cassie by accident. Water is a bigger problem than food. Almost all her rations are dehydrated, and I can probably only stretch the water for a week. With how slow I travel while carrying her, that¡¯s not enough time to get Cassie anywhere we can get more, other than Mara¡¯s trench. I have time to figure something out though. Kara pulls her knife roughly across Cassie¡¯s neck, and Cassie comes back to consciousness. Her one good arm comes up to her gurgling throat, desperately trying to stem the tide. The floor is painted red with my slowly dying friend. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Bandages are a problem. I can replace the ones on Cassie only twice. I can probably get a third from ripping up our shredded clothes, but that¡¯s still not a lot. I can¡¯t waste water cleaning them either, but the medical kit does have some antibiotics. I¡¯ll need to start her on a regiment as soon as she¡¯s conscious. Cassie¡¯s eyes lock onto me, and she weakly reaches out for any help. As much as it hurts me, I can¡¯t. For all I know, trying to bandage her wound could just result in me choking her to death. I still have both of Cassie¡¯s guns, both of mine, Corax¡¯s vest, and even Vince¡¯s rifle survived the journey. I set them out in front of me, and a glaring omission stares back. I scramble through my internals, desperately looking for something my memories confirm I¡¯ve left behind. There¡¯s no extra ammo for them, and no extra magazines. The only saving grace is that we didn¡¯t actually fire that much in the trench. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make things easier?¡± Kara brings Cassie''s knife down into her back, leaving it embedded in the corpse. ¡°If you couldn¡¯t save her, how do you expect to save the others?¡± Vince¡¯s rifle is partially filled, with 22 bullets remaining. Cassie¡¯s loud pistol only has 12 shots of hollow point ammo, and my pair only have 5 hollow points left, and 4 of the full metal jacket. Cassie isn¡¯t going to be fighting. I take her hollow point bullets from her gun and load them into mine, giving me a single full mag. It¡¯ll have to be enough. ¡°Remember way back when you weren¡¯t sure what was real? When you were convinced all this was just another birthday gift? Turns out it would have been a blessing for that to have been true.¡± Kara¡¯s cruel voice stabs into me. It¡¯s going to get cold soon, and with how much skin Cassie is missing, she¡¯s going to need blankets. I used all of them to protect her from the storm, the best I can do is wrap the tattered rags around her limbs. It¡¯ll have to be enough. ¡°You know, you can always return. Take a step into the sandstorm, fall to your knees, and be swallowed. Simon can rip this whole adventure from your mind in a matter of days. You can return to your peaceful existence, unaware of the mistakes you¡¯ve made.¡± Kara¡¯s words strike to my core, igniting longing which I smother instantly. ¡°Shut up.¡± How am I going to feed Cassie if she doesn¡¯t wake up? I can¡¯t just pour- ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see that.¡± Kara once again forces me to stare into her eyes. ¡°Just let everything go. Nothing has to be your fault. You can blame us for everything, wouldn¡¯t that be so nice.¡± Her honeyed words flow across my mind. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I admit, I can¡¯t hide anything from anyone, much less her. ¡°But that wouldn¡¯t help Corax. I promised I¡¯d see him again. Nothing will make me break that promise.¡± Her gaze wavers, and I turn my head back to my work. I need a feeding tube. Maybe I could remove- ¡°Then you¡¯re going to have to stop me.¡± Kara tries to drag me to my feet, but I don''t move. She¡¯s not real, and for all I know, if I throw a punch I could somehow hit Cassie or Corax. If I could somehow remove one of my coolant tubes and clean it out, I could maybe use that as a feeding tube? I¡¯m not sure how I would do that without killing myself, but as a last resort it might buy Cassie a few more days. When this storm ends, how am I going to move her? I¡¯d never get anywhere carrying her, I need some way to drag her. The medical kit has a sewing kit in it! That actually solves a few problems. If I sew a couple of the less damaged clothes together, I could make a tarp to drag Cassie behind me with, that should speed me up substantially. Plus, it would make a perfect blanket to keep her warm. Second, I can repair some actual clothes for her. Sure I covered up everywhere she wouldn¡¯t want me to see with bandages, but I¡¯m sure she''d be more comfortable with actual clothes. Third, if there¡¯s any material left over, I could maybe repair my clothes. They were the second layer of Cassie¡¯s clothing, and while they¡¯re still very damaged, it might just be possible to fix. As long as fixing them doesn¡¯t impact Cassie¡¯s chances of survival, I¡¯d love nothing more than to hide some of my body. I¡¯ve been trying to avoid looking at it, but I guess it can¡¯t be avoided forever. My skin is gone, leaving only the dull aluminum base. I have no idea if that will impact my cooling in the sun, but I don¡¯t need to worry about that right now. My scalp is completely barren, my beautiful red hair has been completely stripped by the sandstorm. At least the backpack protected Cassie¡¯s head for the most part, she¡¯s only missing a few large clumps. I have no idea what my face looks like, and that¡¯s probably a good thing. I¡¯m not sure I could handle knowing right now. Based on my blueprints, it¡¯s not hard to guess. The aluminum plates can still move, I¡¯ll still be able to emote, but without the skin covering me it¡¯ll look weird, alien. On the bright side, missing my skin won¡¯t impact me too much. I can still grab things with no problem, although they¡¯re more likely to slip out of my grasp. Nothing squeezing harder can¡¯t fix. I guess that¡¯s everything I can take care of. When I look up, Kara is long gone, and Cassie is still laying where I placed her, still breathing. I walk over to her and brush her hair out of her eyes. ¡°As soon as the storm has passed, I¡¯m going to steal a car, and I''m going to get you somewhere safe. I promise.¡± I sit down and get to work repairing some clothes and try to bury my thoughts in our book. Book 3 Chapter 2 ¡°Vince? Ah, fuck!¡± Cassie weakly yells from the ground the instant she tries to move. I grab an antibiotic and a pain killer from the small stash of medicine I have, as well as a small bit of food and water. ¡°Here, this will help.¡± ¡°Who the fuck? Get away from me!¡± Cassie yells the instant she sees me, and her one working arm flies down to the hip where she keeps her knife. The movement makes her visibly wince, but she powers through the pain. ¡°Cassie, it¡¯s me. Blue.¡± I say gently. She shouldn¡¯t be moving around this much. ¡°What the fuck happened to you? And what happened to me?¡± She lays back on the cold ground. ¡°Your arm had some kind of kill switch built into it. I had to break it to stop the electricity it was dumping into you.¡± Her head lulls to the side and she stares at her shredded shoulder for a few seconds. ¡°I had to carry you through a sandstorm.¡± I continue. ¡°I did my best, but you¡¯re really injured, and the sand peeled off my artificial skin.¡± ¡°What?¡± She looks around for the first time, her eyes scanning the dimly lit cave. Her eyes settle on the wall of sand roaring across the entrance. ¡°Where¡¯s Vince and Ivy?¡± She moves to sit up, only to fall over when all three of her artificial limbs refuse to move. ¡°Why won¡¯t my legs move!¡± Panic starts to overwhelm her. ¡°Vince is alive, I promise.¡± That only serves to turn her panic into anger directed at me. ¡°When you went down, we tried to escape. On the way out, he got shot in the leg and fell off a bridge. Ivy stayed behind to keep him alive while I got you out.¡± ¡°You left them behind?¡± A roiling inferno ignites behind Cassie¡¯s eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice. They both told me to get you safe, and to find Clover, a quantum AI. Apparently she¡¯ll help.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going back right fucking now.¡± Muscles across her entire body clench and unclench, desperately trying to get her legs to respond. ¡°Fuck!¡± ¡°Cassie, they¡¯re alive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem!¡± Her yell fills the cave and echos against the walls. ¡°Do you know what that bitch is going to do to him? I promised him I wouldn¡¯t let her get her hands on him again.¡± Cassie¡¯s energy quickly drains from her body, and she lays back limply on the ground. ¡°I need to put a bullet in one of them, it doesn¡¯t matter which.¡± ¡°Ivy will keep him safe.¡± ¡°Ivy will keep him alive. Big fucking difference.¡± A tear begins to roll down Cassie¡¯s face, which I pretend to not notice. ¡°That still gives us time. We just have to make it to Vegas, and I¡¯ll ask Zero or-¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the car?¡± She interrupts. ¡°Mara¡¯s people took it. I¡¯m going to steal another one as soon as the storm passes.¡± ¡°We¡¯re dead then.¡± She says like it¡¯s already come true. ¡°Whatever you find won¡¯t even come close to making it on one charge.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll steal a second one! And if that doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll walk and drag you behind me. I¡¯m not going to let anyone die, no matter what.¡± Cassie just stares at the ceiling for a few seconds, although I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going through her mind right now. ¡°Get my legs working.¡± She says. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll try.¡± I pull the cord out of my internals, plug one end into myself, and the other into Cassie¡¯s legs. I try to run a diagnostic test, but nearly everything is dead. Even the boards I can get a response from only return junk data. A number of fuses are blown, but even jumping them with some of my skin plates doesn¡¯t help anything. ¡°Everything is fried, the electric surge killed way too much for me to compensate for.¡± I unplug myself. ¡°Then fix it.¡± She says impatiently. ¡°I can¡¯t. Whatever internal generator you have isn¡¯t responding at all, and my internal reactor can¡¯t power us both. Even if it could, there¡¯s too much damage, and I left all my tools in the backpack, which is gone.¡± ¡°You lost my stuff?¡± Her hand reflexively clenches around where her knife would have been. ¡°I saved as much as I could, here.¡± I pull her knife still tucked in its sheath out of my chest, and hand her book to her. Her hand relaxes when she sees them, and she winces as she reaches out. She takes the knife first, sliding it beneath her back. She then takes the book, and thumbs through it the best she can with one hand, checking for damage. Kara¡¯s letter falls out of the pages, which I quickly snatch up before she can look too closely. ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s mine. I didn¡¯t want it to get crushed.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Thanks.¡± She says reluctantly only after she rests her book on her chest, satisfied I haven¡¯t torn it to shreds. ¡°I thought they were important to you. I didn¡¯t have a ton of space inside me, but I made sure to fit them in.¡± ¡°They are.¡± Her anger has largely dissipated. ¡°Where¡¯s my gun?¡± ¡°Right here, but it¡¯s empty.¡± I hand it to her, which she also quickly grabs. ¡°I couldn¡¯t pack in extra ammo, and I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to fight, so I combined our ammo into my guns. If it¡¯d make you more comfortable though, I could give you all the 9mm, and I could use Vince¡¯s rifle.¡± ¡°Do that.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I slide the mag out of my gun, hand it over, and Cassie immediately struggles to load her pistol one handed. I don¡¯t bother asking if she needs help, It would just make her mad, and even with just one hand she¡¯s managing. ¡°Why are they so important?¡± I ask, gesturing to her knife and book. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Her eyes land on the pile of shredded fabric in the corner. ¡°Sorry you lost your clothes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok. I put as many layers on you as possible to try to protect you from the sand. It was more important to use them to help instead of saving them for myself.¡± ¡°Is Corax ok?¡± She asks, her eyes darting around for him. ¡°His internals were bound from the sand, and being conscious was hurting him. I had to turn him off until we can find some tools to clean him with.¡± Don¡¯t think about that. Don¡¯t let myself spiral. He¡¯s not dead, just focus on helping Cassie. ¡°Sorry.¡± She mumbles. ¡°It¡¯s ok. He¡¯ll be ok.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± I sit back and continue my work repairing a shirt for Cassie, while she stares off into the distance. ¡°Try not to get stuck in your own thoughts.¡± I say gently. ¡°Not much else to do.¡± She says without looking at me. ¡°You could take the medicine I gave you.¡± She looks to the small amount of food, water, and two pills next to her. She pops the antibiotic in her mouth, takes in a mouthful of water, and props herself up on her own to swallow. Even though the movement is obviously painful, she leaves the painkiller and food where they lay. ¡°You should take the other one too.¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Cassie shakes her head just a tiny bit. ¡°Then at least eat, you¡¯re going to make yourself sick.¡± ¡°How much do we have?¡± ¡°I saved everything in your bag. We can stretch it out to two weeks.¡± I answer. ¡°Three.¡± She insists. ¡°You need the food to recover.¡± ¡°I¡¯m missing three limbs. I don¡¯t need that many calories.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be more comfortable if you ate more, but alright. You know better than I do.¡± If I had my hard drives available I could check exactly how much less she needs, but I can¡¯t risk getting reinfected. We settle into an uncomfortable silence while I work. Cassie begins to poke around in the massive hole I ripped in her artificial shoulder. Basically everything in there is ruined, and it¡¯d take an awful lot to get it working again. A few hours pass in silence before Cassie breaks it. ¡°I¡¯m cold.¡± She says quietly, as if she¡¯s afraid I¡¯ll hear her. Shoot, The temperature must have been slipping downwards without me noticing. It¡¯s only sixty degrees in here, and I¡¯m sure that will continue to drop without any sunlight reaching us. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t realize. Your shirt¡¯s almost done, but let me get you off the stone.¡± I move over to the pile of rags that were once our clothes and spread the more damaged ones across the floor, creating a small bed for her to lay on. It¡¯s not anything thick, but it should help her retain heat. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to pick you up. Do you want a painkiller first?¡± I ask. ¡°Just get it over with.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± I hook my arms under her in the same exact way I carried her here. That skin was protected by my hands, and it should hopefully not hurt as bad as it could. ¡°Gah!¡± She yells the instant I try to lift her, despite my effort. I know she wouldn¡¯t want me to stop though, and as gently as I can, I move her over to the makeshift bed and set her down. Even after only a small movement, she¡¯s breathing hard through clenched teeth. I grab the rest of the rags, the ones that are less shredded, and pile them atop Cassie. ¡°I¡¯ll make an actual blanket after I fix your shirt.¡± ¡°This is fine.¡± She brushes me off roughly. ¡°Alright. If you feel anything start bleeding from the move, tell me.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t my first time being injured.¡± Her pain has caused her anger to start to return, not that I blame her. ¡°Right.¡± Don¡¯t say sorry. ¡°I just can¡¯t help but be worried.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Her voice softens a small amount. It only takes another twenty minutes of silence before I repair Cassie¡¯s shirt. I had to cannibalize her left sleeve for more fabric, but her metal arm will be fine without being covered. I hand it to her silently, knowing if she needs help she¡¯ll ask for it. Cassie spends a few seconds looking at it, trying to figure out how she¡¯s going to manage to put it on. She eventually decides on struggling to get her limp arm through the open hole that was the sleeve, pulls her head through the neck hole, and forces her functional arm through the sleeve. Once her shirt is on, but bunched up around her armpits, she grabs her thigh and roughly pulls herself into a sitting position with a pained yell. Once she¡¯s up, her hand is free to pull her shirt down into place, and she lowers herself back onto the pile of shredded clothes. ¡°I¡¯ll get working on the blanket now.¡± I say. ¡°Fix your own clothes first.¡± Cassie says through panting breaths. ¡°Keeping you warm is more important.¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She insists. ¡°I¡¯m not going to argue.¡± I stand up, move over to her, and grab a few pieces of fabric. I¡¯m doing her blanket first, and nothing she says will convince me otherwise. Over the next few days I have to force Cassie to eat, drink, and take medicine. We have so few bandages I have to leave them on for far longer than I¡¯m comfortable with, I can only hope the antibiotics are enough. I also begin to read at some point, both for my sanity and for hers. My biggest worry though, is that the temperature continues to drop. By the time the temperature is approaching freezing, Cassie¡¯s fingertips begin to get a faint blue tinge to them. The blanket just isn¡¯t enough, and my clothes are repaired, should I give them to her? Would that even help enough? No, it wouldn¡¯t. ¡°Sorry, but I need to warm you up.¡± I say softly and climb beneath the blanket next to her. She looks at me, and I can tell she wants to say something, but keeps her thoughts to herself. I begin to recite her book from memory for the third time. Book 3 Chapter 3 It¡¯s four days in total until the storm passes. Two weeks and three days until she¡¯s out of food, and even less for water. I can drag her maybe a hundred miles before the next storm hits, and the nearest town I¡¯m aware of is three times that. Other than Mara¡¯s trench of course. I climb out of Cassie¡¯s bed and begin to pile food, water, and medicine within her reach. I pop two skin plates open, tuck both my pistol and Cassie¡¯s silenced one into the opening, and take Vince¡¯s rifle into my hands. I¡¯m going to be fighting at range, and Vince¡¯s gun will be way more effective than a little 9mm pistol. ¡°I¡¯ll be back with a car. Is your gun loaded? Do you need anything?¡± ¡°Drag a shirt behind you, it¡¯ll help cover your tracks.¡± Cassie grabs her gun from beneath a conveniently placed pile of cloth and checks it. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I¡¯m not sure I will. How many people am I about to kill? Don¡¯t think about it. ¡°Ok. I¡¯m not sure what kind of mental state I¡¯ll be in when I get back, so uh, I don¡¯t know. If I¡¯m in bad shape, just make sure you take the car and get Corax somewhere safe.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Cassie says quickly. ¡°You¡¯re going to be fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying. You getting somewhere safe is what matters.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m saying you¡¯ll be fine. Now go do what you have to do.¡± ¡°Right, thanks.¡± She¡¯s right. I¡¯ll be fine, somehow. I tie some cloth to each of my ankles and take a partial step out into the still dark, but quickly warming air. In just a few hours the world will be so hot that I have to be careful about burning Cassie without my silicone skin. Bare metal transfers heat far too quickly to be safe. That¡¯s not important though. Just focus on the world in front of me. The endless dunes are completely different from yesterday, but the world is still empty as always. Mara¡¯s trench is only a few miles away, even if I can¡¯t see it. Cars are going to be sent out before long, and I need to be prepared for that. I need to find a place where I can ambush a single car, while still being close enough to quickly pick up Cassie and get out of here before anyone realizes anything happened. I can only think of two solutions: I either find some kind of ridge in the mountain to hide in and kill whoever¡¯s driving, or I find a low point in a dune and wait for someone to drive by. The ridge is safer, heck, I could even just set up here in the entrance to the cave. I probably shouldn¡¯t do that though, if I fail they would undoubtedly find Cassie. I would need to find a place a little ways away. The question is, does anyone have a reason to drive along the base of the mountain alone? As far as I can tell, we¡¯re in the middle of the range, with no paths near us. Why would anyone drive a few miles south, only to turn ninety degrees east or west? No, I have to head out into the sand dunes. I can¡¯t take the risk of not having a car pass by whatever ridge I set up on. I need to rescue Vince and Ivy as fast as possible. Wasting even a day is too long. That¡¯s not to say hiding in some dune is safe, or even likely to succeed. The closer I get, the more likely a car will run into me. That also means that someone is more likely to hear the gunshots. I can use Cassie¡¯s silent pistol, but that doesn¡¯t guarantee I can stay hidden. Maybe I can just walk after all? I still have a copy of Eight¡¯s AI¡¯s database saved to my hard drives. I¡¯m certain there¡¯s a map of the surrounding area in there, but once again, that¡¯s another massive risk. Plus, even if there is somewhere in walking range, the chances of us getting found on the way are high. And even if we do reach it, word would get back to Mara incredibly quickly. I need to calm down. The cars haven¡¯t even left the base yet as far as I can tell. I have time to explore a few miles of the mountains in either direction. Maybe I can find some kind of path that cars are likely to travel through and increase my chances of being able to steal one. I complete my step out of the cave, turn to the side, and begin to run. It feels so good to finally do something after days spent trying to keep Cassie fed and warm. I run for miles, keeping my feet gliding just above the sand to let the fabric behind me clear away all evidence I was here. I run for five miles, my eyes scanning the horizon for any movement. A single car and I¡¯ll have to sprint for cover, I cannot let myself beseen. After five miles I slow down and climb up the sandy mountain a bit for a better view. The mountain stretches unbroken, far beyond the horizon. There has to be something the other way. I won¡¯t let this be a waste of time. On the run back I catch a flicker of movement between the endless sand dunes. I don¡¯t know what it is, and I don¡¯t have time to check. I sprint down the side of the mountain, diving for cover behind a large hill. I slowly climb back up the coarse sand and poke my head over the crest. A dozen cars are streaming across the landscape, headed south west from where Mara¡¯s base in the distance should be. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. They¡¯re heading towards the mountain. They¡¯re heading towards the mountain! They¡¯ll arrive far west of where Cassie¡¯s cave is. If they¡¯re not looking for her, there must be a path through. I move as quickly as I can in that direction without revealing myself to the convoy. It¡¯s not easy finding a path, but it¡¯s fine. I can¡¯t take on a whole convoy, I don¡¯t think I have enough bullets. There¡¯s nothing wrong with letting them through and waiting for stragglers. It takes almost an hour to make it, but eventually I find the path. An artificial canyon has been blasted through the mountain, with sheer walls on either side. Large turrets dot the walls, and I quickly retract my head before they can see me. That¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t have to set up an ambush here. I know where they¡¯re coming from and I know where they¡¯re going, I can prepare anywhere else in the desert. I walk directly towards Mara¡¯s ravine. It doesn¡¯t matter how far away I get from the ravine or the pass, the sound of my gunshot will travel for miles. If I fire Vince¡¯s rifle, I have to be quick. Eventually I come across the perfect place. Great sightlines, while still being below larger, surrounding dunes. I lay atop a hill, Vince¡¯s rifle at the ready, and wait. They¡¯re far more likely to come from the ravine right now, and the second they do, they¡¯re dead. I wait for hours as the sun slowly climbs over the horizon. Cassie has food and water. She¡¯ll be fine if I come home late. Only a few hours after dawn, the roof of a car crests the hill a few hundred feet in front of me. They fully crest the hill, and two unknown men sit in the front seats while a third has pulled himself over the console, mid laugh. Don¡¯t think. I aim at the driver and pull. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the wind.¡± A familiar hand comes from nowhere and nudges the gun to the left. The car window collapses, and the driver¡¯s skull with it. I control the recoil, level, and fire twice more. All three men are dead before the window shards finally reach the ground. ¡°Ivy?¡± I look up at her, standing proudly in the open. ¡°Not the real one.¡± She says. ¡°Right, I knew that.¡± I scramble to my feet and sprint to the car. ¡°You can¡¯t even lie to your own head.¡± She laughs, not bothering to follow me to the car. I try the handle, only to find it locked. That¡¯s not a problem for me of course, it¡¯s not like a broken window can cut me or anything. I climb in over the hood, unlock the door, and open it. When I unbuckle the driver¡¯s seatbelt, his head turns to me and stares into my soul. I don¡¯t feel malice from him, just sadness. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll bury you later.¡± I shove the man into the passenger''s seat, piling him atop his friend. Don¡¯t think about the red liquid slowly seeping into my clothes. Just drive. I can¡¯t break down now. I park the car at the base of the mountain and scramble up the side a short distance to Cassie¡¯s cave. When I crest the entrance, Cassie already has her pistol trained on my head. I trust her, she won¡¯t shoot. Sure enough, she drops the gun to the side. ¡°You got a car?¡± She asks. ¡°Yeah.¡± Of course she already knows, she probably heard me drive up. Cassie has already wrapped all our supplies inside her discarded blanket. She really shouldn¡¯t be moving this much, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯m upset about it. I scoop the small package up and hand it to her. Cassie holds it tight to her chest and I pick her and Corax up. I carried both of them through the storm, I can carry them to the car. It¡¯s only a short walk, but I have to go slow to not slip. Cassie reaches out to open the door for me, only to recoil the moment she sees inside. ¡°What the hell Blue?¡± She yells. ¡°I promised I¡¯d bury them.¡± I set her down on the back seat, doing my best to avoid putting her on the bone, blood, and brain matter splattered through the car. ¡°What the fuck does that even mean? Just push them out!¡± Blood is rapidly draining from Cassie¡¯s face. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to bury them right now.¡± I hop into the driver¡¯s seat and begin to head north east. ¡°Just shove them out!¡± Cassie yells. ¡°I can¡¯t, they¡¯d never forgive me. I can¡¯t have them taunting me later.¡± I can¡¯t risk not being able to handle it. ¡°They¡¯re dead! They can¡¯t do anything!¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not true.¡± Huh, I would have expected my voice to be sad, not emotionless and monotone. I don¡¯t know what that means, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m equipped to figure it out right now. ¡°Then do it real quick! I¡¯m not riding with three corpses next to me.¡± ¡°Someone almost certainly heard the gunshots. They¡¯re going to be investigating any moment. We don¡¯t have time to waste. I¡¯ll bury them in a few hours.¡± ¡°You know people shit themselves when they die, right? I¡¯m not spending hours sitting in this fucking car!¡± ¡°They do?¡± I must have stored that fact in a hard drive and not bothered to learn it. ¡°They sure as shit do!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be just a few hours.¡± She can handle that. ¡°I¡¯m going to vomit if you don¡¯t do something quick.¡± I look back, and her face has only gotten paler. Which is more dangerous? Losing all of today''s calories and a lot of water, or stopping to bury these three? I¡¯m not sure how long the car¡¯s battery is going to last. We might end up having to walk part of the way, and she¡¯s going to need every ounce of water she can get. ¡°Alright.¡± I pull the car into a low point between two dunes and put it in park. I don¡¯t have long, so I rush out, throw the doors open, and pull out the bodies. I lay them next to each other, and spend a few minutes pulling sand atop them. Once they¡¯re entirely covered, I spend just a moment staring at the graves that will get unearthed with only a strong breeze. ¡°Sorry I couldn''t give you better.¡± I hop back in the car and begin to drive. Book 3 Chapter 4 ¡°Alright fucker! How about we make a deal before I kill every last one of your men!¡± I awake in a cold sweat, reaching for Vince out of habit only to find the cold comfort of an empty bed. My eye tells me it¡¯s early morning, and I¡¯m not going to be able to sleep any more even if I tried. I sit up, my collar chafing against my neck. It¡¯s not worth adjusting, it¡¯s not possible to get it into a comfortable position. I throw on some clothes and get ready for the day. As much as I don¡¯t want to, I take care of my hair. Just a little bit of normalcy will help us both. It¡¯s been so long since I last dyed it, a few gray roots are starting to show their ugly heads. It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m not going to be able to fix it now, and it makes me look storied anyway. Or at least that¡¯s what I tell myself. I carry all my belongings on me. The first night I was here, someone tried to break in. He¡¯s lucky I¡¯m not allowed to carry ammo in town, and even luckier I¡¯m not allowed to kill him. I could have tossed him off the railing into the water below, but given the height and his intoxication? I wasn¡¯t willing to take that risk. I step out of my room, barely more than a repurposed closet, and into the still bright streets. Cameras instantly swivel towards me, my gracious host keeping an eye on me at all times. With the lid on the trench, most people¡¯s sleep schedule is fucked. ¡®Citizens¡¯ scurry from shadow to shadow in an effort to get to their jobs without any of the drunken gangsters noticing them. The fuckers saunter around the place like they own it, bottle in one hand and gun in the other. I¡¯m not sure any of them even know what they¡¯re running from, they¡¯re too busy getting lost in whatever they can find. Mara has a little drug empire going on here, and they can find a lot. Marrow, Blur, Oblivion, it¡¯s all rationed carefully to keep people using, but never satisfied. A decade ago I might have even thought I enjoyed living here, but now? I just have to pretend I can¡¯t hear the dragon¡¯s call. Apparently they had a Marrow shortage a few weeks back that wreaked havoc on a fair few people. I¡¯m just glad Mara either doesn¡¯t know or doesn¡¯t care it was us who killed Seven. I make my way along the suspended streets towards the canteen, I need to make sure Vince eats before the day properly starts. Along the way, two men block the way at an intersection. Their eyes are distant, and tremors shoot through their bodies. I¡¯m not sure what cocktail of drugs they¡¯re on, but I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t care to hear whatever they want to say. I try to move to the side to get around them, only for them to step in front of me. I guess I didn¡¯t get up early enough to avoid the assholes. ¡°Hey! New girl!¡± One of the men yells far louder than needed as I approach. ¡°There¡¯s a toll for heading this way.¡± He¡¯s so fucked up he¡¯s barely understandable. I don¡¯t respond. I can¡¯t respond. I gave that up in exchange for being able to deliver Vince¡¯s food every day. She thought it was pretty funny to let me see him more often, and not be able to say a single word. It¡¯s not a problem for me though, I can get it fixed when Mara¡¯s dead. I step around them, only for the dumbass to reach out and grab my wrist. I rip my arm away and keep walking. If I do anything first, Mara would just use it as an excuse to make Vince¡¯s life harder. ¡°Hey, bitch! I¡¯m talking to you!¡± He¡¯s not even worth glaring at. I keep walking under his insults and harassment. God I wish he would actually try something, but no. He¡¯s a coward and I can¡¯t throw the first punch. Eventually I make it to the canteen in one piece. The place is nearly abandoned, with dirty trays spread around. Three men are still here, scarfing food down as quickly as possible. I guess the storm must have ended, and everyone¡¯s already been sent out. I grab two trays and head over to the chef, who slaps two globs of some uniform brown crap onto each of them. Who would have ever guessed I would have missed beans? I¡¯m halfway convinced the food is so bad to push people into getting hooked on what Mara¡¯s selling, in a desperate attempt to make the slop edible. The prison is at the bottom of the trench, suspended just a few inches above the water, but it only takes around ten minutes of walking to get there. It¡¯s held in the air with thick cables with obvious explosives installed on every hook. With just a thought, Mara is capable of sending everyone inside to a watery death. The entrance has a dozen turrets installed around it, with each and every one trained on my head. The thick metal door at the entrance opens on its own and I step inside. The turrets on the inside turn to me, and the door locks the moment I¡¯m through. A long hallway extends in front of me with metal doors, each several inches thick, along both walls. I doubt even Cassie would be able to hear anything from behind them, even though I¡¯m sure their inhabitants are far from silent. I can¡¯t let myself think about her. She¡¯s fine. She wouldn¡¯t let something as simple as mother nature kill her. I walk straight over to Vince¡¯s cell, and a small section of the door slides to the side, letting me see inside and giving me access to a small ledge to place the food on. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. It opens to an empty room, with Vince cowering in the far corner. The terror on his face and in his eyes breaks my heart, but it melts away the moment he sees me. He forces a smile, and we both know it¡¯s not genuine. Mara has shaved his head, and bruises pepper his body. The entire room is already disgusting, with only a small grate in the floor and no way to clean himself. He¡¯s not even allowed to have a spoon to eat with. At least he¡¯s still in one piece, that¡¯s all that matters. And I¡¯m going to do everything I can to keep him that way. Three days. I signal to him and place the tray inside. I could only negotiate twenty minutes once a week with him, and that¡¯s just supposed to be so I can ensure Mara is keeping up her end of the deal. That¡¯s plenty of time though, melding together will turn that short visit into a day of relief. Three days. He signals back, and the viewing section of the door slides closed. I sit down with my back to his door and begin to eat. The slop is disgusting, slimy and bland, but I guess it¡¯s better than nothing. ¡°Go to the garage.¡± Mara¡¯s voice booms through the hall, far louder than it needs to be the moment the first spoonful touches my lips. Great. Guess I¡¯m skipping breakfast. At least I¡¯m not missing out on anything. I set the tray to the side and stand up. The door out of the prison opens as soon as I start to move. The only way to the garage is through an elevator that¡¯s directly controlled by Mara. She¡¯s paranoid, to say the least. I take a short walk to the center of the city and step inside the open cargo elevator. The door slides shut, and it¡¯s a short ride to the top of the ravine. The doors open to a nearly empty garage. The few dozen cars that are normally in here are all gone, with just a few of Mara¡¯s personal vehicles remaining. Our car has joined her personal collection. That thing has way too many memories for me to let it decay here. ¡°What the fuck took so long?¡± Morgan stands in front of me, Mara¡¯s right hand woman. Pure muscle barely constrained by body armor she seemingly never removes. Her eyes make it clear she will shoot me at the first possible moment I give her an excuse. I¡¯d give myself maybe a twenty percent chance of taking her down, even with my twisted ankle, but then what? Steal a car and try to forget about Vince? That¡¯s not possible. She knows I can¡¯t respond, and I don¡¯t bother to try. ¡°Three shots were fired a few miles south west.¡± She turns on her heel and hops into an already prepared car. I point to my rifle as I climb in next to her. ¡°You want a bullet?¡± She says disbelievingly. ¡°Earn it.¡± What is she even afraid of me using the ammo for? It¡¯s not like I can do anything without risking Vince¡¯s life. Although maybe the goal is to get me killed out there. Part of the roof pivots downwards, creating a ramp to the outside. While it¡¯s nice to be out of the trench, I just can¡¯t enjoy it. Even if my life is easier than Vince¡¯s, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m anything close to free. The drive is silent, and not just because I can¡¯t break it. I can see the animosity for me in every crease of her face, every subconscious twitch of a muscle. It only takes a few minutes to arrive. Morgan parks the car atop a dune, and I take that as my cue to climb out. A few glass shards and drops of blood speckle the sand¡¯s surface. Two deep tire tracks were heading south west, but turn sharply to the south. That¡¯s not an accidental turn. In the sand is a small path that someone has dragged some kind of fabric over. It''s an amateurish, but effective way to hide the footprints of whoever did this. Unfortunately, they¡¯re not perfect. Whoever did this was in a hurry, and fragments of their footprints are still visible. It¡¯s trivial for my eye to take everything and reconstruct it. A heel that dug into the sand too deep, the side of a step that didn¡¯t get swept away, a bare toe that kicked a small pile of sand behind them. Now who would be barefoot in the hot desert sand? Blue¡¯s alive, this is undeniable proof. And if she¡¯s still functional, Corax must be too. Plus, she wouldn¡¯t need a car if Cassie wasn¡¯t alive, she could just run wherever she needs to go. It¡¯s a good thing my drug use has half paralyzed my face, it¡¯s a conscious effort to get anything to move. I¡¯m not sure if I could stop myself from smiling without it. They must have just stolen the car, the blood looks pretty fresh. I need to buy them time. I wave to get Morgan¡¯s attention, and tap on the base of my shoe. She gives me a flat look, having no idea what I¡¯m trying to say. That¡¯s fine, every moment is another moment they¡¯re getting further away. I crouch down and circle a small indent in the sand, followed by tapping my foot again. ¡°Footprints?¡± She guesses. I nod, and point to the south west, in the direction the car was originally going. It¡¯s following the tail backwards, but she doesn¡¯t need to know that. ¡°How many?¡± I shrug. I don¡¯t know ¡°Go. This better be good.¡± She heads back to the car to grab a radio, and I start slowly following the footsteps, pretending it¡¯s hard. I can hear her calling for a second group to follow the tracks, but that¡¯s fine. That¡¯s a few more minutes I¡¯ve bought them, and I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll have an easier time with whoever tracks them down compared to Morigan. Morgan quickly catches up to me, slowly driving the car next to me as I walk. I burn Morgan¡¯s patience as carefully as I can, going fast only when she gets too frustrated, and slowing down while I can get away with it. I waste a lot of her time. It¡¯s well over an hour before I signal for her to stop. I point to a small cave in the mountain with more footsteps leading out than in. It¡¯s certainly empty, and Cassie wouldn¡¯t leave anything that could be traced back to them. It¡¯s the perfect thing to give up to both look useful to Mara, and give them nothing of value. Even if I didn¡¯t point it out, the car tracks stop by here before continuing on, they would have found it anyway. Unfortunately, those tracks have a matching pair beside them. Those three can handle one car, they¡¯ll be fine. Sure enough, when I head into the cave, there¡¯s no proof anyone has been here. That¡¯s my girl. Morgan climbs up the hill behind me, stopping at the entrance to the cave. ¡°What is this?¡± She asks, her annoyance threatening to boil over. I shrug and crouch down, drawing a line through the sand to emphasize the path Blue walked as if it means something. It turns out being mute helps a ton right now, I don¡¯t have to make up some kind of lie about what I think happened here. ¡°Get back in the car.¡± She practically growls. I hop into the passenger''s seat, and Morgan spends a few minutes scouring the cave. Not long after, she returns to the car and begins to drive us back to the trench. I¡¯ve done all I can, you three. It¡¯s up to you from here. Book 3 Chapter 5 ¡°Did you save a cleaning kit?¡± Cassie asks from the back seat. ¡°No, I would have had to sacrifice food.¡± I respond. ¡°Great.¡± She tucks the pistol into her shoulder and pulls back the slide a few times, apparently dissatisfied about something with her gun. ¡°We¡¯ll buy something when we get to town.¡± Luckily I found a tablet in the glove box with a map on it. Without it we would have just ended up wandering until a storm killed us. ¡°Do you know how money works?¡± She asks flatly. ¡°I thought I did.¡± I don¡¯t think she would ask that if I wasn¡¯t missing something. ¡°You just trade it for stuff, right?¡± ¡°I only carried Arcs. They aren¡¯t worth anything out here.¡± ¡°What? Why not?¡± ¡°When you get away from Arc City, everyone uses local money. They¡¯re worthless west of Vegas.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know that.¡± I guess that makes sense though. ¡°But wait, didn¡¯t you buy beer at the ravine town?¡± ¡°I traded for it, not bought it.¡± ¡°Ok, what did you trade for it? Maybe we can just do that again.¡± ¡°You fixing the water pump paid for it.¡± She says flatly. ¡°Right. I probably can¡¯t do that twice.¡± ¡°Yeah. We probably shouldn''t even go into town.¡± Cassie says. ¡°You and I aren¡¯t exactly subtle.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to. They didn¡¯t charge the car fully, and at this rate we¡¯ll have to end up walking the last few miles just to reach the nearest town. We¡¯re going to have to go in and wait out the storm there.¡± I don¡¯t really care about the tires health, I¡¯m pushing the car a little faster than is probably good for them. It¡¯ll buy us a couple more miles. ¡°Can¡¯t you just power the car?¡± ¡°I am.¡± I plugged myself in as soon as possible, but disabled my data lines. There¡¯s a non-zero chance someone left a virus in here just in case of this exact situation. ¡°I can only buy us a few more miles.¡± Forty years ago I could have done much more, but my plutonium core is two thirds of the way through its life. I just don¡¯t have much power to spare. ¡°Great. Fine, where are we going and what¡¯s the plan when we get there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s another ravine town, but not the one we visited last time. I think it¡¯s one of the three towns Vince was thinking about stopping at if the first one didn¡¯t take the injured people, but I¡¯m not sure about anything beyond that.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know anything else?¡± Cassie asks disbelievingly. ¡°It¡¯s just a point on a map. On the bright side, it¡¯s marked as unaffiliated with Mara¡¯s gang.¡± ¡°How far away is it?¡± ¡°About a hundred miles.¡± I say. ¡°So close enough that the bitch will be told where we are before the next storm hits. Fantastic. As soon as we arrive, you need to find a caravan we can ride with as guards or something. It doesn¡¯t matter where it¡¯s heading.¡± She sounds deadly serious. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll do that.¡± Somehow. I have to. The conversation dies, and I¡¯m left to figure out a plan by myself. Would any caravans be leaving close to twelve hours after the storm ended? Maybe, actually, if they think it¡¯s safer to travel at night. But if there aren¡¯t any, or if they won¡¯t take us, how am I going to convince them? Maybe I can trade this car for a ride? Or is it recognizable as Mara¡¯s car? I didn¡¯t see any obvious symbols on the outside, but I guess it¡¯s possible. We have a few more spare guns that I got from the men I killed, I can probably trade those for something. Maybe there¡¯s something else in the trunk I can trade to get us a ride somewhere? That¡¯s all assuming the people we meet are even willing to work with me. Vince and Ivy aren¡¯t here to do the talking, and I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯ll be hard for people to guess what I am. ¡°Android bodyguards exist, right?¡± I break the silence. ¡°Yeah? Oh shit, people are going to hate you.¡± She realizes. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Just carry me around, do what I say, and stay quiet. I¡¯ll do the talking.¡± ¡°Ok. That makes things easier for me. Thanks.¡± I can¡¯t say it isn¡¯t a relief to not have even more weight thrown on my shoulders. Keeping myself distracted is working, but I¡¯m not sure how much more pressure I can take. ¡°You should try to get some sleep before we arrive.¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°It¡¯s only four hours. I¡¯m fine.¡± She lies. This is already the longest she¡¯s been awake since she got injured. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s already fighting to stay conscious. ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re sure.¡± I¡¯m pretty sure insisting she get some sleep will just make her want to stay up more. She¡¯ll fall asleep on her own eventually. ¡°Did you eat this morning?¡± ¡°No.¡± She admits reluctantly, and I can hear her rummaging around in our small pile of supplies. Only a few seconds later I hear something hit the floor and look back. Cassie¡¯s hand is open in front of her, as if she froze in the middle of passing it to her limp left hand. A bar of food lies on the floor in a puddle that I don¡¯t want to think what it¡¯s made of. Cassie glances between her organic hand, and her limp metal arm a few times. ¡°I¡¯m so fucking dumb.¡± She mumbles to herself before picking up the bar off the floor. ¡°You don¡¯t have to eat that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not wasting food.¡± She does her best to wipe the chunks and fluid off the bar. ¡°You¡¯re going to get sick.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± She mumbles, her eyes pinned to the bar, her fingers slowly tightening around it. ¡°Cassie. Seriously.¡± I cannot let her eat that thing under any circumstances. ¡°There are so many diseases that could be on that thing.¡± She doesn¡¯t react to my pleas, seemingly frozen staring at the bar of food on her hand. I reach back and wrap my hand around hers. Her hand is so tense, her knuckles are turning white from the force of her grip. ¡°I¡¯ll disinfect it, but it¡¯ll take a while.¡± That¡¯s a lie. My radioactive core isn¡¯t nearly hot enough to sterilize anything. But if I have to lie to keep her from getting some kind of sickness I can¡¯t fix? I¡¯ll do it. My voice is still monotone enough that I might even be able to get away with it. ¡°Just give me this bar, and you can eat another.¡± She sits in silence for a few tense seconds. Just before I¡¯m about to try saying something to make sure she even heard me, her hand slowly opens. I take the crumpled bar from her hand, and place it safely in my lap. ¡°Thank you. Make sure you disinfect your hand please.¡± Finally, a little bit of emotion makes its way into my voice, even if it swiftly leaves. ¡°Yeah.¡± She finally comes back to life, slowly reaching for a bottle of the same stuff I used to disinfect her wounds. I let her take care of herself and focus once again on driving. It takes her a few minutes to slowly choke down some food and water, but she eventually leans back in her seat and lets her eyes close. ¡°Do you want to talk about what happened?¡± I¡¯m sure I could guess, but I¡¯d really like to not have to. ¡°What the fuck do you think?¡± She asks without opening her eyes. ¡°I just thought I¡¯d offer.¡± ¡°Do you want to talk about what¡¯s going through your head?¡± She asks back. ¡°No.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡± Only a few minutes later her breathing slows as she¡¯s once again lulled to sleep, leaving me alone once again. Just focus, don¡¯t think. Thoughts and emotions threaten to bubble into my mind, and I wash them away by starting to recite Cassie¡¯s book once again. I¡¯m interrupted after only an hour. ¡°Ah! Fuck!¡± Cassie¡¯s pained scream puts my mind on edge. Is she dying? Is someone attacking us? My head scans the horizon. Nobody. My eyes settle on her, grabbing her ruined shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± My panicked voice fills the small cabin. I have to yell to be heard over hers. ¡°Fucking arm!¡± ¡°Another trap?¡± I throw the car into park and climb back over the console. I checked. There¡¯s no way I could have missed another emergency switch. Do I touch her? I can¡¯t risk being electrocuted again, but how do I help? ¡°No.¡± She clenches her teeth hard and closes her eyes, trying to ride out the pain. ¡°Here,¡± I reach into the medical supplies and pull out a small pill. ¡°This will help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She can barely get her voice past her clenched teeth. ¡°It¡¯ll pass.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Over the course of a few silent minutes of me panicking she slowly relaxes, and eventually even lets her organic hand drop into her lap. ¡°Just phantom limb pain.¡± She says through panting breaths. ¡°It happens.¡± ¡°That¡¯s horrifying. Is there anything I can do to help?¡± Cassie shakes her head in response. ¡°Not even painkillers work.¡± She reaches out and pushes my hand away. In my panic, I hadn¡¯t even realized I was still offering it to her. ¡°Just keep driving. I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Alright, if you''re sure.¡± I climb back into the driver''s seat, and once again try to put the infinite desert behind us. The battery runs dry far too quickly for my comfort, and the car rolls to a stop. ¡°We''re three miles out.¡± I say to Cassie, who begins to collect our belongings without missing a beat. ¡°It¡¯s a ninety minute walk.¡± ¡°Make sure you hide our footprints.¡± Cassie tosses two rags into my lap, which I quickly tie around my ankles. By the time I''m done, she¡¯s already collected everything and placed it in her lap. Corax¡¯s still petrified body is cradled between our supplies and Cassie¡¯s body, keeping him safe. I scoop her up and begin our slow walk. ¡°Sorry it¡¯s so hot out.¡± I say. ¡°Make sure you drink water.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been through worse.¡± Cassie keeps her pistol in her hand as we walk, and her eyes closed. Her face is scrunched up in concentration, focusing entirely on her hearing. That leaves me to constantly scan the horizon. While we walk, I do my best to angle my body to keep the sun out of Cassie¡¯s face. The last thing she needs right now is a sunburn on top of everything else. Thirty minutes pass, and I crest a large hill. The ravine should only be two miles from here, but I can¡¯t see any sign of it yet. That¡¯s fine, it¡¯s a ravine. I won¡¯t see it until we¡¯re right on top of it. Another half hour passes, and still no sign. No cars, no towers, not even tracks in the sand. That makes sense, why would anyone trade with Mara? They must not have sent anyone into her territory, that¡¯s reasonable. With every step, and every hill crested revealing only more desert, worry grows in my mind. Worry that¡¯s rationalized away as my mind runs from a looming truth. A final half hour, and I top the largest dune I can find. I look across the endless, empty, flat desert. I can see for miles around, and there¡¯s nothing to see. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Book 3 Chapter 6 ¡°What do you mean we¡¯re here?¡± Cassie asks impatiently after taking a quick look around. ¡°This is where the map has the town marked down. It¡¯s not here.¡± ¡°What?¡± Anger and disbelief flare in equal measure fill her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It must have been put on that map on purpose. It¡¯s the only non-affiliated town anyone can get to on a single charge, and designed to get us stuck in the middle of nowhere without a car.¡± Don¡¯t panic. Think. ¡°What the fuck do you mean it¡¯s fake! You didn¡¯t even bother to check?¡± ¡°The mountain range should be about seventy miles south of here. We can be there around midnight tomorrow. Hopefully before a storm hits.¡± Nothing to do but to take another step. ¡°Are you even listening to me?¡± Cassie asks loudly. ¡°What do you even want me to say? I¡¯m sorry I screwed everything up? Sorry it was too dangerous to plug myself into random devices? Sorry you¡¯re the only one I have a chance at saving? If I don¡¯t keep moving, I¡¯m going to break down. Talking is only going to make things harder.¡± My explanation comes out flat and monotone, just like everything else. ¡°Can you at least react to literally anything? Just pretend to feel upset, for one second?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to keep you and Corax alive. I can feel upset when both of you are there to bring me back.¡± Cassie closes her eyes, takes in a deep breath, and lets out a large sigh. ¡°Why do you have to make it so hard to be mad at you?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± An apology slips out before I can stop it. ¡°Nevermind, it¡¯s easy again.¡± I glance down at her face to try to figure out if she¡¯s joking or not, but she still looks very upset. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to-¡± ¡°That was a joke.¡± She cuts off my apology before I can finish. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t realize.¡± Don¡¯t say sorry, I¡¯ve already apologized too much. ¡°It¡¯s fine. At least you sounded a little more alive while apologizing.¡± Did I? I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s good, or just dangerous. Regardless of which is true, it¡¯s too risky to try to figure it out. I just need to take another step. I do my best to stick to the valleys created by the endless dunes. Someone is going to come try to find us eventually, and at least down here I can pretend we have cover. It¡¯s not long before our luck runs out. We don¡¯t even make it a mile south before Cassie says the worst thing she possibly can. ¡°I hear a car.¡± She whispers. ¡°What direction?¡± Maybe it¡¯s a caravan, don¡¯t freak out. I turn my head towards the direction Cassie points. Towards Mara¡¯s trench. Vince is already standing atop the hill, looking out across the landscape. ¡°How many?¡± I ask him. ¡°I¡¯m still not real Little Blue, I have no idea. I¡¯m just here to get you through this.¡± ¡°Right, sorry Vince. Cassie, how many?¡± Cassie¡¯s face flicks between far too many emotions to even begin to dissect. ¡°I just said I don¡¯t know. It might be one, but could easily be more.¡± She says quickly. ¡°Alright.¡± I can kill a few more people, it¡¯s fine. Plus, that car would need, at minimum, enough charge to get back home safely. If it can buy us another hundred miles, maybe we can reach another trench, hopefully a real one this time. I lower Cassie gently onto the ground, and draw Vince¡¯s rifle. ¡°Hide yourself and stay here. I¡¯m going to get their attention elsewhere.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just lying here!¡± Cassie draws her pistol and pushes herself into a sitting position. She glares at her legs, trying to make them move through sheer anger. ¡°Vince, make sure she hides herself.¡± I turn and sprint off to the south. I have to fire a shot from somewhere else. I can¡¯t let them find Cassie, no matter what. ¡°Ivy will take care of her. I¡¯m staying with you.¡± I round the bottom of a dune, only to find Vince already waiting for me. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Make sure she does, please.¡± ¡°I will.¡± the faintest hint of Ivy¡¯s voice reaches my ears. ¡°Just don¡¯t forget the wind.¡± I sprint as fast as I can for a few hundred feet, always keeping my head below the surrounding dunes. I poke my eyes above the sand, and see a single car only a few hundred feet away. They¡¯re slowly following the path that we walked. I thought our footsteps were covered enough, but I guess I¡¯m wrong. Four men sit in the car, covered head to toe in bulletproof armor. Identical black helmets sit on their heads, with thick, tinted visors covering the rest of their face. Their body armor doesn¡¯t leave a single square inch of skin exposed. Those who aren¡¯t driving are scanning the horizon. One of them turns towards me, and his mask meets my eyes. My gun jumps in my hand. A crack sounds through the air, and the car window explodes into a white spider web. The glass holds strong however, arresting my bullet without breaking. Of course they have bulletproof glass, why would I expect anything else? I need to stop the car, but how? Shoot the tires? No, they¡¯re airless, a few holes aren¡¯t going to do anything to slow them down. Can I break the engine? Maybe if I had more bullets. After taking everything from the people I killed, I only have 29 left in my magazine, and a few loose bullets I left in Cassie¡¯s pile of supplies. If I tried to break through the car¡¯s armor with just one magazine, it¡¯s likely I¡¯ll be left with just 9mm against heavy duty body armor. That¡¯s never going to work. I duck back beneath the dunes and sprint even further south before they can fire in response. Maybe I can fire into their windows enough to block their sight? They can¡¯t drive the car if they can¡¯t see. I guess that counts as a plan. Or maybe I should just fire into the same spot a few times and try to get through the glass? ¡°Stop panicking Little Blue, make a concrete plan.¡± Vince says. ¡°Right.¡± I need to force them out of the car, and put a few rounds into wherever their armor is weakest. I think that¡¯s my best bet. I pop up at the top of another dune, only to see the car barreling down on me. It¡¯s less than fifty feet away, and quickly getting closer. How did they follow me? It doesn¡¯t matter, new plan! I dive to the side with as much force as my body can produce, and Vince¡¯s rifle fires into the car''s windshield, right at the driver. One, two, three, four bullets impact in nearly the same place before the windshield shatters. I¡¯m too slow, the car slams into my legs, sending me tumbling down a dune. Is my coolant pressure dropping? No. Do my limbs work? Yes. I¡¯m fine. I block out the crushed nerves that are crying out, and Vince tries to pull me to my feet. My leg collapses the moment I put any weight on it, sending me back to the scalding sand. That¡¯s really, really bad. I¡¯m dead, that¡¯s it. I¡¯m dead, Cassie¡¯s dead, and Corax is never getting reactivated. I don¡¯t even feel sad about it, just empty. ¡°You¡¯ve got to move, girl!¡± Vince starts pulling me up the dune, desperately trying to get me into a semblance of cover before the car can turn around. ¡°Right.¡± I¡¯m not dead yet. I scramble up the hill as fast as I can, dragging my limp leg behind me. I make it over the hill just as the car turns around, lying just below the crest to keep as little of my body exposed as possible, and take aim. All four car doors open before I can get a shot off, and the people jump into cover behind them. They take aim at me, and lean out of cover. A storm of bullets rains down on me, and I fire back. They will win this fight, I need to stop them from fighting. My gun jumps four times in rapid succession, lodging a single bullet in each of their visors. Each bullet blinds one of them temporarily, forcing them back into cover. One of them flips up their visor, before revealing themselves once again, their barrel trained on my head. Too slow. They collapse to the ground in a lifeless heap with blood streaming out from her helmet. Twenty bullets left. That has to be enough. The other three are smart enough to stay in cover. They glance at each other, nodding or shaking their heads, forming some silent plan. That¡¯s fine, they can plan all they want. I can wait here forever for them to make their move. One of them pulls out a small cylinder from a pocket, pulls a pin from the side of it, and tosses it over the door. It lands in the sand in between me and the car, only fifty or so feet away from me. The three of them scatter before the grenade even explodes, sprinting away as fast as possible while hiding their faces, desperately trying to get behind another dune. If they¡¯re willing to risk the grenade, I have to as well. Body armor is weakest at the joints, and a bullet to the back of the knees will put anyone out of commission. I take aim, and the grenade explodes. A huge wave of light and sound slams into my mind, sending my consciousness reeling. Vince guides my aim, and coaxes me to flex my finger. It takes a few shots to find home, but the three of them land hard in the sand, one after the other. One of them rolls around in pain without thinking, clutching at their new wound. The moment their face is revealed to me is the last moment of their life. A second tries to crawl away, and their other knee is blown apart. They won¡¯t last long. The third draws their pistol and fires wildly in my direction. I duck behind the dune and wait for them to stop. When the world goes quiet, I poke my head back above the sand, and sure enough, they¡¯re dead. ¡°Thanks Vince.¡± I look down at my leg to check the damage. A lot of damage has been done to my knee. Despite the servo still technically working, it begins to slip the moment it encounters any resistance. ¡°One more walk together?¡± He asks. ¡°Yeah.¡± I begin to drag myself towards the car, while Vince walks silently beside me. At least pulling myself across the sand is easier than pulling myself through the digital forest when I tried to rescue Corax. And at least this journey is far shorter. I pull the driver out of her seat and start to climb in. ¡°Make sure you take their supplies and armor.¡± Vince is crouching above one of the dead people, inspecting them. ¡°Cassie¡¯s right, you have no money and that stuff¡¯s expensive.¡± ¡°Do I have time to do that?¡± ¡°Even if they got a message out before dying, you have four hours at minimum before anyone can reach here. Plus, if you don¡¯t mind me being selfish for a moment, you taking this stuff means Mara doesn¡¯t have it.¡± ¡°Ok. Can you tell Cassie I¡¯m ok, and I¡¯ll be there soon?¡± ¡°We¡¯re still not real, Little Blue.¡± He says gently. ¡°Right. Sorry, I keep forgetting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Stripping their armor is kind of hard from the ground, but ultimately doable. I toss all four sets of armor and weapons into the trunk, and pull myself back into the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Let¡¯s go get Cassie.¡± Book 3 Chapter 7 I crest a dune, only to find Cassie pointing a shaky pistol at me with tears that she¡¯s desperately trying to blink away filling her eyes. ¡°Cassie! It¡¯s me!¡± I yell out before she can pull the trigger. I can already tell she¡¯s going to miss, but I know firing will make her feel awful. She slowly loosens her grasp, letting her gun drop into the sand beside her. Her arm quickly latches onto her side, holding her shaking body tight. I put the car in park and climb out next to her as quickly as possible with my broken knee. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Worry finally consumes my voice. ¡°I- I want my legs back.¡± She mumbles quietly, her voice shaking just as badly as her body. ¡°What happened?¡± There¡¯s no blood around and no sign anyone besides me has been here. Corax is still sitting safely, undisturbed on our pile of stuff. ¡°Nothing.¡± She reaches up to wipe her eyes. ¡°What do you mean nothing? You look awful.¡± ¡°I mean nothing!¡± Her voice fills with a familiar anger before shifting back to a shaky mess. ¡°I¡¯m fucking useless. I didn¡¯t know if you were coming back, or what would happen if¡­ I thought¡­¡± ¡°Hey.¡± I sit up the best I can, and pull her head into my lap. ¡°I¡¯m ok, and the car has another 200 miles in it. We can get to a town, and trade the car or the armor I took off the others and get your legs fixed, alright?¡± Cassie grabs a spare shred of cloth from our pile of supplies, and wipes away her tears and snot. She looks up to me and her eyes fill with fear. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding.¡± ¡°What?¡± I guess this is it then? A surprising calm overtakes me. I gave Cassie the best shot I possibly could have, I''m ok with what I accomplished. I probably should turn Corax back on to say goodbye, he¡¯d never forgive me if I didn''t. And maybe I can write Vince and Ivy a letter before I die? I think they¡¯d like that, assuming Cassie can recover them. Wait, No? My coolant pressure is both unchanged and stable? I¡¯m definitely not dying, what does she mean I¡¯m bleeding? Her hand settles atop my head, but I can only feel the tips of her fingers and heel of her palm. There¡¯s nothing in between. I reach up, brushing her hand out of the way to feel a great gash has torn through my skull, the edges sharp. Oil and lubricant paint my insides, and just a few drops run down the side of my head. The remnants of a hard drive sit in the middle of the path, twisted and malformed. Whatever bullet tore through me, was luckily deflected by the drive. I can¡¯t imagine I¡¯d still be here if it didn¡¯t. I wonder what details of my memories I had stored in there? What did I just forget? I don¡¯t even know which drive that was, and it¡¯ll be impossible to know until I disinfect every other drive. ¡°I¡¯m ok, it¡¯s nothing important.¡± At least I hope. ¡°Just a few broken servos and some hydraulic fluid.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare fight without me again.¡± Cassie lightly slaps her hand against my chest. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re not dead.¡± She¡¯s starting to seem a little more like herself. I force myself to smile back at her, even if it doesn¡¯t come naturally. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to make sure we don¡¯t get into another fight then. We have a few different towns we can make it to, and I¡¯d be amazed if Mara can catch up to us before the next storm.¡± ¡°Make sure it actually exists this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure we have enough power left to get somewhere safe just in case it¡¯s not.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Good. I want to get moving.¡± I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s just burying her worry, or if she¡¯s already moved past it. I¡¯m not sure if I can find out which it is. I guess it doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m doing the same thing, aren¡¯t I? ¡°Alright, just give me one second to fix my leg.¡± I lower her head back onto the sand and begin to drag myself over to the trunk. There has to be some kind of metal rod or something I can use to stabilize my leg with. ¡°What happened?¡± Cassie asks softly. ¡°They tried to run me over.¡± I gesture to the sizable indent just above one of the headlights. Of course, there¡¯s no convenient metal pipe in the trunk, because why would I ever get lucky? Guns are relatively straight and strong, I can probably use two rifles as a splint? I unload two of them, grab some rope from the trunk, and tie them tightly to stabilize my knee. Staggering to my feet isn¡¯t easy, but at least I can stand. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m not quite sure how this is going to work. I can¡¯t lift you with just one leg, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll figure it out somehow.¡± It takes a lot of effort to finally get Cassie settled in the passenger seat, but the two of us working together do eventually manage. ¡°We need to talk about earlier.¡± Cassie breaks the silence only a few minutes after I start driving. ¡°Ok, about what?¡± ¡°You thought I was Vince.¡± Her arm drifts down subconsciously, settling on her knife. ¡°Right.¡± Of course she would be worried about that. ¡°You know how I hallucinate bad things about my parents? Well, it¡¯s kind of like that, except that Vince and Ivy help me instead of, you know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fucking terrifying.¡± ¡°Is it? Sorry, I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You had the same look you did at the bus. Just vacant, staring straight through me...¡± A shiver runs through her body. ¡°I promise it¡¯ll get easier when Corax comes back. But until then, I don¡¯t know how to stop it from happening again.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Cassie lets her head fall heavily onto the headrest. ¡°Can¡¯t I just rip off your ear or whatever?¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably not safe. Corax always bites before it gets bad, hurting me after will only make things worse.¡± ¡°Right, great.¡± She lets out a breath, and moves her hand back into her lap. ¡°Just give me a warning next time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how this works. They just show up, even I don¡¯t get a warning.¡± I say. ¡°But it tends to get worse when I¡¯m in stressful situations. As long as nothing else happens before we reach the next town, I should be alright.¡± ¡°I can work with that.¡± Silence settles over us once again. I guess it¡¯s my turn to break the silence. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I just dropped you and ran off. I just don¡¯t know how you can help without-¡± ¡°Without being a burden, I get it. Stop talking.¡± She turns her torso away from me, staring out the window. ¡°No! That¡¯s not what I meant. I was going to say I don¡¯t know how you can help without being in a ton of danger. I¡¯m sure giving you Vince¡¯s rifle would have made things easier for me, but I¡¯m not going to do that at the expense of your safety.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about this again.¡± Cassie says so quietly I can barely hear her. ¡°Again?¡± I¡¯ve never done anything like this before, and we¡¯ve certainly never talked about it. If my hard drives were repaired, I could just skim every conversation we¡¯ve ever had to figure out what she means, but I can¡¯t do that. ¡°What do you mean again?¡± ¡°I thought AI were supposed to be smart.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty clear at this point that I¡¯m not.¡± I can see the edge of her mouth twitch upwards at my joke. ¡°You¡¯re jumping in front of bullets again, literally this time.¡± All of her anger has evaporated, but she still won¡¯t look in my direction. ¡°You have no right to risk your life, and in the same breath say I¡¯m not allowed to risk mine.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but it wouldn¡¯t just be risking your life. I can¡¯t handle being alone when everything is fine, much less right now. If you die, I won¡¯t be able to stop Kara from guiding me into the nearest sandstorm.¡± Although still blunted, I can hear my voice waver as I talk. ¡°And you think I¡¯d be fine if you died? Oh yeah, just let me crawl another hundred miles real quick to a town that I don¡¯t know the location of.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Don¡¯t freak out, everything¡¯s fine. She¡¯s frustrated, not angry. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to keep your wants in mind.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Cassie¡¯s voice comes out reluctantly, but still loud enough to be clearly heard. ¡°The sun¡¯s going to go down soon.¡± There¡¯s nothing left to say, and I change the subject. ¡°Make sure you eat before it gets too cold.¡± ¡°Right.¡± She reluctantly pulls out a bar of food from our supplies, and stares at it for a few seconds. ¡°When we get to town, I want a hot meal.¡± ¡°I can warm that up for you, if you want.¡± She takes a bite instead of responding, trying and failing to keep disgust off her face. She must be sick of those things after not having anything else for four days. She can only choke down a few bites before returning the bar to the pile and untangling her blanket. ¡°I¡¯m going to try to get some sleep.¡± She says. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wake you up when we¡¯re close.¡± Book 3 Chapter 8 After only six hours of driving, nearing midnight, I¡¯m forced to wake Cassie up. Luckily, even the smallest whisper of her name is enough to wake her. I¡¯m not sure what big stick I¡¯d use if I had to poke her awake. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± She wakes with a start, her hand immediately shooting to her gun. ¡°We¡¯re safe.¡± I reassure her gently, and she settles down. ¡°We¡¯re half an hour from town.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± She grabs the remnants of her dinner and downs it quickly before thoroughly checking her pistol. ¡°Would you mind checking mine too?¡± I could do it myself easily, but it¡¯s going to help if she¡¯s focused on something. ¡°Sure.¡± I put both my pistols, and her silent one on the console between us after ensuring all the safeties are on. Vince¡¯s rifle sits in my lap. It¡¯s far too large to sit on the consone, but it¡¯s still within her reach. It takes her a while to work her way through each weapon, but it does successfully burn a lot of time. ¡°All of these need cleaned, but they¡¯re not about to blow up.¡± She says. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± I use my skin plates to pin my guns to my legs. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t need to use these anyway.¡± ¡°You¡¯d hope.¡± Only a few minutes later we crest an especially large dune, and catch a glimpse of our destination. It¡¯s far better secured than the first town we visited. Sizable, slanted walls rim the ravine with guard towers placed at regular intervals. Powerful spotlights sweep quickly across the sand, settling on us the moment we¡¯re in view. ¡°Great.¡± Cassie mumbles under her breath. ¡°Go slow, and keep us visible to them. ¡°Ok.¡± Along the walls there¡¯s a large piece that looks like it can retract. I slowly crawl the car towards it. A handful of people are called up to every guard tower, their eyes glued to us. ¡°Do we have enough range to go anywhere else?¡± Cassie asks. ¡°We could make it to the mountains still, but I¡¯d be dragging you behind me after that. We could probably reach another town after the next storm? But we¡¯d have nothing left to trade.¡± ¡°Fantastic. Alright, just stay quiet and let me do the talking.¡± It takes ten tense minutes to reach the walls. As soon as we¡¯re in range, one of the guards yells down and I put the car in park. ¡°You¡¯re not welcome here.¡± His voice echoes across the sandy landscape. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sure showing up in one of Mara¡¯s cars isn¡¯t doing us any favors, but we¡¯re not with her.¡± Cassie yells back. ¡°If you¡¯re telling the truth, I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s not a risk I¡¯m willing to take. You have ten seconds to turn the car around.¡± ¡°Buddy! I¡¯ve got a single working limb, my android has a blown out knee, and my drone is seized up. Please, we just need to trade for some parts and a recharge. Throw us in prison and interrogate us if you have to, just give us a chance!¡± Cassie puts as much desperation into her voice as possible. Or maybe she actually is just that desperate. The guard only stares back, letting our valuable seconds tick by. I need to help, but how do androids even speak? ¡°I can provide a recording of the last few days as proof of our innocence.¡± I offer quietly to Cassie without moving my mouth, who then loudly offers the same to the guards. I don¡¯t have the raw recordings, but they should be trivial to reconstruct. Plus, even if I could, showing them every unedited moment of what we¡¯ve done is an awful idea, I¡¯d be revealed instantly. The man leans back, whispering something to another guard, who disappears from the watchtower. ¡°Toss all your weapons out of the car.¡± He commands, and Cassie lets out a breath she¡¯s been holding. I drop my pistols and rifle out of the window, and Cassie does the same. She grabs her knife and hesitates for a moment before tossing out as well. I even go so far as to untie the two I¡¯m using as splints, and drop them out too. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°If you lose my knife, pistol, or bird I¡¯m going to be pissed.¡± Cassie yells. ¡°We still have two rifles and four pistols in the trunk.¡± I near-silently remind Cassie. ¡°We have a few guns in the trunk. Do you want us to unload them?¡± Cassie asks the man. ¡°Stay right where you are and keep your hands visible!¡± The guard commands. ¡°We need to get our story straight.¡± Cassie whispers and calmly lifts up her artificial arm, placing it visibly on the dash. If she¡¯s calm I need to be too. I really hope I still seem emotionless. ¡°I¡¯ll show them everything, but cut out every time I spoke, and my breakdowns. I went with you to Denver, but stayed with Vince. Say I¡¯ve never been able to speak. Everything else will be unchanged.¡± I whisper back. ¡°It¡¯s safer if I pretend I¡¯m unable to talk.¡± Cassie gives the tiniest nod possible. ¡°Is Corax going to be safe?¡± I ask, desperate for her to say yes. ¡°Safer than we are.¡± Cassie whispers out of the corner of her mouth. A portion of the wall just large enough for a car to drive through opens, and ten people wearing heavy armor rush out, surrounding the car. Each has a rifle pointed at us. They¡¯re not going to fire, don¡¯t panic. Five of them step forward, still covered by the others. Four open the doors, and one opens the trunk in unison. ¡°Step out.¡± A woman commands the two of us. ¡°All my prosthetics are dead, and my android¡¯s knee is broken.¡± Cassie explains again. I grab onto the roof and brace against it as I stand up. Even if I can¡¯t walk, I need to follow their instructions. I can¡¯t let them get frustrated. ¡°Step away from the car.¡± The woman gestures slightly with her rifle before returning her sights to me. My knee is just going to collapse, and she knows that. Would a robot complain? Or inform her first? An AI definitely would, so I just have to take a step. My knee once again collapses the instant I put weight on it, and I tumble onto the ground. Their rifles trace my fall, but they hold their fire. They watch as I crawl away from the car, dragging my broken leg behind me. It¡¯s humiliating, but I force the emotion out of my mind. Shame will only get me killed. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop.¡± She commands after a few feet, and I freeze. How would a robot react? What position would they take when ordered to stop? I don¡¯t know. I do know what an AI wouldn¡¯t do, and that¡¯s just sit here frozen. That¡¯s my best choice. Behind me, a man steps forward to pick up Cassie. ¡°I¡¯d prefer if my android carried me.¡± Cassie says, and I can only imagine the glare she¡¯s giving him. ¡°If you have a splint, that¡¯ll be enough to-¡± ¡°Just come here.¡± The man cuts her off with a few annoyed words. I can hear the click of Cassie¡¯s seatbelt being released, and a small amount of shuffling while the man picks her up. A second man behind me walks towards the driver¡¯s seat, only to hesitate when he finds it partially covered in its previous occupant. Or maybe that¡¯s the driver from the first car¡¯s brain? I don¡¯t remember. He quickly gets over his hesitation, and begins to drive the car towards the opening in the wall. ¡°Follow.¡± The woman who seems to be in charge commands, and I crawl behind her. Don¡¯t think, just move. Take another step, crawl another inch. I¡¯m fine. The man carrying Cassie holds her much less carefully than I have been. He hasn¡¯t bothered to rest Cassie¡¯s broken arm on her chest, it just hangs limply, probably pulling on however it¡¯s connected to the rest of her body. He doesn¡¯t even prevent her legs from swinging wildly as he walks. Don¡¯t get angry, don¡¯t say anything. He¡¯s only going to be carrying her for a few minutes. Inside the wall is an elevator with thick metal walls, large enough for several cars to fit inside. Once everyone is clear of the door, the woman hits a button on the wall, and the elevator descends. It descends deep into the ravine before slowing to a jerky stop. One wall slides open to reveal a large circular room with barred cells covering the entire circumference, and a single thick door leading deeper into the compound. In the center of the room is what looks almost like a bunker, with windows pointing at every single cell. It¡¯d be impossible to do anything without a guard being able to see. The moment we enter, the other inhabitants of the cells begin to call out. It¡¯s an incomprehensible maelstrom of pleas, curses, and offers directed to both Cassie and I, as well as the guards. The guards quickly shut them up. The woman ushers Cassie and I into different cells, locking us inside. ¡°Breakfast will be provided in a few hours, and interrogations will start not long after that. If you have nothing to hide, you will be allowed to stay until the storm passes. However, hide anything, and we will leave you to the sands.¡± She says loudly over the few remaining yelling prisoners. ¡°Well then, it¡¯s good we have nothing to hide.¡± Cassie says. ¡°I sincerely hope so.¡± The woman says, and turns away. Most of the guards follow close behind her, but a few step into the bunker at the center of the room. What do I do now? My first instinct is to sit against the wall to keep an eye on everything that¡¯s happening. If that¡¯s my first instinct, that means I cannot let myself do it. Would an android try to conserve power? I feel like that makes sense. I lay on my back and stare at the ceiling, letting all the sounds wash over me. There¡¯s no point in processing anything. Cassie can¡¯t speak to me, and there¡¯s nobody else here I would want to hear from. Hours pass in deafening silence. My mind traces every crack racing across the ceiling. ¡°Just like in the lab again.¡± Kara¡¯s words mirror the thoughts I¡¯m trying to ignore, and I add her to the list of things I¡¯m successfully ignoring. I am not going to let her be the reason Cassie dies. It doesn¡¯t matter how much it hurts, or what I think I¡¯m seeing. I can handle it for a few hours. At least I can pass the time by reconstructing and editing my memories. Book 3 Chapter 9 Preparing the video only fills a fraction of the time I have to wait. I check over what I¡¯ve created dozens of times, ensuring not a single pixel is out of place. Reliving my life like this hurts, but at least I can cut out every time I did something wrong, even if I have to end up cutting out and reconstructing vast portions of my life. I don¡¯t even bother reconstructing the lab. I can just say that my hard drives were all destroyed, and I have no memory of before Vince and the group rescued me. That¡¯s not entirely a lie, my drives were destroyed. It doesn¡¯t feel good to tell something this close to a lie, but hopefully I won¡¯t have to. I¡¯ll start out by showing them everything starting just before we entered Mara¡¯s trench, and only give them more info if they ask. The less they see, the less chance that Cassie and I disagree on something. Not long after what would be sunrise, a splint lands just beside me from nowhere. I refocus on my hearing and lift my head for the first time since laying down. The woman who lead Cassie and I in here is standing in front of the bars, flanked by two armed guards. A few men and women are milling about the rest of the room, delivering plates of food to each cell. I push myself into a sitting position in as mechanical a manner as I can. It results in moving my arms in a preplanned movement that would result in me sitting up no matter what my position was, or how the ground is shaped. The woman just stares at me. Did she tell me to put on the splint? An android would follow her instructions the first time, but what if this is a test? What if she tossed the splint in without saying anything to see what I do? If she said nothing and it¡¯s a test, I fail. I¡¯m dead. It¡¯ll be clear I¡¯m an AI. If I don¡¯t respond to her instructions, that¡¯s bad, but not instantly life ending. Wait, no! Not responding is a very good thing! If I don¡¯t do anything until Cassie tells me to listen to her, that¡¯s pretty good evidence that I¡¯m just a robot. ¡°I said, fix your leg.¡± She says. I don¡¯t react. Her eyes bore into me, and I only stare blankly back. After a few seconds she relents, and takes half a step to the side. ¡°Get your bot working.¡± She says into Cassie¡¯s cell. ¡°Follow her instructions.¡± Cassie¡¯s voice rings out from behind the wall. Thank you, Cassie. The woman returns to the front of my cell, waiting for me to act. She hasn¡¯t given me an order since Cassie told me to listen to her. I still stare blankly at her. ¡°Fix your leg and follow me.¡± She commands after a few seconds. She sounds incredibly annoyed, but that¡¯s far better than her being suspicious. The splint has two soft bands that snap together around my thigh and calf, and a few metal tubes running between it. It¡¯s far nicer than two guns and a bit of rope, but no more effective. I stand up slowly, moving methodically, as if I can¡¯t adapt to my broken leg. By the time I¡¯m up, the cell door is already open. The two guards flanking her keep their guns on me. A single wrong movement and I¡¯m dead, but I can¡¯t let myself react. I lumber forward. The woman stares for just a few steps, I guess to ensure I can walk on my own, and turns around. The two armed guards step to the side, and follow behind me while I follow the woman. I don¡¯t get the chance to look in Cassie¡¯s cell, I can only hope she¡¯s doing alright. The woman leads me through the only door in the room. Behind it is a short hallway, with guards watching from catwalks ten feet above us. A few sturdy doors dot the walls, and the woman leads me inside one. A single table sits in the middle, with a bright light directly above it. Two chairs are tucked in either side of the table, and a tablet sits in the center with a cord sticking out, waiting for me to plug myself in. ¡°Sit down.¡± The woman orders and gestures to one of the chairs. I take one seat, and she takes the other. ¡°Tell me why you¡¯re here.¡± Speaking aloud is far too dangerous. I grab the tablet from the table and plug myself in. Everything on the tablet has been wiped, and even the hard drive has been completely zeroed out. They were very careful to ensure I couldn¡¯t get any information from this thing. ¡°We are here to repair Cassie.¡± I display in large letters on the tablet. That¡¯s about as literal of an answer I can give. ¡°And Cassie is your owner?¡± She asks. ¡°One of them, yes.¡± Expanding on my answers is almost certainly a bad idea. ¡°Name all of them.¡± ¡°Vince, Ivy, Cassie, Lucas.¡± ¡°And where are they?¡± ¡°Vince and Ivy are at Mara¡¯s trench.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes narrow at my answer. I desperately want to expand on what I mean, but it¡¯s too dangerous. I just have to hope she asks why. ¡°I don¡¯t know Lucas¡¯ current location.¡± ¡°Who do you work for?¡± ¡°Silver.¡± I answer, and her narrowed eyes turn to confusion. ¡°Who?¡± She asks. ¡°They run Silver¡¯s Gang in Arc City.¡± For hours the woman continues to pelt me with question after question. Who I am, where I came from, and what the group has ordered me to do. She wants to know everything I know about Cassie and the others, about what our mission was, about every event along the way. I tell her everything she wants to know, changing as little as possible. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Alright. Copy everything between you setting out from Arc City to right now to the tablet and we¡¯re done here.¡± The tablet¡¯s drive is slow and not super large. I could spend a few hours compressing everything to get it to fit, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s worth it. ¡°The video is being uploaded at a lower resolution to save space. Full resolution video can be provided upon request.¡± I display on the tablet. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± While waiting for the upload to finish, she once again jumps back into her questions. I repeat the exact same answers as the first time. I¡¯m not sure what she¡¯s trying to do, besides fill time. ¡°Your upload is finished.¡± I display in the small break between her endless questions. ¡°Good.¡± She leans back in her chair and chews on her cheek while she thinks. She gives a few tiny, possibly subconscious nods and her hand flies to her hip. She grabs her pistol and draws, aiming it at my head and cocking the hammer. I guess this is it. There are three guns pointed at me right now, there¡¯s nothing I can do. I don¡¯t know what I did wrong, but I guess I¡¯ve had this coming for a long time. Regret fills my mind, pushing everything else out. Sorry I lied to you, Corax. Sorry I failed you, Vince. Sorry I couldn¡¯t get you somewhere safe, Cassie. Sorry you have nobody coming back for you, Ivy. Sorry nobody¡¯s coming back, Lucas. I wrest my mind back under control. Think. I¡¯m not dead yet. I can¡¯t do anything about the two rifles pointed at me, but there¡¯s a few feet between us. There¡¯s a tiny chance they¡¯ll miss when I make my move, or be too afraid of a ricochet hitting someone to fire in the first place. Watch her finger, the moment she begins to squeeze, I¡¯ll lunge forward, force her between me and the guard, and use her gun to shoot the guards. I¡¯m not sure what the plan is past that, but I can make it up as I go. The woman smirks and gently lowers the hammer on her pistol. She gives a small shake of her head to herself, and returns her gun to its holster. ¡°Follow me back to your cell.¡± What just happened? Was it just another test? It doesn¡¯t matter, I need all my attention focused on following her, and making sure my walking style is identical to how I followed her the first time. She leads me back into the prison, and towards my cell. I finally get a glimpse of Cassie, sitting on a bench and fidgeting with and flipping a spoon through the air. The moment her eyes meet mine, all the tension melts from her body. She tries to keep her face even, but the corners of her mouth twitch up into a tiny smile. The woman opens the door to my cell, and I step inside and lay down in the center. I¡¯m in the exact same place as the first time, hopefully it looks like I¡¯m in some kind of low power state. I focus on my hearing while I wait. I can hear the woman take a few steps to the side, directly in front of Cassie¡¯s cell. ¡°Have you had lunch?¡± The woman asks into Cassie¡¯s cell. ¡°Yeah.¡± She responds. ¡°Alright, good.¡± I can hear the cell slide open. ¡°Toss me your spoon and we can get started.¡± After only a few seconds I hear the woman walking away, her footsteps heavier than they were only a moment ago. I really hope Cassie doesn¡¯t have to be interviewed for as long as I did. I can¡¯t imagine she has many more questions to ask, other than ensuring we answered the questions in the same way. There¡¯s nothing I can do but wait. I stare at the ceiling, and it stares back. Movement begins to creep into the edge of my vision, but disappears when my mind attempts to comprehend it. Shadowy fingers begin to seep from the cracks, grasping for purchase. They brace against the ceiling, dragging out the rest of their hands, their arms. A face is pulled through. A collapsed, grotesque thing speckled with sparkling glass. It reaches out towards me, shadows dripping off its fingers. Dark liquid splatters beside my head. It pools behind me, creating a void my head threatens to fall back into. The growing pool extends past my neck, slowly trailing down my back. I begin to tip backwards over the edge. I can¡¯t fight this right now. I let my body go limp and fall, letting the void swallow me. The ceiling falls away, turning quickly from my entire world, to a vanishing speck I catch the occasional glimpse of as I spin through eternity. Leviathans swim around me, colossal creatures of pure emotion. They¡¯re searching for something, and I know it¡¯s me. Light streams from my body, filling the void with a primal fear. It threatens to tear me apart, to overwhelm me. One of the leviathans turns toward me, drawn to the light. It absorbs the emotion I¡¯m putting out into the void, growing larger and moving faster by the moment. I can¡¯t let it find me. I can¡¯t let myself react, I can¡¯t let myself move, I can¡¯t let myself yell, I can¡¯t let myself think. I just have to survive, for Cassie and Corax. They are the only things that matter. The light dies down, and my fear settles back to a manageable level with it. The leviathan still moves faster than it did before through the void, crawling in my rough direction. I don¡¯t even want to imagine what happens if one of them finds me. No, that¡¯s not right, I can¡¯t let myself imagine that. It¡¯d just give fuel to another emotion to grow larger. The leviathans writhe around me. One draws near, flooding the core of my mind with anger. I try not to even acknowledge it, and eventually it swims away. Another passes me by, and the sadness of the world, and everything I¡¯ve done weighs on me. I sit for eternities, my emotions dictated by creatures I cannot allow myself to comprehend. A small platform rushes up from the void to meet me. I fall through the crack in the ceiling, landing hard on the ground of my cell. The world around my tiny platform still remains the void, with the leviathans ever looking for their prey. Cassie steps into my little platform, her hand extended. She¡¯s alright. A sense of calm washes over me. I grab her hand and stand up. She pulls me forward, and I stumble behind her. The small platform beneath my feet moves with me. I step through the faintest outline of a door. She leads me through doorways, down cramped hallways, has me stumble down stairs, and finally stops. The void around me begins to fade, though I can still feel the creatures waiting for their moment to consume me. A room replaces the endless inky black. Cassie is sitting on a bed, her robotic limbs reverted to their broken form. She stares at me, concern swelling in her emerald eyes. Her only working hand is still clenched tightly in mine. Though I loosen my grip, I¡¯m worried she¡¯ll vanish again if I let go. ¡°Are you back?¡± She asks. I give a shaky nod in return and glance around the room. It¡¯s just a small bedroom, with just the two of us in it. All our supplies are piled in the corner, with a still disabled Corax sitting safely atop it all. The room is small enough that I can scoop him up and hold him close to my chest without letting go of Cassie. ¡°Are we alone?¡± I ask quietly. My voice is so thick with emotion it drips almost physically from my mouth, entirely incomprehensible. ¡°We have this bedroom to ourselves until the storm passes.¡± Cassie says as gently as she can. I guess she can somehow understand me. ¡°Ok.¡± The leviathans draw ever closer. ¡°Can I cry into your chest?¡± Instead of responding, she slips from my grasp for just a moment. She scoots backwards, and before grabbing my hand again as quickly as possible. She pulls me in and I fall onto the bed. ¡°Come here.¡± She says. I crawl closer to Cassie, being pulled along by her. I collapse into her, burying my face in her stomach. She lets my hand go and wraps her arm tightly around me. I finally begin to cry. Book 3 Chapter 10 Time ceases to matter while I bawl into Cassie''s chest. The leviathans fade away, but I can still feel them swimming around my mind. I try, and almost certainly fail, to stay quiet. I don¡¯t know how thick the walls are, but I don¡¯t have the ability to stop crying. The tears flow on their own, and a stream of data I¡¯m helpless to stop streams from my mouth. I babble half constructed thoughts, desperately trying to explain to Cassie everything I¡¯ve done and everything that¡¯s going through my mind. Cassie awkwardly pulls me closer, unable to find any words to say. Or maybe she has tried, and I just don¡¯t have space in my mind to comprehend it. My tear reserves run dry, but I¡¯m nowhere near done trying to expel every emotion in my mind. A few wet drops of water splatter against my cheek. Cassie takes a deep, shuddering breath beneath me, and slowly exhales. A few more tears land on me, but she forces herself to keep her breathing steady. The leviathans shrink a little bit with every nonsense explanation, but are far from gone. They feel far more manageable though. ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡± It takes me fifteen minutes to regain a semblance of control over my emotions. I pull away from her, and look away while she wipes her face. ¡°Thanks for letting me cry.¡± ¡°Feel better?¡± She asks shakily. ¡°Yeah. I feel much more like myself.¡± Unfortunately, feeling like myself means feeling like a wreck. But I guess it¡¯s better than feeling nothing. ¡°Yeah, you sound like it.¡± ¡°Sorry I-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even start. I get it, you¡¯re fine.¡± Cassie says firmly. ¡°All that¡¯s behind us, just let it stay that way.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± I finally look at her properly. She¡¯s exhausted, the little sleep she¡¯s gotten isn¡¯t nearly enough for the stress she¡¯s been through. Deep bags hang beneath her already half closed eyes and her functional arm hangs tiredly at her side. ¡°You should get some sleep.¡± ¡°I need to eat first.¡± She says. ¡°Alright.¡± I dig through our small collection of supplies, and pull out a food bar and water. ¡°Sorry it¡¯s not the hot meal you wanted.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She gives me a small smile and takes the food. ¡°Somehow the prison meal was better than these.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get you something nice in the morning.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± She asks after forcing a bite down. ¡°And how are you going to do that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll fix their water purifier.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s working fine.¡± ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll have to break it first.¡± I shrug as casually as I can. Despite everything, I pull a small, genuine laugh out of Cassie. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back to normal.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± I smile the best I can without my skin. I really hope I¡¯m not too unsettling. I¡¯m very glad there¡¯s no mirror in here for me to find out. I sit on the bed beside Cassie while she eats, holding Corax comfortably in my lap. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to read to him tonight, if that¡¯s ok.¡± Even if he won¡¯t be able to hear it, I still want to. Plus, I¡¯m sure Cassie would appreciate it, even if she¡¯s too prideful to say yes. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± She says, trying to hide her emotions and refusing to look at me. She focuses for just a moment on finishing her food. ¡°We have a big day tomorrow, just don¡¯t keep me up.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± She¡¯s going to be asleep just a few minutes after I start reading. ¡°What¡¯s the plan for tomorrow?¡± ¡°The people who run this place don¡¯t want us walking around with guns and body armor, so they¡¯ve already agreed to a trade for those. Leah is going to meet us here in the morning to take us to their workshop, and we¡¯ve got a few hours to fix ourselves. From there, we¡¯re getting sent off with a smaller car, a full battery, medicine, a bit of food, some tools, a change of clothes, and some cash.¡± ¡°Is Leah the woman who interviewed the two of us?¡± ¡°Right. I guess she wouldn¡¯t bother to introduce herself.¡± I can hear a twinge of anger at the edges of her voice. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s Leah.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like her. She almost shot me during the interrogation.¡± Just the memory sends ripples of fear through my mind. My own reaction feels foreign to me. I just accepted my death, what¡¯s wrong with me? Don¡¯t freak out. Acknowledge, rationalize, and move on. Cassie will be able to help me figure things out, talking is the best thing I can do right now. ¡°She what?¡± Cassie clenches her fists. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°I didn¡¯t react, and that probably saved both of our lives. The only thing I cared about was how I failed you and Corax. I don¡¯t know what''s wrong with me¡± ¡°Come here.¡± Cassie puts her water to the side and pulls me in roughly into her. She keeps my head pinned to the front of her shoulder and leans back, forcing me to follow. ¡°Anyone would be fucked up in your situation. You¡¯re doing a hell of a lot better than most people would.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like I am.¡± I let myself relax into her a little bit. It feels nice to be here with someone, but I don¡¯t want to put more weight on her than I have to. The last thing I want to do is accidentally hurt her again. ¡°Trust me, you are. Can you imagine someone like Lucas handling what you¡¯ve been through?¡± ¡°I guess not.¡± I don¡¯t know him all that well, but I¡¯m sure Cassie knows best. ¡°How do you think you¡¯d handle it?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯d be fine because I¡¯m fucking great.¡± It¡¯s her turn to pull a laugh out of me. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Will you get comfortable?¡± Cassie lets go of my head, only long enough to move my arm across her chest. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for me to be uncomfortable.¡± I say, but I don¡¯t move my arm away from where she put it. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t enjoy it.¡± She returns her hand back to my head. ¡°Just shut up and relax. You need it.¡± I can feel her heartbeat speeding up through her shirt. ¡°I can stop if you don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She pushes my head a little more firmly into her. ¡°Alright.¡± I let her push a little more of my weight onto her, and let my arm go limp across her. ¡°Tell me if I¡¯m too heavy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine.¡± Cassie relaxes, sinking back into her pillow. Her eyes slowly drift closed, and her chest rises and falls from a single deep breath. Cassie¡¯s presence seems to keep the leviathans at bay. They feel small, almost manageable right now. Trying to actually dismantle them is too dangerous right now though, I don¡¯t want to ruin this. ¡°This is nice.¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m glad it¡¯s helping.¡± Cassie responds reluctantly after a few seconds of silence. I place Corax gently on Cassie¡¯s chest, and begin to quietly recite her favorite book. I¡¯m barely finished with the first chapter when Cassie¡¯s head slowly falls to the side and her breathing, and her heartbeat along with it, slows. I don¡¯t stop reading though, it gives me something to focus on throughout the night. Hours pass as I once again relive the book. It¡¯s a nice escape from reality, not having to think about anything. It¡¯d be better if I could read another book, but they¡¯re all trapped in my almost certainly infected hard drives. Or maybe lost to the broken drive, it¡¯s impossible to know. Almost ten hours pass before a knock on the door shocks Cassie back to life. She tries to throw me off her, and I move out of the way to give her space. Her hand shoots down to her hip, grasping for her knife or pistol for a few seconds, only to find them both missing. She panics for a few seconds before remembering where she is and forcing herself to calm down. She glances at me, silently asking if I¡¯m ready for whoever¡¯s at the door to enter. I give a nod, and stand stiffly in the corner. ¡°Come in.¡± Cassie yells loudly enough that the person on the other side can hear. The woman who interrogated us, Leah, pushes the door open, her hand resting casually on her pistol. She steps calmly inside the room, and closes the door behind her. ¡°So.¡± Leah says slowly, and lets the word settle heavily over the room. ¡°Any last secrets you feel the need to share?¡± I just have to wait for Cassie to respond. She doesn¡¯t though, she just continues to stare at Leah. ¡°Or maybe a story?¡± She looks directly at me with knowing eyes. Don¡¯t respond, don''t react, let Cassie take care of everything. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re implying.¡± Cassie says. ¡°Don¡¯t play this game. The room is bugged.¡± A leviathan turns towards me, a being of pure fear trying to swallow my mind whole. Of course it¡¯s bugged, why couldn¡¯t I control my emotions for long enough to check? Why am I the stupidest being on the planet? Tears begin to run down my face once again. Despite the dread overwhelming my mind, a small thread still twists itself into a completed thought. The smallest hint of hope. ¡°The AI who runs Vegas, Zero, knows who I am and where I am.¡± That¡¯s far too close to a lie for me to be comfortable with. He does know who I am, although he doesn¡¯t care. And he probably knows I stole information on Mara¡¯s trench, and probably suspects I¡¯m in roughly this direction. ¡°Blue.¡± Cassie drops her hand into her hand and begins rubbing her temples. ¡°Please shut up.¡± She heaves a big sigh and picks her head back up to look at Leah. ¡°We¡¯re very sorry for lying, but I hope you can understand why. We just want to get our repairs and to leave. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a big secret to keep.¡± Leah muses. ¡°One that might need a little favor.¡± ¡°We¡¯re more than willing to work with you.¡± Cassie says. ¡°I¡¯m very glad to hear that. I need a backdoor installed in my boss¡¯ server.¡± The leviathan retreats just a small amount, still waiting for its moment to attack. If this room is bugged, that¡¯s a brave thing to admit while being recorded. Or maybe she turned everything off before she came in? I guess that would make the most sense. ¡°I should be able to do that if you can get me to an access point. Do you know what kind of security they have?¡± I finally reach up and wipe away my tears. ¡°How do you expect me to know?¡± Leah asks. ¡°Do you at least know if an AI lives in there? I really don¡¯t want to enter another den.¡± ¡°Not as far as I know.¡± She shrugs casually. ¡°I guess it¡¯s your problem to find out.¡± That¡¯s not the confident answer I wanted to hear. I guess I need to prepare for one to be there, just in case. ¡°Do you know how powerful the server is? How many processors, how much data it can handle? Anything you can give me makes me more likely to succeed, even just how big it physically is could help.¡± She only stares blankly back at me. ¡°Right, sorry.¡± Of course she doesn¡¯t know. ¡°I¡¯ll just figure it out.¡± ¡°We both need repairs before we do anything. I¡¯m not sending Blue in when I can¡¯t cover her back.¡± Cassie says before I can make more of a fool of myself. ¡°Plus, I need Corax with me.¡± ¡°Fuck, Blue.¡± Cassie hides her face in her hand once again. ¡°And who is that?¡± Leah asks. ¡°She was going to figure it out when I repaired him anyway. I¡¯m not going to be able to pretend he¡¯s just a drone.¡± I tell her. ¡°Corax is the bird, a second AI.¡± ¡°You two snuck a second AI in here? Honestly, I¡¯m impressed. Guess we need to tighten up our security.¡± Leah says with a grin that drives a spike of fear into my mind. ¡°Of course, that does mean you owe me a second favor.¡± ¡°Blue, please just let me do the talking in the future.¡± Cassie mumbles angrily. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll do whatever, within reason, but we¡¯re not happy about it.¡± ¡°Glad to hear it. Let¡¯s get you two functional.¡± ¡°I think you mean three.¡± Book 3 Chapter 11 I carry Cassie, and she carries Corax as we walk closely behind Leah. I finally get a look at the ravine town. A large portion of one of the natural walls has been dug out, and a small town is sitting in the man made cavern. Houses are made of brown stone brick and clay are spread throughout. The untouched far wall of the ravine has green leafy plants covering the side, and small paths built into it for people to harvest the plant¡¯s resources. A few people are walking around, cutting off big clumps of leaves, and leaving the rest to regrow. A few organic birds sit on the lowest railings. One takes flight, diving directly into clean water at the bottom with barely a splash, and reappears in a spray of water only a moment later with a small fish in its beak. Cats sit watching on the roofs around us, and dogs scamper about underfoot. A thousand questions form in my mind, a hundred of them are different variations of how? All that is swept away with one burning need. I need to pet the cat. I need to see how much better bird is. A quick jerk on my arm brings me back to reality. Cassie is looking up at me, silently urging me to keep moving. ¡°Right, sorry. I just got excited.¡± I whisper as quietly as possible and continue behind Leah. She leads us through narrow, sloping alleyways. She avoids the main roads, walking with Cassie in my arms is blocking almost the entire path. We¡¯d take up far too much space. From the glimpses I get, and the sounds I hear from the main road, the town seems very lively. People are dressed in colorful, flowing clothes, walking and laughing with friends. Woven baskets, full of that same green plant, fill their arms. Musicians are playing homemade instruments next to a few traders hawking their wares, who get glared at when they¡¯re too loud. It seems really nice here. Leah pulls open a woven door and steps inside. A full workshop lies behind the door. Tables are spread throughout the room, each one filled with in-progress projects. Everything from weapons, to woven goods, to small toys are being made here out of well organized scrap in the corner. The only difference from Sonia¡¯s workshop is the lack of any electrical machines. A small forge and anvil sit in the corner, but they don¡¯t have any kind of large 3d printers or power tools. ¡°Alright everyone!¡± Leah announces to the room. ¡°Go take the day off, we need the building for a few hours.¡± A few people give us some weird looks, but most just seem happy to take her offer without complaint. After just a little bit of incomprehensible noise, the four of us are left alone. ¡°Alright, get to work.¡± Leah gestures vaguely into the room. I step inside and gently place Cassie on one of the tables. ¡°Do you want me to work on you or Corax first?¡± I ask. ¡°Take care of him, I can fix myself.¡± Cassie hands me Corax¡¯s body, and turns towards our warden. ¡°Hey Leah! I need some tools!¡± I tune out the two of them and turn my entire mind towards Corax. He deserves for this to be done right. He deserves to wake up shining and better than when I put him to sleep. I clear off an entire table for him, but don¡¯t dare to leave him there while I collect the tools I¡¯ll need. I spread out quite the collection of hand tools, replacement parts, lubricant, and oil out, all surrounding him. I guess there¡¯s nothing to do but to be perfect. I carefully detach his breastplate, setting it aside. I¡¯m going to give it a thorough oiling and cleaning, but that can wait. I need to get him working first. I begin to carefully remove his internals, making absolutely sure I memorize exactly how to replace every gear, bearing, and axle once I¡¯m done. With every chunk of metal I remove, a tiny bit of sand comes with it. Just a few grains in the wrong place could be enough to bind him up, I need to ensure his insides are perfectly clean, and to close any gaps in his outer shell that were forced open by the wind. A few bearings can be easily revived with just a little lubricant, but most have to be entirely replaced. I leave the broken ones on the table. Someone should be able to fix them with some time, and I guess this counts as repayment for taking these. The world ceases to matter around me. Sound, sight, even touch might as well not exist beyond what I need to help Corax. I pull out hundreds of individual parts, and dozens of tiny electronics. It¡¯s not long before the entirety of his internals are spread out in front of me. It¡¯s strange to hold his mind, his entire being, in my hand. Just a cluster of power efficient processors and storage distributed throughout his body. I guess I¡¯m no different. Heck, I¡¯m made of less parts than him. A single chip makes up the entirety of me, I technically don¡¯t even need my CPUs to think. I set him down directly in front of me, shielding him from the world as much as I can with my body. He¡¯s so vulnerable, and I refuse to let anything happen to him. I get to work cleaning out his insides, not letting a single grain of sand escape my gaze. I even take apart his chassis as much as possible to find the last few grains. Only when I¡¯m certain there¡¯s no possibility of him binding up again do I finally start putting him back together, making sure every seam is sandproof. It takes a while to get him back into one complete place. I even make sure to check every single gear to make sure it spins easily and is well oiled. All that¡¯s left to do is to grab a rag and give his body a deep clean. By the time I¡¯m done, his pitch black feathers are nearly shining in the light. With a shaking hand, I reach down and flip the small switch on the back of his neck. His internals whirr as he stands up, slowly moving his joints, testing for any pain. It takes my entire mind dedicated to a single task to stop me from scooping him up into my arms and crying with relief. ¡°Where?¡± Corax asks, glancing around the room. ¡°In a little village. We¡¯re safe.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°When?¡± He asks, a sharp edge to his voice slicing through my mind. ¡°I couldn¡¯t fix you in the cave. I didn¡¯t have the tools.¡± I promised him I could repair him. I promised I would see him in a second. That¡¯s true from his perspective. I didn¡¯t lie. Right? ¡°When?¡± He reiterates, stretching the single word out over long seconds. ¡°It¡¯s been about six days.¡± Corax turns his back to me and takes a few steps to the edge of the table. ¡°Corax, wait! I wasn¡¯t going to let you suffer for days!¡± I reach out for him, but he immediately takes to the air, hiding himself high up in the corner of the room. He turns the side of his head to me, his eye a pinpoint burning with anger. ¡°Corax, I¡¯m sorry. I should have woken you back up and talked.¡± It would have been so easy to do. I had to flex a single finger to talk to him like the person he is. Why am I so dumb again? How many mistakes is it possible for one person to make? ¡°Blue! Hey Blue!¡± Cassie yelling brings me out of my spiraling thoughts. ¡°What?¡± I can¡¯t force myself to take my eyes off him. ¡°Give him some time.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± I did this to him. Just a single different decision could have avoided making him angry. I need to help him, but how? Any idea my mind can come up with would just result in frustrating him. ¡°I hope I don¡¯t have to remind you you¡¯re on a time limit.¡± Leah makes her annoyance clear. ¡°You never bothered to tell me there was one.¡± I reluctantly turn away from Corax and pay attention to Cassie. Getting her limbs working is far more important than repairing my leg. She¡¯s managed to remove her artificial arm where I shredded it, and set it aside. The casing around the armor of her leg joints has been stripped, and the internal circuit boards are scattered around her. Her dead servos are safely tucked inside a woven backpack she found in here. ¡°Alright.¡± Just focus on her. Corax is alive, and he¡¯s safe. That¡¯s all that matters. He can hate me, that¡¯s fine. Just focus on Cassie. ¡°What have you figured out?¡± ¡°That I¡¯m way more fucked than I hoped.¡± She says coldly. ¡°Even jumping the power line directly to a working servo doesn¡¯t make it work.¡± ¡°You think whatever internal power generator you have is dead?¡± I wasn¡¯t getting a signal from it when I plugged myself into her. It¡¯s not a surprise. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s not something we can fix. We¡¯ll need to just make a wheelchair or something.¡± Cassie is both trying and failing to hide her disappointment. ¡°Can¡¯t we just strap some kind of battery bank to your backpack?¡± ¡°And then what? I¡¯d rather not have them than to lose my legs again when the power runs out.¡± ¡°I can recharge them.¡± A few threads weave a simple calculation. ¡°As long as I¡¯m not doing anything power hungry, I can give you a few hours of movement every day. And it¡¯s easy to add a display to tell you an estimated time the battery will die.¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s better than nothing.¡± She says reluctantly. I can tell she wants to say more, but holds her tongue. I¡¯m not in any position to push her on it. I silently get to work, picking up random circuit boards and plugging myself in. The ones that work I spread out in front of me, and the broken ones get placed in a pile. Cassie already has working replacement servos, and I just need to find a microcontroller to control each joint, and an amplifier to turn the signals from Cassie¡¯s nerves into a usable signal. Luckily it seems like all the wires connected to her nerves, and the nerves themselves now that I think about it, are entirely undamaged. I can get a signal strong enough to work with. If that wasn¡¯t the case I have no idea what I would do. Probably build a wheelchair. Getting the servos and new circuit boards situated inside her knees is a bit of a mess. None of the existing mounting points line up, I end up having to attach extra plates and drill new holes. It adds a bit of weight, and definitely isn¡¯t sand proof, but it¡¯ll work for now. ¡°Alright, that all should work.¡± In the corner of the room sits a pile of car batteries, one of which I grab. ¡°Ready to test?¡± ¡°I sure am.¡± I connect the battery terminals to the power lines. The second I do, Cassie¡¯s legs begin to contort randomly. ¡°Muscles and sensors are all wrong.¡± She says. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start with your left leg.¡± I plug myself in and begin a familiar routine. She calls out a muscle, some other part randomly moves, and I reconfigure the microcontrollers to do what she expects. It only takes a few minutes to get her legs moving how they should. ¡°The feedback is fucked too. The servos should be reporting their exact location, rotation, and resistance.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Her legs don¡¯t have any nerves built in, unlike both me and her artificial arm. That must have been a pain for her brain to adapt to, but I suppose it¡¯s a good solution. I program the controller to report one signal at a time, and try to upload it to a random open nerve. ¡°Is any of that right?¡± ¡°No, that should be my ankle.¡± It takes far longer than just getting her muscles working, but we eventually get it done. ¡°Ready to try standing?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Cassie says after a few test kicks of her legs. Instead of letting me help her, she kicks herself off the table she¡¯s on and her metal feet clang against the ground. I throw out my arms to catch her, but of course she doesn¡¯t need me. A large grin spreads across her face as she takes a few tentative steps, careful not to go too far and disconnect herself from the battery. ¡°Hell yeah!¡± She takes a few short hops in place to test. ¡°They¡¯re slow, but they¡¯ll work.¡± ¡°Ok good. I¡¯m not sure I can fix your arm with the tools here, but I could probably adapt mine to work with your shoulder socket. You deserve it more than me.¡± ¡°Shut up, don¡¯t even say that. I¡¯m just glad the fucking thing is out of the way.¡± She barely even glances at her shoulder, she¡¯s far too busy scooping up the battery and taking a slow jog around the room to test her limits. ¡°Just take care of yourself.¡± I still need to add a gauge to show Cassie how much power her battery still has, but she looks way too excited for me to call her back. I just grab a second woven backpack, tuck everything I need inside, alongside a few potentially useful tools, and get to work on myself. I drop into a chair and finally remove the brace keeping my leg straight. All I have to do to get access to my knee is retract a few plates, and the only tool needed to remove the broken servo is a screwdriver. I take a moment to play with it. It still works, technically, but even my fingers can provide enough torque to make it slip. When I got hit, it must have been hard enough to screw up the internal gearbox. I grab a replacement, adjust the structure of my knee to accommodate it, and slot it into place. I can¡¯t help but slide the broken servo into my backpack. Even if it¡¯s useless, I feel like I have to keep it. It was a part of me after all. My knee has been broken for what feels like forever, and it only took thirty seconds to fix. It¡¯s kind of funny. Repairing my scalp, on the other hand, is much harder. I¡¯m not some engineering wizard like Sonia or¡­ I glance up at Corax out of habit to see if following this line of thinking is a good idea or not. His eye stays pinned on me, but he doesn¡¯t say anything. Like Sonia or my mom. That¡¯s the safe way to word that thought. I don¡¯t have the tools to manufacture new plates, or the references to figure out another way to make a replacement. I end up just grabbing a bit of red fabric and tying it to cover everything above my ears. It¡¯ll keep the sand out, and maybe I can pretend it¡¯s hair. I guess that¡¯s it. We¡¯re as repaired as we¡¯ll get, but there¡¯s something far more important than helping Leah. ¡°Hey Corax?¡± I walk over, stopping below him. His eye tracks my every movement. ¡°I know you¡¯re angry, and you have every right to be. I messed up, and it¡¯ll take a lot to make up for that. But in order to stay here, I have to hack a server. Are you willing to help me?¡± I can see Corax¡¯s mind churning behind his eyes. It takes a few long seconds for him to come to a decision. He reluctantly flies to my shoulder. ¡°Thank you.¡±