Automation Era: The Battlefield

[5] yaseen

[5] yaseen

The ridiculously tall android made a face, a slight squint, a little purse of his lips, an expression that said ouch. As if he was hurt for me. As if he could imagine the pain I'd felt.

He offered a hand. "That was rough, wasn't it?"

Without permission, he held my wrist and elbow and helped me up with such tender, gentle force—hard enough to pull me up despite my stupor, soft enough not to cause any pain.

I didn't dare move. I didn't dare breathe. I didn't know what the hell this was, why he wasn't cautious around me. Even if he didn't know I was human, Angelo had made it clear androids weren't exactly all friendly with people outside their team.

But then it clicked.

This had to be Angelo's trusted Tank. Yaseen.

Yaseen looked me over, checking for damage. He smiled at me in a way that dropped warmth into my chest, and yet it made my heart stutter. I didn't know why. I didn't know how to react. So I just...stared.

"Jake!"

Scarlett's voice. I heard her darting down the path I'd crossed tumbling, and then she crashed into my side, spreading an arm in front of me and pulling me back, away from Yaseen.

"Who the hell..." Scarlett mumbled, intimidated as well.

"Don't worry. He didn't hurt me. I think it's Ya—"

"Yaseen!" Angelo said, and for the first time since we'd met, joy resonated in his voice. He sprinted past us and stood in front of Yaseen, looking up at him like he hadn't seen him in forever.

And goodness, it was startling—the difference. Seeing Angelo so...relaxed. He wasn't stiff for once. All of his guards down in Yaseen's presence.

Yaseen's hair was long, a black river that stopped right at his shoulders. And the more I looked at him, the less intimidating he became. A golden bracelet circled his arm, just 3.5 inches down his shoulder, and another crossed his forehead with a small silver jewel in the center.

He wasn't scary. He was just...majestic. Regal, in the weirdest way. Like a humble king.

"Angelo," Yaseen said, one hand on Angelo's shoulder. Both turned towards us, and the question hung silently in the air.

Angelo sighed and looked at Yaseen again. "Humans."

"I could tell."

My brows furrowed. What, was this a usual occurrence?

Angelo's frown was as perplexed as mine. "You could?"

"He looked too harmless, too confused. New androids don't arrive this blank."

Nice. We were screwed if every android could sense us out by confusion.

"Let's head to my place." Yaseen's droopy green eyes harbored the type of kindness I'd always wished I could see in my bot mom. Waving his hand, he gestured us in front. "First day, isn't it? Must be hard for them. They should rest."

Scarlett looked like she either wanted to explode or implode, to spew out insults, but something held her back. Maybe Yaseen's aura affected her too.

The second we started following Yaseen, heading to his house, the asshole in Angelo woke up. He squinted at Scarlett, eyes filled with poison. "Oh, you're coming too?" he taunted. "Thought you weren't about to go anywhere with me anymore."

I sensed how much power it took Scarlett to remain quiet. I loved her for that.

By Angelo's expression, I couldn't even tell if the silence fed his ego or pissed him off. Yaseen pressed a palm on his back and gently pushed him forward, calmly steering away from the impending quarrel.