Android Affection Book 1 - Rogue Zero

13: Guard

The Exian guard's circuits sizzle and spark a few more times before he drops to the floor all entirely, and lies there, motionless.

The young woman stares at the scene in horror as Gilbert rushes over to my side. I take off my gloves, then curse under my breath—although I do my best to upgrade them every time I can, I still haven't managed to get them to a point where I'm completely invulnerable to the attacks I launch. My hands are singed, and now, Gilbert knows of my little trick, so that kind of sucks, really sucks, because it only works with Assistants I manage to catch off guard.

"Sir!" Gilbert exclaims, as he reaches for my palms, that I pull away from him immediately. "You have sustained a multitude of burns!"

"Thanks," I tell him.

I rise to my feet and limp away from the pile of shards that have cut open my leg. "I couldn't tell."

"Sir," Gilbert looks like he's going to faint, which is kind of ironic since I'm the one who's beat up here. "Do you also have trouble with your vision—"

"No, for fuck's sake, it was a joke!" I sigh. I retrieve the knife from the guard's back and shove it into my pocket again. There's a throbbing pain right beneath my knee that's hard to ignore. I'm going to have to get back to my motorcycle and get away from here, fast, to treat it. I don't want that girl following us.

Speaking of that woman... I turn toward her and motion in her direction with a curt nod. "You okay?" I call, from the other side of the garage.

She sniffles, then rises to her feet. I assume she's just going to walk away, but instead, the young woman dashes straight for my figure and wraps her arms around me. "Oh, thank you, Rogue Zero! I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here for me."

I smile. Man, it's nice to see someone who's so kind to me. Changes from people who just run off because they get scared of me. "No problem, glad to see you're well."

She pulls away with her hands behind her back and snickers. "I'm Savannah. Is there anything I can do to repay you? I— I owe you my life—"

I wave her idea away and quickly step back. "Stay safe out there. Good night."

Gilbert wastes no time catching up to me, once I've left. "Farewell!" he tells the young woman, while I ready myself to drive with injured hands and a fever.

Sometimes, I hate my life.

"Are you all right, Sir?" Gilbert asks me once more, as I lean against my motorcycle and create a makeshift bandage out of a few spare bits of fabric I'd exchanged for food a few weeks ago.

Because I don't feel like answering his question, I whistle, then say, "She was pretty cute, wasn't she?"

Gilbert pauses. He squints to observe me as I continue to tighten the cloth, until I'm satisfied. "I cannot say for certain, Sir," the idiot android mumbles, with a fist pressed to his chin, after what I assume was a moment of reflection from him. "I personally believe you are more aesthetically pleasing."

I choke on my saliva and hold up a hand between our figures. "Okay, woah—no thanks. Don't compliment me, that's weird."

"Oh." He tilts his head. "Why?"

"Uh..." I slam my bag into the trunk, once more, with a frown. "It just is," I mutter. "More importantly..." I rest my hand against my hip, then look into his eyes. "You don't mind that I just beat up an Assistant?"

"Ah." Gilbert perks up. "I'm very sorry about that, Sir. I was not fast enough when it came to stopping that hooligan."

Hooligan?

I raise a brow. I mount my bike. So, he's not working with them, then?

As I reach into my pocket for my keys, I realize my knife is gone. "You're fucking kidding me," I blurt.

"Sir?"

"The weapon I used to disable that Assistant, I—" I huff, and start patting myself down. "Fuck, I actually lost it!"

"If you are looking for your knife, my systems indicate that there is a ninety-nine point six percent chance that it was stolen by that young lady... Shall we chase her down?"

"No," I avert my gaze from the abandoned garage, that sits beneath an old apartment complex. "I can always make another one. She probably needs it more than I do." Besides, by the time we reach the parking lot once more, she'll be long gone. "Come on," I tell him. "We should get going, too."

"But, Sir, your leg—"

"I'll take care of it later." I blink away the dots in my vision and try to fight the fever that insists on clouding my mind. "Well?" I spare him a glance. "Are you just gonna stand there?"

"No, Sir!" Gilbert slips into the seat behind me. His grip around my waist tightens. I'm always taken aback by how gentle his touch still manages to remain. It is as if he's aware of his strength, even when he's just a machine. Strange. This definitely isn't like an Exian guard's hold.

Maybe his creator made sure he'd have his limits while programming him?

I squint, then push the question from my mind. Anyway... I guess that doesn't matter. It's useless to ponder on such stupid things. Right now, I need to focus on the road before us.

I speed up again, and tell myself it'll be okay.

This fever won't get the best of me. I won't faint.

I can do this.