Android Affection Book 1 - Rogue Zero

28: Weird.

Okay, so Gilbert didn't have a map to physically give me, big deal. I've never been the worst at taking directions, so I just asked him to tell me what was where—of course, if I get lost, my safety is almost totally in his hands, and whether I make it out alive will likely depend on his decision to come back for my miserable self, too...

Yeah. I'd rather ignore that fact, for now. If I don't, I'll probably have a panic attack. Who the fuck trusts an Assistant with his life?

God, I wish I wasn't this desperate.

The thunder still hasn't died down. It's killing me inside. I hunch over and tiptoe towards the next corridor that supposedly leads to a larger, open room—Gilbert claimed the exit wasn't too far from it.

Apparently, the museum's divided into two parts; we would have been screwed if we'd taken the other side of it as our place of scavenging, because that one had no emergency exits at all. Talk about a shitty layout.

I sigh—although the flashlight lodged tightly between my grasp is helpful, I wish I were in better shape. There's an obvious limp in my wounded leg. Anyone would be able to see that from afar. I'm fucking vulnerable. I hate it. But regardless of my feelings, I carry on. It's not humanity's problem if I feel like I've just walked into hell. I just have to remember why I'm doing this. Saving people. And... Fletcher.

I gulp, then nod. Yep. Totally. That's why I'm here.

It's definitely not because of the damned Assistant who's still searching through an old crate full of parts two rooms back.

I didn't get dragged into this shit at all.

My eyebrow twitches.

Seriously, fuck him.

I step into the exhibit at my far left. There's a sign nearby. 'Almost-Human,' it reads. Behind it, realistic androids are posing with regular household items. Judging from their shapes and colors—and the mere fact that these things are being compared to humans—it's safe to say this place truly is from decades ago.

I squint. No matter how hard I try, I just can't do it. I can't see them as anything else other than hackable machines with no true free will. Those days are over.

Something confuses me though. It's strange that Gilbert isn't in the lineup. There aren't any mentions of plans for his model, out of the hundreds described here, either. Granted, it's possible they simply hadn't planned that far ahead yet, however, some posters even describe ideas that were never brought into fruition, so it's surprising that nothing's even hinting at his potential existence. And I've walked this aisle of nightmares way too many times by now, nervous wreck that I am, to be sure of that. Why? I wonder. From a technical standpoint, Gilbert is brilliant, I can't deny that.

Why would a museum, whose existence literally relies on bragging about how awesome and high-tech Assistants are, not mention his model, even briefly?

People would have loved him. They would have invested more into such a great tool. I don't understand.

The way he fought back in that tunnel comes to mind. I bring a fist to my chin. Was Gilbert the only one ever made? Is he meant to be a secret? If so, who funded him? They barely spared enough for regular Assistants back in Exia... I can't imagine them wanting to make something like this.

This doesn't make any sense.

He doesn't make any sense.

I raise two fingers to my temples then shut my eyes. Who was his creator? My hands curl into fists by my sides; as cold sweats travel up my spine, I bite my lip. And what exactly does he want from me?