My heart nearly ruptured in my chest, and I hadn't turned around yet. Frank's face was enough to send me into a panic. And his voice? The shouting? I unraveled. The android clawing at my leg didn't help the situation either.
"Elijah!" Frank sped up but was it enough?
I knew I couldn't stay focused on him forever. He wasn't a beacon of hope or my savior. Frank had to have had just the same amount of body strength as I did. And shit, sometimes, I looked strong, but I knew my limits.
Judging by the sound of metal hitting metal, ricocheting off my ears, this was out of my limits.
Holding my breath, I gulped, turning my head to look at what Frank was warning me about. I should've expected red eyes but not the height of the android. This skeletal base had me beat by five or six inches, and that was tall by a normal person's standards. The base was about as big as Reggie, only I knew Reggie was kind.
The android eyes that glared at me reminded me of the day I lost it all. Of the Lyons raid on my family home, of the moment that my grandfather died and my father took a beating. The hate in that red color was the same that brewed in my soul for years.
All I ever wanted was to live a normal life, with a family, and far from the terrors and lies within this world. Instead, I was continuously met with this. Artificial hate and control.
I gulped as the skeletal base straightened. "I didn't come down here to die," I whispered.
Frank continued running in my direction. "Don't look at it! Move! Why aren't you moving!"
I didn't know why I wasn't moving. I was tired. I hadn't been here for a complete month, and I was already tired. The running, the hiding; everything I did to stay alive out in the world, I'd done the same in this building under Katherine's nose. It was exhausting. I was suffocating.
This android had to feel the same. I knew it felt because I believed all androids felt emotions, regardless of programming or data. Maybe this android and I could connect. We could relate.
And it'd let me live.
"I came here to save you." I shifted as much as I could to face the android. The torso at my feet hadn't let go, but I couldn't let it hold me back. The android beside me needed to see me, understand me, and know that I was here for them. "All I want to do is help."
Its fingers expanded. I looked down at the shine of its metal picked up from my phone's light. The slender metal rods designed to be inconspicuous were there; protruding, exposed, and creaking as it moved.
It's hurt.
"I can fix that." I pointed at the android's hand. I could repair the damage, but I didn't have the time. One glance at my phone told me we only had eleven minutes left. And how the fuck was I going to locate all fifty androids in that time?
The android raised its hand over its head.
I stepped back as much as I could, dragging the floored android with me. "I'm here to help." I lifted my hand. My phone's light shone on its face.
Danger shimmered in its eye as its head dipped to one side. Was the android observing me?
I licked my lip because I felt dry. I was. There wasn't any spit left in my mouth to help, though.
Nervously, I chuckled.
"Okay, Elijah, I'm here," Frank huffed as he came to my side. His hand dropped on my shoulder, his gaze traveling up the android in front of me. I heard him gulp louder than I saw him do it. I did the same. "We, uh, should move," he whispered as he tried to tug me back.
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Conduit
Science FictionWhen back-alley mechanic Elijah Garret is approached by the company who destroyed his family, he has to decide whether to repair and upgrade their androids or let the machines rebel and start a war. Season 1 of Conduit ****** PRIDE READING EVENT: Fr...
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