The Oracle of Refuge

Chapter 8

The first night, they camped in the ruins of an old building, an empty shell of steel and crumbled concrete, overgrown with moss and ivy. There was still enough of the second floor left to shade a corner of the first floor from the rain, and Adam spread their sleeping bags there. He cracked two heat sticks and set them on the ground between the pallets, then reached into his pack for some of the food Ruth had packed--small tubs of soup and hard sticks of savory bread. He set the food on the heat sticks to warm up, then sat on his pallet, rubbing his hands together to warm them.

Brynne sat on her pallet, stretching out her legs and wincing. She glanced over at him. "Do you need to dry off?"

"I'll be fine." He shrugged out of his wet jacket and draped it over a pile of rubble. His fingers were numb, and the damp was uncomfortable, but he'd been through worse. "We walked several miles today. It will probably take us a couple more days to reach the mountains."

"We walked 15.31 miles today. We will reach the nearest northern mountain range in 2.68 days, calculating for incline and average speed of travel," Sync informed them, crouching down under the fragment of roof.

Brynne smiled. "Thanks, Sync."

Adam leaned back against the old wall, crossing his arms over his chest to hide the shiver that ran through him. He narrowed his eyes on the android. "So... now that we're traveling companions, Sync, care to tell us where you come from and who sent you?"

Sync turned a cold, blank face to him and was silent.

"Sync... Can you tell me?" Brynne asked.

"A friend, Brynne Story," Sync told her, eyes glowing in his face plate.

"Who are you?" Brynne scooted closer to the android. "How much of what you do is you, and how much is your programming?"

"Brynne, he's an android," Adam reminded her.

"I know that. He's just... He's different." She gazed up at Sync with almost worshipful admiration.

Something twinged in Adam's stomach, and he looked away from her and away from Sync, busying himself with checking on their dinner and setting up a flashlight so they could see what they were doing.

"I am not--" Sync started, then stopped with an abrupt whir.

"Sync?" Brynne prompted.

"I am not just--" The android's voice was cut off in a hissing sound.

Adam glanced sharply at him, noticing the flicker of red lights on Sync's faceplate. He scooted closer, extending a leg between Brynne and Sync, reaching for the handle of his sword.

"Adam, I think it's alright."

"Move back, Brynne."

"He's just thinking."

"He's a robot. He shouldn't be taking this long to think." Adam slid forward further, pushing himself between Brynne and the android.

Sync's face continued to flash red, and hums and whirs issued from him instead of his normal voice.

"Sync, are you alright?" Brynne called.

The eyes flashed back into place, blue, and the head tilted.

"I am fine, Brynne Story. You need to eat dinner. You will need nourishment for the journey tomorrow."

Adam let himself relax... a little. But he held his position between Brynne and Sync, keeping both eyes on the android as Brynne began to eat her dinner.