"Aaand it also says, he is very protective - 85 percent!" Laura added.
Before I managed to reach for Micro-H-tab, Sharlene poked Bryce, quietly saying: "Show her!"
Suddenly he stepped in front of me blocking my hand and me from my friends literally looming over me. I stumbled back and lost my balance, but Bryce managed to catch me in time by my hand. He hold my hands 'broken' up in the air in weird angle as I was trying to get them free, but he still didn't let them go. Both my friends were laughing and I noticed a small smile on my android's face too.
"Protective? Who he is protecting now? Definitely not me! .... Guys, this is not funny!!"
"All this information will be our little secret until we leave, right Laura, Bryce?" Sharlene informed, shielding away his manual.
"Hey, let me go for once or I will send you to the recycling company!"
I was frustrated and a bit angry that my friends have turned on me. Instantly Bryce let me free but his face expression was back to his usual one. For a moment I thought I saw an anger in him after saying I will recycle him, but I wasn't quite sure, because the second later he looked normal again. Maybe I am imagining again.
"Oh! Remember, bunny? When I came here, I told you, I have seen Bryce before. Do you wanna see where?" Sharlene was working something on her ring.
Some of the modern rings were equipped with a small computer where you could get access to some information and network and do lots of other things. The tiny hologramic screen worked the same way as an ordinary computer. You could see all info on your side, but not from other, keeping it private from other people.
"Yeah, I remember. Where?"
"Somebody have posted picture with you and him on network yesterday. Listen what it says. Our little 'Power Princess' have got a new foreigner to keep her warm at night. Here, take a look, Power Princess." Sharlene made a mocking remark.
I saw my picture with Bryce, what seemed to be taken in city last night. I can't believe somebody got me so quickly.
"Who is it? Who posted it?"
"Seems to be some random person, but it already has many shares."
"Great! And I thought I will have some time of piece before somebody starts to snoop around my private life. Have they have nothing to do?" Irritated I run fingers through my long hair.
"Be prepared for some reporters soon. You are gonna be on news again." said Sharlene.
"Yeah, that's what I need now." I remarked sarcastically.
I turned to look outside the window and thought about what will come. Sometimes I am tired of this rich life, so much attention that you don't have any privacy left. To get away from all this would be a nice change, to be alone with my own problems and life.
"Ah, talking about the news. Did you guys hear about an android attack this morning?" Laura interrupted my thoughts.
"Shush, Laura, not now!" I heard Sharlene trying to silence her.
"What? She will get to hear it sooner or later. What is the point to hide it from her?"
"It's OK, girls. I know what you are talking about. I heard it too, but not all of it." I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, remembering my panic attack this morning. "What happened?"
"Well, this man got killed by his own robot. They say, he was infected with that new virus nobody knows about. And the craziest thing is, that robot got away and nobody can find him. So nobody can be 100 percent sure if that was this virus, who caused him to attack. I heard this Seth Baines was a very powerful crime lord in Amber, he had many robots and because they are machines, he treats them very bad, abuses them and do horrible things. The reporters got to know, that most likely this robot got fed up with this kind of treatment and finished him off. I heard that these machines, which are infected in some kind of way get stuck in a certain emotion which in result makes them hurt us. Maybe there are more infected robots out there we don't know about, which don't get reported, because hey don't cause harm. It doesn't have to be a negative emotion, if it's love or care they feel, they don't hurt their humans. And ... and it seems to be similar to your attack they said."
"That is scary. I mean, robots with emotions. If they decide to hurt somebody, they can break a human being like a stick with one finger, they are terribly strong." added Sharlene.
"They are." I tried to hold back my tears, remembering my encounter with one of them.
"Don't worry Kyra, you have Bryce who will always protect you. He is strong, probably even stronger than any other of them." Laura attempted to cheer me up and lighten the gloomy mood in the room.
I looked at Bryce and thought about the way how you can detect the virus. Would it be easy to notice the changes or it happens instantly. And how they get infected. I don't know. It scares me that I don't know and makes me feel powerless.
He just starred at me clueless of the fact what it meant to feel emotions, to feel anger and rage witch leads to cruel acts of violence and murder.
My friends stayed for couple of hours, mostly talking about their daily lives and Laura's boys. We drunk some Desert Dew and had some fresh fruits to snack on. They left and I was thinking of what to do the rest of the evening. Suddenly I remembered about my bodyguard's manual, I should check it, to see what my father made. Finishing the remaining dishes I went back to living room to pick up his Micro-H-tab.
"What are you doing, Bryce?" I shouted in surprise, seeing him holding his manual as it's metal shards slowly crumbled on the tile floor.
He let go of the remaining pieces that were partly stuck in his palm. He wasn't facing me as he destroyed it.
Hearing my voice he slightly turned his head over the shoulder and said: "It broke ..." and looked back at his palm where nothing was left.
He said it in such a tone, like it was nothing, like it broke by itself.
"It broke? No! YOU BROKE IT! That device is so tough it wouldn't break even if I would throw it against the wall! What have you done!" I was mad, really mad.
Now I didn't have any information about him, about Bryce.
YOU ARE READING
A living THING
Mystery / Thriller"B... Bryce?" I said quietly between my light sobs. He didn't answer me. He looked dangerous. His hands covered in blood, his jaw damaged, his eyes... I didn't know, what exactly I saw in them, but I knew, there was nothing good. I realized, I m...
