this world will break your heart

Part 3: The Neufchatel Compound - Chapter 13

Four sets of footsteps echo down the hallway. Cantos Neufchatel is continuing his lecture on responsibility and how terribly the Real Humans have behaved. I bet Finn would have preferred to just throw Clara out with the trash instead of bringing her here for repair.

Four sets of footsteps...each with their own rhythm. I've been so accustomed to listening for the slightest distinguishing sound, but two I recognize and two sets are unfamiliar.

Cantos Neufchatel's voice enters the room first.

"Five minutes and then we're out."

"Thank you," Clara's voice is thin but kind. "I just want to see my friend."

"You have friends? That's adorable. I didn't program empathy or friendship into you but through machine learning, you've grown into a social model. Look at what I created." Cantos Neufchatel genuinely sounds proud of his invention.

I open my eyes as my view is obscured by Finn sitting on my sleeping box.

"Come on, we need to get back," he winds his watch and shows Clara.

"Yes," Cantos Neufchatel tells him. "You need to collect your things and go back to your parents' basement."

"I just want to see them." Clara is over my box, her palm on the glass.

"Just five minutes Clara and then out. When you get back to the Hersteller, please have my brother contact me."

There is a moment and then a shuffle of fabric. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Clara hugging Cantos Neufchatel. He holds her back.

"Thank you."

She steps away.

"There's something in you Clara. You're very special." He smiles at her and raises her face. "Five minutes and then we are out." Cantos Neufchatel booms as his footsteps retreat.

"Keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't try to fuck the sleepers," Cantos Neufchatel whispers to the unfamiliar set of footsteps. These ones are heavy, measured, and wearing what sounds like work boots. There is a slight lift to the step as if the boot is a little too heavy for the owner's foot.

Cantos Neufchatel's footsteps mark a fast clip across the floor. The door opens and then closes.

And then it's just us four: Clara, Finn, myself, and the owner of the boots.

Clara looks up from the gaze, across...not at Finn, as I originally thought, but beyond him.

And Hakeem 2.0 leans over to look into my case.

"The system will go offline in 30 seconds. You ready?"

Clara nods as I see Hakeem 2.0 shove Finn off my case.

"Hey...what the...I know you..." Finn's voice comes from the ground. Clara and Hakeem 2.0 lean over my case.

Hakeem 2.0 looks at the keypad as Clara touches each of the numbers, feeling for traces of depression

"Anything?"

"7-9-3-4" She runs her fingers over the keypad again just to be sure. "That's it."

I can hear Hakeem 2.0 tap the keypad. I hear shuffling from below the case. Hakeem 2.0 stops and looks over, grabbing something from below his waist.

"Don't you move. You're coming with us." He holds his arm out steady but I can't see what's in it. The shuffling stops.

As the lid to my sleeper case slides back, Hakeem 2.0 gives Clara the weapon and helps me sit up. He picks me up and lifts me right out of the box.

I look at the scene; Clara with Hakeem 2.0's weapon and Finn on the ground, halfway between a crouch and a scramble. Hakeem 2.0 puts me down.

"Can you stand?" he asks.

I put my feet on the floor. The cold marble feels like a glacial shock. "I think so..." I look at him.

"If you can stand then you can run." He grabs my arm and pushes me towards the doorway.

"You, get up. Now!" Clara holds the weapon right at Finn's neck. He stumbles to his feet and we leave the sleeper room.

We leave my case casually open in a blatant disregard for security.