Frank wasn't alone. Was this a planned ambush? I'd specifically told him to keep everyone away from my apartment. I needed to be alone to think. Who said I was ready?
Looking back at Reggie, I wanted to know how well his scans worked. "Can you tell me who he's with?"
Reggie's head dipped to the left. A line of white light passed over his eyes. "Katherine Bigon is with him," he said.
If my brows lifted any higher they'd be at my hairline. Victoria had really fixed his programming, huh? Able to detect movement and identify them. "Anyone else?" I asked him. "Guards? Androids?"
Reggie relaxed. His smile returned as he looked at me. "Just the two of them. No danger detected."
That was a relief. After my last run-in with Lyons' androids, thinking of them made me tense; I couldn't believe they were programmed to be violent and lie about their weapons. It didn't make sense. Despite what parts of the general public may have believed, androids did have a base code that kept them from causing harm to a human. Victoria 's concern—and mines—was that the type of neglect they experienced in this world could clearly override that.
Or had Lyons found a way to override the safety parameter in their androids? The Model 757 wasn't aware that its behavior was wrong until after the fact. Defensive outbursts made sense, but to hold a weapon, shoot first, and ask questions later—that was just violence. This felt intentional and I didn't understand why Lyons put this override in their machines.
Nodding toward the door, I looked at Victoria. "Might as well let them in before they knock." I glanced at the door as footsteps approached from the hall. "I wanted to see them, anyway.
Victoria nodded, shrugging as she made her way over to the door. As I asked, she opened it slowly, as if on purpose, and looked back at me as she pushed the door against the wall. Outside, Frank came to a stop, confusion covering his face. Katherine, on the other hand, kept coming. The sound of her heels echoed until she reached the exposed carpet in my living room. She glanced at the couches in the corner before looking back at me.
"And how are you, Mr. Garret?" she asked, eyeing my small living room before brushing strands of hair away from her face. She shot me a forced smile. "You've been here a few days. A week now? Hopefully, it was time spent thinking."
I scoffed. I had already learned she was something else, but I didn't know how high that ridiculousness soared. This woman had her head in the clouds.
"I have been thinking." I crossed my arms and licked my bottom lip. "Was actually about to call him," I looked at Frank, slowly approaching her from behind, "but it seems you two already planned to visit me today."
"Well, you left me no choice." Katherine put her hands on her hips as she walked in a slow circle, inspecting my space. It was as if she didn't know what the apartments looked like, and she was genuinely curious. Didn't she own this building?
She stopped and faced me. "I brought you here to help ensure the planet's future."
"You trapped me here to help ensure the planet's future." Correcting her felt right, especially after a tense look took over her face. She couldn't counter what I said, it was true. Frank got me to follow him to this building, and once the doors locked behind me, there was no going back. I was to fix a problem Lyons created on their own.
Clearing my throat, I turned to the stools in my kitchen and sat down. My bowl of oatmeal still waited to be eaten. I stared at it for a minute. The silence in my living room felt as dry as this breakfast. "My plan involved everyone." I looked back at her. "The issue is more than just your androids."
Her brows lifted curiously. "You've only been here, how long? And you've already come to this conclusion?"
"Doesn't take long to see the problem," I said as I scratched my chin. "I've been around androids my entire life." I narrowed my gaze. "As I'm sure you're aware."
With her arms folded over his chest, Katherine tapped her fingers on her arms. She clicked her teeth. "And what's wrong with my androids? Other than the obvious."
My brows raised. I had my definition of obvious. If she meant the issues Frank had told me the day I met him, about the androids neglecting their responsibilities and refusing us? Sure. That was one problem. But I needed her to get to the root of the problem.
But I couldn't outright say that, could I? Based on her androids' actions last week, I felt like any negativity toward her character, or her company would bring a violent response. I wasn't up for being shot at again. Victoria and Reggie wouldn't always be there to help.
Shifting in my stool, I faced her. "Based on what happened with Reggie—"
"Reggie?" Katherine's brows pinched as she scanned the room. Reggie hadn't moved since the moment she walked in. He remained attentive, listening; I was sure he was scanning her behaviors. Victoria always made a habit of doing that. And if she had tweaked his programming, he had to do the same.
"Yeah, Reggie." I cleared my throat. "Lyons needs to think of androids as people. You wouldn't treat humans the way you treat your machines, would you?"
Katherine's mouth hung open. A breath left her, audible. I wasn't sure if it was confusion or shock. But when she touched her chin and cocked a brow, I went with the latter. "You're saying the real issue... is my technicians?"
Technicians, workers, yeah sure. Victoria stepped away from the door, rounding the island to come by my side. Frank shifted closer but remained silent. I knew why; tension settled in the air, so thick you could slice it. I tongued my cheek as Victoria placed her hand on my shoulder, gently squeezing.
A warning. Stay calm. Don't agitate her.
"Look," I waved a hand in the air, brushing off her reaction, "I'm just saying the process of selecting and teaching androids can be different. Adjusted, even, if I make sense."
Katherine balanced her weight on one foot. "And the androids? Isn't there a problem with them?"
I wanted to be honest with her. I was "employed" to be truthful and find the real problems at hand. But I also knew it wasn't the time; there wasn't enough evidence for Katherine to believe me yet. The issue—androids were advancing and behaving as we expected. We'd known for years. Movies, books, and podcasts all documented the future before proof was clear.
Like biological creatures, when put in a situation that hindered their life and growth, they would evolve. Their skin or fur would change, and their colors would blend. They'd advance. And if needed, they would attack. The androids were reacting to their environment. Lyons' updates postponed their growth, but the androids were able to see through the cracks of the broken code. They saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
Freedom. Life. Humanity.
I needed to ease her into this. Sighing, I rubbed my forehead. "Here, I have a plan. I'm going to start at the creation floor and work my way up." I knew that's where the original trouble lie; Frank's smuggled files detailed it all. Katherine didn't need to know how I knew that, though. "But, while I'm doing that, working down with the starting technicians, I need you to do something for me."
Katherine leaned forward, brows lifted. "Hm?"
I'd placed my hand on my chest. "While I'm figuring out the issues at the base of the company, you can correct the surface."
Katherine moved back, hand on her chest. "Me?" she scoffed. "You're giving me work to do?"
I'd struck a nerve, had I? I glanced behind her and saw the immediate change on Frank's face. He bit his lip. He shook his head. Keeping his hands at his sides, he shook them, quickly enough that I noticed. Was this his silent message? My approach wasn't a good idea? Lyons' had failed for too long. If my actions weren't good enough then what would be? The errors within the company happened on both sides. For it to be fixed, it would take a village. Or, in this case, the world.
She needs to understand this.
I pushed up from my seat and stood strong in front of her. Victoria moved closer. "Listen," I said to Katherine, "you're the boss, aren't you?"
The woman's face scrunched as she averted her gaze. "I don't like your tone."
I chuckled, my small attempt to lighten the mood. "I just thought we were a team, ya know? Teamwork makes the dream work, am I right?"
No one said a word after that. It was so silent; I wonder if anyone was breathing. I sure as hell held my breath because I wanted to know, I hoped, that I made an impact. Would she budge? Would she agree? I just needed her to slip far enough away so I could dismantle the corruption within her company.
Frank and I locked eyes for a moment. He continued to share his hands. I tilted my head with a slight nod. It was okay, and he needed to trust me. Katherine noticed immediately and narrowed her gaze. There wasn't trust, was there?
"Elijah." Victoria came even closer and grabbed my hand.
My comfort. I looked down at our fingers before looking at her face. She softly smiled and I returned the look.
Katherine sighed. "I'll have a meeting with my team," she said reluctantly. Then she looked back at Frank, "And you, I'm granting you all access to every floor in this building. Escort Mr. Garrett to all areas he needs."
Well, shit, this wasn't something I was expecting. If I could get into any room I pleased, then I could find where every error began, follow the trail, and see how deep it went. How deep Lyons' errored update "repairs" truly were.
Katherine turned on the balls of her feet and walked toward the door. Frank quickly moved to open it for her. She hung in the doorway a moment, looking at him with a hard stare. He coward slightly. "I'm going to my office," she said. "Frank, I'm sure I can count on you to get his data to me. I mean, you were able to get him here, so a few file transfers shouldn't be hard."
"Oh, and Miss Katherine?" I gingerly took a step forward. My leg had healed a bit but there was still a limp.
She looked back at me. "Hm?"
I forced a smile as I lifted my brows. "This whole not being able to leave; is there a reason for it? I would like to get data from other sources, you know, to help address what's happening in here."
"Oh." She sighed. "Sure."
Was it that easy?
I thought she'd leave, having made her impact. Instead, Katherine's body language softened. She tilted her head with a sigh. One of her hands trailed over Frank's chest while the other rubbed his arm. They locked their eyes for longer than needed, with Katherine's mouth opening slightly before she finally walked down the hall and Frank locked the door behind her.
With wide eyes, he pressed himself against it and shook his head. "Elijah, I can explain—"
I lifted my hands and looked away. "Hey, I don't care, you do you," I said, then glanced at him. "But with all that access, when can we get started?"
"Um." Frank passed his hand over his hair, loosening bland strands enough that they fell on his forehead, "whenever you want."
"Cool." I looked at Victoria, gently turning her toward the island. Without looking at Frank, I continued, "Order me some turkey sausage and eggs. Vicky says I need to eat. I'll take a quick shower, then we can get started."
I heard the doorknob click. Turning in time to see Frank pull open my front door, I stared at his back. His body language hadn't changed, and it'd been that way since we got to Lyons. Small, insignificant, and afraid. Just as I had before, I wondered where the man I met at Robert's farm had gone. And would he come back?
Frank looked back at me as he rubbed his neck. "Sure, order's coming, boss."
"Woa." I walked toward him and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Don't do that."
Frank's brows raised. "I—"
I shook my head. "I'm not your boss. I'm your equal. And order enough food for two. We'll eat together." I smirked. "We're both prisoners here."