What should I do? I don't know. The chaos in my mind was too big to come up with something. Should I get rid of him? Send him back to CyRo's? And what they will do to him? I didn't want to think about it. When I got Bryce, they said, his set up cannot be changed. It means they would destroy him. Tear him apart and most likely recycle him. I felt a tear leave my eyes. He would be gone forever. But what can I do? As strange as it sounds, I don't want him to be gone. If he is 'sick', I want to help him. I want to find the way to cure him, if there is any. What if there is not? He will be like this forever, or maybe worse. I cannot live like that, feeling constant fear of him, waiting for a day he snaps, the day he is going to loose control of himself. I have to talk to my dad. He might know, what to do with him. He has more knowledge about robots.
"Sharlene? Can you give me your ring. I lost mine. I have to call my dad." I said quietly.
"Here. It is yours. Bryce found it between those man." She put the silvery ring in my palm. "And your father is on his way. We called him earlier to come and pick you up."
The atmosphere in my apartment was heavy and gloomy. My friends were not in their usually cheerful mood and me with Bryce were not saying much. Actually he haven't said anything since I woke up. He seemed to be upset, but I didn't know about what. He haven't even spared me a single glance, just that one look, when I saw him after waking up. Again he was acting strange. But it was so subtle, so I doubt my friends noticed it. What is this sickness? What does it do to him? My thoughts were interrupted by Laura's soft touch.
"Kyra, we will have to leave you now. We have some urgent things to do. Your dad is coming. Just wait for him and don't worry."
"No.. no, please! Don't leave me now. Not now!" I felt a panic rise in me again.
"Calm down. Don't start again. Everything is gonna be OK. He is not gonna do anything to you. Understand?"
"No.... Please girls. Stay with me little bit longer. Don't leave me with him alone." tears were falling as I clawed Laura's arms, trying to keep her beside me.
"We can't anymore. We were already with you, though we were supposed to be somewhere else. Sorry, we have to go. Try to calm yourself and wait for him. Bryce here is not gonna touch you. Don't worry."
They gave me goodbye kisses and left me. I was quietly sobbing on the edge of my bed. I felt so lonely. The sun was setting and it made my room darken. The night shading on the windows were on, so it made my room even darker. Lights were off, but I had no intention to turn them on. I didn't dare to look in my living room's direction. I new, he was still standing there, haven't moved. He was there, but looked like his mind was somewhere else. I started to feel conscious, as the only sound hearable in my apartment was my sobbing. I needed to calm down. I wiped my eyes of the salty tears. My friends have changed my clothes and I felt the white shirt, I was wearing, was wet in places, where my tears have fallen. Carefully I turned my head to see Bryce's form. He had different clothes too. Last night his hands were bloody, his shirt torn on his chest, his hair was quite messy too. Nothing of it was visible now. A shiver run through my body remembering his look. How can someone so good looking be so scary?
Having calmed down, I sat on my bed in silence. It felt like I haven't moved forever. I heard a click noise coming from a doorway. Seconds later my father entered my apartment. He had his formal outfit and was short on breath.
"Kyra, honey! Are you alright?" he run towards my bed and hugged me tightly.
I hold his fit body close to mine. A fresh flood of tears started pour from my eyes, feeling his embrace. I didn't want to let him go. He was my only safety now.
"Dad, I am so scared, so afraid. Please stay with me."
"Sure thing honey. I am here with you. I will take you home, OK?" we sat there for couple of minutes in silence. "Girls told me everything what happened. I don't want to blame you, but what were you doing in there? Didn't you know it is dangerous - that part of town?"
"Sorry, dad! I didn't think of that." I wiped some of my tears. "He... Bryce killed some people. He was crazy. I.... I think he is infected, dad. What should I do?"
"I heard of what he did. He is gonna answer for his actions. I will have the a word with him." Dad looked in his direction and then got his attention back on me. "What we can do? We could take him for testing, to see, if the infection is responsible for his actions. And I hope nobody will be reporting it. I don't want that kind of publicity about you."
"Hmm!" I nodded.
I felt much better, as my dad was stroking my back in calming motion. I new my dad will come up with a good solution in regards of my androids unacceptable acts. We have to take him to CyRo's and test him. I just want to know in what kind of state he is. I am tired of guessing.
My dad leaves on my bed and goes to see Bryce. I am little bit nervous of what will happen between them, as I have no idea in what kind of state is my robot. I haven't had any interaction with him today. Dad asks him to walk over to the far side of the room, leaving a distance between me and them. I suppose my dad does not want me to hear their conversation, which would probably make me nervous. He is serious, as he looks at Bryce, but my robot does not even glance at him.
"Bryce." dad says sternly. "Tell me what happened?"
I see him look at me through corner of his eye and then he takes his eyes back at my dad. I cannot hear his words, just a quiet mumble that's coming from that room. Some words are exchanged between them. I am just curious, of what Bryce is telling my father, his point of view.
"It is still unacceptable! If something like it will happen again or you will make her feel like this, I will make sure to send you back, back where you came from." My father was now pointing at me as he was talking much louder, clearly upset.
I saw Bryce's hand close in tight fist, his sight set hardly on my dad's smaller form. My breathing stopped, I was nervously expecting him to do something to my dad. Bryce stepped towards my father, leaving no space free between them. I felt so tense sitting in my bed and watching the scene in front of me.
"Do not threaten me!" said Bryce, loud enough for me to be able to hear.
"No, you do not threaten me." bravely gave back my father. "I am not afraid you, Bryce. Your 'life' is in my hands. Keep that in mind."
Dad glanced back at my tiny form. "I will let this slide, this time. Keep her at distance from these kind of situations. Don't allow her to wonder around." He left the close proximity of my bodyguard, stepping aside near the large window. "Listen, I still think you are my best robot ever, maybe even something more than that. I don't think of you as just a machine or a tool to aid in our weaknesses, you hold a special place in my heart, Bryce. And I hope in my daughters heart too. I am sure if it, but seems like she doesn't realize it yet. You have become a part of our family. I would be very disappointed, if, for some reason, you would have to leave us. Right now we will take you back to CyRo for testing, to eliminate the possibility of the virus in you. At least for my daughter, to clear her mind about you."
A relief washed over me, seeing them back in normal state. There were some more time spent between them, but they talked so quiet, I had no chance of hearing their conversation. I didn't know my dad was so fond of Bryce. And I realize myself that Bryce is special to me in some way, but I cannot figure it out, where he stands in my life.
"Honey, put something on, we are leaving. Before we go home, we will stop at CyRo and make them test Bryce, OK?"
"OK." was my simple response, as I was still not feeling emotionally well.
I tensed up, when Bryce got closer to me. I couldn't stop my body reacting in this way. I still couldn't get the terrible thoughts out of my mind.
*****
At the CyRo's building we met Angela again, she looked pretty as always. She explained us about the test, which will hold place in some other office space in this huge place. She said, we cannot be present at that moment, when it is taken. It is a high class secret, a special psychological test, where they asses the state of the mind in robot, which seems to be most affected, if the virus has taken place.
Two man came for Bryce and lead him deeper in the building. Before they turned around the corner, Bryce turned his head and looked at me, his eyes locking with mine. There I saw sadness and .... disappointment. The scene looked so unreal and sad, like he was taken in to the prission. And taking the last glance at his close ones. My heart hurt a little bit of his sad look and of the thought never seeing him again, if the testing came positive.
Angela asked for us to wait in reception area. The testing will take few hours. I was tired, but more I wanted to know the test results. Event though, I couldn't forgive and forget the things Bryce did, strangely I still wanted him to be around me in my life. My heart was pounding faster as time passed. It felt like we are in regular hospital waiting for someone, waiting the news of the condition Bryce was hopefully not in. My hands were sweating and I leaned in to my dad for little bit of comfort.
After some long waiting, I fell asleep on my dad's lap. I was exhausted, tired and wanted to be in a soft bed and free my mind of this nightmare I was having. The only way I can relax, is knowing that Bryce is alright.
I felt my father shaking me lightly.
"Kyra, wake up. They are done. Wake up."
"What? They are? What is it it? How did it come out?"
I was awake in seconds and frantically shaking my dad on his shoulders.
"The tests came negative." said Angela behind my back.
A cry escaped my lips realizing the news. I was crying and crying. My dad's shoulder was already wet from all the tears leaving my eyes. I have never cried so much in my life. Hearing the test's results, made me happy. Those were tears of happiness and relieve. The news I was waiting for almost for 4 hours, made me realize how much Bryce meant to me. He was OK. He wasn't sick and infected. I didn't need to hear anything else than just this.
"Where is he?" I asked to Angela.
"He will be here in any minute."
I hugged my dad one more time and tried to calm down from all the crying I was in.