Code: 213

King 5

The bus drops me off and I walk the rest of the way to my condo. I do a quick run through in my head of everything that has happened today.
The news report
Chasing an android
Watching it die
Questioned by the IPD
Finding unreleased cases
The Ultimate

*What the fuck is happening?* I think to myself. I walk through the glass doors of my complex, heading to the elevator. I get in, next to a woman who couldn't be any younger than 60. I press my floor, floor 3, and she doesn't press a button. Soft elevator music plays on the ride up. Then she begins to speak to me. "You know these androids are really dangerous, hun". I don't know how to respond so I just nod. "I don't trust 'em" she says with a huff. "I sent mine right back when I stubbed my toe and it's eyes turned red". "What?" I turn to her. "I was walking around my couch and stubbed my toe, and when it came into the room it's eyes turned red". I stay silent the rest of the ride. I get into my condo and shut the door behind me. "Welcome back". Nila says. "I have made lunch". She gestures to a plate on the kitchen island with a sandwich. "Im starting on the french fries now". "Thank you" I reply blandly. I walk over to the island and take a bite of the sandwich. It has chicken, avocado, and spicy mayo. I look up and Nila is staring at me. Holding the knife. "What are you doing?" I say, my voice slightly wavering. Nila doesn't say anything. The silence is loud, my heartbeat banging in my ears. Nila slowly puts the knife down and walks out of the kitchen. I drop the sandwich back onto the plate and make for my room. *Why was it staring at me?* I think to myself. I get into my lounging clothes and ponder what I could do for the rest of the day but I bother to do anything right now. I finally decide to finish an essay for my ELA class since I have the rest of the day off.

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8:00 pm

It's getting late and I managed to finish my essay and 2 math assignments. I rethink what happened when I came home. *Maybe I'm over thinking this*. Though I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. I grab my purse from my nightstand and search through it. The piece of paper with all the case details is still neatly folded in a zipped pocket. I carefully unfold the paper and read the cases over. All of them were committed by an android and all of them have yet to see the face of the public. Reading over the paper, I can feel my eyelids get heavy. I choose to call it a night, considering I actually have to work tomorrow.

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7:00 am

I have just gotten ready and am about to head out the door when a loud noise from the TV comes on. I sound that I remember.

TV: The victim, Alexander Stoll was killed by two stab wounds to the chest. The victim was a pronounced DOA by the Issaquah Police Department. The case is being investigated as a homicide committed by an AIC.

My eyes stay glued to the screen while they show a laundromat, fairly close to my apartment, surrounded by police cars and paramedics. I quickly turn off the TV. It dawns on me that after the incident with Nila yesterday, I never saw them again. Just then, Nila walks through the door.

Covered in blood.

We stand in front of each other for a while, saying nothing. I completely freeze. The pieces in my head start to put themselves together.

*Nila killed someone*
*Nila killed someone*
*Nila killed someone*

"What did you do?" I manage to croak out. I already know the answer to that question though. "It's not what it looks like" Nila says. "WHAT IS IT THEN?!" I slightly shout. "I DIDN'T DO IT. IT WAS THE ULTIMATE. IT TOLD ME-" Before Nila could say anything else I cut them off. "WHO THE FUCK IS THE ULTIMATE AND WHY IS IT KILLING PEOPLE?!" I scream at her. Nila pauses. Nila's eyes shift from the bright blue they normally are to the same red I saw a couple days ago. The metal plates around it's mouth crack and bend, as Nila's mouth gets wider and wider, showing a small red light in the back off it's throat. "I'm sorry" is the last thing Nila says before I hear the pitch. An ear splitting tone is shot throughout the air. Everything goes dark.