Conduit

Ch. 8

The instructional rooms weren't empty when we arrived. Like the labs where prototypes were being tested and built, these rooms were just as clear, with their plastic walls. After what I saw Reggie was able to do, it had to be plastic.

Glass would be too dangerous.

Frank looked at his phone before scanning the floor. I hobbled behind him, thankful Victoria helped me walk.

"Maddie says he's here, close by. Cubicle ten," Frank said.

I stopped and hissed, trying to stretch. "Ten doesn't sound close."

"It is." He pocketed his phone. "Look, there."

He pointed ahead like I could make out the distance. I didn't know this place. I only just started here. But as I focused, I noticed numbers etched into the white tile.

Number ten wasn't far. We were at six already.

"All right." As Frank had done, I scanned the surrounding space. The cubicles were nice. There was color, too. Light blue rugs with bookshelves and a small table. In the spaces we passed, I saw nicer people; workers who smiled at their androids. With books in their hands, they pointed at pages and had a conversation.

This was nice. How was this a full one-eighty from the other floor?

"There he is. Reggie." Victoria's voice brightened. She took four quick steps ahead before turning. There was a big smile on her face. She looked like a kid excited to see a friend.

What kind of connection did they have back there?

"Oh—" I saw Reggie. In cubicle ten, he sat at the small table; his size dwarfing the seat. Like a giant in a school chair. It was funny, but the need to chuckle passed when I got a good look at his face.

Reggie looked sad. Not scared, just... down. They'd changed his clothes, dressing him like a human. He blended with the others in the instructional area. But he didn't smile. His dark skin was covered in the shadows, and his eyes focused on the floor.

When I tried to take another step forward, I stumbled, but Frank caught me. "Woah. Careful."

I glanced up at him, but I knew I had no choice. Without crutches, I wasn't walking on my own. "Can I ask a question?" I asked Frank quietly.

As we stepped forward, he nodded.

"Why is this place different than the other floor? It's brighter here." I looked around and caught sight of an android laughing with a man with curly hair. "Nicer. Kindness everywhere, man."

"This floor is for education," he said. "Androids are machines, yeah, but they need human contact. Learning through interaction, I think I mentioned before. If I hadn't, my mistake." He chuckled.

I shook my head. He had said it in a way. I spotted the learning interactions when we first walked in. "Okay, so what was the other space—the testing floor—meant to do? Build a fucking backbone?"

Frank stopped once we reached Reggie's cubicle. He didn't say a word. But when Reggie quickly stood up, he flinched. The look on his face said he wanted to run; if he did that I'd fall. I wasn't trying to hurt myself any more than I'd done already.

Reggie looked at me, his fists at his side. He didn't look angry, more concerned than anything else. He scanned me up and down before his eyes settled on my foot.

"I am sorry," he said as he stepped back to the table. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Or him. Or—"

"Hey, don't sweat it." I hobbled over quickly into the cubicle until I reached the chair. I dropped on it to keep it from falling. The small red seat creaked under the sudden weight. I cringed before looking up at Reggie. "What you did is understandable."