Conduit

Ch. 20

My heart nearly ruptured in my chest, and I hadn't turned around yet. Frank's face was enough to send me into a panic. And his voice? The shouting? I unraveled. The android clawing at my leg didn't help the situation either.

"Elijah!" Frank sped up but was it enough?

I knew I couldn't stay focused on him forever. He wasn't a beacon of hope or my savior. Frank had to have had just the same amount of body strength as I did. And shit, sometimes, I looked strong, but I knew my limits.

Judging by the sound of metal hitting metal, ricocheting off my ears, this was out of my limits.

Holding my breath, I gulped, turning my head to look at what Frank was warning me about. I should've expected red eyes but not the height of the android. This skeletal base had me beat by five or six inches, and that was tall by a normal person's standards. The base was about as big as Reggie, only I knew Reggie was kind.

The android eyes that glared at me reminded me of the day I lost it all. Of the Lyons raid on my family home, of the moment that my grandfather died and my father took a beating. The hate in that red color was the same that brewed in my soul for years.

All I ever wanted was to live a normal life, with a family, and far from the terrors and lies within this world. Instead, I was continuously met with this. Artificial hate and control.

I gulped as the skeletal base straightened. "I didn't come down here to die," I whispered.

Frank continued running in my direction. "Don't look at it! Move! Why aren't you moving!"

I didn't know why I wasn't moving. I was tired. I hadn't been here for a complete month, and I was already tired. The running, the hiding; everything I did to stay alive out in the world, I'd done the same in this building under Katherine's nose. It was exhausting. I was suffocating.

This android had to feel the same. I knew it felt because I believed all androids felt emotions, regardless of programming or data. Maybe this android and I could connect. We could relate.

And it'd let me live.

"I came here to save you." I shifted as much as I could to face the android. The torso at my feet hadn't let go, but I couldn't let it hold me back. The android beside me needed to see me, understand me, and know that I was here for them. "All I want to do is help."

Its fingers expanded. I looked down at the shine of its metal picked up from my phone's light. The slender metal rods designed to be inconspicuous were there; protruding, exposed, and creaking as it moved.

It's hurt.

"I can fix that." I pointed at the android's hand. I could repair the damage, but I didn't have the time. One glance at my phone told me we only had eleven minutes left. And how the fuck was I going to locate all fifty androids in that time?

The android raised its hand over its head.

I stepped back as much as I could, dragging the floored android with me. "I'm here to help." I lifted my hand. My phone's light shone on its face.

Danger shimmered in its eye as its head dipped to one side. Was the android observing me?

I licked my lip because I felt dry. I was. There wasn't any spit left in my mouth to help, though.

Nervously, I chuckled.

"Okay, Elijah, I'm here," Frank huffed as he came to my side. His hand dropped on my shoulder, his gaze traveling up the android in front of me. I heard him gulp louder than I saw him do it. I did the same. "We, uh, should move," he whispered as he tried to tug me back.