I rammed my metal-lined elbow into the creator’s stomach, causing him to keel over with a surprised groan. An angry shout followed my action, but I was already running towards Jessica’s creator and before he had time to think, I had punched him in the face. Blood gushed from his nose and he staggered backward, cursing at me.
I grabbed Jessica’s arm and we ran with Michael right behind. I heard angry shouts and loud footsteps racing after us, but I didn’t look back. We didn’t have time. We bolted out the front doors and sprinted across the lawn.
“Who were they?” Jessica shrieked.
“No time to talk,” I replied. “We have to go to your house. They know where I live.”
Michael’s face formed a puzzled frown before he pointed towards his car. We raced over and clambered inside. I saw the creators burst through the school doors, spot us and hurry immediately to their own vehicle. Michael hit the gas and we sped across the lawn. He veered the vehicle onto the road, making a sharp turn and racing down the street. Cars honked as we ran a red light, but when I turned back I saw that the creators were right on our tail.
“Michael, faster!” Jessica cried. “They’re actually gaining on us!”
Michael floored it again and we shot forward. I looked back and smiled as the creators’ car slowly got smaller. “They’re falling behind,” I told Michael breathlessly as Jessica high-fived me.
But just as our high-five ended, I heard the adrenaline-boosting sound of police sirens. And my heart sank. I slowly looked out the window and sure enough, a police car was barreling our way. “Uh, Michael, there’s a cop following us,” I warned.
“What? Seriously?”
I nodded.
“Oh no,” Jessica wailed. “Does speeding on account of running for your life fall under legal? What do we do?”
I stared out the back window and watched as the car got closer. “They’re coming,” I said again.
“Go, go, go, go!” Jessica was shouting at Michael.
“What? No!” Michael cried. “This is gonna be on my record! I can’t run from the police.”
“We can’t stop to talk with them,” I explained swiftly, suddenly afraid that Michael might actually pull over. “Glen and the creators will be over there in a second claiming to be our guardians. We can’t give him that chance.”
“We’re not criminals!” Jessica wailed, burying her face in her hands.
Michael urged the car forward again and soon we were racing on. The police car kept on following us and I was beginning to think they could actually catch us. Panic surged through my veins as I thought of all the possible things the creators could do if we were stopped, we’d be sitting ducks by the side of the road.
“We can’t just keep going on like this,” I said. “We’re not going to be able to get away by car.”
“How then?” Michael asked.
“Foot, I think.”
“Foot?” Jessica squealed. “But they have a car.”
“We’ll need to jump out and run through alleys or something. Somewhere that a car won’t fit and there are a lot of turns so we can lose them.” I was already calculating the distance between the Walter home and where we were.
There was silence and I could tell both were thinking. “Downtown,” Michael finally suggested. “The farmers market. It’s a huge deal with lots of makeshift buildings and tents. And tons of people.”
“Great,” I replied. “Go there.”
Michael swerved, just barely making the turn and I heard honks and the siren as the police car gained on us. As soon as we neared the farmers market, I could tell Michael was right. It was a big deal. Large tents and exhibits littered a huge grass lawn that seemed to go on for miles. Hundreds of people were milling around, buying and selling. It was the perfect place to get lost.
“Okay, get ready guys,” Michael called just before slamming on the brakes, bringing the car to a lurching halt. Instantly we all threw open our doors and ran as fast as we could into the dense crowd of people. After a few seconds, I heard the siren stop and I guessed they had parked.
We rushed through the market, pushing past people as we went. I heard Michael mutter something about his car along with a disparaging remark about the whole situation, but I ignored his distress, thinking about the alternative. “Is your house a long way from here?” I asked.
“About a fifteen minute walk,” Jessica panted.
“We should head there.”
“Yeah,” Michael agreed as he dodged a lady and her dog. The sooner we get out of here the better.”
Jessica led the way. We stayed in the crowd for as long as possible, exiting the market on the other side and then heading towards their house.
After about ten minutes of urgent half-jogging, half-walking, we finally made it to their front door.
“Mom?” Jessica called upon entering.
There was no reply so we went farther in and headed towards the kitchen, Michael and Jessica near hysterical panic over what had happened. I was just about to open my mouth and try to do my best to explain this bizarre situation, when I entered the kitchen and saw a figure out of the corner of my eye.
But it wasn’t Jessica’s mom. In the center of the room, standing there watching us with his stern, cold eyes, was a creator.
Chapter Forty
The creator smiled eerily as Jessica shrieked and jumped back.
Michael started to run towards the living room and Jessica and I followed, but another creator stood blocking the doorway.
“Where you going?” he asked derisively, his eyes glimmering.
“Leave us alone,” I spat. “Or at least them,” I gestured to Michael and Jessica.
The creator only smiled at me. “Drew, Drew, Drew,” he trilled, shaking his head. “Don’t you want to be perfect?”
“No!” I nearly shouted.
His mocking air faltered and for a moment he looked truly taken aback. “Why not?”
“Because I’m not perfect, and I never was.”
His eyes narrowed as if I were insulting him and not myself. I glanced over the two creators. I could probably take them down in a few seconds. My mind raced over the steps I would take, the time, the precision.
The creator spoke again as if reading my thoughts. “Don’t get any ideas. We have androids outside who are a better match for you. No getting away again this time.” He smiled, regaining his composure.
My heart sank a little but, I wasn’t ready to give up—not yet. I knew I didn’t stand a chance against several androids, especially with Michael and Jessica in tow.
But I didn’t see them now and I had to take the chance. It was now or never because defeat was something I wasn’t ready to face. I lunged for the creator blocking the doorway to the living room, shoving him over and knocking the breath out of him while he lay on the floor fighting to inhale.
Michael, Jessica and I shot past him into the living room and were out the back door before the other creator had a chance to reach us. We sprinted across their lawn and into the trees at the far end of their backyard. We raced through the brush and slowly the thinned outcrop of trees became dense. The area was leading into a forest, large enough, I'd hoped, to conceal us for as long as we needed.
We plunged into the woods, running blindly through the trees and bushes, hearing the brush unsettle beneath our feet as we dashed through. It was completely quiet except for the sounds of our breathing, disturbing the tranquility of whatever had been before us. But all of a sudden we heard shouts, far away shouts, telling me that we had made it farther from the house than I had thought. I heard voices calling to one another and I knew instantly that they were sending androids after us.
I started to run faster, but slowed a little when I realized Jessica and Michael were having a hard time keeping up. My breath was starting to come in gasps and my eyes were starting to blur. Suddenly Jessica stopped, gasping and coughing from running so hard. We all paused to catch our breath, while Jessica sat down.
�
�What was that?” she cried. “Are they trying to kill you?” She was close to tears and I couldn’t blame her.
“In a way,” I admitted. I opened my mouth to proclaim their plans of shutting me off before I realized that it wasn’t like I was talking to Yvonne or Jeremy ... this girl was human. I stood there for a moment, my mouth partly open while Jessica’s frightened expression turned puzzled.
“They want to shut me off,” I eventually whispered, desperately trying to find some gentler way to put it, but not finding one.
Jessica looked blankly back at me.
I glanced over at Michael. He knew what I was, but not everything about my mission. Actually, the more I thought about it, his knowledge barely skimmed the surface of my existence. He gave me a look that I guessed was trying to be encouraging, but it only made my stomach knot.
“Jessica ... I need to tell you something,” I said, glancing nervously at the forest behind us, praying that the androids wouldn’t come too soon.
She looked at me with fearful expectancy, her eyes rounded, anxiety written all over them.
I hesitated, but then reminded myself that I didn’t have time to beat around the bush and that whatever Jessica’s reaction was, she deserved to know. I ran my fingers through my hair, combing through the knots and pulling it out of my face. “I’m an android,” I said simply, forcing myself to look her in the face. “Those people were my creators. I was designed for a mission to observe people and bring them to the Institution. I kind of ... rebelled and now they want to shut me off.” I said it quickly, the nutshell version, and hoping they wouldn’t freak out, but knowing deep down that was a crazy wish.
Jessica’s fearful expression morphed into something more like shock and terror, like Michael’s had when he had found out. I forced myself to look back at her, to not look away or stutter some inconsequential excuse. This is what I was and there was no use trying to explain it. Michael looked equally surprised, like my newest declaration had only confirmed my earlier talk with him.
“Uh ...” Jessica started, “any other time I would have said you were joking , but after what we’ve been through, I can’t think of any reason why you’d be kidding me right now,” she said slowly.
“It’s true,” I answered.
Jessica didn’t reply. She just sat there staring ahead of her. I couldn’t help but notice the way she wrapped her arms around herself and twisted slightly away. It was as if she couldn’t stand the thought of me being so close to her, almost touching her. Me ... an android, a machine.
Suddenly I heard a twig crack and twisted in the direction of the noise. Only then did I realize I couldn’t hear the voices or footsteps of the creators anymore. Had they gone a different way? My heart pounded as dread slowly seeped through me. I saw a dark shape out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned nothing was there. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I hoped it had only been my imagination, but deep down I knew someone was there.
“Drew?” Michael asked, noticing my uncertainty. “You okay?”
“I heard something,” I said quickly.
Just then, a figure stepped out into the clearing, her expression smug, eyes glinting. I started to pull Jessica to her feet to run, but the figure’s voice stopped me.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Yvonne’s syrupy voice called.
I turned stiffly around, meeting her gaze. She smiled at me, both hands on her hips while worry and dread raced throughout my body and seemed to engulf me. Yvonne could turn me in if she wanted. Or she could save our lives. It was all up to her.
“Don’t worry.” She smiled, dangling something up in the air. “They’re at least a few miles from here by now.”
I frowned slowly. “What’s that?”
“A tracking device. For you.”
“Me?” I asked numbly.
She nodded. “Didn’t you know? We all have one,” she stated matter-of-factly as if this were common knowledge.
Jessica was now standing beside me, glaring at Yvonne. Apparently, she recognized her as the one who had “stolen” Michael from me. I was surprised to see her in such a defensive mood, considering what I’d just revealed to her.
“I just happen to be in charge of yours. You see, there are so many androids and there’s a lot of maintenance that has to do with these little things,” Yvonne explained, as if her job of keeping track of mine was the burden of a lifetime. “So they assign some of us to be in charge of a handful or so. Those of us they trust, of course.” She laughed, but her smile didn’t meet her eyes. “They told me to get you. I sent them off in the other direction because I wanted to talk.”
I relaxed a little knowing that they were far away searching for us, but was still tense knowing that Yvonne was in control here. Not a good combination...
“I wanted to tell you something that I’ve been trying to tell you for some time now.” She gave me a look and I remembered all the times I had snubbed her at the Institution.
“Go on,” I said, trying to be polite. I knew I was walking on fragile ground.
“Well, like I had said before, this should interest you a great deal.” She looked at me, her smile gone, replaced by seriousness. “I saw what it meant to you to be able to have a soul,” she stated, sounding almost human for a moment; something Yvonne would rather die than be to called. “I saw how badly you wanted it. I mean, I already had my suspicions about what the creators were doing, but when I looked into it, I found out a lot ...” She paused. “Quite frankly, I didn’t care at all, but I thought you might.” She rolled her eyes. “Those people we bring in, they’re brought in to become one of us.”
The memory of the boy on the operating table came rushing back to me and suddenly things started to click, to fall into the only logical places they could be. He had been there to be turned into one of us ... not to be used as a template. My mind was whirling with dozens of thoughts, but all of a sudden, something hit me. If they were once humans and now they were mechanical...
“They’re turned mechanical, just like us. So that means, at one time or another, we were just like them.” Yvonne stopped for a moment, watching my expression with the same amusement a cat might have watching its prey die.
We had been one of them? The words swirled through my head like weighted feathers, light and airy before crashing down to earth with unquestionable reality. I felt like I had just been knocked off my feet. I had been human? The thought was absolutely staggering. But did that mean ...? I looked up at Yvonne and I knew she could probably read the hope in my expression. And she was enjoying every minute of it. Not the fact that my dreams were coming true, the fact that everything I had hoped for was already mine, but just the control of it all. She liked watching my reactions and having power over them.
“Yes, Drew,” she affirmed, like she was talking to a child. “You do have a soul.”
Chapter Forty-One
I had a soul. The phrase entered my head and embedded itself into my thoughts, my mind, my being. All of a sudden I felt ... I wasn’t sure what I felt exactly, all I knew was that I felt like more. More than just a tangle of mechanical parts, more than an empty shell. I was a person. I had a soul. I must’ve smiled because Yvonne laughed. “Goodness, Drew, it’s not like you just won a million dollars,” she drawled. “You don’t have to look so happy.”
I just stood there, her words running over me like water. I didn’t care what she thought. I didn’t care.
“But, anyway, Drew,” Yvonne went on. “There’s still a major problem.” She said it like it was no problem to her, just a situation to be manipulated. “You are being hunted.”
I was instantly pulled back to reality. The creators were chasing me. Yvonne could turn me in. I gave her my full attention. “But ... it’s because of what I did, right?” I asked her. “The whole, setting people free thing?”
Yvonne nodded.
“How did they find out?” I wanted to know, although I knew it probably hadn’t been that hard.
“I turned you in,” Yvonne said simply, no hint of shame or guilt in her voice. “It goes along with the whole ‘they trust me’ thing,” she explained with a wink and an expression of feigned remorse.
I wasn’t surprised. Knowing how much Yvonne had changed and where her interests had shifted, it wasn’t a shock to know she had chosen power over me.
“How could you do that?” Michael demanded angrily. “Isn’t she your friend?”
“Shut up!” Yvonne snapped at him, her eyes blazing. Apparently, she hadn’t gotten over the rejection. “But, anyway, Drew,” Yvonne pronounced, composing herself and flipping a piece of hair out of her eyes, “I haven’t told you the best part. What your whole mission is about. The big picture.” She talked like I was a three year-old, leaning towards me and smiling a fake smile; the way you do to a child you don’t really want to be associating with.
“What is it, Yvonne?” I asked, starting to get a little irritated.
“As you know,” she said. “We’re perfect. And so are the vast amounts of newcomers that are being taken to the various Institutions.”
Various Institutions? That was news to me. I had thought there was only the one.
“But why are they doing that?” I asked her, angry all over again at what they had done.
“To create a perfect world,” Yvonne stated matter-of-factly. “It’s kind of obvious if you think about it.”
My mind balked. Perfect world?
“But listen,” Yvonne whispered, lowering her voice, even though there was no one for miles around. “I don’t exactly agree with them. I like being perfect. I like being one of a few select perfect. But if everyone’s perfect, then no one is special. Get my gist?” I nodded. I could see the glint of scheming in her eyes.
“But the creators ... they’re not perfect.” She smiled as if this was funny. “We’re better than them, Drew. Don’t you see? We could change the world, not them. We could have that power.” Her voice hung in the air, lust clinging to every word, entangling itself too deep within her statement to be removed.
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