by Snow, Sheena
He laughed harder.
Michelangelo? Really, Vienna?
“I mean, not Michelangelo. We could go with—”
“Bear,” he said. “It’s too late. It’s Bear.”
“It’s never too late. I can always change it.”
“Nope. It’s Bear.” Green Eyes continued drying my hair. “He specifically said he wanted your original idea.”
“I highly doubt that.” I rolled my eyes. “How about we just tell him I had another original idea?”
“You want to lie about it?”
I pursed my lips. “Not really. I thought he looked all big and bear-like. That’s all I meant.”
“Then it’s perfect.” Green Eyes’ voice softened. “What about anyone else? Did you give anyone else names?”
“Well.” I paused. “You’re the commander and I wanted a strong-sounding name for you. One that was unique, like you.”
“And?”
“Do you like Alec?”
His hands stop moving through my hair.
My heart pounded in my chest. “If you don’t like it I can always—”
“Vienna.”
The way he said my name brought tingles to my toes.
“I would be honored. Thank you.”
“I don’t understand. You could have always given names to yourselves.”
“It’s not the same as someone choosing it for you.”
“Oh. Well, I’m glad, Alec.” I liked the sound of his name on my tongue.
“Your hair’s dry now.”
“Thanks.” I pulled my warm hair into a ponytail.
“Anytime.” He held open the door for me. “Besides, I can’t wait to tell Bear about his new name.”
“You’re so mean.” I rolled my eyes and tightened my ponytail.
“And, what? Lie to him? No way.” Alec shook his head.
But robots are lies and secrets and false representations.
Stop it! I cried to the nagging inner voice.
“Maybe I should wait a little before I tell him?” I suggested.
“Sure. You could do that.” And then he cupped his hands and called, “Bear,” to the outer area where the robots were lounging on the couch.
Ohhh . . .
I could have kicked him.
Chapter 15
I shouldn’t have been worried. Bear paraded around the cabin displaying his muscles—which I still couldn’t believe didn’t do much—saying he was all big and strong and bear-like.
The other male robot, the robot sensor, chose the name Kyle. It fit.
I caught Alec staring at me. His green eyes danced and his black hair stuck out in different angles. He looked happy.
You are humanizing them, the voice growled. You must remember they are not you. They are not human.
But they are part human!
I shook my head, drowning out the rest of the thoughts, and enjoyed the conversation in the room.
Peach opened the girls’ bedroom door. “What’s all the commotion for?”
Alec leaned against the wall. “We gave everyone names.”
“Really?” She raised a thin little eyebrow. “What about our classification numbers?”
“Humans have social security numbers but they don’t go by them,” Alec said.
Peach narrowed her eyes at me. “So then, what’s your new name?”
A hush fell over the room. No one asked what name I gave him.
“Alec. But it gets better,” Alec said.
“Really?” Peach asked.
“She gave you one, too.”
Peach stiffened. “Really? Is that so? And what . . .?” She glanced at me, and I could hear her grinding her teeth. “. . . name did she bestow upon me?”
I don’t know where all her animosity came from.
Maybe she was picked on, maybe she was rejected. She clearly had her own issues to figure out, but it didn’t feel good to have her take out her hurt on me. Especially when I didn’t do anything to deserve it.
“Don’t get too excited.” Alec’s voice dripped sarcasm. I could have snorted, both at the sarcasm a robot just used and at the thought of Peach getting excited about anything. “You will now be . . . Peach.”
“Peach?” Her mouth fell open. “Peach?” she repeated. “As in the fruit? As in the color? As the princess from a video game? Her?”
Ow! I had forgotten about that.
Peach rolled her tongue over her teeth, making sure the seething noise scratched my ears. “So really, why Peach?”
“Your hair.” I gestured to the frizz that poofed around her face. “It reminded me of the fruit.”
She narrowed her eyes at me.
Well, she really was just peachy.
“That’s so sweet of you.”
“Just peachy,” I said.
“Enough,” Alec boomed, suddenly in the middle of us.
Peach stiffened, and I exhaled.
“Bear, Kyle, and I are going scouting while it’s still light out. Peach and Bonnie, stay here, watch out for Vienna. And”—he looked between Peach and me—“fix this. I feel something brewing between you two and I don’t like it. Whatever it is you’re both on the same team. It’s time you start acting like it. You could get us all killed if you don’t. Now, let’s get moving.” Alec gestured to the front door, dismissing us, and the others headed out behind him.
Robots! the voice slithered in. They want to control. They try to control. He tries to command you! A human.
My jaw clenched.
I had done nothing wrong. Maybe risen to Peach’s bait but Alec was wrong in reprimanding me. I was a person. I shouldn’t let a robot forget that.
Alec stopped at the door, turned around, and strode toward me.
My breath hitched and I stepped backward, not liking the hard gaze in his eyes, and not liking the predatory way his arms swung and his legs moved forward. Not liking the way any of it made me feel like an icicle about to melt.
Something flashed across his eyes when he reached me and he lowered his head. “We have”—he cleared his throat and tossed an object in his hands—“we have some canned soups and food in the cabinets. When you’re hungry, feel free to use them.”
I nodded.
“And I’m sorry about Peach. I had a feeling this would happen but . . .”
“You knew that she wouldn’t like me?”
“She doesn’t take to people very quickly.”
“Doesn’t mean she should take it out on me,” I said.
I had enough issues in my life already. I didn’t need more.
“She thinks she’s helping.”
And now he was defending her.
I shifted my feet and stared out at the white mountains.
“Vienna.” He turned my chin to face him.
“Alec, I don’t—” My words teetered away at the pain etched in his eyes, a hollow green color that sank into his face.
“Alec,” I whispered. “What’s wrong?”
He eased a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“You can talk to me,” I said. “After all, I did just spill my guts to you in the other room.”
He smiled, and I saw the color returning to his cheeks.
“There. That’s the Alec I like to see.”
“Don’t be shy if you’re hungry.” He tugged on my hair. “The food is all for you anyways.”
“Why?”
“We don’t like food.” His boots thumped as he walked backward to the front door, and to the robots waiting outside for him. “Never have.”
“Then what do you like?” I called across the cabin.
He stopped, his broad shoulders filling the
space of the doorway, and pinned me with his intense emerald gaze. His black hair swayed as the cold wind caught it. His tan skin sang out against the background of white snow. His muscles convulsed, tightening under his clothes. His eyes drifted over my body and he practically growled.
You.
Chapter 16
Oh. My. God.
I was screwed.
My heart fluttered in my chest and my entire body hummed.
Damn. Those eyes. That stance. That body.
I needed a fan, even though it had been several minutes since Alec shut the door.
I tugged at my shirt and unzipped my parka.
I shouldn’t want him. I shouldn’t be responding like this. I shook my head. He should know better, and I should know better.
I should know better.
Yes, the voice echoed. Yes, you should. And you do. Stop it. Stop it now! Close yourself off to him. Now!
I will.
I steeled myself.
“No more.”
“What?” Bonnie asked, pursing her lips.
“Nothing,” I said. “Nothing at all.” And then I collapsed into the nearest chair.
“It’ll get better.” Bonnie closed a cabinet door.
“What will?”
She handed me a mug of hot chocolate. The foam swished around the top.
“Everything.” Bonnie placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. She gazed out the window. “The sun is setting.”
Outside the window, the reds and oranges from the sky sparkled against the snow, throwing the landscape into a monochromatic scene of maroons, roses, peaches, apricots, and yellow daisies.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Does that every night,” Bonnie said.
“Is that why you bought this cabin?”
Bonnie stiffened. “We didn’t buy it.”
Okay.
“Got it.” I drank from my hot chocolate.
“It was given to our unit a couple of years ago. It, and several other locations.”
They are government created and owned, the voice hissed. How could they possibly buy anything? They’re not human!
“You don’t have to explain—”
“You should know”—Bonnie gave a weary smile—“you’re part of us now.”
Us?
I’m not robot.
“As far as I know, all units are given special locations. We have about thirty locations. Alec picked this one. It’s one of his least favorites,” she said. “He’s a spring kind of guy, if you get my drift. But I love it. I love everything about it. To me, it’s only a bonus that it’s one of the easiest places to protect. You know that’s why he chose it, right?” She crossed her arms. “Alec would never let anyone hurt you.”
“But why?”
“Yes,” Peach huffed. “Why indeed?”
I froze. How long had she been standing there?
“Peach?” Bonnie said. “Drop it.”
Peach glared at me, her icy-blue eyes trying to knife through me, and my blood curdled.
“You know what?” I stood up. “I don’t need anything from you. And I especially don’t want anything from you. So why don’t you do us all a favor and just leave?”
“Why don’t you leave?” Peach spit back. “We were all fine before you came along and ruined everything.”
“I didn’t ask for this,” I thundered. “For any of it.”
“You’re so ungrateful. You changed everything for us! Everything!” Peach pushed against Bonnie. “You’ve changed our lives forever. We were happy before you came. We were a family. A unit. And now, now, that’s all gone.” Peach lunged at me. “All because of you!”
“Peach!” Bonnie grabbed her.
“I told him no. I told him I’ll go off by myself but he wouldn’t let me. You honestly think I wanted any of this to happen? You think I want to be here, in the middle of nowhere, running from only God-knows-what? You think I wanted this?”
“I know I didn’t want it,” Peach hissed.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t want it either.” Somehow I had shortened the distance between us and no longer had my cup of hot chocolate.
Peach shook Bonnie off. “I don’t know what you expected to happen. Come in here, be all happy-go-lucky? Change our names to whatever you want? Do whatever you want? You think it’s okay to come in here and take over our lives? Our names?”
“Stop!” Bonnie threw herself between us. “Both of you. Alec leaves for two seconds and you’re at it again.”
Anger flared under my skin. “You know what, Peach?” I clenched my hands into fists. “Why don’t you go oil the joints in your face? You look a little rusty. Or, wait, isn’t that how you look every day?”
“Stop it,” Bonnie screamed. “Enough! If I hear one more word from either you, I swear I’m going to leave you alone and let you kill each other! I’m so tired of this.”
“Me, too,” Peach hissed and slammed the front door on her way out.
Bonnie leaned against the table and rubbed her head.
I kicked the chair. “I’m sorry.” I clasped my hands over my neck. “She’s just so infuriating. Why do I let her get to me?”
“She gets to everyone.”
Not everyone. Not you.
I slumped in my chair.
Bonnie sighed. “Don’t beat yourself up about her.”
I snorted.
“It’ll probably be better if you try and avoid each other.”
I shook my head. “How do you do that in a cabin that’s hardly meant for four people?”
“The fight really wasn’t about you.”
“I know it wasn’t but that doesn’t make it any better being on the other side of her wrath.”
Bonnie’s eyes became blurry.
What in the world? Robots could cry?
“Bonnie.” I rested a hand on her shoulder.
She pushed my hand away. “I’m fine.” She wiped at her eyes.
“So Alec told me everyone’s specialty but his own. What’s his?” I asked to change the subject.
“Alec?” Her eyes perked up.
“Have you heard the saying, some people are born leaders?”
I frowned.
How was Alec even born for that matter?
I think you mean created? the voice said, slithering in again.
“Alec’s the epitome of that saying,” Bonnie continued. “Alec was made to be a leader. He is the best of the best in our unit. Commanders are the prized possession of a robot’s unit. They are the glue that keeps us together. He’s also everything we are. The commanders have their unit’s abilities embedded inside them. This allows them to understand us and understand how to make us work as a team. That’s part of a commander’s ability, being able to analyze, interpret, and make split-moment decisions.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize how involved it was.” I felt even further from him now.
There’s no denying it. He’s robot. Full on electricity and metal bones and charging parts.
I know. He’s not human. They are not human.
“Our unit was created by scientist Dr. Michael Seyfer. He let me watch as he created Alec. Our skin is cloned from someone else, from another human, just like our hair and nails. But somehow he found a way to make our minds our own. I don’t know how. But he always told us we were more human than we allowed ourselves to believe. He told us to think of a human who had hip or knee replacement surgery, and that was us, only with metal through our whole entire body. And, of course, we charge as well. He couldn’t find a way to synthesize blood. And even though Alec’s the masterpiece to our rough draft, he sees himself more as a robot with human parts than as a human with robot parts. Maybe it’s because Dr. S
eyfer used a special type of steel alloy for his metal structure. Dr. Seyfer should have never told him.”
“Why? What’s so special about the steel?”
“The steel makes Alec virtually unstoppable.”
“Unstoppable?” My heart plummeted in my chest.
Robot! Robot! Robot! the voice screamed in my head.
Full on robot.
A robot of the worst kind.
I trembled in my chair, remembering Alec’s hands caressing my hair, remembering the books he bought, remembering the snacks and the hot chocolate, remembering him caring for me after I threw up, remembering him carrying me back to the car.
He was . . . he was . . .
He had been . . . so nice to me.
HE’S A ROBOT! the voice screamed in my head.
Robot!
“Only after Alec was created did Dr. Seyfer realize how dangerous he was. He knew destroying Alec’s blueprints wouldn’t be enough.” Bonnie’s lip quivered. “Dr. Seyfer jumped off the lab building. He didn’t want to be forced to recall the alloy formula from memory. He was afraid. He didn’t want them creating an army of unstoppables. Other scientists had already started creating robots with similar attributes to me, Peach, Bear, and Kyle, but none came close to matching Alec’s abilities. The only thing Dr. Seyfer didn’t think about is who would pick up the pieces after he left.”
“Why?” I whispered. Their story wove its way through my mind like a video, a screenplay of events. “What happened after he jumped?”
“Alec became free for the taking. And therefore we all were.”
“What are you saying?”
