“How did she react?” Mandelie said.
“She stormed out of my apartment,” Jake said. “All of my roommates tried to chase her down. When they came back, they all called me an idiot.”
Trista sighed.
“Well, what’s done is done,” Mandelie said. “It’ll definitely make things awkward for you at the circus tomorrow though.”
“I bet it will,” Jake said. “Hopefully she’ll forgive me in time and we can be friends again.”
“I still can’t believe Damian’s putting on an android circus,” Trista said. “Wish I could be there to witness it, but my little demon cousin needs me to be his chaperone to a birthday party tomorrow. I’m thinking of leaving him there and hopefully another family will adopt him.”
“I’ll tell you all about it,” Mandelie said. “I really think it’s going to go off well, actually. It’s sold out.”
“Good for Adventis,” Trista said, in a hollow voice.
Chapter 23.
The Staples Center had been transformed into a circus. Multicolored strobe lights shot into the sky all around it. The words “ADVENTIS TECHNOLOGIES PRESENTS: A CIRCUS OF WONDERS” were projected on every side of the building in shimmering lights.
A huge red carpet stretched out of the entrance. It was packed with crowds of people waiting to get into the circus. The line stretched through the parking lot.
Inside the arena a huge triangular tent had been set up. Its material changed colors from white to blue to yellow to orange every few seconds.
Miranda and another Fantastic Domestic stood outside of the tent, handing exhibit guides to everyone going inside.
Walking into the tent was like walking into a genuine circus. The floor was covered in confetti. Exhibit stages rose off the ground everywhere, on which Adventis androids stood on display. More Fantastic Domestics surged through the crowds, greeting people and offering tickets to the concession stand.
On one of the stages, a Miraculous Medic was pretending to operate on another android, cutting him open for all to see. On another stage, a World’s Best Teacher was teaching a classroom of Adoptable Angels, writing words on a chalkboard. On a third stage, two Super Soldiers were standing on top of an army tank. On another stage, a Corporate Clone wearing his suit and carrying his briefcase was talking loudly on his cell phone, while a Worker Bee threw candy and souvenirs to the crowds. On another stage two Hero Patrol policemen were leaning against a police car, occasionally entertaining people with announcements on a bullhorn. A Haz-Mat Handler dressed in his anti-contamination was repeatedly being doused in slime from a construction crane being operated by a Blue Collar worker in his hard hat. On another stage a Tender Loving Caregiver was holding the hand of another Adoptable Angel, who was waving to onlookers and drawing enraptured exclamations from them.
The biggest stage – made of glass and filled with glowing lights - was reserved for the X-droids, four of them in all including Brigite. They writhed and shimmied in sparkling bikinis around a huge, flashing disco ball, while a DJ played behind them. Despite her neon orange bikini and glittering high heels, Brigite’s face was more subdued than it usually was. But she smiled and played to the cheering, whistling crowds surrounding the stage, flipping her blue hair and shimmying to the floor.
Adventis’s newer androids were getting a lot of attention as well. There was one that was performing aerial feats on a trapeze above the crowd. She was a limber-looking blond girl who alternated between the trapeze and climbing on the ceiling or the walls of the tent. Another android looked as though he was made of ice and repeatedly froze into a block, only to burst through it in an explosion of flames. A third android was rearranging his body, putting his head on the floor and his feet on his neck.
Luke was moving through the sea of people, wearing a red and yellow ringmaster’s costume. He bumped into Mandelie, who wore a simple blue shirt and jeans.
“You look adorable,” Mandelie said, with a grin.
“Damian failed to mention the costume when he told me what I would be doing,” Luke said.
Mandelie kissed him.
“I’m going to go find Jake. He’s at the concession stand,” she said.
Luke nodded and continued on his way.
Damian and Carlie were watching the festivities from a private box overlooking the arena.
“It’s a hit,” Carlie said, in satisfaction.
“Madrick won’t be able to top this,” Damian said. “Where’s Elena?”
“I haven’t seen her since the event started,” Carlie said. “Want me to go look for her?”
“Yeah,” Damian said. “I hope she didn’t get lost.”
Mandelie found Jake at the concession stand. He was holding a giant pretzel and was watching Brigite with a mournful expression.
“She looks so good,” he said. “Maybe I am an idiot.”
“You did what you thought was right,” Mandelie said, taking a piece of his pretzel. “Just give her some time. She’ll understand, eventually.”
“Where’s your dad?” Jake said.
“He’s running a little late,” Mandelie said. “He’s bringing the electrical vest. He wants to show it to people.”
Carlie made her way down the stairs from the private box. She turned around a corner and felt someone grab her and press a cloth over her face.
Carlie struggled and then sank to the ground.
Elena put the cloth in her pocket and looked down at Carlie’s unconscious form.
“I never liked you either,” she said.
Chapter 24.
A long black car drew up in front of the Staples Center. It opened and Madrick Castleshank stepped out, dressed in a black suit and wearing his viewing field and sensory gloves. He was followed by Gustaf Jorg, who was also wearing his viewing field and gloves, and then Madrick’s android avatar and Gustaf’s android.
The four of them walked towards the building, drawing amazed looks from the people around them, who clearly thought they were part of the circus.
As they approached the circus tent Madrick crackled his knuckles.
“Are you ready?” he said to Gustaf. “Let’s tear this place to the ground.”
The four of them burst into the tent. Madrick and Gustaf stood back while their androids charged ahead of them.
Madrick flexed his huge android muscles. He grabbed a Fantastic Domestic and lifted her high above his head. Then he crashed her to the ground.
The sound of shattering metal and screams was heard. Luke stopped in the middle of the crowds and looked around.
Madrick and Gustaf pushed people out of their way. They jumped onto the stages and began destroying the androids on display.
People began screaming and rushing to get out of the tent at the sight of the huge, partially human androids. Luke finally saw Madrick and Gustaf when they jumped onto the stages.
He immediately pushed his way towards the stage where Brigite was still performing. She was dipping low to the ground when Luke grabbed her arm and pulled her down from the stage.
“Luke, what are you doing?” Brigite said.
“Don’t say anything,” Luke said. “Come with me.”
The DJ had stopped playing music and the X-droids began screaming and running from the stage as Madrick and Gustaf jumped among them.
Brigite heard the screams as Luke pulled her through the crowds.
“What’s happening?” she said, in terror.
From his vantage point on the stage, Gustaf scanned the crowds for Luke. He could not see him.
Suddenly huge streams of electricity shot through the room and struck Gustaf, knocking him off his feet.
Dr. Miles was standing on the opposite end of the tent, wearing the electrical vest. He pressed a button on the vest and more streams of electricity erupted from it.
Madrick jumped from the stage. He hurled people and androids out of his way until he reached Dr. Miles and picked him up bodily.
“What have we got here?” Madrick sa
id through his android jaw. “This is an interesting looking garment, Dr. Miles.”
“Let him go!”
Mandelie ran towards Madrick. She threw herself on him and began punching him as hard as she could.
Madrick simply threw her to the ground, where she was placed face down next to Jake by Gustaf.
“That man electrocuted me,” Gustaf said, his voice tight in anger as he looked at Dr. Miles. “I will kill him.”
“All in good time,” Madrick said. “I want to have a little chat with Damian first.”
Damian had been watching the chaos beneath him in horror and disbelief. He spun around in his wheelchair and headed for the elevator.
Before he could push the button the elevator doors opened and Madrick stepped out in his terrifying android self. He was wearing the electrical vest.
Damian rolled back, shock on his face.
“At last we meet, face to face, Damian,” the android said.
“Madrick?” Damian said in disbelief.
Streams of electricity shot out from the vest and struck Damian. He cried out and fell from his wheelchair, landing prone on the ground.
The bolts of electricity shot through him, until they stopped and Damian was struggling in pain.
“What … what did you do with Carlie?” he managed to say.
“I told you Frontier was going to make something the world had never seen before,” Madrick said. “What do you think? Beats your sad little circus, doesn’t it?”
More streams of electricity hit Damian.
Gustaf was standing watch over Mandelie, Jake, and Dr. Miles, lying face down in front of him. Elena appeared, half-carrying, half-dragging Carlie’s limp body.
She threw her down on the ground as well.
Damian was gasping for breath as he lay on ground, unable to even move.
“What do you want?” he said.
“I want you to realize that if you’re playing against me, you never win,” Madrick said. “And my engineer – the man who designed this brilliant android – wants Luke.”
“Luke?” Damian said.
“He wants to disassemble that android and find out what exactly makes him so special,” Madrick said. “I promised he would have that opportunity. So where’s Luke?”
“I don’t know where he is,” Damian said.
He was engulfed in more streams of electricity.
“That’s not what I want to hear,” Madrick said.
Chapter 25.
Luke and Brigite were standing behind the circus tent, concealed by its heavy material. Luke was watching Gustaf.
Brigite gasped when she saw the private box overlooking the arena glow bright with streams of electricity.
“What’s happening up there?”
Luke took her hand and pressed something into it. It was a gun he had taken from one of the police androids.
“There’s no real bullets in it,” he said. “Only blanks. But can you use it?”
“I’m sure I can,” Brigite said.
“Good,” Luke said. “I need you to create a diversion.”
Madrick was not getting any answers out of Damian. So he shattered the glass window of the viewing box and hauled Damian towards it.
“Take a look,” he said.
Gustaf was holding Carlie, his arm flat against her neck. Her eyes were wide open and she was fighting his grasp.
“Tell me where Luke is,” Madrick said. “Or else he’s going to break her neck.”
Damian swallowed.
Brigite had crawled up one of the poles securing the tent to the ground, making her way up nimbly despite her towering heels. She climbed onto the tent canvas, which was still flashing different colors, and slid down its smooth incline to the other side of it, stopping her fall by grabbing onto one of the poles on the other side. She leaned against it and looked down at the scene below her, holding the gun.
Gustaf pressed his arm tighter against Carlie’s neck and prepared to snap it.
Brigite ducked from behind the pole and began shooting at Gustaf. The noises startled Gustaf and he dropped Carlie.
On the ground, Mandelie, Jake, and Dr. Miles covered their heads with their arms, thinking the sounds were real gunfire.
Gustaf spun around as he looked for the source of the noise.
“What is going on down there?” Madrick said. He threw Damian to the ground and jumped out of the window, falling through the air until he landed on top of the tent. The tent began to collapse. Brigite jumped off of it and rolled several times after she hit the ground.
Damian began crawling across the floor towards his wheelchair. But his body was too weakened and he lost consciousness after a moment.
Gustaf felt something crash into him with tremendous force. He slid across the ground and looked up at Luke.
“You,” he said. “I’ve waited my whole life for this.”
“Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Luke said. Gustaf got to his feet and struck Luke in the face. Luke was stunned for a moment, and then he grabbed Gustaf’s arm, breaking it with a twist. Electricity hissed around Luke’s hand, burning his flesh.
Brigite was lying flat behind the crumpled tent, watching Madrick as he looked for her. She crawled to one of the destroyed Super Soldiers and pulled something from his belt. A grenade.
Then she burst out from her hiding place. Madrick caught sight of her and charged at her.
Brigite threw the grenade, which landed in front of Madrick and exploded. Though it was not a real grenade, it still produced a huge cloud of smoke and sparks which reacted against the electricity surging through Madrick’s body and erupted into flames.
Unbothered by the flames, Madrick stepped over them and looked around. But Brigite was nowhere to be seen. She had crawled to another Super Soldier and taken another grenade.
She threw that one. It exploded near Madrick but did not stop him.
“I see you,” Madrick said, catching sight of something blue. “I’m going to tear that pretty blue head off your shoulders.”
“I don’t think so,” Jake said.
He appeared behind Madrick and threw a bucket of ice over him. The ice melted into Madrick’s frame and drenched the electrical vest he was wearing. In a second, the android exploded in a shower of metal and skin.
Jake pulled Brigite to her feet.
“So, can you forgive me already?” he said.
“Almost,” Brigite said. “But not quite.”
Madrick removed his viewing field from his face. He cursed.
“We should go,” he said to Gustaf, who was still wearing his own viewing field.
“No,” Gustaf said. “I’m not leaving without the android.”
The fire had spread to where Luke and Gustaf were locked in combat. It blazed up in a flaming wall around them both, keeping the others from getting to them.
“I understand you better than they ever will,” Gustaf said. “I can make you into the most powerful android in the world.”
He kicked Luke in the stomach. Luke fell and nearly staggered into the fire. He steadied himself at the last second.
“It’s humans like you who enrage me,” Luke said. “Humans who think they can use androids for their own purposes. You think you are powerful in your disguise. But I can see your weakness.”
“I’m not weak,” Gustaf said. He struck out at Luke.
Luke stepped out of his way.
“This is who I am,” Gustaf said. “I knew I was always meant to be more than human.”
“And less than android,” Luke said.
He picked up the grenade Brigite had thrown to him, through the flames. He grabbed Gustaf and stuffed the grenade inside his exposed frame.
He ducked to the ground as the android blew up.
Gustaf removed his viewing field. His face was blank but showed his disgust.
“Now it is time to go,” he said.
He and Madrick ran stealthily from the arena.
Luke burst through the fir
e and joined Mandelie, Brigite, Jake, and Dr. Miles.
Mandelie hugged him.
“Where’s Damian?” Dr. Miles said.
“Carlie’s with him,” Mandelie said. “Let’s go.”
The five of them raced up towards the private box. Inside it Carlie was kneeling beside Damian’s body.
Luke dropped down beside her. He picked up Damian’s hand and felt for a pulse.
“He’s still alive,” he said. “He’s still alive.”
Epilogue
Damian lay in his hospital bed, his face white and his eyes closed. Carlie sat beside him, holding his hand. The machines all around him beeped continuously.
Damian stirred. He opened his eyes, with an effort.
“I feel terrible,” he said. “I feel like I’m dead.”
“You’re pretty close to it,” Carlie said. “But you’ll survive.”
Damian looked down at her hand. Carlie reddened and pulled it away.
“They won’t be able to prove anything against Madrick,” she said, in a brisk voice.
“No, they won’t,” Damian said. “They’ll put on the blame on Adventis. They’ll say it was one of our androids that tore everything apart.”
He sighed and closed his eyes again.
“That’s just the way it goes.”
“We came close, Damian,” Carlie said. “At least nobody was killed. Only the androids were destroyed.”
“Only,” Damian said. “Yeah. It’s only the beginning. You’d better get ready, Carlie. There’s a war coming.”
PART III
The Princess of Anarchy
Chapter 1.
Mandelie Miles listened to the beeping signal that disconnected her attempt to contact Luke’s communication console for the sixth time in two days.
The Android Chronicles Book One: The Android Defense Page 18
