After only six hours of driving, nearing midnight, I’m forced to wake Cassie up. Luckily, even the smallest whisper of her name is enough to wake her. I’m not sure what big stick I’d use if I had to poke her awake.

  “What’s happening?” She wakes with a start, her hand immediately shooting to her gun.

  “We’re safe.” I reassure her gently, and she settles down. “We’re half an hour from town.”

  “Perfect.” She grabs the remnants of her dinner and downs it quickly before thoroughly checking her pistol.

  “Would you mind checking mine too?” I could do it myself easily, but it’s going to help if she’s focused on something.

  “Sure.”

  I put both my pistols, and her silent one on the console between us after ensuring all the safeties are on. Vince’s rifle sits in my lap. It’s far too large to sit on the consone, but it’s still within her reach.

  It takes her a while to work her way through each weapon, but it does successfully burn a lot of time.

  “All of these need cleaned, but they’re not about to blow up.” She says.

  “That’s good.” I use my skin plates to pin my guns to my legs. “We shouldn’t need to use these anyway.”

  “You’d hope.”

  Only a few minutes later we crest an especially large dune, and catch a glimpse of our destination. It’s far better secured than the first town we visited. Sizable, slanted walls rim the ravine with guard towers placed at regular intervals. Powerful spotlights sweep quickly across the sand, settling on us the moment we’re in view.

  “Great.” Cassie mumbles under her breath. “Go slow, and keep us visible to them.

  “Ok.”

  Along the walls there’s a large piece that looks like it can retract. I slowly crawl the car towards it. A handful of people are called up to every guard tower, their eyes glued to us.

  “Do we have enough range to go anywhere else?” Cassie asks.

  “We could make it to the mountains still, but I’d be dragging you behind me after that. We could probably reach another town after the next storm? But we’d have nothing left to trade.”

  “Fantastic. Alright, just stay quiet and let me do the talking.”

  It takes ten tense minutes to reach the walls. As soon as we’re in range, one of the guards yells down and I put the car in park.

  “You’re not welcome here.” His voice echoes across the sandy landscape.

  “Look, I’m sure showing up in one of Mara’s cars isn’t doing us any favors, but we’re not with her.” Cassie yells back.

  “If you’re telling the truth, I’m sorry, but that’s not a risk I’m willing to take. You have ten seconds to turn the car around.”

  “Buddy! I’ve got a single working limb, my android has a blown out knee, and my drone is seized up. Please, we just need to trade for some parts and a recharge. Throw us in prison and interrogate us if you have to, just give us a chance!” Cassie puts as much desperation into her voice as possible. Or maybe she actually is just that desperate.

  The guard only stares back, letting our valuable seconds tick by. I need to help, but how do androids even speak?

  “I can provide a recording of the last few days as proof of our innocence.” I offer quietly to Cassie without moving my mouth, who then loudly offers the same to the guards.

  I don’t have the raw recordings, but they should be trivial to reconstruct. Plus, even if I could, showing them every unedited moment of what we’ve done is an awful idea, I’d be revealed instantly.

  The man leans back, whispering something to another guard, who disappears from the watchtower.

  “Toss all your weapons out of the car.” He commands, and Cassie lets out a breath she’s been holding.

  I drop my pistols and rifle out of the window, and Cassie does the same. She grabs her knife and hesitates for a moment before tossing out as well. I even go so far as to untie the two I’m using as splints, and drop them out too.

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  “If you lose my knife, pistol, or bird I’m going to be pissed.” Cassie yells.

  “We still have two rifles and four pistols in the trunk.” I near-silently remind Cassie.

  “We have a few guns in the trunk. Do you want us to unload them?” Cassie asks the man.

  “Stay right where you are and keep your hands visible!” The guard commands.

  “We need to get our story straight.” Cassie whispers and calmly lifts up her artificial arm, placing it visibly on the dash. If she’s calm I need to be too. I really hope I still seem emotionless.

  “I’ll show them everything, but cut out every time I spoke, and my breakdowns. I went with you to Denver, but stayed with Vince. Say I’ve never been able to speak. Everything else will be unchanged.” I whisper back. “It’s safer if I pretend I’m unable to talk.”

  Cassie gives the tiniest nod possible.

  “Is Corax going to be safe?” I ask, desperate for her to say yes.

  “Safer than we are.” Cassie whispers out of the corner of her mouth.

  A portion of the wall just large enough for a car to drive through opens, and ten people wearing heavy armor rush out, surrounding the car. Each has a rifle pointed at us. They’re not going to fire, don’t panic.

  Five of them step forward, still covered by the others. Four open the doors, and one opens the trunk in unison.

  “Step out.” A woman commands the two of us.

  “All my prosthetics are dead, and my android’s knee is broken.” Cassie explains again.

  I grab onto the roof and brace against it as I stand up. Even if I can’t walk, I need to follow their instructions. I can’t let them get frustrated.

  “Step away from the car.” The woman gestures slightly with her rifle before returning her sights to me.

  My knee is just going to collapse, and she knows that. Would a robot complain? Or inform her first? An AI definitely would, so I just have to take a step.

  My knee once again collapses the instant I put weight on it, and I tumble onto the ground. Their rifles trace my fall, but they hold their fire.

  They watch as I crawl away from the car, dragging my broken leg behind me. It’s humiliating, but I force the emotion out of my mind. Shame will only get me killed.

  “That’s enough. Stop.” She commands after a few feet, and I freeze. How would a robot react? What position would they take when ordered to stop? I don’t know. I do know what an AI wouldn’t do, and that’s just sit here frozen. That’s my best choice.

  Behind me, a man steps forward to pick up Cassie.

  “I’d prefer if my android carried me.” Cassie says, and I can only imagine the glare she’s giving him. “If you have a splint, that’ll be enough to-”

  “Just come here.” The man cuts her off with a few annoyed words.

  I can hear the click of Cassie’s seatbelt being released, and a small amount of shuffling while the man picks her up.

  A second man behind me walks towards the driver’s seat, only to hesitate when he finds it partially covered in its previous occupant. Or maybe that’s the driver from the first car’s brain? I don’t remember. He quickly gets over his hesitation, and begins to drive the car towards the opening in the wall.

  “Follow.” The woman who seems to be in charge commands, and I crawl behind her. Don’t think, just move. Take another step, crawl another inch. I’m fine.

  The man carrying Cassie holds her much less carefully than I have been. He hasn’t bothered to rest Cassie’s broken arm on her chest, it just hangs limply, probably pulling on however it’s connected to the rest of her body. He doesn’t even prevent her legs from swinging wildly as he walks. Don’t get angry, don’t say anything. He’s only going to be carrying her for a few minutes.

  Inside the wall is an elevator with thick metal walls, large enough for several cars to fit inside. Once everyone is clear of the door, the woman hits a button on the wall, and the elevator descends.

  It descends deep into the ravine before slowing to a jerky stop. One wall slides open to reveal a large circular room with barred cells covering the entire circumference, and a single thick door leading deeper into the compound. In the center of the room is what looks almost like a bunker, with windows pointing at every single cell. It’d be impossible to do anything without a guard being able to see.

  The moment we enter, the other inhabitants of the cells begin to call out. It’s an incomprehensible maelstrom of pleas, curses, and offers directed to both Cassie and I, as well as the guards. The guards quickly shut them up.

  The woman ushers Cassie and I into different cells, locking us inside.

  “Breakfast will be provided in a few hours, and interrogations will start not long after that. If you have nothing to hide, you will be allowed to stay until the storm passes. However, hide anything, and we will leave you to the sands.” She says loudly over the few remaining yelling prisoners.

  “Well then, it’s good we have nothing to hide.” Cassie says.

  “I sincerely hope so.” The woman says, and turns away. Most of the guards follow close behind her, but a few step into the bunker at the center of the room.

  What do I do now? My first instinct is to sit against the wall to keep an eye on everything that’s happening. If that’s my first instinct, that means I cannot let myself do it. Would an android try to conserve power? I feel like that makes sense.

  I lay on my back and stare at the ceiling, letting all the sounds wash over me. There’s no point in processing anything. Cassie can’t speak to me, and there’s nobody else here I would want to hear from.

  Hours pass in deafening silence. My mind traces every crack racing across the ceiling.

  “Just like in the lab again.” Kara’s words mirror the thoughts I’m trying to ignore, and I add her to the list of things I’m successfully ignoring.

  I am not going to let her be the reason Cassie dies. It doesn’t matter how much it hurts, or what I think I’m seeing. I can handle it for a few hours. At least I can pass the time by reconstructing and editing my memories.

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