Chapter Eight

Amanda’s eyes seemed to be made of lead as she tried to open them. Every muscle in her body ached, and yet she had an incredible desire to move. She felt as though she should be running, walking, or anything. She wasn’t supposed to be lying down, but her body wouldn’t cooperate.

Taking in her surroundings, Amanda wondered where she was. She searched her mind desperately, but the close, moldy drywall and low ceiling weren’t familiar. Nor was the concrete floor or the dirty tarp in which she found herself.

The last place she remembered was Cyborg Sector, but she was not in Cyborg Sector any longer. Cyborg Sector had high ceilings with brilliant LED light fixtures. There should have been rows of cyborg cells, groups of cubicles, or large lab tables depending on her location. She saw none of that here.

The one thing that was familiar in Amanda’s sight was the tall, muscular cyborg who loomed over her. In a rush, she remembered he had been above her while they were still at Cyborg Sector. The scientist had a vague recollection of being carried by him, but she couldn’t be sure.

“AD-214, where are we?” she asked, trying to summon her most commanding voice.

“Our current location is an abandoned warehouse, five miles outside of the city. We are safe for the moment.” The cyborg didn’t move but continued to stare down at her.

“Why did you bring me with you?”

The cyborg captain looked away and didn’t answer her.

In her mind’s eye, Amanda could see an image of her boss falling against the wall of the barracks. “Did you kill Dr. Feldman?”

“I was kept captive because of him.”

“You don’t understand,” Amanda protested, trying to push herself up on her arms. “Oh, that hurts.”

AD-214 looked at her for a moment. “My scan indicates you are not severely injured.”

“Ha!” The laughter burned Amanda’s lungs, and the pain radiated out to the rest of her body. “It still hurts. You mixed it up. Dr. Feldman was the person responsible for keeping you and the rest of the cyborgs alive.” She managed to rise to a sitting position, but she wasn’t sure she could remain upright for long. She was grateful she was in such good physical condition.

“What is a cyborg?” AD-214 asked. “What does that mean? My files tell me that I am not the same as you, but I do not know what the difference is.”

Trying to avoiding a philosophical discussion about the differences between cyborgs versus humans, Amanda changed the topic of conversation. “Why did you leave Cyborg Sector?”

“I answered this already. Someone was holding us captive.”

Amanda had a feeling there was something deeper going on than a cyborg misunderstanding. AD-214 had been behaving oddly, and the incident at Cyborg Sector was the culmination of the problems. She had a sinking feeling that it was her fault. She looked down at the floor, unable to look the cyborg in the eye considering the guilt in her heart.

“If you believe that, then you know you were held captive for a long time. What made you decide to break free today?” There was no point in arguing with him about his status as a prisoner. In his human life, he had signed a document allowing the government to do anything with his body. But he wouldn’t be able to recall that memory.

The cyborg paused. “I don’t know,” he answered after a moment. “Not in the same way I know other things. I was asleep, and now I am awake.”

His response made Amanda snap her head back up to look at him. “What do you mean, awake?” The chip in his brain shouldn’t allow him to differentiate between states of consciousness. Amanda shifted restlessly on the canvas as she waited for his answer. It made her uncomfortable that the more questions she asked, the longer it took AD-214 to answer them. With luck, the delay merely indicated he was either having problems with his operating system. That was a dangerous prospect, but far preferable to the alternative. Was he becoming capable of independent thought?

“I do not know if I am using the words correctly, sir. I was asleep. I did not know what I was doing, or if I did anything. Suddenly, I was awake, and I knew.”

Amanda nodded dumbly, though she was sure she didn’t understand it herself. “What, exactly, do you know?”

“Something was missing. There is more to me than I understand. I do not have all of the information in my files.”

Looking up at the cyborg, a creature who was half-man and half-robot and yet more than the sum of his parts, Amanda began to worry. What would happen to him and the rest of his men when the military came after them? How were they still on their feet? Surely Cyborg Sector had begun the process of shutting their chips down completely. Her stomach growled, and AD-214’s reaction only made her worry more.

“I will get food for you. Earlier, I sent one of the men out for sustenance.”

He shouldn’t even know what eating was, she thought.