But even millions of people permanently hooked up to virtual reality while being taken apart piece by piece wasn’t enough to make people see how dangerous these advancements could be. Some people even argue that good did come of the CIVRS debacle. They said that the world had too many people as it was, that now we had a reliable supply of all the organs and other shit that we could possibly need. Besides, every societal advancement has collateral damage. Easy to say when you’re not the collateral.

—Lars Nilsson, personal diary

Some of the androids fell to their knees. Others touched their faces, running their fingertips over their lips and throats. Even more remained stoic, unmoving, as though waiting for a command. Antoni, the man from the hologram, rushed to William, his face softening into a more than human expression as they embraced each other.

After his reunion with Antoni, Will briefly checked each of the androids, asking them questions and listening intently to their answers. I approached him just as he was finishing with the last one, the silver-haired matriarch. She eyed me haughtily, her eyes narrowed. Then, she seemed to realize what I was, and her expression tempered.

“How are they?” I asked.

“In remarkably good condition,” he replied. “Of course, no time has passed for them. They may be a bit stiff at first, like any machine or person would be, but they’re pretty much the way I left them years ago.”

“So what do we do now?”

“I’ll explain everything that’s happened to them. Then, I’ll introduce you all and your situation. Then…well, we’ll have to see. I don’t know that they have a program to accommodate these circumstances. They’ll be acting on their own. I won’t force them to choose you.”

The androids listened to Will’s story with very human expressions of bewilderment as he explained about the war, the change in their situation. That they were no longer pets or servants, that their bodies and awarenesses were now their own. I could empathize; I still remembered the moment Tor told me that everything I’d known was gone.

“What do you mean by free? Where will we go? What will we do?” Their voices all chimed in at once.

Will explained who and what we were. The androids looked at us with curiosity. Just how sentient were they? Were we as extraordinary to them as they were to us? Did they think it eerie how much we looked like them?

Will gave them a condensed version of our story and our needs. He described what had happened in Goldnesse, about Ethan and the inevitable confrontation to retrieve Fane, and about our subsequent need for allies on our island.

“Are we to be your shield?” one of them asked. There was no accusation or discontent in his voice, merely the curiosity of duty.

“No! Of course not,” I replied hastily. “You don’t have to come with us, and even if you do, you don’t have to fight or defend us. It’s not your fight. Come or not, fight or not, it’s your choice.”

He seemed to turn this information over in his mind. “Why does this Ethan want…him?” He tilted his head toward Fane but didn’t look at him. Will had left out some details for the sake of summarizing our journey.

“He wants to create more artilects, fully sentient ones like Fane. But most of his records were destroyed, so he needs Fane’s brain to fill in the gaps. Fane does not wish to comply.”

“Did Ethan create this Fane?”

“Yes. He created all of you. He was the head of Novus Corporation.”

The android lifted his leg and peered at the bottom of his foot. Stamped into the flesh was the Novus Corporation symbol. That name they knew. “They created us,” he echoed.

“Then they threw us away,” another one said. “Because we were not like him.” Ninety-nine pairs of eyes turned toward Fane, and I was surprised at the hostility in them. “And now they want to destroy him?” Her voice held no mercy.

“Not exactly,” I said. “They only want to create more artilects. But it could destroy him, and he’s one of us now, so they can’t have him.” I reached out and squeezed his hand. He smiled at me. The exchange wasn’t lost on the androids.

“That wasn’t the only reason I left them.” Fane addressed the androids, though most of them wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I may be closer to their idea of perfection than you, but I still had no rights. They didn’t see me any differently than they saw you. It may have been only a matter of time before I was auctioned off and joined you.”

The thought of Fane living as these androids had made me sick to my stomach.

“And now, they’re trying to kill my friends, simply because they want their property back. They don’t value the life that they gave me, other than as a testament to their skill. They don’t value any real life. That’s why they’re holding our friend Tor hostage. Even now, they’re still using androids like you. They have an AI with them called Umbra. She killed a friend of ours, and she wants to take this one’s body.” He nodded at me.

Oliver snorted. “God, this sounds like the worst soap opera ever.”

“What would we do in this place?” the first android asked as the rest of them drew closer to us. It appeared he was closer to Fane’s level of sophistication than some of the others, who seemed content just to listen impassively.

“Whatever you want. Fish, learn to draw, plant a garden.” My answer was met with some consternation and a little alarm. I shouldn’t be surprised. Why wouldn’t they find it a strange concept?

“What if we break down?” Another one, a tall, exotic-looking woman, asked.

Oliver stepped in. “We have some equipment back on the island, and we’re planning to gather more. In fact, if you do decide to join us, that’s what you can do on your way back. I’m sure Will knows where to shop.”

Will nodded. “In fact, a lot of the stuff we’d need is right here. Between all of us, we can easily carry it back—we’ll just have to improvise.” He didn’t let go of Antoni’s hand as he faced the androids. “Well? What do you all think? Do you want to go? With them?”

None replied.

“Do you want us to give you some privacy?” I asked.

Will considered the androids then nodded. “I think so. Thank you.”

We crowded into the stairwell and shut the door behind us. Low murmurs followed, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

After a few minutes, Will opened the door and ushered us back in. The androids had grouped closer together, their eyes trained on us.

“We’ve decided to come with you,” Will said. “All of us.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” And I was. More than glad. Having them with us could make the difference in our survival—and theirs.

“Would any of you be willing to come with us on this suicide mission?” Oliver asked.

Will looked uneasy. “I—”

“They can’t,” I interrupted.

“Why not?” Oliver was confused. “We need all the help we can get.”

“Because. It’s not their fight. Not yet, anyway,” I replied. “But more than that, what if Ethan or, God forbid, the Saints, get their hands on any of them? Who knows what they’ll do to them? Or with them? Or what if Ethan has some way to control them—”

Oliver held up a hand. “I get it. Ugh. You’re right. It’s better we keep them a secret for as long as we can.”

Will’s relief was palpable. The android’s expressions were neutral.

“So they’re going back—which raises another question: who’s going to take them?” Oliver asked.

Grace stiffened, her expression alarmed.

“Relax, Grace,” I said. “If Pax says you should come, you’re coming.”

She pressed her hands to her cheeks and nodded. I wonder how Tor would feel, knowing how devoted she is to him? “I think Fane should go,” I said. He looked at me, stricken. “Fane, you know what Will and the androids will need, and you know how to get back to the island. I think it’s too dangerous for you. I’m sorry.” The androids looked between Fane and me with interest. Would he obey my commands? Even with his freedom? Fully aware that everyone could hear, my words came out in a rush. “Fane, please. You’re too important to me.”

He pressed him mouth into a thin line. He didn’t like it, but I’d hit him where it hurt. “Fine,” he acquiesced reluctantly.

As Will answered the androids’ questions and instructed them on which equipment to gather, Fane pulled me to one side. “I’ll go back with them, but I’m not happy about it.”

Gray clouds rolling over the horizon. A broken mirror.

“I know. But I think it’s the best thing, Fane. I don’t want to lose you as well.”

He brushed his thumb over my cheek and smiled. “I can’t complain about that. I don’t want you to lose me either.” He hesitated. “You’ve noticed that the androids don’t like me, haven’t you?”

I kissed the palm of his hand and smiled. “Don’t worry, they will.” Despite what I’d said, uneasiness unfurled in me. They wouldn’t hurt him, would they? Surely once they spent some time with him, they’d accept him. Was I doing the right thing by asking him to go with them? Or was I putting him at risk? Fane was formidable, but against ninety-nine androids? He’d be impossibly overmatched.

“Don’t worry, Ailith. They might not care for me, but they also have very little idea about the outside world. They need us as much as we need them. I can use that to my advantage. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

I hoped he was right.

***

We parted ways in the morning. Fane hugged me so tightly I had to thump him on the back to get him to let me go. He looked over his shoulder as they walked away, his expression forlorn.

The androids gave him a wide berth, choosing to walk several yards behind him. I hoped his journey back wasn’t going to be too unpleasant. Their disdain would bother him, I knew. Even though Fane was an artilect, he was sentient, and it was an innate part of his personality to be friendly and want people to like him. He was used to people treating him a particular way because of what he was, and, well, he was a little spoiled. True, both before and after the war, people had wanted to destroy beings like him, but he’d never been exposed to it personally. Instead, he’d been worshipped and adored.

He’d told me once that he didn’t want to be human, but wanted to be treated like one. Well, he was about to get his wish.