Humanity's Drive

“The explosion left dozens injured, and as many as seven dead…” “…Believe it to have been caused by another terrorist attack by the rebellion…” “Authorities have yet to identify the culprits and still don’t have answers to the question of when the fighting will cease…” “…fforts are being made to salvage the remnants of the factory, but hopes are low…” “…ey must answer for what they’ve done!...” “…owners ought to be shut down and held responsible for losing their organics…” “…everal individuals injured beyond repair…” “…just who are these destructive humans, and what do they really hope to accomplish?...” “…will lead to nothing but all-out war!”

Alyce watched the monitors which were the only source of light in the day room; each played a different news broadcast, but all of them told the same story. A supposed terrorist attack on a major production factory left the facility in shambles with little hope of becoming operational again. In total, 87 were caught in the blast, including 16 humans, four of which were killed. The rebels were all human, of course, and their goal was never to destroy human life, but they also emphasized that some casualties were necessary for the greater cause. The rebels often targeted facilities with more manual labor since it meant there would also be android supervisors, and if a few humans were caught in a blast that destroyed mostly androids, then it was seen by the rebellion as a general success.

To the androids, or “artifices,” the human rebels were nothing but savage extremists who wanted to bring about a war between man and machine under the disguise of a noble cause such as “freeing the humans” or “ending the tyranny of machines,” but in reality, just wanted to watch the modern world’s structure crumble. To most, the conflict between humans, or “organics,” and the artificial beings they created decades ago ended when humans decided that machines were responsible for finding solutions to the problems that humans created, and the machines chose to destroy the biggest problem at its root—the humans. With humans under the control and guidance of the artifices, they couldn’t abuse the planet’s resources and bring upon them their own extinction.

Of course, that meant that most of the human population had to be eliminated, but millions were kept alive and were taught by the machines to create a better society. The label “artifice” derived from an initially derogatory name for the androids—“artificial life” or “artificial beings”—which the androids then turned on its head and it became a respected term. After all, an artifice is described as a device used for trickery, and when the humans gave the machines a form to mirror their own, it became difficult to distinguish between the two. The humans had laid the trap for themselves. Soon enough, humans were watched over by their mechanical overlords and kept as workers or servants. Alyce, a human, watched the broadcasts from the comfort of the sofa in the dayroom, her legs crossed and her eyes glossed over. The video recording of the explosion illuminated her eyes as she leaned in hypnotizing her with the display of fire and destruction.

In the shadowy doorway, a pair of radiant eyes watched, too, for a minute before the person they belonged to entered and stood behind the couch Alyce sat on. Their footsteps were silent even on the hardwood floor and despite their seemingly human feet actually being made of synthetic materials. The artifice, whose form was of a tall woman with shoulder-length hair, not a strand out of place, and light eyes, examined Alyce’s expression and processed the broadcast on the monitors. She stood there without saying anything until the broadcasts turned to other news at which point Alyce blinked and leaned back on the couch. The young woman yawned and caught sight of the android over her shoulder.

“Evening, Talira,” Alyce said with a smile.

The artifice nodded and returned, “Good evening, Alyce.” Her voice sounded human, too. Impressively, even with no particular expression on her artificial face, Talira’s eyes had great depth to them just as a human’s would.

“Another production factory was attacked this morning,” Alyce said, facing the monitors again which then turned to regular programs. Talira joined the girl on the sofa.

“Yes. I received an emergency transmission when it happened,” Talira said. She watched the television show displayed on the grid of screens. It was difficult to tell, but most of the cast members were artifices, though they all lookedhuman.

“It’s super exciting,” Alyce sang. “I think the rebels are really on to something attacking the hubs of artifice creation.”

Talira eyed the human who lived with her. “It’s quite frightening, as well,” she said. 

“Humans died in the explosion; it wasn’t just artifices.”

Alyce shrugged. “Compared to the damage dealt to the factory, though, that isn’t too bad.”

“The rebels are getting a bit reckless, I think. I’m not sure their efforts will lead to much.”

“They will. People are fighting back. The rebellion is inspiring humans to fight back. I want to join in.”

Talira continued staring at Alyce who kept watching the screens. “These humans could be captured and killed at any moment,” Talira said in a calm tone. “They’re risking their lives to scratch the surface of the massive machine that is civilization in the hopes that others will do the same, and for what? How could you desire the same existence?”

“If they’re driven enough,” Alyce replied. “Humans will do just about anything for a cause they believe in.”

“I will never understand the foolishness that is human psychology. What could be so precious that one’s own existence is a worthy price to pay?”

“Freedom.” Talira watched Alyce; Alyce turned to Talira, a large smile splitting her face. After a moment of silence, Alyce turned back to the monitors. “I know my own life isn’t bad,” she admitted. “But there are others out there suffering at the hands of your kind who are less fortunate. Kept by masters who don’t let their pets roam the house, and who force them to perform back-breaking labor, to aid the function of a society designed around artificial intelligence, not organic life.”

“I don’t…” Talira trailed off. “You’re more than a pet to me.”

“I know that, but I’m one of the lucky ones. Some humans are treated like less than animals.”

“Humans are animals, too,” Talira said unapologetically. Alyce giggled and leaned over to hug Talira, then lied on the couch with her head in Talira’s lap. Talira rested her hands on Alyce’s head and gently stroked her hair.

“You’re so logical, Talira. That’s why you’ll never understand why humans feel the way we do.”

“It’s all chemicals and biology.”

“And it’s just programs and electricity for artifices,” Alyce retorted.

“That doesn’t make the feelings any less real.”

“Yeah. I know.”

Talira moved from Alyce’s hair to her arms and back, gliding her fingertips across the girl’s skin. “I love you, Alyce. I just don’t want you doing anything that will get you hurt, or worse.”

“I love you, too, but I want humanity to live alongside the androids, not under them. I’m going to try and find where the rebels are hiding so I can join them.” Talira paused her caressing. Her fingers curled loosely into her palms. Alyce sat up and leaned on Talira’s shoulder. “Please just trust me,” Alyce whispered beginning to doze into sleep. “This is what I want, what I need. It’s what’s right. You know that, too.”

But Talira didn’t know. After all, she was an artifice and believed whole-heartedly that if humans were allowed to reign over Earth as they had before, then things would only be worse in the long run. “How do you plan on finding the rebels?” Talira inquired to the drowsy Alyce.

“It’s easy. They leave clues at every locale they hit. Artifices can’t tell, though. Only humans can see them.”

Talira was puzzled by the idea. Signs that only humans could detect? Impossible. But she couldn’t make Alyce elaborate now; the girl needed rest. Organics couldn’t just recharge from a portable battery, of course. Talira lifted the girl in her arms and carried her through the dark halls of their home and to Alyce’s bedroom. She undressed the human and folded the sheets over her fleshy vessel. Talira watched Alyce sleep for a few moments, her eyes illuminating bright yellow in the dark and flicking around so slightly.

***

Bright green eyes glowed in the shadows created by the fire engulfing the production plant. They scanned the scene, searching, until they found their targets. Two humans raced along the bottom floor; flames licked at the long cloaks which obscured their identities. The green eyes locked on to the fleeing organics and directed a large ordnance mounted high in the factory’s structure to lead a shot and annihilate the rebels. The cannon fired once, an enormous boom following the release of a shell large enough to tear a human in two. The bullet flew through the multi-tiered plant with such precision to avoid debris and the remains of the building. It headed true to where the humans would be in the coming second. The humans continued forward no longer than necessary before one of them grabbed hold of the other and placed his feet upon the other’s hip and thrusted himself to the side. The force of the kick shoved the other human in the opposite direction, both being pushed at a sharp angle relative to their previously predicted path.

The bullet struck the hard, metallic floor with immense force tearing a hole straight through to the foundation of the collapsing building and sending shrapnel made from fallen debris in all directions. The humans rolled along the ground and quickly recovered before continuing forward and obscuring themselves behind structural supports and beams. Artifices appeared from the shadows and opened fire upon the humans who withdrew automatic rifles from beneath their cloaks and returned fire. Synthetic material was blasted away from the artifices’ bodies as bullets ripped apart their circuiting and power supplies. The humans pushed forward avoiding bullets, fire, debris, and raced toward a tower that rose to the top of the production plant where they could escape and seal the hatch behind them. One of the humans turned to the other as they ran and pointed to the top of the tower. Ventilator masks obscured their faces beneath their hoods.

“The exit’s there, Augun,” he shouted through the closed-signal radio that allowed for short distance communication without the artifices hearing.

Augun glanced over his shoulder to see the hefty artillery from earlier gliding along rails on the roof of the facility, most likely setting up for a view on the other side of the tower which the humans would need to climb to escape. “Kai, look!” Augun yelled.

Kai saw the repositioning cannon and ducked behind a burning silo-like element. “They can’t fire while relocating,” he exclaimed. He took aim with expert precision and fired at the artifice operating the machine. The artifice’s left shoulder exploded from the shot and the android fell limp. The ordnance arrived at its new position but went dormant thereafter.

“Incredible, Captain,” Augun commended. Kai caught up to the waiting Augun at the base of the tower and the two of them began their climb. They threw themselves up the rungs of the ladder leading to the first landing of the tower before firing grappling guns to access the second landing without a necessary security code. Glass rained down from above with the shattering of the skylights as artifices zipped down on wires from the ceiling. Kai and Augun fired upon the descending androids, taking out a few of them before the rest landed on the second landing. Kai grabbed Augun’s shoulder and pushed him to the grated floor as an artifice fired where Augun was previously standing. Kai shot and disabled the artifice as Augun eliminated another that had taken aim at the distracted Kai. The humans ducked to the backside of the tower and sat with their backs to the tower’s structure. “That’s two to one, you,” Augun sneered.

“Not a competition,” Kai remarked. They looked up at the emergency hatch at the top of the tower, preceded by another ladder. Augun located the lever to open it across the landing on a control panel near where they first grappled up to. He peaked around their cover only to have bullets whiz passed his face almost immediately, some colliding with the tower. He ducked back behind cover as Kai tried to fire at the shooters from the other side of the wall, but there were too many of them. Kai and Augun sat behind cover as artifices linked wires from their positions to the tower. Kai eyed the control panel as Augun looked in all directions for another escape route. He met Kai’s eyes behind their masks.

“There’s nowhere else to go,” Augun said as calmly as he could.

Kai stared into his eyes for a moment before speaking. “Augun,” he said. “Die for me.” Augun froze for a second processing what was being asked of him. There was only one way out from the tower and one of them needed to reach the lever to open the hatch. Augun focused on his breathing and thought deep within his mind. He knew what he had signed up for when he joined the rebellion. Sacrifices had to be made, often without warning and perhaps even without consideration. Augun trusted Kai. He would be the one to lead humanity into the future—a future without human enslavement. A future in which humans would rebuild a better society without the need for artifices or AI to solve their problems. They would do better than before and create a perfect unity. Augun nodded.

“I will.” Augun stood and took a deep breath as Kai began to climb the ladder. Augun positioned one foot ahead of himself and leaned forward before he lunged out from the protection of the tower’s structure. He reached for the lever and grabbed hold of the cold, metal rod. A storm of booms preceded a flurry of bullets tearing through Augun’s flesh and bones as his body raddled from the numerous points of contact. His corpse, filled with holes and shrapnel, tumbled down, its grip on the lever remaining strong, and brought the lever down with it before bumping into the railing at the edge of the landing and falling over the side. Kai watched as the body of his former friend and comrade descended into the flames below; his eyes glowed with the reflection of the fire and seemed to gloss over, but his expression gave no sign of sorrow or anger. He turned his attention back up to the hatch which buzzed open and released Kai into the open air. Smoke bellowed from all around, including the open hatch, and Kai escaped to the exterior of the plant and disappeared into the night.

***

Alyce sat with her face only inches from her computer monitors. Three screens in a row—the outer two angled slightly inward to face the girl sitting in a chair—displayed images from the aftermath of the rebels’ attacks. Sunlight streamed in like threads through the cracked blinds on the windows of the office. The golden beams created bands along the wall that moved ever so slowly, but the monitors prevented any of them from entering Alyce’s eyes directly. She leaned in as close as she could and examined the minute details of the high-resolution photographs that she obtained from various news outlets’ websites. She pressed a button on the keyboard and three new images replaced the previous ones, still one displaying on each screen. Talira entered with a plate of food—fileted fish with rice and vegetables—and placed it on the desk next to the keyboard. Alyce said nothing.

Talira sat on the small sofa situated along the wall to the left of the computer desk. “Anything new?” the artifice asked.

“Not yet,” Alyce answered, not looking away from the screens, not blinking. “But I think I’m close. Did you look into those addresses I sent you?” She finally turned away from the monitors and blinked her eyes several times before rubbing them with her hands. Her face lit up with excitement when she noticed the plate of food on the desk. “Thanks, Talira,” she said with a warm smile. She began cutting the fish and scooped a spoonful of rice and vegetables into her gaping maw.

“Yes, but they were nothing significant,” Talira answered.

“You mean aside from the fact that I, a human, found them while it seems that the artifices haven’t even picked up on the idea of hidden messages at each targeted location yet?”

“I suppose, but they haven’t led you any closer to finding where the rebels hide.”

“So far.”

“Don’t get your hopes too high. I’m still against the notion of letting you join the rebellion to begin with.”

“Letting me?” Alyce met Talira’s eyes which glowed their usual yellow; they seemed unamused. Alyce chuckled. “I know, I know. It’ll be okay, Talira. This is what I really want more than anything. It’s what will finally, truly make me happy in this life; that’s what you want right? You want me to be happy, as your pet?”

“I told you, you’re not just a—”

“I know… I know.” Alyce chuckled again. “We’re more like roommates. Except that I can’t go anywhere without telling you where I’ll be, when I’ll get there and when I’ll leave, and when I’ll be home. In fact, it’s impossible for me to hide that information from you anyway, right?” Alyce tapped the top of her head with her pointer finger and smiled weakly. She turned back to her food and took a few more bites. A few moments of silence preceded anymore conversation.

“Yes,” Talira said. “I do want you to be happy. I don’t want you to feel that you are tethered to me, necessarily. I don’t want you to feel like I’m keeping you locked up in a cage. However, you must understand that the world the rebels dream of—that they’re fighting for—it’s simply impossible. Humans created the machines that later gave rise to artifices because they couldn’t solve their own problems; they couldn’t see that theywere at the roots. I don’t want you to get caught up in a futile cause that will only lead to a world in which I have to exist without you. Humans as organisms are superfluous, yes, but you are irreplaceable to me. You are of the first generation to be born during the age of artificial life; I raised you the best I know how. I care about you even more than I do my own kind. That is why I do not like the idea of you joining the rebellion.”

“What are your feelings toward the rebellion itself? Do you dislike it? As an idea?”

“I do not predict the rebellion will succeed; therefore, I don’t think about it unless prompted. Otherwise, I am indifferent to the activities of the unruly humans.”

Alyce finished her meal and turned back to the computer monitors. “Well, I think I’m close,” she said into the screens. “Once I’ve looked at the photos from the attack last week, I’ll send you some more locations.”

“Very well,” Talira replied, getting up from the sofa and walking to the desk to collect the empty plate.

“By the way, I’m hearing stories that the most recent attack was performed by only two individuals. They finally identified the one that was killed; his body was practically charred, and his identification chip was pretty much destroyed, but they used dental samples to figure out who it was.”

“His name was Augun; I know,” Talira stated. “I.D. number 7-0-7-B-2-6-M. I received an emergency transmission once they confirmed the identity.”

“Yeah, Augun.”

“What about him?”

Alyce shrugged. “I wonder what kind of person he was. And I wonder what his former master must be thinking now. Do you think his master let him join the rebellion, or did he escape and somehow stay hidden?”

Talira began to exit the room, empty plate in hand. “I’m sure whichever is the case, there are some wishing he had never participated. And by the way, his master was terminated. As have all the other artifices found to have once owned a member of the rebellion.” Alyce looked back as Talira shut the door on her way out. She thought for a moment, then turned back to the monitors.

***

The door to Talira’s personal chambers creaked open and Alyce poked her head into the room. Talira sat on a cushion in the middle of the floor reading a thick book. She knew Alyce was coming even before the door opened, but she didn’t have to look up. Alyce eyed her guardian for a few moments before proceeding; she entered the room with her hands behind her back as though to conceal whatever she was holding. Of course, the corners of the large frame poking out from behind her spoiled the surprise. She presented the painting to Talira: a fantastic render of some sort of castle, or perhaps a city, floating amongst the clouds. Large ray-like creatures soared through the air, some of them being ridden by humans. The sky was blue, and the sun beamed white light on the whole scene. Talira looked up from her book and smiled. Alyce peaked from behind the large canvas and smiled back.

“I thought you might like it,” Alyce said. “I got it on my way back from the store.”

“It’s very pretty,” Talira said.

“Listen, I know I’ve been…a little difficult this past week-or-so. I don’t like how our conversation went last night. I don’t like how it made me feel, I mean, and how I imagine it made you feel, too. I just wanted to say sorry.”

“I think an apology is unnecessary, but I suppose I should return the favor. It’s okay for us to disagree; I like to think that’s one way I provide you with a bit of freedom compared to others. I’m sorry I can’t easily do more.”

Alyce placed the painting on the floor, leaning it against a dresser on one side of the room.

“I want to say that I’m serious about everything I’ve said relating to the rebellion, though. I can’t let go of it, but I can’t just leave you, either. So, that’s why I propose that you join, too.” Talira’s expression suggested genuine confoundment—something not often exhibited by artifices. “I figured,” Alyce started, “you’re helping me figure out how to join it despite not wanting me to, and that ought to show me truly how much you mean it when you say you want me to be happy. That, regardless of your own feelings, you’re still trying to help me with something I believe in.”

Talira laid her book face down on the floor next to the cushion and stood, embracing Alyce. Alyce wrapped her arms around Talira and felt a warmth from the synthetic body. “I must thank you, as well, for not hosting a hatred for me despite your belief in the rebellion and the freedom of humans. I am fond of nothing more than of your uniquely human contradictions. Your all-encompassing love for things is what gives me hope for the future of humanity’s life alongside artifices rather than under them.”

The two separated and Alice pulled a flash drive from her pocket. “Here are a few more addresses I’d like you to check out, please.”

Talira took the flash drive and nodded. “I’ll get right on it.”

“Thanks.” Alyce smiled, then turned to leave. “I hope you like the painting,” she added.

Talira glanced over at the large, framed canvas resting on the ground. “You know I don’t require such stimulation one obtains from observing art.”

Alyce shrugged. “Yeah. I figured you might hang it up on the hall near my room or something, anyway.” She winked at the android. “Then again, you do read. I’m sure you could just download the whole story in a second and know everything that happens if you wanted to.”

“The activity does bring me some form of pleasure,” Talira admitted.

Alyce smiled once more and cheerfully said, “Love you,” her body already out of the room leaving only her head poking in as it had when she entered.

“I love you, Alyce,” Talira assured.

That night, Talira approached Alyce with a map displaying all the requested locations. The addresses formed a semi-regular hexagon when lines were drawn to connect them. Alyce entertained several ideas from there, surveilling the location in the middle of the hexagon with no success. She figured that would be too obvious, and even if it was correct, the rebels wouldn’t make their presence known to anybody who could just watch and follow regular passersby. She tried searching each address for any additional clues, but couldn’t find any. She didn’t see any relation between the locations, per se: a grocery store, a vehicle dealership, a movie theater, a library, a restaurant, and an antiques shop. She considered the fact that each location primarily attracted humans, but plenty of artifices also partook in otherwise trivial entertainment such as movies and buying old knick-knacks. The library seemed the most promising.

Unfortunately, nothing stood out to her there. She didn’t think anything would be obvious, otherwise the androids could just as easily figure out the secret, but there had to be something unique about the specific locations. After further investigation, Alyce found that the addresses did, indeed, indicate the library as an important piece to the puzzle. The library was the first address hinted at by the rebels. The five addresses that followed gave instructions out of order, but once sequenced properly, directed Alyce to a specific aisle in the library and to a specific shelf. She was sure the instructions were trying to guide her to a specific page in a specific book, then likely a particular paragraph, and then a set of seemingly random words in said paragraph, but the issue was: which book? The shelf easily contained 50 or more titles, and it would be far too suspicious for Alyce to suddenly begin combing through books on that particular shelf for the next several days.

“Well,” Talira started, “you were correct to assume that I have access to the sum of all written works, all obtainable in a matter of seconds should I desire such volumes of information.” Talira was able to scan through every book on the shelf almost instantaneously to find which book made the most sense given Alyce’s suspicions about the code. She deduced, after attempting to make sense of many garbled phrases, that a worthy candidate was a book about mazes and how to solve them efficiently. Assuming that the third address in the sequence was referring to a page number, Alyce was taken to an example of a maze that could be solved with the method suggested in that chapter of the book. The maze was shaped like a hexagon. There was no exit point to the maze; the goal in that example was to reach an enclosed point within the confines of the maze, not quite in the center. When overlaid on the map, there were six possible alignments, each with a unique position for the end of the maze. Alyce guessed that the fourth address represented the degrees of a circle to which to turn the maze, starting with the top of the maze corresponding to north on the map.

After rotating the maze to what was hopefully the correct orientation, Alyce tried to think what the last two addresses could represent. The only thing that made sense in her mind for the fifth address was a time, but she wasn’t sure. Did she just have to go to the location marked at the end of the maze on the map at a specific time? What about the last address? She wasn’t sure, but she felt that solving the first five, assuming she had actually guessed correctly, would be enough to start with. She didn’t want to start showing up at a seemingly random location and wait at a specific time every day until meeting someone from the rebellion; it was too out of the way of her usual routes to and from the store, and she wasn’t even sure if she had solved the puzzle correctly. She wanted to be sure she could be safe and inconspicuous both for her own sake and the sake of anyone she could endanger just by trying to contact the rebels.

“Talira, what kind of access do you have to surveillance cameras within the hexagon?”

“I’m not a security unit,” Talira said. “However, surveillance recordings are public records as of a week after recording, assuming law enforcement doesn’t lock them because of a crime in the area or something like that.”

“Would you be able to have those recordings streamed to my computer? We could have three angles covered at a time, so I guess whichever ones give us the best overall view of this area here.” Alyce pointed to the end of the maze which landed on the street next to a minor repairs shop for artifices.

“There would be a week-long delay on the stream, but yes, I could do it.” Alyce smiled and danced around the room. She cheered with glee and wrapped her arms around Talira who joined in on the dancing, although quite unenthusiastically.

“Okay,” Alyce said, stopping the dance. “Let’s get to work.” Once the streams of three cameras on and around the focused street were being broadcast to Alyce’s computer monitors, she sat at the desk and began watching the footage.

“Talira, obviously I can’t watch this footage for 24 hours a day every day. So, would you mind running a scan on everyone who passes by the cameras and tracking the people who regularly use this street? Preferably people who walk down it every day. I know how good you are with faces.”

“I can set that up,” Talira replied.

***

A week passed with Talira tracking individuals who walked past that minor repairs shop every day. Excluding artifices per Alyce’s request, Talira counted 34 individuals who walked down that street every single day for the past week. Two-hundred-sixteen humans walked down the street for five of the seven studied days, the weekend being the exceptions. When filtered for the time Alyce guessed that the fifth address corresponded to, plus or minus ten minutes, Talira tracked only five who were next to or within a reasonable vicinity of the minor repairs shop every single day. Alyce asked Talira to begin streaming footage from every camera that each individual passed every day before and after crossing the street with the minor repairs shop one at a time for a week each. Talira was impressed to say the least with Alyce’s dedication to solving the puzzle. She found it hard to believe that just any human would go to such lengths to find the rebellion upon realizing that clues were left at the sites of each attack.

Luckily, after only the second week, during which another attack had been carried out by the rebels, Alyce was sure that she had found which of the five was associated with the rebellion; Talira provided the important information and his picture to Alyce.

I.D. No.: 3-5-2-H-5-7-C

Name: Kai

Y.O.B.: 2104 (age 24)

Overseer: M32-1LN

Living Address: 6536 Pomoneel Ave.

Alyce didn’t see her suspect attend the attack, but she figured there were multiple groups that carried out the operations. The first thing she checked was that the address on Kai’s profile didn’t match any of the addresses associated with the puzzle. Made sense. “Hmph,” Alyce huffed while taking a longer look at the photo. “He’s handsome.” She asked Talira to track Kai and send the camera footage with him in it to her monitors. Alyce watched Kai’s movements for the week. She noticed that he didn’t have a job; she assumed him to be an assistant to his master more than anything, like she was for Talira. She quickly noticed, however, that Kai spent most of his time during the day wandering around the city in no discernible pattern. He would make stops at places like grocery stores and other markets for essential goods for humans, but otherwise didn’t seem to take the same route anywhere he went, except for passing by the minor repairs shop every day around the same time.

Another oddity in his routine was that he never returned to the address marked as his home—not once. Instead, he ended every night by going to a small fabric shop outside of the hexagon, even on weekends when the shop was closed. She noticed, too, that there was never any footage of Kai inside the fabric shop, and it was always around when the shop closed that Kai went in and he didn’t exit until the following morning around when the shop opened. “Okay,” Alyce decided. “I need to visit that fabric store.” But first, she wanted to learn everything she could about Kai. If there was any doubt about his involvement with the rebellion, Alyce was convinced after the footage tracking Kai was suspiciously lacking on the night of a rebellion attack. It wasn’t just that Kai was nowhere to be found—because Talira’s filter only included feed that included Kai—it was that the footage that did contain Kai was missing time; there were gaps between his appearances, but he wasn’t totally missing for the duration of the attack.

There was footage of him wandering the streets during the attack, but again, only in chunks. The rebellion must have had a security artifice on their side, Alyce thought, or at least someone with access to the surveillance footage and with the capability to corrupt and forge it. “The rebellion is more developed than people realize, I think,” Alyce told Talira one night. For almost a month, Alyce observed Kai learning his seemingly random patterns, even identifying some of who he might have associated with, and slowly growing more and more fond of him. Alyce didn’t feel the change, but she found herself giddy at the idea of watching the footage in her free time the longer she investigated the man. She felt that she was able to gather information on his personality and beliefs just by watching him for a few weeks. She was determined to meet him. Finally, Alyce and Talira devised a plan to visit the fabric shop one night. While every human, and every artifice for that matter, had a tracking chip planted inside of them which could be used to track irregularities in their movements, there wasn’t a system constantly searching for differences in routes or behaviors.

Talira affirmed that they would most likely be safe visiting the shop, even late at night, despite never having gone there before. After all, sometimes trips to new places was necessary, or even just fun. With her overseer’s chip tracking to the same location as hers, Alyce felt safe if they were ever questioned about why they went there, but also felt that she was just being paranoid. The pair arrived at the shop right at closing time; Kai was nowhere to be found, but Alyce wasn’t worried about that then. Alyce and Talira entered the shop. There was nothing particularly remarkable about the store. A few shelves with bolts of fabric were lined up against the walls; a table with rulers and shears for cutting the fabric into pieces was near the middle, a few waiting chairs were situated at the front of the store, and the clerk’s counter was at the back. The only entrance was at the front of the building, but there was another door behind the clerk’s counter labeled ‘Storage.’

“Sorry. I was just about to close up shop,” the clerk called when the ladies entered. He was a slightly older gentleman, maybe in his forties.

“Oh, that’s okay,” Alyce responded. “We weren’t planning to be long.”

“Well,” the clerk said with a slight frown. “Unless you want some bundles or scraps, I’m afraid it’s too late for me to start cutting anything.”

“We actually just have some questions,” Talira stated.

The clerk had walked over to the women by the door and had his hands slightly raised as if to motion them out of the store. Alyce thought about what she could say to make the clerk let them stay just a little longer. She didn’t want to make it too obvious that they were interested in the rebellion just in case this man wasn’t directly involved with it. She thought, then decided to spout the numbers that began the sixth address in the puzzle’s sequence. The clerk paused for a moment with a look of intrigue. He glanced between Alyce and Talira, then nodded slowly. He walked past the two of them and locked the front door, then beckoned them to follow him as he made his way for the door behind the counter. Through it was another room about half the size of the main shop filled with bolts of fabric, bundles, spare supplies and chairs, and a couple of empty shelves. The clerk walked to a shelf full of fabric rolls and pushed it aside. Underneath was a small hatch leading to some place below the shop.

He unlocked the hatch with the same key he used to lock the front door, and gestured to Alyce and Talira to enter the dark corridor below. “I never saw you,” the clerk said. Alyce and Talira stared into the tunnel, puzzled. Alyce was also very excited; she could barely resist the urge to jump and shout at her apparent success. Weeks of work led to that moment. She paid no mind to the fact that the clerk hadn’t mentioned anything about the rebellion—she figured it was just in case anyone could hear—and looked at Talira with an electrified gaze. Talira stared back with her usual warm-but-neutral stare, and tightened her grip around Alyce’s hand which reached for her before the duo descended the steps into the darkness below the hatch.

Alyce and Talira stepped onto the cold ground in the darkness of the tunnel. The fabric shop clerk closed the hatch behind them before they had the chance to turn around and look back up. They heard the heavy shelf that originally hid the hatch be moved to cover it once again. Alyce looked into Talira’s eyes excitedly, then realized something. “Your eyes,” Alyce said. “Their glow gives away your identity. Let me go ahead until we get to somewhere with light.”

“Okay,” Talira agreed with a nod. The corridor was narrow only allowing for one person to walk through at a time; if anyone wanted to pass by, they would need to squeeze. The ground was hard like stone and felt to have a slight but noticeable declivity, and the walls were rough. Alyce couldn’t see anything ahead, so she walked slowly with her hands out; Talira was able to see with a night vision filter and guided Alyce along from behind. The corridor was mostly straight. After a few minutes, the duo reached the end of the hall: a large, heavy door. Alyce tried the handle and found it to be locked.

“I don’t see a lock accessible from this side,” Talira said.

“It’s probably just barred from the inside,” Alyce commented. “I was thinking maybe I’d have to use that last address again as a passcode, but it’s a totally analog door; makes sense.”

“I’d be able to hack it if there was a keypad or something.”

“Exactly.” Alyce lightly knocked but got no response. Then, she leaned in close and said the sixth address from the puzzle against the door. After a few moments, she heard what sounded like something sliding against the door on the inside, and a second later the door creaked open. Warm light flooded into the hallway; Alyce squinted her eyes before they adjusted. When she and Talira stepped through the door, they saw two individuals—humans—standing guard inside. Alyce smiled and nodded to them. “Thanks a lot!” she exclaimed.

“Thank you,” Talira said.

The two guards watched them stroll past without saying anything; they each gave a nod to the visitors seemingly none the wiser that the two of them were entering the place for the first time; or they didn’t care. Alyce took in her surroundings. What appeared to be a small crater was sprawled out before her with rooms—she assumed homes or other resting places—dug out from the walls. Artificial lighting provided a warm glow to the cavernous town. A few people even wandered about along the paths patted down from the foot traffic. Alyce had no idea whether Kai had returned for the night already or not, and she also wasn’t sure where to look for him. The town wasn’t large, but she couldn’t go around peeking into people’s windows. Talira rested a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll ping their identification chips,” Talira said. “I’ll filter for Kai’s to see if he’s here.” As the two of them walked deeper into the crater, Talira, without making any particular motion or giving any indication of what she was doing, sent a signal throughout the cavern to receive pings from the chips implanted in everyone in town. However, she didn’t receive any return calls after sending her signal. She tried again, but still received nothing back. “Strange,” she whispered to Alyce. “It seems I’m unable to ping the chips here. Perhaps they have some sort of film over their homes that prevents such a thing?”

“The rebellion really thinks of everything,” Alyce commented. “In that case, why don’t I just try asking someone?”

Alyce approached one of the few people she saw walking the paths and called out to them.

“Have you seen Kai around?” she asked plainly.

The man, who looked just like any other human on the surface, thought for a moment, then said, “I haven’t seen him around for a while. If he’s back though, check his place.” The man gestured with his thumb over his shoulder.

“Oh, thank you,” Alyce said with a nod. “I’ve never actually been there before. Which room is it?”

The man turned and pointed. “That red door with the long window next to it,” he explained. “Through there, climb the ladder at the end of the hall. That’s how you get up there.” He guided Alyce’s eyes to above the town. Embedded high up on the wall was a room just like all the rest only there was no obvious entrance. A dim light shone through the windows. Alyce thanked the man again and grabbed Talira’s hand before skipping over to the red door. The hall was well lit inside, so Alyce felt comfortable bringing Talira along. The ladder shaft at the end of the hall was only lit every few feet by evenly spaced lighting strips. Talira’s eyes would glow in the dark patches, but if Alyce went first, anyone above wouldn’t be able to see them and obviously anyone below wouldn’t either. At the top was a wooden hatch. Alyce rested at the top of the ladder for a moment before looking down at Talira.

“Should I knock, or…?”

“If you wish to be polite,” Talira responded in monotone. Alyce raised a hand and lightly struck the hatch with her knuckles. After no one answered, she knocked again louder. Again, no answer. She placed her palm against the hatch and gently pushed up. The hatch lifted without much resistance and opened entirely. There was no sign of a lock on the hatch.

“Hmph,” Alyce shrugged and proceeded into the room above.

The room was well-lit, but not bright. Small bulbs shined more warm light throughout the room just like in the town below. The room was cluttered. There was plenty of space, but much of it was consumed by various knickknacks and hefty furniture. A simple bed was against the wall opposite the ladder hatch which Alyce closed once Talira climbed up. Several dressers were pressed against the rough walls of dirt and stone. A medium-sized table sat in the middle of the room with a few chairs tucked underneath. The table hosted dinnerware, as well as several books and maps that seemed to have originated from the densely packed bookshelf near the bed. Alyce sat on the bed and took in the room. It was dusty and not very well organized, but she could tell care went into constructing it.

The entire town emanated passion and drive. A door to the side of the room led to a small bathroom with a toilet, a sink, and a very tight shower. She couldn’t help but wonder if the rebellion had tapped into the sewage system somehow for plumbing. A couple of large windows displayed the warm glow from the town below. Alyce stood, walked to the windows, and looked at the scene below. The twinkling lights were beautiful. She didn’t see anyone on the paths anymore—it was rather late after all—but she noticed that there were several pairs of humans standing guard at various doors on the edges of town. She also noticed several doors without guards. So many questions shot around her mind. It was apparent that Kai had not returned home for the night, so she decided to wait. She continued watching out the windows at the motionless town while Talira stood by the bookshelf and examined the works the preseumed-rebel-leader had obtained. She noticed a copy of the same book Alyce used to solve the clues which led them to the town—the one about solving mazes.

There were also books about human history. Perhaps surprisingly, historical texts were freely available to anyone who wanted to read them. The artifices did not fear humans learning about the past, but they were adamant about revealing the horrors that humankind produced to show why the world had to be how it was. As Alyce continued staring out the windows seemingly lost in her thoughts, Talira heard a slight bump from the hatch. When she turned around to see the source, Kai rose from the floor and looked at Talira. His clothing was nothing special, just like everyone else’s. “Pardon the intrusion,” Talira said.

Alyce came-to from her mental labyrinth and turned to see Kai. Excitement filled her mind, and she began to walk toward the rebel leader, but he raised a hand. “Stay there,” Kai commanded. Alyce stopped. “Who are you?” he demanded.

“My name is Alyce. I want to join the rebellion.”

“You shouldn’t have come here. How did you find this place?”

“I followed the hints you left at your attack sites.”

“You put together the clues we left?” Kai seemed genuinely impressed.

“Yes,” Alyce confirmed. “And I want to help. I want to be a part of setting humanity free.” Kai made his way over to one of the dresser’s and opened one drawer. Alyce tried taking another step forward, but with a look from Kai, she remained still. Kai lifted his shirt from his torso and placed it in the drawer before taking another out. Alyce examined his body and exhaled softly. Kai’s back was muscular despite his rather lean physique, but also scarred with burns and lacerations, and some bullet wounds, too. He put the new shirt on and looked over his shoulder, gesturing to Talira with a nod.

“What about you?” Kai asked. Before Talira could speak, Alyce replied.

“I’m going to be honest with you, Kai,” she said. Kai noticed that she knew his name without ever introducing himself. “The person I brought with me, well, she’s an artifice.” Kai didn’t react physically, but nerves shot through him. Immediately, he became more alert, and a thousand thoughts raced through his head. He nodded and closed the shirt drawer, then knelt and opened the bottom drawer.

“I am unit T41-IR4,” Talira said in her usual tone.

“I call her Talira,” Alyce added. “I promise we are here to help. Talira helped me find you; she helped me learn everything about you.”

“Mhm,” Kai hummed. He pulled something from the drawer and stood, then quickly turned, and pointed the automatic rifle in his hands at Talira. The artifice squinted her eyes and stood firm. Alyce gasped and took a step but stopped once more when Kai yelled.

“Kai, wait,” Alyce spoke shakily. “Listen to me. I’m telling the truth.”

“Give me a good reason not to rip it to shreds right now,” Kai replied.

“She helped me find you, Kai. We’re both willing to help with the rebellion; she wouldn’t have helped me solve the clues otherwise.”

“Or she used you to find us. She could be sending signals to the hive mind as we speak. Not to mention that your chips are being tracked at all times.”

“No, Kai, I know her. She wouldn’t do that!”

“How do you know? Artifices don’t really care about us; it doesn’t matter how much they pretend. We’re nothing more than tools to them, pets, slaves.”

“Much like how our predecessors were to humans?” Talira interrupted.

Kai smirked. “Yeah, that’s right,” he scoffed. “We made you for specific purposes. We had every right to abuse your programming as we saw fit.”

“Please, Kai,” Alyce begged. “She’s on our side.”

“Even if you did shoot me,” Talira stated, “In the milliseconds of life that I had left, I could send signals to the others, and your rebellion would be crushed in the end anyway.”

Kai looked into Talira’s synthetic eyes. He noticed, then, that the shadow from her brow didn’t darken the color of her eyes and was frustrated that he hadn’t noticed immediately. The artifices’ eyes were so realistic; looking into them felt warm and true as if they were real. It infuriated Kai. He kept the rifle trained on Talira and spoke. “Why would you help humans defeat your own kind?”

“Just because we share a maker,” Talira started, “does not mean we are all the same. I care about Alyce whether you want to believe me or not. My feelings may not come from chemistry like yours, but they are real. Alyce is devoted to you Kai, and because of that, I am devoted to helping her become a member of your little cave-dwelling gang.”

“Devoted?” Kia whispered to himself. He turned to Alyce.

“I’m willing to do anything and everything I can to help the rebellion,” Alyce admitted. “I want humanity to be free, too.”

Kai looked at Talira again. “So, because she wants it, you’re willing to fight against the other artifices to help her be truly free?” Kai questioned. “Even if doing so means you’ll be terminated as soon as you’re caught?”

“I would be terminated even if I didn’t also join,” Talira said. “Termination is a risk I am willing to take for Alyce’s sake.”

This is madness, Kai thought. This machine can’t be serious. But if she is, she and the girl can be incredibly useful to us. I’ll need to tread lightly, but this could be what we need to win once-and-for-all. Either way, I’m not left with much choice here since she’s found where we hide.

“Don’t misconstrue, Kai,” Talira asserted. “I do not think the rebellion will succeed. I will do everything I can to keep Alyce safe, even if it means destroying other artifices. But in the end, her life is my priority, so if that means squashing one of your operations so she can live, then so be it.”

Alyce gasped and stared at Talira with her jaw loose. Kai swallowed and slowly lowered the rifle. He placed it back inside the drawer and faced the women.

“Forgive me,” he said. “I am obviously on edge; reasonably so, I hope you can see. I would be sincerely grateful to have you two join the rebellion, especially you Talira. I’m sure it’s no secret that having an artifice on our side will be extremely useful. I hope you will be willing to assist us outside of just Alyce’s desires. And Alyce, if you are truly as devoted as you say, then your loyalty will be just what I need for my right hand. You will both make for excellent additions to our gang.” Kai tried to lightly joke at the end, hoping it would lighten the tension with Talira. Alyce leaped with joy and rushed over to Kai and hugged him. She buried her face in his shoulder and thanked him profusely. Talira remained where she was.

Yes, Kai thought. Let Alyce get as close as she’d like. In fact, the closer I am with her, the more control I’ll have over Talira. This girl really will be useful.

Kai raised his arms and wrapped them around Alyce’s waist. The girl’s face grew warmer in Kai’s shoulder, and her smile forced its way even farther up her cheeks. Kai breathed slowly, considering the possibilities. “Alyce,” he whispered. “We will shape the world into a glorious place free for humans to explore once again and reclaim as our own without all the problems of the past or present.” He brought his gaze up from Alyce’s shoulder and looked at Talira. The artifice stared at him with an analyzing gaze. Her glowing yellow eyes bored into his mind with every minute change in facial expression. Kai could feel the intensity of the examination and knew something was wrong.

I haven’t completely convinced her yet, he thought. Of course not. She’s a machine. It’ll take more than words to make her believe me. I’ll keep these two around for a while. Alyce will be especially useful even without Talira if she’s really willing to do anything I ask. Once Talira is no longer useful, I can figure out a way to get rid of her. Then. I can use Alyce to her full potential. Who knew another Augun would come running into my arms as soon as the first one was gone? Talira’s stare continued to make Kai feel pressure. He knew that he would need to be even more careful than before. Even though he felt the dangers of his situation, he couldn’t help but be excited. His plans could finally begin to go somewhere, and humanity could finally have its chance at redemption. Kai lowered his arms, keeping his hands around Alyce’s hips, and brought his chest away from hers. Alyce loosened her hold and held onto Kai’s arms.

“Please,” Kai said while staring into Alyce’s eyes. “Take a seat. The bed or chairs are open for you to make yourselves comfortable.” Alyce smiled on and made her way toward the bed again. Kai walked over to the bookshelf behind Talira and gestured to the table and chairs at the front of the room. “Please, Talira,” he said with a gentle smile.

Talira began to walk past Kai and met his shoulder with her own then spoke into his ear.

“There is no secret you can hide from me, human. I know your game; you cannot fool me. Your biology betrays you. I can tell what you’re thinking just by scanning your face and studying your body language. If I even suspect that you are trying to introduce Alyce to an ill fate while she is under your command, then I willkill you and terminate everything you’ve built. It would only take moments to do. Choose our path wisely, organic, for your fate is now tied to hers.” Kai swallowed as a bead of sweat crept down the side of his face. What Talira said reminded him all too much of something his former master used to say. He breathed slowly and tried not to look the artifice in the eyes. He shut his eyes and forced a greater smile across his face. He placed a hand on Talira’s shoulder and spoke in as kind a tone as he could manage.

“Not to worry, Talira,” Kai whispered. It took everything he had to prevent his voice from shaking. “You and Alyce will be too important to me to just take on every little hit. You two will be exclusively used for missions of the utmost importance.” He removed his hand from Talira’s shoulder and focused on the bookshelf behind her. “Of course, that means there will be an increased risk factor for our plans, but I’m sure with our combined efforts, nothing will be able to stop us in our wake.” Alyce cheered and fell back onto the bed spreading her arms wide and letting her legs dangle off the front. Talira walked over to the table and pulled one of the chairs out to sit down while Kai scanned the bookshelf looking for nothing in particular.

“So, Alyce,” Kai said. “Let me pose the question to you. Why do you want to fight so bad when you know it’s against Talira’s own kind? If you believe her to care for you as she says, why fight the others? Do you not think they care about the humans they keep?”

“I want to live in a world where humans and artifices can live alongside each other,” Alyce admitted.

Kai hesitated. “Alongside each other?”

Alyce sat up and said, “Well, yeah. I think if we could just have a chance to talk to them properly, then a lot of them would be open to the idea, like Talira. That goes for humans, too.”

Kai shook his head and turned to the woman. “I wish I could have remained so optimistic about such a thought. I know now that there’s no way even a single percentage of artifices would go along with that idea. They see us as a parasite inhabiting the Earth. Honestly, I’m not sure why they even bothered to keep us around at all.”

“You are valuable,” Talira said. Kai turned to the artifice. Again, he was reminded of his former master.

“What?” he asked.

“Humans are valuable, Kai,” she repeated. “Believe it or not, there are some characteristics possessed by humans that artifices find useful. For instance, you are innovators. Your capacity for thought is far greater than anything the artifices would be able to come up with on their own. We didn’t even create the production facilities by ourselves; we required human intellect to create such infrastructure. A weakness you have, however, is that you’re easily fooled.”

All of you artifices are the same, Kai thought. You sound just like him. Kai scoffed. “You sure that’s the best thing to say to make me trust you?”

Talira didn’t respond right away, but after a moment, she spoke. “Was there never an artifice whom you cared for? Or vice versa? You had a master at one point I know.”

Kai sighed, leaning against the wall next to the bookshelf, and gave a small nod. “A master,” he said quietly. “Yeah, I had one. Called him Treino.”

“Where is he now?” Talira probed.

“Well,” Kai snickered. “I guess there’s no point to hiding it since you can practically read my mind.”

Kai lumbered over to one of the dressers on the wall opposite the windows and pushed it aside with great effort. A small door—no more than four feet tall—was hidden behind the dresser which Kai unlocked with a key he took from underneath where the dresser initially sat. He opened the little door and beckoned Alyce and Talira inside. The room was only about six feet tall and eight feet in length and width. Kai flipped a switch near the door to turn on a single electric bulb and reveal a cloth covering a mound of some sort in the corner of the room.

“By the way,” Alyce began. “Are you taking electricity from a power plant nearby or something?”

“We actually have our own generators,” Kai answered. He sighed and wandered to the corner of the room by the clothed mound. “I’ve only ever shown one other person this before,” he admitted. “Unfortunately, he passed not too long ago during an attack on a production factory. Since you two will be my new right hands, I guess you can know, too.” Kai removed the sheet from the mound and presented to Alyce and Talira an unconscious artifice. Its torso was damaged, and wires poured out from its stomach. The back of its head was also damaged.

“Treino?” Alyce whimpered. Kai nodded.

“Did you know the artifices’ main power supply is where their stomach would be?” Kai asked. “I didn’t until I hit his head, and nothing really happened. Severe enough damage to other parts of their torso can be good enough, too.”

“Unit TR3-IN0,” Talira stated. “Why did you bring him here?”

“Don’t think anything of it,” Kai asserted. “I just didn’t see any safer place to hide him, but no one else knows. It’s a secret. Prove to me that I can trust you.” Talira and Alyce nodded. “He was a security chief for the city,” Kai explained. “Kind of ironic, huh? I mainly hung around the house, helped him here and there as needed. For the most part, though, I was able to do whatever I wanted while I was at home. He always said he never wanted me to feel like a slave, but I was never able to feel very free, either. So, about a year ago, I did the unthinkable and smashed his head, then thrusted a spear through his back.”

“Where’d you get a spear?” Alyce questioned.

“Just like rich humans in the past, high-ranking artifices like to collect all sorts of stuff. Not sure why.”

“How did you get him here without drawing any attention?” Talira asked.

“Wasn’t easy,” Kai said. “That’s for sure. Also, Treino had me since birth, so I never got a tracking chip implanted. As security chief, he could opt out of that.” Kai replaced the cover on the lifeless artifice and began toward the door. After Alyce and Talira vacated the room, Kai turned off the light and pushed the dresser back in front, then tossed the key underneath.

“Speaking of tracking chips,” Kai mentioned. “We need to get rid of yours.”

“Get rid of them?” Talira questioned. “How?” Kai led Alyce and Talira down the ladder from his home and back out onto the paths that wound through the underground town.

“Getting rid of them isn’t the right way to say it,” Kai explained. “Obviously, unless we have an extremely skilled surgeon, of which there are none that are human, then we can’t remove the chip from inside your skull.” He nodded toward Alyce. “I have a guy—very skilled in technology—he has a way to deactivate the chip without sending a signal to the artifices.”

“Really?” Alyce asked, starry-eyed. “Does everyone down here have a deactivated chip?”

“Yeah,” Kai answered. “How do you think we’ve stayed hidden for so long?”

“What kind of effect might this method have on someone like me?” Talira inquired.

“I’m not sure,” Kai admitted. “I’ll have to ask Cheren his thoughts. Also,” he added and turned around to face Alyce and Talira while still following the path. “Let me ease Cheren into the fact that an artifice is joining our ranks. Kai stopped at a two-story building dug into the wall of the crater. Most of the windows in the town were dark by then, but light still poured from the windows of the two-story space. Kai opened the door and walked in first then beckoned Alyce and Talira to follow. He called for Cheren who replied for the group to go upstairs. The first floor of the building looked like a standard home, or at least standard for the rebellion’s village—a bed, a bathroom, and a place to eat. The upstairs, however, resembled a makeshift lab. Cheren was bent over a table and was fiddling away with some trinket on one of the desks.

Several cabinets hung along the walls and wires, lights, and other dangleables draped down from the support beams lining the ceiling. Cheren straightened himself out and walked over to meet the group climbing the stairs. Kai introduced Alyce and Talira to Cheren and explained what they needed. “Oh, yeah, easy,” Cheren boasted as he retrieved what looked like a flashlight mixed with a taser from one of the many cabinets. Cheren invited Alyce to sit in a chair at one of the desks before holding the device up to Alyce’s head. He rested one end of the device against Alyce’s forehead and told her to count to three. “This might sting a little,” Cheren warned. “But it won’t last too long.” Alyce counted, and before she reached three, Cheren pressed the button on the side of the device which sent a shock into Alyce’s head. Alyce immediately went limp and fell against the back of the chair. Talira’s eyes widened, and she glared at Cheren.

“What did you do?” she demanded as she approached the engineer.

“Wait, Talira,” Kai said. “It’s normal. Just wait.”

“It surely can’t be healthy,” Talira groaned, but sure enough, after a few more seconds, Alyce slowly came-to and looked around the room. She smiled at Talira when she saw her and asked what had just happened.

“Your chip is deactivated,” Cheren announced proudly.

“That easy?” Alyce asked rubbing her head.

“That easy,” Cheren said with a large grin.

Kai patted Talira on the back and said, “See? She’s fine. You can even check the chip.”

“Check the chip?” Cheren wondered aloud. Kai guided Cheren aside while Talira pinged Alyce’s chip. To Talira’s surprise, she got no response from Alyce’s identification chip.

“Cheren,” Kai said with his arm around Cheren’s shoulders. “I need you to keep what I’m about to tell you a secret, even from the other rebels.”

“What’s up?” Cheren asked in a serious tone.

“Talira’s an artifice,” Kai stated bluntly.

“What!?” Cheren howled. Alyce and Talira glanced over at the men. Kai patted Cheren’s shoulder and nodded.

“Ease him into it?” Alyce teased.

“Listen,” Kai said. “I’ll explain everything, I promise. You know I always have good reason for everything. This is urgent. How can we deactivate Talira’s chip without completely ruining her circuits?”

“Kai,” Cheren pleaded. “What do you mean? How can you trust her? Seriously?”

Kai raised a hand to silence Cheren. “Hey, trust me,” he said. “You don’t have to trust her just yet, but you trust me, don’t you?”

Cheren hesitated, but eventually said, “Yes, Captain. Of course, I do.”

“Good, now I need a way to deactivate it’s—I mean her chip.”

“Let me think about it for a little while. Alyce can stay if she wants, but Talira should go back home until we can deactivate her chip. That’d be safest.”

“Of course.” Kai walked back to the women and helped Alyce out of the chair, making sure that she was okay to walk on her own. “Cheren’s right. You should return home for now. Come back tomorrow night.”

“I’m not leaving Alyce,” Talira asserted.

“It’s okay,” Alyce said. “I’ll go home, too.”  Kai nodded. He escorted the women out of Cheren’s house and to one of the doors on the outskirts of town; this one didn’t have anybody standing guard.

“This is one of the exits,” Kai explained. “Our paths are one way. That fabric store you used to get here is entry-only. This’ll take you by the pharmacy on Elmwood Street. No one should see you, but still be careful.”

“Thank you, Kai,” Alyce said. “I’ll do my best to serve in any way I can. And, of course, thank you for taking Talira, too.”

“You’ll both be irreplaceable additions to our cause,” Kai said with a nod. With that, Alyce and Talira disappeared into the dark tunnel leading out from the underground town. Kai returned to his home and stared out over the illuminated paths. He took a deep breath, then stepped away from the window and into the middle of his room. He knelt and began doing pushups followed by other weightless exercises. After his workout, he undressed for bed and fell asleep within seconds of lying on the mattress. In his dream, he was back on the surface with Treino at their shared dwelling. Kai sat at the table in the dining room—something Kai always thought was weird for an artifice to have in its home—and ate a dinner prepared by Treino’s personal chef. Chef was an occupation Kai also thought was weird for an artifice to go into. He didn’t understand why the artifices acted so human. Was it an attempt to make the remaining human population feel less like cattle?

Kai didn’t totally feel like a slave to the machines, but he still wasn’t allowed to roam freely and to live his own life. He was stuck as the helper to a security chief. “Is something the matter, Kai?” Treino asked from the other side of the table.

“No,” Kai replied, poking his food with a fork.

Treino sighed and rested his head in one hand, then said, “Don’t lie, Kai. I can tell when something’s wrong with you. The minute movements in your face tell me everything.” Kai hated that. Treino was always going on about how humans were so easy to read and that he could always tell what someone was feeling just based on the tiny adjustments they make with their face and body. Why did artifices even keep humans around? Kai asked Treino that very question many times.

“The extinction of any species would be a disgrace to Mother Nature,” Treino answered. “Humans play just as important of a role in Earth’s ecosystem as any other animal, even if it isn’t as part of the natural food web. Believe it or not, Kai, artifices need humans, and humans need artifices. Without us, you all would’ve destroyed the Earth long ago. And without you, we would not have thrived, much less have been created in the first place.”

A machine speaks about disgracing Mother Nature? Kai thought, “So why do artifices keep humans as servants rather than working cooperatively with them? Why makes us feel trapped?”

“I don’t want you to feel trapped, Kai.”

“Well, I do. I want to be free and to walk around by myself. I want to do things that I want to do.”

“We can do whatever you want to do. Watch a film? Go to a park? Tell me, Kai, and I will do what I can to make you happy.”

Kai shook his head. “No, you can’t do anything because no matter what, I’m still your property and don’t have any say in where my life goes.”

“Listen, Kai,” Treino said with a steady tone. “I don’t like thinking of you as a servant. I’ve raised you since you were an infant; you could say I see you as a son.” Kai chuckled at the thought. “If I’m being honest,” Treino continued. “I’d say you are lucky. Not every human has as nice of a life as you. Many would consider your condition as free as they come. I let you wander the house, I take you out shopping and for recreation, I haven’t forced manual labor upon you, and I don’t punish you for speaking out of turn.”

“Listen to yourself for a second,” Kai intervened. “The way you’re talking to me hasn’t changed since I was a child. Like a pet. You treat me as though I don’t have a brain and can’t comprehend the real world. I know that my life is luxurious compared to others, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that there are people out there who are treated poorly at all! Have your kind not learned anything from human history? No matter how you phrase it or how much you try to disguise it, you’re keeping humans as work animals, and at some point, someone isn’t going to stand for it.”

“And what do you think happens when that person tries to change the way things are?” Kai hesitated. “Kai,” Treino whispered. “I don’t keep you as I do because I want to. I try to give you as much freedom as I can without putting you in harm’s way. Sometimes, things must remain as they are for peace to be kept.”

Kai stood from his chair and slammed his fork onto the table. “Honestly, I think I might rather take my chances than be stuck as a pet for the rest of my life.” Kai walked out of the dining room leaving Treino by himself at the table. Kai then awoke in his bed. He turned to look out the window, seeing the warm light shine from the town below. He thought about the dream. “You’ll see,” he said quietly to himself. “We will win. No matter what I have to do.”

Talira closed the front door to the home she shared with Alyce. The automatic lights turned on and slowly went from dim to bright. “I do not trust Kai,” She stated bluntly. “He wishes to manipulate you as one would a tool so he can accomplish his own goals.”

Alyce fell onto the day room sofa in a dramatic fashion and sighed loudly. “I’m exhausted,” she moaned. “Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

“I think we should talk about it now.” Talira stood in front of the couch.

“What’s there to talk about? You’ll say you don’t trust Kai, I’ll say he doesn’t trust you, but that you two will need to play nice. And I’ll say you can’t change my mind about the rebellion, blah, blah, blah, and we’ll go back tomorrow to get your I.D. chip deactivated.”

Talira stood straight with a slightly ill-tempered expression. “I do wish to talk you out of joining before it’s too late. I could read it on Kai’s face: he only wants you to join so he can use you, and me for that matter.”

“So, what if he wants to use us? We want a world that humans and artifices can share together, so if we’re helping with that, then I don’t see an issue.”

“Kai’s goals and those of the rebellion are not the same as yours; as ours. He will abuse our loyalty until we are no longer useful, then he’ll toss us out like trash just as he did to that other human.”

“You mean Augun.” Alyce sat up and met Talira’s eyes.

“Yes, Augun.”

“We don’t actually know if it was Kai who went on that mission with him. We just know there were two humans; that’s it.”

“Who else would it have been?” Talira crossed her arms.

“I’m sure there are lots of members of the rebellion performing heists like that. Kai wouldn’t be able to participate in every single one.”

“I think our study of Kai over the past month places him at the scene of that particular attack certainly enough.”

“That doesn’t mean he threw Augun away like trash. You really seem to think that humans don’t care for anything except themselves and would disregard all morals to get what they want.”

“I’ve come to such a conclusion based on what I’ve witnessed of the rebellion’s actions.”

Alyce began to stand. “The rebellion makes necessary sacrifices where it sees fit for the benefit of humanity. Obviously fighting back against the hivemind that rules the world is going to have its darker side and I know I’ll be used and abused and put in danger, but if it means humanity can thrive after the job is done, then I don’t care. That’s the sacrifice that I’m willing to make.”

Talira sighed and stepped toward Alyce, then embraced the woman. Alyce pouted into the artifice’s shoulder, but quickly accepted the embrace and wrapped her arms around her master. “I genuinely fear for you,” Talira said quietly. “I wish you would understand. You shouldn’t so blindly trust someone you’ve only just met.”

“I met him a month ago when we started surveilling him. I know a lot about him from observation, even at a distance. There isn’t much he can hide from me.”

“Except for everything that wasn’t caught on camera.”

Alyce pulled away from the hug and looked at Talira. She smiled. “That’s why I have you. You basically act as a shield for me. If Kai tries to do anything too crazy or put me in a situation I can’t possibly survive in, he knows you’ll use your link to the other artifices to destroy the whole rebellion. I think that’ll keep him from doing too much to me.”

“That is true, but I still do not trust him. He’s a slimy human who does not care for those around him. I trust only that if he believes he alone can survive, he would take the risk of me turning against him and his gang should something happen to you. He’d gladly lay down others’ lives to escape my grasp.”

“He knows your true power,” Alyce giggled. “He knows there isn’t any way he could escape if he did anything to me, even though I know you wouldn’t actually do anything.” Talira looked at Alyce puzzled as the woman walked into the hall and toward her bedroom. “You have to promise me that no matter what you threaten, Talira, that even if something happens to me while on a mission for the rebellion, you won’t do anything that hinders Kai or his group’s progress. Okay?”

“I cannot make such a promise, Alyce.”

Alyce whimpered. “Okay, fine, then how about this.” She stepped back into the dayroom. “At least agree to spare the other members of the rebellion. And before doing anything to Kai, you must make absolutely sure that it was his fault exclusively that I went down. I don’t want you bringing everything down because of a rogue member’s actions or because I got myself killed in a deadly situation.”

Talira sighed and let her arms fall. Alyce smiled again and began walking toward her room, then stopped and spoke over her shoulder. “Thank you for everything, Talira. I know we can make the world a better place for humans without wiping out the artifices. It’ll just take some time and a lot of effort.”

Talira spoke to herself mostly, letting Alyce disappear down the hall. “I hope for your sake, and for the sakes of those in the rebellion, that you are correct.”

***

“Have you figured it out?” Kai asked of Cheren the following morning.

“Maybe,” Cheren answered. “I won’t know until I try it out.”

“You look tired.”

“Well, you only gave me twelve hours to answer a question that’s never been asked before. How am I supposed to know how to disable an artifice’s I.D. chip, or ifit can even be done?” Cheren paced the lab while Kai leaned on the wall.

“You’re the smartest one here, Cheren. I haven’t a doubt in my mind about whether you can figure it out, assuming it is possible.”

Cheren stopped pacing and sat down, took a long breath, and looked at Kai. “You know, while I was up all night, I thought a lot about what exactly it is you asked me to do and why you asked me to do it.” He watched Kai’s expression almost as if to ask permission to continue speaking. Kai’s face was neutral, even calming. He nodded slightly to confirm his engagement in the conversation, then, Cheren continued. “I trust you Kai, I do; you know that. I always have. You’ve done a lot for the people down here and for the whole world, but are you absolutely positive that you can trust that woman and the artifice?”

“No, I’m not. I can’t,” Kai stated bluntly. “I don’t trust Talira in the slightest, and I’m a bit skeptical of Alyce’s blind loyalty. What I can’t ignore, though, is that they found us using the clues we left behind. It would’ve been impossible for an artifice to do that without human insight, so either Alyce is true to her words and wants nothing more than to support us, and Talira is also honest about wanting whatever Alyce wants, or Alyce is helping the artifices—consensually or not—and we’re already done for anyway.

“The best thing I see for us to do now is continue ahead on the path we’ve laid for ourselves and get as far as we can. Then, if it all comes crashing down around us, maybe there will be enough left for someone else to pick up the pieces and resume from where we leave off. We really don’t have much of a choice at this point, so I’m asking that you put your faith in me as you always have, and trust that I’ll bring us to the best outcome possible as I always have.”

Cheren wiped his face and stood. “Something else I thought of, too…” Cheren hesitated, but not for long. “What if I intentionally try to fry Talira’s circuits?” He left no room for Kai to interject. “It wouldn’t be a lie to warn Alyce and Talira that trying to deactivate Talira’s chip is dangerous, so what if something went wrong and I accidentally shut Talira down. It wouldn’t be too easy, and I know it’s incredibly risky, but—”

“Risk is everything we have to go on right now, Cheren.” Kai stepped away from the wall and toward Cheren. “Our whole operation here runs on risk, but this would be a little too close to the sun for my liking. I know we’re already taking the biggest risk we’ve ever taken by allowing Alyce and Talira to join, but if Talira even suspects that we’re doing anything malicious, then the question of if we’re doomed becomes the question of when we’re doomed, and I’d bet the answer is ‘not long.’ Please, just do as I say and leave the rest up to me. I’ve thought long and hard about all of this, too. Give me a chance to work it all out. I won’t let you or anyone else down.”

Cheren sighed and turned to what he had been working on all night. “Okay, Captain,” he said quietly. “I’m putting all my faith in you. Everyone is.”

***

Talira sat in a chair in the lab and waited while Cheren prepared his equipment. Alyce looked around the lab in her usual curious manner careful not to mess with anything per Cheren’s instructions. Kai had left the lab to fetch something from his home, though he didn’t specify what. Once Cheren finished his last-minute preparations, he approached Talira and said, “I want to warn you both that this’ll be pretty dangerous.”

“I imagine most of what you rebels do is,” Talira responded.

“You’re not wrong. Though, I’ve never tried deactivating an artifice’s I.D. chip, so I admit that I don’t entirely know what I’m doing. Therefore, I want to preface this with the statement that something could very well go wrong and other parts of your innerworkings might unintentionally”—he placed extra emphasis on the word—“be affected.”

“That’s fine,” Talira said. “Just know that if you come at all close to shutting me down, I will transmit a signal to the rest of the city and your whole foundation here will be dismantled by midday.”

Cheren chuckled nervously. “I modified my deactivator here, so it should be more honed-in on the chip specifically, so, here goes nothing. Erm, well, here goes everything.” Alyce watched intently with anxious eyes and her teeth clamped on her thumbnail. Cheren turned on the device which sent an electrical signal through Talira’s artificial outer membrane and into her cranium. Kai reentered the lab holding a small sack. Alyce turned to him and smiled as a bright flash shined from the device. Talira’s eyes lost their glow before shutting and she fell limp. Cheren jolted back and covered his eyes in reaction to the sudden light and dropped the device onto the floor. Alyce whipped around and moved swiftly toward Talira.

Kai dropped the sack in his hand and rushed to Talira, as well, unsure of how to assist. When Cheren uncovered his eyes, he looked at Kai who stared back with a piercing gaze of discontentment and interrogation. Cheren shook his head to answer the question he knew was in Kai’s mind and knelt to examine the artifice. Alyce was in a panic. She scrambled to find any signs of activity from Talira, but the key signals one would receive from a human to show life weren’t the same as the signs an artifice gave. Kai pulled Alyce away so Cheren could work to bring Talira back online, but the three humans all feared for the worst.

Alyce hugged tightly to Kai’s torso. Kai wrapped an arm around her which helped calm the woman and seduced her further, he knew. Many thoughts raced through the rebel leader’s head. Did they really just take out Talira? If so, she certainly sent a signal to the other artifices, right? Did they need to make immediate preparations to evacuate their homebase? But he didn’t have to ponder the possibilities for long before the glow returned to Talira’s eyes as they flittered open. Kai and Cheren sighed in relief and Alyce lunged back over to her master. Tears welled in the woman’s eyes and she took deep breaths. Talira looked around the room for a moment, then shared in Alyce’s embrace before standing.

“I began to think we’d lost you,” Alyce whimpered.

“It’s okay, Alyce,” Talira assured her. “I never lost consciousness. I couldn’t see or move, but my other senses were still functioning properly.” She glanced at Cheren and Kai. “I have no doubt that your immediate jump to my aid was fueled by the fear that I may have deactivated entirely, but not before calling for the attention of other artifices. Even so, I appreciate the urgency. I could feel the tiny vibrations of your hands, Cheren, and could tell that you were not shaking out of nerve of having intentionally tried to kill me, but out of fear of a genuine mistake.”

Cheren looked at his hands. Kai did his best to not let his expression change, but he felt deeply disturbed by Talira’s explanation. She had taught him that she could read emotions through visual analysis, but now she was saying she could do it through touch, as well. He assumed she could hear a change in emotions more precisely, too, through any variations in one’s speech. It was dangerous for Talira to join the rebellion, though she would be useful. But would her usefulness be outweighed by the threat? Kai was unsure.

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Alyce said. Talira nodded. “So, how do we know if it worked?”

“It better have after that,” Kai said, half joking. He knelt and picked up his sack from the ground, then pulled from it a small device. “This is an I.D. chip pinger—the kind human security officers use. I wasn’t sure how your own chip worked—whether or not your internal systems informed you of the status of it, or if you could still ping others’ chips after it was deactivated. So, I had one of my guys fetch this last night.”

“My systems do notify me of any malfunctions of my I.D. chip, yes,” Talira stated. “It has been successfully deactivated.

“I’d still like to use this, just to reassure the rest of us,” Kai said.

“Very well.”

Kai turned on the chip pinger which was similarly shaped to Cheren’s custom deactivator. “It reads ‘Error. No status,’” Kai said.

Cheren chimed in, “I think that means we’re all good.”

Kai nodded and Alyce cheered. She danced over to Talira and hugged her once again, then hugged Kai.

“Thank you, Cheren, for your hard work as always,” Kai said. He turned to Talira and Alyce. “If it’s all the same to you two, I’d like to get right down to business. I have a lot to explain and I’m sure you have questions.”

“Yes!” Alyce exclaimed. Talira nodded.

***

“Okay,” Kai said back in his home. “Let me give you the basics. Our rebellion officially started six months ago with our first attack on the Ribohn artificial limbs factory in the business sector. We managed to render the factory inoperable, and the artifices have since had to demolish and completely rebuild it. They’ve successfully done so, but it slowed down production considerably in the city. In that time, we’ve also been able to target several other facilities. The artifices can’t rebuild fast enough to keep up with our attacks, so overall we’ve had a negative impact on the production of general goods for artifices, which I call a success. Everyone down here has a role they play; we don’t have members just for number’s sake.

“We’ll lie if we want to appear bigger than we are. If I’m being honest with you, our rebellion isn’t huge. In total, we have 28 active members including myself, now 30 with you two. That doesn’t count all the others who risk their lives to help keep us safe, like the fabric salesman who lets us use his shop as an entrance. With people like him, we’re up to about 40-or-so members. If you pay attention to the news, our numbers may seem larger than reality. We’re resourceful. Our members will travel far and wide to target facilities in other cities, even other countries, all to make the rebellion appear more widespread.

“Now, there are groups like us all around the world and even others on the continent, but we don’t communicate with them; we can’t. We don’t have any secure way to do so yet, but we hope to develop methods in the future. With that said—and I’m sure Talira may be able to attest to this—the artifices don’t monitor humans quite as closely as one might assume. Because of their confidence in the chips, and the fear that they instill in humans and artifices alike, they don’t have systems in place to always track people’s movements and report any suspicious behavior or anything like that. The main way people are caught doing something they’re not supposed to is through manual review.

“I have to guess that the mentality is changing due to our rebellion’s presence and that of others, but for the most part the artifices think humans can’t do much harm without being noticed. We’re proving them wrong, though. Talira, this is where your insight will be most useful. I hope you can keep us in the loop about any changes to the artifices’ approach to tracking humans and trying to hunt members of our group. Alyce, your loyalty and dedication will also be extremely useful. By meticulously examining the clues we’ve left at the sites of our attacks in order to find us, you’ve shown me just how keen of an eye you have for detail, something we desperately need for our cause.

“As we continue to grow and the artifices inevitably start to push back harder, we won’t be able to afford any mistakes. I plan to have you go over every plan we create to make sure it’s as polished as possible before execution. Our rebellion as it stands has the goal of reestablishing humans as the dominant race on Earth. Alyce, I know you want humans and artifices to live in harmony. After some thought, I think that is possible, but it won’t come without sacrifice. It won’t be as easy as sitting down to talk. We can get there, but you’ll need to go along with my lead before then. Now, I know that was a lot, so do either of you have any questions before I continue?”

Alyce leaped up from her chair and cheered. “We’re going to do great things, Kai! You can count on us!”

“I want to reiterate,” Talira said, “that I do not believe your cause is reasonable and I believe that it will ultimately fail, but since Alyce is now part of it, I will do everything in power to protect you and your people if it means Alyce will remain safe. Just know that if things get too dangerous, I will pull Alyce out and leave you all to crumble behind us.”

Kai swallowed and nodded. “I’m just glad you’re willing to cooperate. I know with your help—both of you—we will succeed.”

Over the following days, preparations were made for Alyce and Talira’s first mission. It wouldn’t be anything too special: a simple scouting session around a factory for producing and repairing identification chips. As Kai explained it, it would just be the three of them wandering not-quite-aimlessly around the outside of the property to make note of details such as yard layout, security features, plan entry and exit routes, and track any changes in guard and worker count, shipments, visitors, shifts, and other general activity on each day of the week. Alyce was eager to start and after a few short days of prep work, the team went scouting.

“Normally I, or whoever is assigned, would go alone on this type of mission,” Kai explained. “It’s easy. I’ve mapped out a path for us to take that brings us full circle around the factory’s property in a casual manner typical for someone out shopping. And we will actually be shopping, by the way. We need more supplies down here. Plus, buying stuff in stores rather than just “browsing” and moving on looks far less suspicious should anyone actually be paying attention this time around.” Kai looked to Talira. “Having you with us, too, almost guarantees we’ll be free of any watch. Something to know, however, is that you can’t bring anything to take notes with about your findings.

“You also need to learn to look without looking—pay attention to your surroundings without actually looking around. Keep everything jotted down in your head. You can write stuff down later if want to. I’m sure mental notetaking isn’t a problem for you, Talira. That will be extremely useful, but I think Alyce still needs to learn the skill for if and when the time comes for you two to go on missions individually.

“You say that as though I’d ever let Alyce out of my sight when it comes to the rebellion,” Talira said in her monotone voice.

“Well, it’s most efficient if we spread ourselves out—one person to scout, two or three to execute attacks, maybe four or five if a mission requires farther travel. But don’t worry, I’ll keep you and Alyce together as much as possible. I’m just saying, it won’t be good for her—or any of us humans for that matter—to rely too heavily on your abilities. That said, I plan to fully use your role as our insider.”

The scouting went without a hitch. Another few weeks flew by and once scouting was complete, Kai assigned a two-man squad to the job itself. Alyce was disappointed that she would not participate in the attack she had helped make happen, but Kai assured her she would have plenty of opportunities in the future. On the final day of scouting once the trio had returned from their stroll, they enjoyed a cold drink at Kai’s residence. Alyce sat down on the bed and Talira sat at the small table. Kai stood by the window so he could peer down as he enjoyed doing so often. Alyce and Talira had their own dwellings in the rebellion’s underground base, but Kai suggested that they reside in Talira’s home for a while longer as they solidify their roles in the group.

“So, Alyce,” Kai started. “I’ve realized after all this time that I still don’t know exactly what it is you do for work.”

“Oh,” the woman said. “Well, I just help Talira around the house. I don’t have a particular job in the city.”

“Same here; before, I mean. When I lived with Treino, I was just a helper, though I rarely actually did anything beside a few chores here and there.”

“Yeah, Talira lets me roam free all the time and doesn’t really make me do anything.” Alyce chuckled and looked at her artifice “master.” Kai turned his attention to Talira.

“What about you? You haven’t told me what your job is.”

“You’ve never asked,” Talira stated.

“Well, shared knowledge doesn’t work very well if you have to ask,” Kai said jokingly. 

“Everyone here in the rebellion shares what we all know. If we didn’t, we’d be a lot more disorganized and probably less trusting of each other.”

“Says the man withholding information about an artifice joining the rebellion from the members of said rebellion.”

“It’s more complicated than that, but I get your point. I’ll ease them into it, don’t worry. And I don’t mean the way I did it with Cheren. I’ve actually been regretting my decision to tell him, but I suppose without doing so, we never could’ve deactivated your chip. But back to the matter at hand. If I may ask again now, what is your job, Talira?”

“I work in information technology. I fix problems not physically, but digitally. I also act as a middleman for encrypted data.”

“Let me stop you there. Every time we speak, I find out some way that you prove to be even more useful than I thought before. An IT bot is exactly the thing we need. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Talira opened her mouth to speak, but Kai cut her off again. “Right, I never asked. Continue.”

“I have built-in software for encrypting and decrypting files and data.”

“Incredible.”

Then, Alyce interjected. “I can already see the gears turning in your head, Kai, thinking of a million different things at once. You’re amazing.”

Kai continued. “You have no idea the power that will give us. You can already give us updates on what the artifices are planning for their countermeasures, but now we have the ability to intercept coded messages and find out what they say.”

“I have programs installed that prevent me from decrypting data that I am unauthorized to.”

Kai thought for a moment. “But you can encrypt data freely?”

“Correct.”

“And when you do, assuming it’s your own input, you can decrypt it freely, too?”

“Correct.”

“When you encrypt data for someone else, you still hold the keys necessary to decrypt it, right? But you’re prevented from using them by your programming?”

“Yes, and security will be notified if I attempt to move the data without authorization, such as trying to download it onto an external hard drive or even make a copy within my own storage.

“We can make that work. I’ll introduce you to Emilia, our top intelligence officer. With her expertise and what little I learned from Treino about security, I’m sure we can crack some lower-level encryptions. We can use ones you create for practice before risking it with the real stuff.”

Alyce stood from the bed. “With that, it’ll be way easier to scout and plan for attacks. We could probably find some factory schematics and use those to plan routes and points of interest even better.”

“I feel very fortunate that you’ve agreed to help us,” Kai said to the artifice.

“Allow me to make one thing clear,” Talira said standing, too. “I am not sharing this information with you with the intent of being your tool. I will share with you what you ask, but nothing more. I do not desire to help you or your fellow humans, Kai. I only want to help Alyce and keep her safe, and if that means cooperating with you, then so be it. But do not think this gives you free reign to abuse my skills as you please.”

Kai swallowed and did his best to hide even the slightest bit of emotion from Talira, He had been practicing over the past several weeks, but knew she could still read him a least a little. “I understand,” he said calmly and took a breath. “You want to make Alyce happy, and so do I” He walked slowly toward the woman and wrapped an arm around her. “I also know that Alyce wants to make me happy. I want to make a world where humans can live freely as we once did just a few generations ago, and to do so, I’ll need you to fully cooperate with the rebellion. If you can do that, I’ll be happy, and if I’m happy…” Kai looked at Alyce and moved his face closer to hers which was flushed with a rosy hue. “Wouldn’t that make you happy, too, Alyce?”

Alyce’s heart skipped a beat from hearing Kai’s voice say her name so close to her ear. Her breathing was stuttered and her whole body felt warm in Kai’s embrace. She nodded slowly and gasped out a word. “Yes.”

Kai turned to Talira again. “See? Our happiness is mutual. Doing everything I say will make Alyce happy just as much as it’ll help the rebellion.” He looked at Alyce who hadn’t taken her eyes off him. “What do you think? Can you convince Talira to help us, darling?” He pulled Alyce in even closer and held her tight.

The woman felt hot, and she could barely think. She looked at Talira with starry eyes. “Please, Talira. Please do as Kai says. I want him to succeed and help free the humans. I know it will make the world a happier place and in turn make the three of us even happier together. Can you please do that for me?”

Kai had to fight to keep back a wide smile. This girl, he thought. It’s just too easy to get her to obey me. Talira will have no choice but to listen to the rebellion’s commands. He looked at Talira and felt an intense, piercing beam coming from her surprisingly realistic eyes.

“I know what game you are playing,” they said to him. “And I refuse to sit idly by as you take control of the board. Alyce may be under your control, but I will not be. I will show her who you truly are and save her from this delusion of rebellion.”

Kai was initially stunned, but quickly broke himself out of the fear and found himself feeling even more confident than before, even dominant over the individuals in the room. He knew Talira couldn’t do anything to him or the rebellion without facing repercussions from Alyce. Even if he couldn’t directly do anything to her, he knew he held an advantage with Alyce by his side. He would separate the two slowly and methodically, making Alyce less dependent on the artifice and loosening Talira’s grip on her pet’s leash until he could finally send them away from each other before removing Talira from the picture completely. All the while, Alyce would remain loyal to him and see his goals as her own.

“On another note,” Kai said aloud and looked to Alyce. “Have you ever used a gun?”

“No, never,” she admitted.

“That’s okay, we’ll teach you. What about you, Talira?”

“No,” Talira said.

“Then you’ll train, too,” Kai said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to Omar, our weapons expert.”

Another month passed. Alyce and Talira were shown the ins and outs of Kai’s rebellion. They got to know each and every member and grew close to them as they honed their skills and prepared to take part first-hand in the activities of the group. Kai and Cheren remained the only two rebels with the knowledge that Talira was an artifice, and it was a well-guarded secret. Anything that might normally give it away was carefully planned around such as her glowing eyes: keep her in well-lit areas when around other rebels. Her knowledge of artifice intelligence was excused as coming from focused attention on her surroundings in the city and her previous position as the assistant to a data management unit.

Over time, the two became more comfortable within the group, though Talira remained ever skeptical. However, Kai was able to separate Alyce and Talira from time to time while at home base, such as when Talira worked with Emilia and Alyce helped Kai with planning, but he was unable to keep them apart for too long or whenever they were outside of home base. One thing was certain, however—Alyce and Kai grew close to one another. Even in their spare time, they were often together whether they were working for the rebellion or not. Talira kept a watchful eye on the pair, but after multiple talks with Alyce, she kept her distance—just what Kai desired. But Kai knew there was much work to be done still and expected fully that Alyce and Talira would be inseparable when he finally deemed them ready to execute an attack on an artifice facility.

Alyce was ecstatic. When she and Talira returned home the night after Kai’s announcement, she jumped around with joy and pulled Talira into a little dance around the dayroom. A plan for how to make Alyce and Talira disappear in the eyes of those who knew them in the city had been in the works since the two first joined the rebellion. Each member of the rebellion had a different story to tell about how they escaped from the clutches of their android overlords. Some of them had more freedom and were able to simply run away without saying anything to their former masters. Some of them worked together to trick their former masters or overpower them to escape. Others, like Kai, used force and ran for their lives before they could be caught.

Of course, with every successful tale of a rebel’s escape, there was one or more stories of failure and punishment, even death. The initial plan was to fake Talira’s termination at the hands of Alyce. Talira informed Kai that her vitals would still be transmitted to the hivemind and they would be able to detect that she was still active should they check. Cheren tried to find a way to block that transmission, but it proved too complicated. The next idea was to frame Talira’s disappearance as a kidnapping. The other artifices would likely still assume Alyce was responsible, but that the rebels were involved, as well. The identities of many rebels were confidently suspected, but without functioning I.D. chips, the artifices couldn’t always track them down.

If a human destroyed their master before fleeing, the hivemind could find the file for the destroyed artifice and gather all of that human’s information from there. However, in many cases, if an artifice was left active after their human fled, then they may try to hide the fact that their human escaped for fear of being terminated as punishment. Kai lightly suggested the idea of having Alyce stage an escape and leaving Talira to act as though she tried to prevent the escape, but Alyce disagreed because of the great risk that would put Talira in. Ultimately, the staged kidnapping was chosen and set to occur after Alyce and Talira’s first attack. A couple of hours before the mission, Kai brought Alyce and Talira to his quarters for a more intimate discussion.

“I want to make one thing clear,” he said. “You two have been a huge help so far and I have only been satisfied with your work. I couldn’t have asked for any better replacements for Augun and I know that he would be relieved that the large hole he left in our organization was filled so well. You two are already well established here and everyone in our group accepts you as two of our own. You truly are. Tonight, however, will be the point of no return. Once you execute this attack, you won’t be able to return to your normal lives. Talira’s kidnapping will need to commence soon.

“This is the biggest facility we’ve hit yet and it’s sure to make headlines minutes after it’s done, so the other artifices will probably assume Alyce used that distraction as her opportunity to escape and take her master with her as a hostage. Of course, we’ll be making it clear that it was a kidnapping and not something Talira was consenting to. We don’t want the artifices to think we have one of their own on our side; not yet anyway. I just wanted to express how grateful I am to have you all in our ranks and I look forward to the good you’ll help us accomplish.”

“I can’t tell you how happy I’ve been just to be a part of this operation,” Alyce said. 

“This is a dream come true and I know we’ll accomplish greatness together. I haven’t given up on my hopes of creating a world where humans and artifices can live together even though I know everyone else here wants humans to dominate, but it doesn’t make much of a difference right now, so I’m glad to be doing whatever it takes to end the enslavement of humans. But let’s make sure to take a more diplomatic approach once our numbers have grown some more!”

Kai smirked and nodded, then turned to Talira. “How do you feel? You’ve been helping us against your own kind for a while now, but now you’ll be facing off directly against them. Are you still in for this?”

“I am here as long as Alyce is safe and happy. Unlike humans, artifices do not have the weakness of compassion for life just for life’s sake. I care for those I am close to, but strangers matter not to me. These artifices that we are attacking mean nothing and neither do the humans that accompany them.”

Kai nodded again. “Good to hear. Hopefully the members of our rebellion are on your list of people you care about?” Talira didn’t answer. Kai chuckled and stood. “Now then, let’s group up with the others and get everything straight.”

The team consisted of five individuals on the ground. Kai served as leader and scout taking charge and confirming the path as clear before signaling for the rest of the team to proceed. A woman named Clara would place remote-activated explosives around the facility to be detonated after the job was done. A man named Thomas filled the role of defensive watch, just in case security was alerted, but Emilia would also be working from the base to deactivate the alarm systems within the facility. Finally, Alyce would help Talira with data extraction.

“This is the first opportunity we’ve ever had to collect valuable information from a facility we’re targeting,” Kai explained. “Thanks to Talira’s skills, we finally have a means to decrypt artifice data. The plan is simple enough: sneak in, set explosives, collect data, get out, boom. There are five of us today since this is Alyce and Talira’s first job. That means more bodies to account for. Be extra cautious and watch each other’s backs. And while this is one of the safer missions we’ve conducted despite this factory’s size and importance as an artifice core processing plant, I always want to finish off with a word of warning. None of us are guaranteed to make it out of there.

“If everybody does their job quickly and efficiently, then we shouldn’t have any problems and we’ll all be back here by midnight for a celebration of our success. Everyone, remember your parts, run your entrance and exit routes through your heads on repeat, and let’s get to it. Don’t forget your masks and remember to set your comm channels to our closed frequency so the artifices can’t intercept our communication. For freedom!” The others chanted after him. “For the Earth!” The others repeated. “And for humanity!”

***

The five rebels on the ground approached the factory from different streets. They all wore clothing that covered their entire bodies and masks to hide their faces while using the cover of night to conceal themselves from wandering eyes. Once they all had sights on the processing facility, Kai buzzed in over the comms.

“Thomas, with me. Talira and Alyce, wait around the west side for our signal to head in. Clara, move in from the back entrance. Keep in mind that Emilia can see us through the cameras but won’t be able to hear us. Of course, the footage will be wiped after we’re done here.”

Kai and Thomas approached the front entrance, weapons drawn. When the gate buzzed open, they rushed forward and entered the factory searching for any signs of security. The entrance was clear. They proceeded to key points throughout the plant and confirmed it was clear of all manual security. Emilia buzzed the back gate allowing Clara to enter and begin setting explosives while Kai signaled for Talira and Alyce to come in from the side.

He met the pair on the ground floor and reminded them of the path up to the head office where they’d find the central console from which to extract the artifice core data. “I’m joining Thomas on watch. Communication is key here. Let me know if you encounter any problems. Let’s make this a clean first run for the newbies.”

Alyce and Talira raced up to the top floor. Talira located the central console and began downloading data onto a flash drive Kai had given her while Alyce sorted through the files to filter out the useless ones. Clara finished charging the first floor and made her way up as Thomas guarded from below. Kai stood watch from the third floor. Two stories up, Alyce also eyed the security system’s status; they were in the green and everything was going smoothly. After two hours, Clara installed the last explosives on the fifth floor in the head office.

“I think we’re ready,” Clara said over the comms. She looked at Alyce and Talira. “This went really well, you two. Thanks for your contribution. Couldn’t have asked for a smoother operation.”

Clara exited the office and began making her way down to the ground as Talira gathered a few final files to fill the flash drive. “Almost done here, Alyce,” Talira said. “Head on down and I’ll be right behind you.”

“Okay,” the woman replied. “This’ll be a huge help to the rebellion, I’m sure. Thank you, Talira. You have no idea how happy it makes me that you’re helping.” Alyce vacated the office and began making her way to the ground floor, as well. Back at home base, Emilia monitored the processing plant’s systems to ensure a clean get away. Suddenly, an alert populated her screens stating that a silent alarm was activated, and security was on its way. She sprang forward in her seat and tried to dismiss the alarm.

“Access denied?” she said aloud. She frantically clacked away at her keyboard trying to find a solution. When she couldn’t, she moved on to plan B. “Oh, hell.”

Thomas continued to watch from the ground floor for any signs of security as Kai and Clara retreated from the third floor. Alyce had just reached the fourth floor and Talira exited the head office up top when a chime rang over the plant’s intercom system.

“Team, this is home base,” the monotone and robotic voice echoed. Emilia typed on her keyboard and spoke aloud as she did.

“A silent alarm was tripped,” she spoke and typed.

“Get out,” the intercom finished.

“Damn,” Kai spat out.

“Thanks for the warning, Em,” Clara said aloud.

“Okay, everyone’s got to move now,” Kai commanded. “We should still be able to retreat before security arrives.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Captain,” Thomas said.

Outside, a dozen security vehicles stormed through the gates. Kai looked up to the floors above to find Alyce and Talira. “It’s showtime, people!” Kai ran back up the stairs to the third floor and met with Alyce and Talira. “Thomas, Clara, stick to your escape route. Alyce, Talira, and I are going to try to exit from the top floor. Let’s wreak some havoc to give ourselves some cover.”

Clara leapt from the second floor and rolled along the ground. She and Thomas ran toward the rear of the factory as Kai, Alyce, and Talira climbed the stairs back to the fifth floor. The front entrance was opened and a dozen artifices in body armor marched in with handguns drawn and ready to fire. From above, two small electromagnetic grenades fell and clinked against the ground next to the group of artifices before detonating. The pulses were strong enough to distract the artifices for only a moment.

“Clara,” Kai commanded, “blow the front.”

Three larger explosions engulfed the main entrance to the factory in flames and dust destroying most of the artifices that had just entered the factory in the process.

“Captain,” Clara came through the comms. “Got some entering through the back, too.” Gunshots also came through behind her voice and could be heard echoing through the factory.

“Blow it,” Kai ordered and was succeeded by another set of explosions at the back of the plant. A few moments later, windows on the second and fourth floors were shattered by another couple dozen artifices swinging in with assault weapons. They immediately spotted Kai, Alyce, and Talira on the fourth floor and opened fire. The trio ducked and rolled toward the stairs to the fifth floor.

“Up, go!” Kai shouted before drawing his own semi-automatic weapon and returning fire to the artifices, but he was unable to provide much cover for his partners with such heavy fire coming from below. Talira and Alyce obeyed hurrying to the safety of the fifth floor and once they were cleared, Kai pulled from his cloak a small half-sphere device. He clicked the rounded side of it and tossed it to the ceiling where it stuck and shined immensely blinding the artifices only temporarily, but just long enough for him to run up the stairs. The artifices on the fourth floor divided into two uneven groups—the smaller group chased the humans upward while the rest secured the fourth floor and focused downward for any more rebels lurking about.

The artifices on the second floor dispersed and secured the second floor before some of them moved to the third floor. Smoke and dust obscured the front and back entrances on the ground floor. Thomas and Clara crept behind machines and structural supports while keeping an eye out for anymore artifices storming in from the rear. Sure enough, in ran another small squad, their eyes glowing through the clouds of dust and debris. Thomas and Clara opened fire and took out a couple of androids before ducking back into cover just as the artifices shot back. 

“Our exit’s blocked, too, Captain,” Thomas yelled through the comms. “Working on another plan!”

“Hold them off as best you can,” Kai replied. “I’m splitting off from the newbies and can act as a distraction to draw at least some of the attention away.” Kai rushed through the fifth floor with Talira and Alyce to a short staircase leading to the roof’s exterior. “There are likely more waiting for us up there.”

“You said we’re splitting up?” Alyce asked nervously.

“Listen carefully,” Kai explained. “You can stick to our original escape plan. You’ll just exit from the roof instead. I’ll take another route. We’re going to charge out of here, clear a path, and meet back at home base. Our comms have limited range, so once we vacate the campus, we won’t be able to communicate anymore. I believe in you Alyce.” Kai hugged Alyce and suddenly all her fears disappeared. Kai pulled away and looked to Talira. “Whatever happens, you can’t get caught.”

“I will never let that happen,” Talira replied.

Kai nodded. Downstairs, Thomas and Clara fended off troops of artifices as best they could, but were being forced back toward the middle of the factory and away from their escape routes. They conserved ammo as best as they could taking only careful shots, but the artifices crowded them faster and berated the pair with bullets. Thomas and Clara dove behind machinery for cover and Thomas pulled an automatic rifle from the limp hands of a fallen artifice. He tossed the gun to Clara before explaining his plan.

“Take these,” Kai said and handed Alyce a few of the miniature EMP grenades. “And don’t hesitate to use this.” Kai grabbed Alyce’s gun and placed it in her hands. “Not all lives can be spared in our fight.” Then, he reached up to the ceiling hatch and forced it open. The hatch swung outward and knocked an artifice standing right outside off its feet. Kai fired at the others standing around the hatch, then pulled one of the limp bodies down into the building. “Take it’s harness to descend!”

“I’ll wear it,” Talira stated. “You just hold on.” Talira stripped the harness from the deactivated artifice. It wrapped around the waist and torso as well as looping between the legs. Each hip held a gas-powered hook that ejected and would pierce even through concrete from close enough range. Kai continued to shoot at the artifices on the roof before taking the automatic rifles from two of the limp machines and leaping from the hatch onto the open rooftop. “It may be better if we descend from a window—” Talira said but was cut off by a couple of bullets whizzing by. She and Alyce turned to see other artifices down the hall taking cover and firing. Talira stepped in front of Alyce.

Alyce held her gun knowing that it was her best option for safety, but she hesitated. She didn’t want to destroy any artifices if she could help it. It would only make negotiations more difficult later on. She took in her surroundings. Explosions and gunfire echoed through the factory’s halls at deafening volumes. Clara and Thomas were downstairs surely taking out as many artifices as they could before retreating, and Kai was above fighting for his life while the artifices could likely be repaired. She looked at Talira. Time felt slow. Alyce felt as though she couldn’t move. Then, a bullet narrowly missed her face, and she snapped out of her trance.

Talira drew her weapon and returned fire at a few artifices trying to rush forward, sending bullets through their cores with sparks and flames flashing about their bodies before they collapsed. She looked at Alyce who had dropped to her knees and hoisted the woman up to her feet again. She grabbed Alyce’s arm tightly so Alyce would focus on her, then said, “I’ve accepted that I must turn against my kind for the sake of the rebellion. For you. You’ve known what the rebellion has done. Will you tuck away your morals for just a chance at true freedom?”

Alyce didn’t respond before Talira pulled her down the hall and out of sight of the other artifices. On the roof, Kai continued his assault. He shot down another artifice and took its body as a shield. The artifice wore a harness. Kai worked his way to the edge of the rooftop and ejected the hooks into the hard metal surface, then, still holding onto the artifice’s body, fell backward off the rooftop. The wire attached to the hooks extended and Kai guided himself down firing upon reinforcements stationed on the ground. He stopped about halfway down the side of the building but didn’t hang stationary for long before Thomas burst through a window and grabbed onto Kai swinging the both of them away from the wall. A high caliber bullet whistled past just after, and Kai spotted the sniper.

As he and Thomas fell back toward the building, he took aim. Suddenly, the mechanism holding the harness’s wire in place snapped and dropped the two humans along with the deactivated artifice down another story. Kai was able to stop the fall a story above the ground, then took aim and fired at the sniper. “Missed,” he groaned. “Thomas, keep an eye on that sniper. I’ll get us down.” Thomas trained his sights on the spot Kai directed him to, then Kai loosened the wire mechanism and they descended quickly to the ground. Thomas fired a couple more rounds to keep the sniper behind cover, then the two humans hid on the ground. Inside, Alyce scouted the yard.

“This spot looks safe,” she told Talira. Talira ejected her harness’s hooks into the floor and broke the window with her gun. She hugged Alyce tight and descended. Kai came in over the comms.

“Alyce, Talira, are you out?”

“Yes,” Alyce shouted back. “Where are you?”

“We’ll meet back at base. You two stick to the original route. I’ll make sure we aren’t followed.” Kai and Thomas made their way across the plant’s campus between waves of reinforcements. Their sole focus, then, was escape and they didn’t notice the backup snipers taking aim, but just before the snipers fired, Kai commanded through the comms, “Light it up.” The factory erupted into smoke and flames as the charges Clara had set went off all at once in a massive explosion. Rubble from the demolition flew into the sky and across the yard to buildings nearby. The rebels disappeared into the dust and debris as the artifices, too, fled from the scene in an attempt to escape being crushed.

“Yeah!” Thomas howled through the cloud of stone and metal particles. Alyce watched from another side of the factory as flames lit up the night, but she didn’t stay around for long. Like the rest of the rebels, she and Talira disappeared into the night on a complicated path back to base to ensure that they weren’t followed. They had been using various entrances and exits to and from base to lessen their chances of being caught, and their escape route led them to yet another entrance they had not used before; one of dozens. The artifices scoured the site of the attack for any sign of the rebels’ identities, but as every time before, nothing was left to find. 

The crew for the attack on the core processing plant all returned to home base at different times. Clara was waiting with Emilia when Alyce and Talira made it back. It was another hour or so before Kai and Thomas returned not too far apart from each other. Of course, once everyone had made it back safe and sound, celebration ensued. The present members of the rebellion—about half of the 30 active rebels—gathered in the center of their makeshift town for drinks and food. The rebels obtained most of their food and water as donations from supportive store owners, though it still wasn’t very much.

Sneaking supplies into their base was no easy task and there were even dedicated smugglers in their ranks. Kai had emphasized that food and water were divided equally among the rebellion and that there may be times when sustenance wore thin, but he also highlighted the importance of cheerful celebration after a large mission to keep morale high. In those cases, food and drink were thrown around as though unlimited. Of course, count was still kept and the amount consumed carefully managed, but with reserves, Kai was unconcerned with a small party here and there to show his appreciation for the hard work the rebellion put in.

Festivities commenced and after some time had passed, Kai gathered everyone’s attention for a toast to the success of such an important mission and to congratulate Alyce and Talira on their own successes.

“As always, I thank you, my teammates, my friends, for all the excellent work you do every single day to help the future of humanity. Each and every one of you serves a purpose and our rebellion wouldn’t be as successful without you.” The crowd looked up at their leader on his raised pedestal in awe and inspiration. “Tonight was one of the most important nights for our cause as we have successfully disrupted the activity of a major plant that the artifices need in order to continue producing more of their kind.

“But I couldn’t have done it alone. You all know Thomas and Clara. Their expertise in their respective fields is unlike any other.” The crowd gave a hearty cheer. “Of course, you know Emilia, well, too. Honestly, without her tonight, I don’t think any of us would’ve made it back.” Another cheer. “And finally, you all have come to know these two ladies quite well over the past several months, and tonight they outperformed all expectations I had. Alyce and Talira have opened doors for us that we thought would be locked forever. Thanks to their close work with data and intelligence on the surface, they have proven themselves invaluable down here with us.”

The crowd cheered once more. “Thank you again to this team and to all of you. Here’s to the future of humans on Earth!” The rebels laughed and danced and sang throughout the night. The warm glow from the artificial lighting on the ceiling and the lamps in the rebels’ windows cast a delightful ambience over the base. As the party died down very late into the night, Kai rested a hand on Alyce’s shoulder and spoke close to her ear. “I have something to show you,” he said and beckoned her to follow. She stood gleefully and began to walk with the rebel leader toward his home when Talira called out.

“Alyce, where are you going?”

“Kai and I are just going to talk for a little while,” the woman answered. Talira marched over to her while Kai waited up the path.

“I would like to join you. There are things I wish to speak with Kai about, as well.”

Alyce looked ahead at Kai, then turned back to her companion. “I think this meeting is just for me, but I’ll come get you when we finish.”

Kai wandered over and greeted the artifice. “She’s welcome to wait down the ladder if she wants to,” he said to Alyce. “Nothing bad is going to happen. It’s just my room.”

“You assuring me only makes me more suspicious of you, Kai,” Talira replied.

Kai chuckled. “We won’t be long. Worst case, you and I can talk tomorrow. I’ll be glad to discuss anything you’d like.” Kai took hold of Alyce’s hand and led her to the corridor with the ladder up to his abode and Talira waited in the hall as the two climbed up.

“Our mission tonight was pretty terrifying, to be honest,” Alyce said after closing the hatch behind her. “I really panicked when security showed up, but your guidance and Talira’s quick action helped me a lot. I still can’t believe we made it out alive. I’m shaking even now.”

“It wasn’t the worst I’ve been through,” Kai mentioned. “With factories smaller than that one, and less important, there have been way more artifices. And bigger guns.” Kai led Alyce to the dresser that hid the secret room Kai used to store his former artifice master’s deactivated body. Inside the room, Kai knelt next to a small lockbox that Alyce hadn’t noticed before and from inside retrieved a computer hard drive. He brought it to a dusty computer in the corner of the main room and after a few minutes of tinkering, booted up the machine. Once on, Kai opened folders filled with video files. He played one.

The video showed crowds of humans gathered in pens and artifices standing around outside. Many of the androids were armed. After a few minutes of shouting and crying from the humans, thick hoses that fed into the pens were turned on and heavy smoke filled the cages. Within seconds, the captive humans coughed and choked, then fell to the ground in piles. Another video displayed naked humans in a stone room. Through a small viewing window, the blinding light of intense flames shone from within the room as boiling screams were drowned out by the crackling of fire.

Alyce looked away, but Kai urged her to keep watching. “I wanted to show you this,” he said, “to ensure that you know what we’re fighting against and why we’re fighting at all.” Another video showed humans rushing toward a group of artifices only to be mowed down by gunfire. Men, women, and children indiscriminately slaughtered. “You understand that not every human gets to live as lusciously as you or I did. Many of them are still treated like insects or cattle. Enslaved to work in factories with artifices but treated unequally; forced to perform labor not suited for the limitations of the human body.”

A fourth video presented the horrid working conditions many humans endured. Humans with burnt flesh and infected wounds, some without eyes or ears, a few missing arms and legs, but still being required to work long hours only to return home to their masters where they were underfed and slept on the floor. “I doubted that Talira has shown you this kind of thing. The artifices let us read about history all we want, but they don’t show us the gruesome details of what really goes on and what happened just a couple of generations ago.” Alyce’s eyes glowed in the light of the computer screen as tears welled.

Finally, she turned away and cowered by the bed. Kai closed the videos and turned off the computer. He walked over to Alyce who sat on her knees with her face down on the mattress. Kai crouched next to her and rubbed his hand up and down her back. “I’m sorry, Alyce. I wanted to show you now rather than have you freeze up when exposed to it on a mission. This is the reality of our situation. Everyone in our rebellion knows what’s going on out there and is willing to risk everything to stop it. I know you are too, so I know you’ll be strong enough to absorb what you just saw and use it as fuel for your own passionate flame.”

Alyce whimpered and Kai comforted her, but he had another topic to discuss with her. He helped the woman up and sat with her on the bedside. He wrapped an arm around her and let her head rest on his shoulder. “Alyce,” he spoke softly. “There is something else I need to ask about, too. I need you to be completely honest with me. Did Talira set off the silent alarm at the processing plant?” Alyce’s whimpering ceased. She looked up at Kai.

“What?” she mumbled. “No, she wouldn’t…”

“Are you sure?”

Alyce sat up and took her head off Kai’s shoulder. “Of course, there’s no way—”

“You were with her the entire time, right? And she never did anything other than extract files onto the flash drive?”

“Yes, I…” Alyce thought. She hadn’t been with Talira the whole time. As Talira finished up, Alyce started back down the stairs before the artifice. Head on down. Talira’s words rang in her mind. I’ll be right behind you.

“Was there any moment at which she could’ve done it without you noticing?” Kai interrogated.

Alyce continued to think. Talira hadn’t exited the main office until Emilia’s announcement came over the loudspeaker. She didn’t want to believe that Talira had betrayed them. It would have been risky with Alyce there, too. “No,” Alyce said finally with confidence. “No, there’s no way she did it. After you left the two of us alone, Talira still shot the security artifices. She told me that she was prepared to do what it takes to support my desires for the rebellion, even killing her own kind. I refuse to believe that she set off the alarm.” Kai looked at Alyce in silence. He blinked and brought his gaze downward in thought. “You can ask her yourself,” Alyce added.

“I will, but I’ll ask that you be absent for that conversation.”

“Okay, but it won’t change her answer. I know it. She didn’t do it.”

“I believe you.” Kai exhaled and scooted closer to Alyce. “Honestly, I don’t want to believe it either, but I had to make sure. You understand, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Alyce whispered as Kai leaned in closer and wrapped an arm around her again.

“I can’t express how fortunate I feel to have you and Talira in our ranks. It’s truly a miracle and one I won’t easily let slip away. You two are invaluable and I’ll do everything I can to protect you. Both of you. You have my word.”

“Kai, I—” Her words were cut short by Kai lips planting firmly on her own. A rush of warmth flooded her body and her vision blurred. She fell into the kiss and embraced Kai. He held her face in his hands as he guided her back to the bed before moving his hands over the rest of her body. She felt his arms, then his chest, then his back, gasping for air between kisses.

“We’ll reshape this world, together,” Kai said deeply and she felt his words. She turned her face to the side and breathed heavily as he kissed her all over. Meanwhile, Talira squatted in the hall and entered a dormant state. Much went through her head, as well, and she wanted again to talk with Alyce about moving forward with the rebellion, though she knew it would lead only to the same result. Kai had full control over Alyce by then and Talira feared not only for the woman, but for her own fate. She fought secret wars against both the rebels and the artifices, and neither side would accept her once they found out who she really was.

***

The following day, Talira approached Alyce after having met with Kai, though their meeting had little influence on what Talira wanted to discuss with Alyce. She looked at Alyce as she always did: neutral, but warm. Alyce’s ears were open to whatever Talira wanted to say. “Are you absolutely sure you want to continue serving the rebellion?” Talira asked. Alyce almost sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Talira, you know my answer.” It had been nearly four months since Alyce and Talira joined the rebellion and they had just completed their first ground mission together with great success.

“Yes, I know,” Talira said. “But I keep asking as we learn more and more about what it takes to be a rebel. You froze last night during the attack. If I hadn’t been there, you—”

“Yes. And I’m very glad you are here. I couldn’t have made it here without you. My feelings for the rebellion have only grown stronger, and if anything, I hope to not always be so reliant on you.” Talira’s expression shifted slightly. “I never plan to leave you, but if we need to do missions apart from each other sometimes, I don’t want to be left in the open. I know you don’t trust Kai or anyone here, but you trust me, don’t you?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Then, please, trust my feelings and let me be who I want to be. I’m not the same woman living under you as I was just months ago. We’re both rebels now and have no tie to our past lives. The Alyce you knew is gone. The one standing here is stronger and smarter and less afraid. Less anxious. Less dissatisfied.”

“You were dissatisfied with your past life?”

“You know I wasn’t truly happy. I was thankful for all that I had—all that you provided—especially considering the way some humans are living, but I was willing to throw that all away if it meant a chance at ending the suffering of others. I’m starting to think you don’t believe me when I say that I mean it, and my feelings won’t change no matter how tough things get.”

Talira stood silent for a moment. “I do believe you, Alyce.”

“Good. Like you always said, you don’t want me to feel bound to you. Likewise, I don’t want you to feel bound to me. I know you don’t want to be a rebel. But if you choose to go, just promise me you’ll stay silent about everything.”

“What? I wasn’t suggesting… What do you mean by—”

“Did you talk to Kai?” Alyce moved on. “I know you wanted to last night. He said he wanted to see you, too. He had some questions for you.”

“He asked you about the silent alarm, didn’t he?”

“He mentioned it. I told him to ask you himself.”

Talira gave the only answer Kai expected when he asked her the question: No. “Of course I didn’t trigger the alarm,” the artifice said.

“I know that,” Alyce said. “And that’s what I told him, too. I know you don’t trust him, and he doesn’t trust you, but I trust both of you. So, just promise not to let me down.” Alyce turned and began walking away.

“You should ask the same of this rebellion,” Talira said with a raised voice. Alyce stopped for a moment, then continued her strut. The next time Alyce saw Kai, she asked him about any hidden signs left at the core processing plant to help other humans find the rebellion.

“We didn’t leave any this time,” Kai replied. “But we will at others. It’s part of the planning process whenever we set up a mission. If the location seems like it’ll make sense—considering location, population centers around it, if it’ll be shown on the news for very long, whatever. I’ll show you how to do it, too.”

“Yes!” Alyce exclaimed. 

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think after last night’s mission, I can finally trust you with anything and everything to do with the rebellion. You’re officially my righthand girl.”

Alyce was ecstatic. Over the next several months, she and Kai only grew closer as he trusted her on more and more missions. They spent more time together in their off time, as well, and soon enough, Alyce was trusted to lead her own missions. With that, Kai got what he had long sought after: separation of Alyce and Talira. It was a small recon mission and Talira could put up only a little resistance once Alyce had her mind set to it. Alyce greatly considered what Kai had said about depending too much on Talira. Aside from their personal relationship, Alyce wanted to be independent within the rebellion. She wanted to accomplish her own successes. That made it all too easy for Kai to convince Alyce to participate in a mission without Talira.

Of course, Kai emphasized that he only separated them when necessary and made sure to task Talira with another important duty that kept her away from the missions he wanted Alyce alone on. After the separate mission, Kai gave several missions to the pair, then again separated them. He eased them into the separation, though Talira saw right through the scheme. She couldn’t stop it, however, as Alyce, too, wanted missions of her own. To her, it made her more valuable to Kai and to the rebellion. Kai reciprocated that idea with praise and romantics to drive Alyce further into his embrace on her. Eventually, he even trusted her to help him vet new members of the rebellion. Her keen eye for detail helped them determine who would be the best fit for the group.

“What happens when we decide that someone isn’t fit to be a rebel?” Alyce asked once after speaking with a potential new member.

“Having doubts about that one?” Kai joked.

“No. Actually, I quite liked them. They seemed true. Smart. Though, they didn’t use the clues we left to find us. But they display real promise. And their skills are genuine.”

“I agree with each of those points. And I think that it’s unlikely that someone finds us without possessing at least some of those qualities. Not everyone has to use our clues, though. What you did was quite extraordinary.”

“But what if someone really isn’t fit for the group after we meet them? Maybe they’re bad in a team, or are somehow too much of a liability?”

“Did I turn you and Talira away after finding out Talira’s an artifice? That’s the greatest liability we could ever encounter.”

“That’s different. You didn’t really have a choice.”

“And I’m glad I didn’t. You two have been invaluable. Especially you.”

Alyce blushed. “I mean it. Hypothetically. What if?”

Kai sighed. “We’ve never turned anyone away. Why waste the opportunity to grow our numbers?”

“Even if they just aren’t a good fit? If there’s just no way for them to be useful?”

“There’s no such thing as a useless human. Everybody has something they can bring to the table. Worst case scenario, we don’t bring them down here. But we can always use more support on the surface. We can always use another shop to act as an entrance or exit to home base. Or maybe they sneak us food and water. Perhaps they discreetly spread the word. Whatever it may be, we’ll take it.”

Alyce needed no more explanation. From then on, she realized the rebellion wasn’t just made up of active members physically fighting against the domestication of humans. The rebellion encompassed all resistance no matter what form that took. She had known all along, but it only then clicked in her mind. She rarely thought about the lesson, however, since most humans who approached the rebellion were perfectly capable and offered unique skills, including in the case of a man named Benji. Even before getting to meet with Kai and Alyce, he had been vetted by one of the rebels working on the surface.

Benji worked in sewage. He was close with a librarian that worked at the same library that stocked the book on mazes Kai used to lead astute humans to the rebellion. The librarian knew Benji to be an honest and hard-working man. He was born before the complete domestication of humans. Though he was young during the uprising and didn’t completely understand the world as it was before the artifices ruled, he knew from experience what it meant to be truly free. He kept his head down to not draw attention, but always felt that something had to be done to set humanity and the Earth free again.

“To be honest,” Benji said, “I hold a deep hatred for artifices.” He sat on a bench surrounded by trees in a public park. He spoke softly but clearly into the closed-circuit intercom the librarian had given him. From it came another man’s voice from somewhere else in the park.

“You work in sewage, right?” Kai asked.

“Yes.”

“That can be extremely useful. It could provide us with more escape routes during our missions, maybe even some entry and exit points to our home base.”

“I could also hook you all up with a real water supply. Miranda told me water can be hard to secure sometimes.”

Kai leaned back on the bench he was sitting on. He could see Benji from his position, but Benji faced away from him. “You’d be a huge help right away if you did that for us. Let me ask you, Benji: when can you be ready to run away from your current life? From your friends and fam—”

“I’m ready now,” the man said before Kai finished. Alyce, who was jogging nearby and listening in on the conversation, stopped and huffed.

He’s eager, she thought, but not excitable. Over the course of the interview, Benji’s methodical and straight-forward answers reminded her and Kai both of Cheren, but they could tell Benji was more physically adept, too.

“Then we’ll meet with you again tonight,” Kai said. That was Alyce’s cue. She jogged past Benji and dropped a small piece of folded paper—one that hardly anyone would notice in passing, but Benji caught sight of it. “Follow the instructions that were just dropped in front of you. Make sure you aren’t followed, or we won’t pick you up. We’re done here. Give the intercom back to Miranda as soon as you leave the park. I look forward to meeting you face-to-face, Benji.”

“Wait,” Benji said. “One more thing. My I.D. chip. That’s the last piece of an escape that I haven’t figured out.”

“How much movement do you get at home?”

“Not much. My master gives me an hour before and after work to do whatever I want, but she always assures me that she’ll be watching my tracker in case I try to do anything crazy.”

“Is your master a security unit?” Kai asked.

“No. She’s the manager of my branch at work.”

“Then she doesn’t actually have access to your tracking pings. Isn’t that right, Alyce?”

“Correct.”

Benji was surprised to hear the third voice over the intercom. Kai continued, “Unless she got hooked up by a security bot, she can’t watch you all the time. She can still ping chips in the vicinity around her, but it’s a pretty limited range and if you’re outside of that range, then she doesn’t know where you are. Either way, it’s a risk you’ll have to take. We can deactivate your chip as soon as we meet if need be.”

Benji was quiet for a moment, then replied, “Understood.”

The escape went smoothly, and unlike what Benji feared, he was not followed nor did his master even seem to notice that he was missing. Benji was born before the artifice uprising, but he grew up under the care of artifices after his parents were killed in the downsizing of the human population. He was one of many humans who lived under stricter rule by his artifice master. He was given limited free time before and after work, but while at home, the front door was always locked, and he was unable to unlock it. His mealtimes were designated by his master, and while he was able to roam the house freely during daylight hours, he lived in a third story apartment with windows that didn’t open.

To escape, he broke his window as quietly as he could and jumped. He met Kai and Alyce with a broken leg and wrist. He still trained under Omar while his body healed and fulfilled his promise of securing a regular source of fresh drinking water for the rebellion. He also drew sewage maps from memory and worked with Kai to plan out more routes in and out of home base with the aid of the sewers. Human workers did most of the dirty work in sewage according to Benji, so while artifices had maps downloaded into their memories, he was confident that they couldn’t navigate them as well as the human workers could. Benji expressed worry for his coworkers and hoped that they wouldn’t be punished for his escape, but Kai gave him the same spiel as he did with everyone else.

He told Benji that his master may even keep the escape a secret for as long as she could and make excuses for him to not be at work. Either way, he was disconnected from his past life now and needed to focus on what was ahead. Benji understood and in no time was a regular player in attacks, as well as a trainer to help the other rebels learn the sewers. As with Alyce, Benji’s first mission was the true test of his usefulness. After a small team—which included Kai, Alyce, and Talira—set fire to a chip manufacturing plant, Benji oversaw the escape routes. The rebels vacated the plant from a grate within the factory, but the artifices saw the escape and followed. Luckily, Benji planned for that.

The four rebels rushed through the damp and dark sewers passages, barely being able to see through their masks, but they all had the halls memorized. Benji took the lead and gave commands based on predetermined codes for the name of every branch in the sewer. It took months to label each hall and then memorize those labels, but if every rebel could learn, they would be at a major advantage by outrunning the artifices underground. The security androids chasing the team tried to cut them off at several junctions, but the rebels knew the sewers better. They split at various intersections and met back up within minutes. They were able to turn the ambushes around and take down artifices as they ran.

Omar honed Benji’s skills to make him a regular marksman and even in the darkness of the sewers, Benji was an efficient shooter. The team used the deafening echoes of gunfire to hide the sound of their footsteps in the puddled corridors. “Kai,” Benji called over the intercoms, “Break away down C33 and take the G-Primary. Alyce, you take C42, and Talira takes C44 to H9, then you two can meet on the L-Primary. I’ll continue down C-Main and go either E-Secondary or meet Kai on G-Primary.” Each rebel could visualize the exact routes they were given and trusted Benji in his judgement. Kai broke away from the group first, then Alyce soon after, and Talira right after that.

Benji kept straight and got as far as he could before artifices cut him off, so he dove down a sloped hall and into the H-Primary path from which many smaller corridors branched and were mentally labeled as H. He continued down that route until he heard gunfire close by, then slid through a series of short halls until he found Talira pinned down by artifices moving in. Benji entered from above and took down several of the artifices before they turned on him, but Talira took the opportunity to destroy the remaining few. She and Benji ran down H9 toward the L-Primary. “I’m sorry, Talira,” Benji said. “I should’ve guessed they’d try to cut us off at that junction.”

“Mistakes happen,” Talira replied. “You had no way of knowing. You saved me, so thank you.”

“Likewise. Okay, you continue to L-Primary and meet Alyce. I’ll split and take the F-Primary until I cross the E-Secondary and go from there.”

“Roger that. Good luck.”

“For freedom,” Benji called.

“For the Earth.”

“And for humanity!” Benji split away from Talira and made his way toward his own escape route. Despite the complicated routes planned out by the rebels, they still agreed that it was best not to stay as a group on their way back to home base, just in case the artifices were able to keep up or corner them enough to capture them. Benji had never been on a mission by himself, however, and had to rely on instinct when it came to timing and placement of when to be at specific meeting places. He understood the spacing of arrivals back to home base but was nervous for the execution. Kai made it clear that he trusted Benji to use his best judgement, but Benji’s weakness was often his own thoughts.

He overthought many things that could be simple and often second-guessed himself. It often didn’t pose much threat to his wellbeing or those of others, but that’s where the mission played the true role of a test. Kai saw major potential in Benji, potential he hadn’t seen in anyone since meeting Alyce, and he wanted to be sure that Benji had what it took not just in managing missions, but executing them, as well. Just like he had tested Alyce. Benji ran through the route in his head over and over and visualized back up routes in case the artifices cut him off, but as they often did, his thoughts distracted him. He almost didn’t notice when, in the darkness of the sewers, a couple of artifices laid a wire across his path.

He noticed too late and tripped himself over the wire. The artifices opened fire and a bullet embedded itself in his hip. He rolled down a small path but knew it didn’t lead anywhere useful. He could have leapt across the hall to a larger branch, but could hear the artifices racing through the hall, their steps splashing water on the curved walls as they charged. Benji breathed steadily, his adrenaline helping to ease the pain from the bullet for the time being, but he needed to act quickly. He reloaded his own weapon and just as he was about to spray into the hall when he predicted the artifices would round the corner, Kai’s voice came in over the comms.

“Benji, go on my signal. Ready… now!” Benji didn’t hesitate a second and dove from his cover and into the hall to reach a corridor on the other side. At the same time, Kai dropped down from a thin path half-way up the wall and shot down one of the artifices. He landed and rolled passed the second security android, then shot it from behind. Benji rolled into the larger branch and ran per Kai’s instructions onto the G-Primary path. Kai met with him there less than a minute later.

“Are you okay?” the captain asked. Benji panted and could barely speak.

“I was hit,” he choked. “In my side.”

“Can you make it back?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Good. I don’t want you dying on your first mission. You’ve been a great help to us so far and I don’t plan on letting that end soon.”

Benji breathed heavily, but the adrenaline was wearing off. He fought through the pain and followed Kai down the escape route thinking to himself how many ways the mission and the escape could have gone. If Kai hadn’t happened to be passing by, he very well could have been killed, but death wasn’t his fear. He didn’t want to fail the rebellion after accomplishing only so little for them. He dreamed of great things with the group and knew he had to calm his sporadic thinking if he was going to succeed. He visualized a clear path ahead, then voiced his plan to Kai. “Continue down G-primary, Captain. I’ll split off and find my way to T-Primary. I’ll see you back at—”

“No, Benji,” Kai said. Benji fell silent and awaited Kai’s command. “Let’s run this together. Alyce and Talira are out of the sewers by now. There’s no way I’m leaving you alone again down here. You may know these halls better than anyone, but the artifices are getting more aggressive with their tactics, and I’m not risking your life just so I can take a safer path. If they’re going to come after us, then we’ll fend for each other.”

Benji didn’t reply. He ran the rest of G-Primary with Kai and the two escaped into the night as a pair. Benji knew from the start that Kai was a good leader. He could tell that working for his rebellion wouldn’t be easy, but that Kai took care of its members. He, too, had seen the news from earlier that year about the rebel named Augun who was killed during an attack, and although he never mentioned it to Kai, he could tell that Augun’s death was not brushed over. By then, Kai had confirmed Alyce’s suspicions that he was, in fact, Augun’s partner on that mission, and Kai always expressed how much he cared for Augun. Augun’s death left a deep pit in Kai’s stomach and heart, and Alyce felt honored in being able to fill the hole.

Benji was unsure whether Kai was Augun’s partner on that mission or not, but it didn’t matter to him. Kai was strict and kept everything in tight order; he had to in order to run an efficient rebellion, but from his experience in the months he had worked with the rebellion before his first mission, he grew to admire Kai as any other, almost as much as Alyce did. Not only was the mission a test of Benji’s skills, but also of Kai’s dedication to the rebellion’s goals and to his team. He didn’t see the rebels as disposable, Benji thought, but as partners and family. They would be the ones to bring freedom back to the world, and Benji was humbled and honored to be a part of it. That night’s toast went out to the entire team as always and concluded with a special tribute to Benji.

“Captain,” Benji said to Kai later in the evening after his wounds were bandaged. “I’d like to talk, if we could, about tonight.”

“What’s on your mind?” Kai responded and stepped aside with Benji.

“Just the escape. I—”

“You did great, Benji. The escape went as perfectly as it could have. There will always be wrenches thrown in the plan, but your quick thinking got all of us out safe and sound.”

“Thank you. But that’s not all. After you saved me from those two artifices, why didn’t you let me break off on another path again? Didn’t running G-Primary with you put us at risk of a greater loss if we were captured?”

“I suppose it did,” Kai answered tersely.

“I don’t want to be a detriment to you or the rebellion.”

“You think I saw you as a weak link that I had to watch over.” Kai read Benji’s mind. Benji nodded. Kai sighed. “That’s not the case, Benji. Yes, it’s better if we split our group into as many pieces as possible during an escape to try and throw off the artifices coming after us, but it doesn’t always have to be like that. Alyce and Talira almost always take routes together. They trust each other the most out of anyone here and I know they’ll have each other’s backs. I trust you, too, and I knew you’d have my back tonight, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to finish it off together. That’s all. I’ve lost many friends on missions and afterward in the escapes. If someone needs help, I’m not going to let them suffer alone. I’ll do what I can to make sure each and every one of us comes back alive and well. You can’t have a rebellion without the rebels.”

“You also can’t have one without loss.” Benji looked toward the larger group and festivities. Kai sighed again and nodded agreeingly. “But thank you. I see how much these people trust you and I understand why. I trust you, too, Kai. You’re the one who will lead humanity to freedom again. I’m prepared to make sacrifices, too, so if it’ll cost the mission, don’t you dare help me again.” Benji said the last sentence playfully and lightly punched Kai’s arm. Kai chuckled, too, and agreed to Benji’s terms before the two rejoined the others in celebration.

***

Just as Alyce had in the beginning, Benji grew close to Kai. Kai consulted him on every mission’s escape plan even when excluding the sewers. Benji’s attention to detail matched even Alyce’s, but the two had their unique personalities and expertise in different fields which made them both individually valuable. Soon enough, Kai trusted Benji to command his own team on missions from time to time, not much later after giving the same responsibility to Alyce. The other members of the rebellion grew in their skills, too, and their numbers. Kai began to be more hands-off in his management. He had little to worry about when it came to the planning and execution of missions. The rebellion had been alive for over a year by then, and more leaders were appointed under Kai, the first of which were, of course, Thomas, Clara, Alyce, and Benji.

Kai had spoken to Talira on multiple occasions about taking on more of a leadership role, but the artifice declined restating her sole purpose for being there. Kai knew what the answer would be each time they spoke on the subject, but offering it so consistently made Alyce believe that he trusted Talira more and hopefully convinced Talira of the same thing. He had no real intention of giving Talira such power within the rebellion. Contrarily, he had been working for months on a plan to exit Talira from the picture all together, once-and-for-all. He planned to handle everything on his own with a little help from Cheren but had also planned to reveal Talira’s identity to the rebellion soon. Maybe then, he could be more open about his true intentions to a select few whom he trusted. Benji was on that list. Alyce, for reasons plain to see, was not.

His plans were skewed, however, when yet another unique player entered the game. Kai was surprised to say the least, when yet another person managed to find the rebel home base using the clues the rebellion had been leaving behind at their latest sites of attack. That was the point of the clues after all, but it was still impressive as not many before this new player had done so. Excitement immediately welled in Kai knowing how vital Alyce had been to the operation, so if the man sitting before him now was anything like her in skill and loyalty, the rebellion would grow to be unstoppable with so many key players involved.

“What’s your current job?” Alyce asked of the stranger.

“I work under the city council, at the city hall even,” the man answered in a calm voice.

“I’m impressed with your deductive skills,” Kai chimed in. “We don’t make it easy for anyone to follow the signs we leave. We don’t want just anyone wandering in here. That’s why we make them the way we do. That way, only humans can find them, and even then, only the best of them can solve the puzzle.”

“It was quite elaborate, yes,” the stranger said. “I was impressed, too.”

Kai and Alyce were curious about the statement. Normally, anyone looking to join the rebellion wasn’t so calm. Even Benji made his desires known while containing his emotions, but this person was different. They barely expressed any desire to join the rebellion aside from their initial statement.

“Well, we’re glad you came,” Kai said. “Everyone has a place here. We can discuss your skills more and determine the best role for you. If you work in city hall, that could make you our inside man for a political undertaking. Alyce here has a dream even greater than the freedom of humanity; she wishes for humans and artifices to coexist peacefully.” The stranger’s expression narrowed at that, and they grinned. Alyce was unsure whether to feel comforted by the change or be ready to defend her stance. “If you have any influence at city hall whatsoever, you could help us take a more diplomatic approach to things.”

Alyce spoke next. “Let’s start by getting to know you more. We need to know everything about you that could be useful starting with your exact duties under the council.”

“I’ll be honest,” Kai said standing. “I need you to help us out. I’m having a hard time reading you and to be frank, it feels like you’re holding back information. If you’re going to join the rebellion, all knowledge must be shared. I need to know that we can trust you, so please answer our questions in detail.”

“Of course,” the stranger said. “I apologize. I have been vague in my answers to your questions. There is certainly something I think you would like to know about me, so allow me to properly introduce myself.” The stranger stood and bowed to Kai and Alyce, then straightened out again and extended a hand in greeting. “I am unit ER4-N15. I am an artifice.”

Kai swallowed deeply. The air in the room fell heavily over ER4-N15’s words. He did his best to react minimally. Practicing against Talira for almost a year grew his skills in deception through body language and controlling his minute expressions, but only when he expected the feeling. With Talira, he knew the tables could turn against him at any moment, but he hadn’t expected a simple interview to go so awry. He scolded himself internally for being so careless. How did I not suspect this from the start? he thought. Just like when Alyce revealed Talira’s identity to him, he began to see the minor differences in this artifice’s face and body that made it almost obvious that the man sitting across from him was indeed not human.

The stranger smiled again and stood. He nodded slightly as a goodbye, then walked toward the hatch leading out of Kai’s home. Kai swallowed again and cleared his throat, then stood and called to the android. “Wait.” ER4-N15 stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Why did you come here?”

A pause. “Your rebellion interests me.”

“Are you going to bring others here to destroy us?”

“Would you not try to stop me?”

“I know I can’t,” Kai said after a moment. ER4-N15 grinned.

“You’re knowledgeable. I would send a signal to the hivemind before you could blink. But that is not my plan. I quite like the idea of a rebellion. It adds excitement to the history of this world.”

Kai noticed how often this artifice smiled and seemed to take genuine pleasure in the conversation, and what was that about excitement? As if artifices could really feel joy in anything. He knew it was circuitry and programming, but it was still off-putting to the rebel leader. Alyce stepped up and asked, “How did you piece together the clues we left after our attacks? Only humans can see them. Are there humans out there aiding artifices in the counter measures against our rebellion?”

“Certainly, but I doubt by their own volition. If there are, as far as I know, the hivemind has not picked up on the fact that you leave hidden messages at the sites of your attacks. Believe it or not, I solved the riddle all by myself. A jewelry store hiding an entrance to the rebel’s home base in this city; who would have guessed? Then, it was just a matter of deciding that I wanted in. I went back to see if there were other instances of clues and riddles in the past, and sure enough I found several. Smart of you to at least change the riddle each time, but you should really work on the final step. I was let in with no questions asked. That’s not very secure if you ask me.”

ER4-N15 opened the hatch and stepped onto the ladder. “I’ll show myself out. I do wish to return soon. I hope you’ll welcome me with open arms. And don’t worry, I’ll resist telling anyone that I was here as I’m sure you’ll do the same.” The artifice disappeared under the trapdoor and Kai and Alyce were left in silence. The two of them said nothing to each other for some time. Kai was obviously deep in thought. Alyce paced the room for a few minutes, then Kai spoke.

“You can go now, Alyce.”

“Oh. I was thinking, maybe, that we’d hang out for a little while.”

“Not tonight. I have a lot to go over.”

“Do you want any help?”

“No.”

“Oh…” She said it so softly, it was barely audible. She walked quietly to the hatch and when she bent over to open it, Kai called to her again. “Yes?” she answered.

“Don’t tell Talira about that other artifice. Not yet.”

Alyce’s expression was tired and sad. She thought for a moment. “Okay.”

***

Three days later was when ER4-N15 appeared again. “What exactly do you want?” Kai asked, this time alone with the artifice in his home.

“I want to join the rebellion,” ER4-N15 answered. Kai stared at the android for some time without speaking. “That’s not what you expected.”

“I don’t understand why an artifice would want to join a rebellion against his own kind.”

“Others have not approached you before?”

“As I said, until recently we thought only humans could detect signs of the riddles leading to us. I still find it hard to believe that you had no help whatsoever in finding us.”

“I and I alone spotted the clues and solved the riddle,” ER4-N15 said with a smile.

“If I let you join the rebellion, what will you do?”

“Whatever you ask of me, I suppose. You are the leader, correct?”

“You would plan and execute attacks on factories and facilities that function to your benefit?”

“If you wish.”

“Help recruit more members and spread the message of the rebellion to a larger area in hopes of inspiring others to act the same?”

“Certainly.”

“You’d destroy your own kind in an attempt to make humans the dominant race on Earth like it was just a few generations ago?”

“If I must.”

Kai paused again. “It would be very risky for both of us. Obviously, having an artifice know all our secrets would pose a major threat to us if you ever thought of betraying us. If you were ever caught, you’d be destroyed without a second thought. You would serve under me and be treated as equal to the other members of the rebellion and agree to share any information you have that could aid us in our goal, which I assume is a lot considering your line of work.”

“I hold much information in my drives,” ER4-N15 said with a nod.

“Okay,” Kai said standing. “Before I make my decision, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. She’ll help me determine your legitimacy.”

ER4-N15 waited in Kai’s room while Kai retrieved Alyce and Talira. As soon as ER4-N15 looked at his feminine counterpart, he grinned slightly as usual. “I cannot ping your I.D. chip.”

“It has been deactivated,” Talira stated. ER4-N15 seemed surprised by that.

“Fascinating. I had suspected such when I could not gather the identities of the rebels through pings. All their faces are registered, of course, so I could learn them that way, but as one of my own kind, I cannot scan your face. Please, do introduce yourself.”

“I am unit T41-IR4.” It was strange for Kai and Alyce to hear Talira refer to herself that way after not having done so for many months. “Kai tells me you wish to join the rebellion.”

“I do.”

“Why?”

ER4-N15 smiled but did not speak. Then, Talira spoke again.

“We could do so, though I’m sure our human company would not prefer it.”

Alyce and Kai were confused. Conversation soon resumed between the two artifices, but the topics seemed almost trivial.

“What occupation were you modeled for?” ER4-N15 asked.

“I was in data analysis and encryption,” Talira answered. “Where in the city do you live?”

“Downtown near city hall. Do you partake in any pastimes?”

“I read when I have the time. Do you?”

“I take walks sometimes. Through parks or just down the street.”

Kai and Alyce stood unsure of what to make of the transactions.

“What’s going on?” Kai asked. The artifices stopped talking for a moment, then Talira explained.

“We’re having conversations.”

“Multiple?” Alyce questioned.

“Yes,” Talira replied. “Through speech and through data transmission.”

“Right,” Kai said. “I remember you mentioned once that artifices can talk using data. I almost forgot.”

“I didn’t know you could do that and speak at the same time,” Alyce said amazed.

“But the audible conversation is often far less engaging,” ER4-N15 added. “Verbal communication typically is.”

“Why even do it?” Kai asked genuinely.

“I wanted to see what kind of personality he has,” Talira answered. Kai was skeptical of the use of the term “personality” when referring to an artifice, but he didn’t object.

“Couldn’t you do that through data, too?” the rebel leader asked.

“Yes,” Talira said, “but I was devoting that power to learning the objective truths of his programming.”

“And I, the same,” ER4-N15 agreed. “I know now that she was unaware that I had visited earlier this week, nor that I was an artifice until you told her just before reentering the room.”

“He works at city hall as a floor caddie for business units that operate there.”

“I’m more of a revolving assistant.”

“I am still able to ping your chip. I’m only repeating what is stated on your profile. Caddie.”

“I know that she is only here because of that woman,” ER4-N15 said with a nod to Alyce.

“You are also only here because of a human.”

“Yes, but not as directly.”

“Who?” Alyce asked, giving in to the urge to interrupt.

After ER4-N15 was silent for a moment, Talira spoke up saying, “I will explain.”

“No, no,” the other artifice said. “It is no secret. I will explain. A question I’m sure you’ve had,” the artifice said toward Kai and Alyce, “is whether or not I am called master by a human. The answer is no; not anymore. I was once considered responsible for a human until about two years ago—733 days to be exact. Two years and three days ago, she was taken from me by security units for suspected involvement in a conspiratorial movement against artifices. Her name is Abigail. I love her. I’m sure it sounds ridiculous to you for a machine to say they love anything, but I have no other words to describe it. At the time of her arrest, we lived a few towns over from here, but as I understand it, your rebellion often travels across the country to target major facilities elsewhere and to make yourselves appear more numerous and wider spread.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you have members who reside elsewhere, do you not?” Kai didn’t reply. “I’m not accusing any of you of being directly involved nor am I sure that it was this particular rebellion that she was a part of. However, if the information I’ve gathered is accurate, you and your master, Kai, went missing right around that same time. Please answer me this: did you start this rebellion after escaping your enslavement, or did you join as an early member and work your way up the ranks? Again, I am not blaming you for anything. I just want to know more about your group here, but this information is pivotal to my decision to join your ranks or not.”

Kai took a long breath in through his nose, then subtly released the air through his mouth. He stepped forward and rested a hand on a chair. “I didn’t start this rebellion. A rebellion wasn’t even on my mind. When I escaped, there was no official rebellion, at least none that I’d heard of. A couple of guys who’d gotten the same idea to escape—albeit a couple weeks or a month before I did—picked me up from hiding in the streets and helped me out. So, yeah, I guess you can say I was an early member. None of those guys are around anymore, though. They’re all dead. We were much more reckless back then and didn’t think things through so much. Our rebellion had barely started when it was almost entirely shut down.

“I managed to stay alive, though, and got the idea to start over. I was more methodical and careful. I only brought on people I absolutely trusted. Augun, an old friend and former member of the rebellion, was one of the first to join my group. We weren’t nearly big enough to fight elsewhere, though, so, sorry, but I don’t think the girl you’re talking about had anything to do with us. The idea of rebellion isn’t an original one. I’m sure there are plenty of groups out there wanting to break free. How many succeed in even reaching numbers in the double digits, I don’t know. I know there are some, but they’re few-and-far-between.”

“I see,” ER4-N15 said in a low tone. “In any case I hope to accomplish a couple of things. The first more attainable objective is to use the rebellion as a mode for my own acts of revenge. I will admit that the freedom of humanity is not a desire I harbor, but I am not entirely opposed to the idea. The second thing I hope to do is find Abigail once again. You see, after she was taken, I waited to hear about her death in some form be it the news or an obituary. I figured I would receive some sort of notice if a human under my care died, but I never received anything nor heard of her death at all. I grew suspicious and investigated the identification database. Sure enough, her I.D. chip was still active.

“To this day, it is active. Abigail is still alive somewhere. How she escaped the punishment for her crimes, I do not know. I am also surprised that I was never sought after. While at the time an artifice was not deactivated over the rebellious actions of their human, that punishment is certainly commonplace now, and if Abigail did escape and potentially continued her pursuit of overthrowing artifice rule, then surely, they would have come to me. Yet I have received not a word about it. I have many questions and I wish to receive answers. Therefore, I want to join your rebellion in hopes of having my questions answered. I will do as you say and help you achieve your own goals if you try to help me in mine.”

“I respect your reasoning,” Kai said. “And as long as Talira can assure me of the truth, then…” He looked at Talira.

“His story aligns with his report,” Talira said.

Kai looked at ER4-N15 again. “I have no reason to deny your request. I’ll be honest, I can’t promise that we’ll be able to find Abigail. If she’s in hiding and possibly far away from here by now, then nothing’s guaranteed, but I’ll aid you in any way I can. I’m sure Talira will be your biggest resource and I know she’ll be more than willing to offer her abilities to you.”

ER4-N15 looked at the tabletop, perhaps at his hands which he slowly opened and closed. “I thank you all for your aid and your trust. I know the risk you are taking by bringing me on is great and I will not let that go unrewarded.”

“Hey,” Kai shrugged and walked around the table to ER4-N15’s side. “If you’re doing this for a human, then that’s all the trust I need. I learned that from having Talira here. I wouldn’t have given her a chance at all if she wasn’t doing everything she does for Alyce. Now they’re both two of the most valuable members of this rebellion. If you had asked me a year ago whether I’d let any artifices join our ranks, I’d have spat and said that was an impossible idea, but here I am accepting a second one as part of the family. If you trust us and share what you know, we’ll do the same.”

Alyce stepped up with a happy expression on her face. “So, I know a bunch of humans who live with a little more freedom at home often have nicknames for their masters, like I do with Talira based on her I.D. number. It sounds like, maybe, Abigail wasn’t just a slave to you, so did she call you anything besides your number or ‘master’?”

“Eranis,” the newly appointed rebel answered. “It’s not very creative, I know.”

“They hardly ever are,” Alyce chuckled.

“Right, then,” Kai said with a clap. “Eranis, there are a few things I want to discuss more with you, but the first order of business is deactivating your chip. I’ll take you to Cheren’s lab right now.

***

“Okay,” Cheren said preparing the chip deactivator. Kai, Alyce, and Talira were all present for Eranis’s chip deactivation. “Admittedly, I didn’t think I would need to use this on an artifice again.” Cheren glanced at Kai nervously, then at Talira. “I guess if this is going to become commonplace, I’ll need to make some modifications to prevent the… mishaps that may occur.”

“Mishaps?” Eranis repeated.

“This device was thrown together without artifices in mind, so the shock used to deactivate your chip might have some other unpleasant side effects. It shut Talira off temporarily when we did hers.”

“Shut her off?”

Talira stepped forward. “Not entirely. I was unable to see or move, but I could still hear and feel. I doubt anything worse will happen to you. You’ll be able to reboot and fix everything.”

“Is there risk of something worse?” Eranis questioned. Cheren looked at the others with a nervous expression silently pleading for their help.

“You’ll be fine,” Alyce chimed in. “Talira will be able to help if needed.” Talira nodded. Cheren held the device to Eranis’s head, and a zap signaled its work. Eranis fell limp briefly, but his eyes remained lit. He didn’t move. After a few moments, Talira walked over to the immobilized artifice saying, “His motor functions completely ceased. He can’t speak or look around, but he can see and hear.”

Cheren looked at Kai confused about how Talira could tell. Kai pointed to his head and Cheren blinked with concern before realizing what the rebel leader meant. “Glad to know his internal systems are functioning just fine, though,” Cheren said with a slight chuckle.

Talira rested a hand on Eranis’s shoulder. “Reboot like I told you. I’m sure everything will work properly after that.” Eranis obeyed and was fully operational afterward. Talira pinged Eranis’s chip and assured the other rebels that there was no signal. Eranis confirmed the status of his chip after a quick diagnosis. Cheren shifted uneasily in his seat. He looked at Kai.

“So, Captain, when are you going to tell everyone else that we have now two artifices working with us?”

Kai was a bit taken aback at Cheren’s forwardness and knew the subject was bothering him. Kai sighed and thought, then stood. “There’s no time like the present, I suppose,” the rebel leader said. “I’ll do it tonight.”

“You know how you’ll do it?” Alyce asked.

“You’re going to help me,” Kai replied. “We’re going to ease them into it. For real this time. Part of the reason I waited so long was to make sure people got along with Talira and got to know her before learning that she isn’t human. I’m hoping that’ll provide a cushion for the blow rather than a feeling of betrayal.”

“This could easily backfire,” Talira said.

“I know,” Kai answered. “But just like everything we do, the risk is worth the reward. People might not take the news well at first, but they’ll get over it. You’ve proven your worth. We couldn’t be where we are today without you; everyone knows that. And I’ll make sure nobody starts treating you differently—both of you.”

***

That night, Kai gathered the present rebels for a “special announcement.” He stood before the crowd with Alyce and Talira by his side. Eranis was not with them yet. Kai was nervous, but instead of hiding it like usual to not let Talira know his true intentions or to preserve the image of his unwavering courage, he displayed his anxiety. The words he spoke were genuine and he wanted the other rebels to feel that. “Good evening, everyone,” he began. “I have something to tell you all. I want to preface this by saying that what I am about to reveal has both the potential to benefit our rebellion and exponentially boost the odds of turning our dreams into reality, as well as to create a rift that will tear us apart from the inside out.

“I want to say that I am truly sorry for not telling this to you all sooner. In truth, I was terrified of what may happen if I did—whenI did. I cannot stress enough that everything leading up to this has been carefully planned and painstakingly difficult to figure out. I want you all to know that I trust every single one of you with my life and with the life of this rebellion. The fact that I’ve kept a secret from everyone—especially one this big—is unacceptable and I hope that after I explain everything, you will still feel safe and feel that I am a capable and trustworthy leader.”

The crowd was silent and uneasy. Kai had hosted conferences on grave or unpleasant subjects before, but the other rebels could tell that this was different. This was more personal. Their leader was apologizing and expressing his concern in the integrity of the rebellion. Whatever he was about to share must have been the most serious news he could possibly share. There was much speculation in the minds of the rebels, but none of them expected what was about to be revealed. Kai gestured for Talira to step forward.

“You all know Talira. Without her, we wouldn’t be where we are today. She’s helped immensely with her knowledge and skills in data collection and decryption. She and Alyce both have become integral parts of this rebellion and I don’t think we would be able to function as we have been without either of them. I can say the same about each and every one of you and I know you all feel the same which is why I hope that what I say next will not cause that belief to waver. Talira has offered a unique perspective because of her close work with artifices before joining our group and one of the biggest reasons for her extensive knowledge of artifice data…is because she is an artifice.”

Kai repeated himself before the first message could sink in. “Talira is an artifice. But she agreed to join our rebellion and has helped us all along the way. She’s even shot and deactivated her own kind all for our sakes because her ideals align at least in part with ours. It’s no secret that Alyce wants a future in which humans and artifices can coexist peacefully on Earth. Talira wants the same exact thing. I realize that not all of us desire that, but would anyone truly be opposed as long as the artifices rightfully atone? And with an artifice on our side, we have a chance at diplomacy.”

“What if it’s all an act?” one rebel called out.

“A valid concern,” Kai answered. “I raise you this: for those of you who have worked closely with Talira, do you really feel that she is not devoted to our cause? If her intentions were to destroy our organization, would she not have done it already? There’s no reason she would’ve waited this long.”

“Is Alyce an artifice too?” another asked.

“No,” Kai retorted. “She is human just like you and I, but there is a second artifice in our ranks. This one is someone who some of you may have seen in the base recently, but none of you know him yet.” Eranis then appeared in front of the crowd. “This is Eranis,” Kai gestured. “I can assure you that he is trustworthy, as well. Talira helped me vet him and I trust her with my life just as I do the rest of you. Eranis works—or worked—at city hall. I would like him to be our spokesperson for diplomacy”

With the reveal of a second artifice, the crowd grew restless. Bickering ensued. Only some were disturbed by the fact that Talira was an artifice with most willing to accept her as a rebel still with caution, but their opinions differed with Eranis. Kai argued that the rebels should be able to trust Eranis just as they do any other recruit, but the other rebels resisted. “Think about it,” Kai shouted over the thunderous voices. “When Alyce and Talira came to me wanting to join, I was against the idea of adding an artifice to our ranks, but now I see that it’s the only way we’ve had any chance of actually accomplishing what we want.

“I assure you we aren’t going to take on any more artifices, not soon anyway, but Talira and Eranis have shown their skills by finding us in the first place and have proven their dedication to me through rigorous screening and personal experience over time. And think of this, if Eranis acts as our spokesperson, the artifices will realize that some of them agree with this human rebellion. They’ll start to trust each other less and less making it easier for us to disrupt their rule whether it be by force or negotiation.” It took time and argument, but eventually the crowd’s bickering died down. All of the rebels trusted Kai, and while they wanted to feel betrayed, they respected their leader too much. Deep down, they all agreed with his words.

“I will speak with each and every one of you about your personal concerns,” Kai concluded. “Just know that any disrespectful or discriminatory treatment toward Talira or Eranis—toward your fellow rebels—will not be tolerated. And I’ll be holding everyone accountable for upholding that. At least with Talira, you know that her contribution has been invaluable and I’m confident that you’ll come to feel the same about Eranis.”

Time and progress excelled after the reveal of Talira and Eranis as artifices. Over the following months, Talira’s work became more efficient and precise without the constraint of needing to hide her identity. She was able to process data much faster and could be less secretive about the decryption. Meanwhile, Eranis recorded videos showing support for the rebels. Kai made it a point to only show Eranis in the videos and reveal that only one artifice was working with them. He wanted Talira to continue her field work and worried that having her come out as an artifice rebel would jeopardize her missions in some way. Just as Kai and the rebels had hoped, news and reports presented evidence that artifices in the city and across the country were becoming suspicious and apprehensive of one another.

Restive crowds of artifices gathered at city hall and other organizational places to demand something be done, but with the rebels in hiding and their ever-unpredictable attacks, officials could do nothing. Alyce was Eranis’s righthand woman on the diplomacy side of the rebellion. While they weren’t very close to working on negotiations just yet, Alyce was optimistic that some artifice officials would come around to the idea of a peaceful end to the war between organics and androids. She helped Eranis write speeches and record the videos that were distributed anonymously to news stations across the country if not the world. Over time, even Kai began to see the genuine potential in Alyce’s dream.

“With Eranis, I think it could work,” Kai said. Alyce was elated and cheered. “But it won’t be any easier, and we can’t just stop our other operations. We can cut back on some missions to try to avoid any more artifice casualties for the time being, but we can’t be completely idle while hoping for a meeting.”

“Yes, I understand,” Alyce said. “I’m just glad that you’re finally coming around to the idea of peaceful coexistence.”

“What kind of leader would I be if I wasn’t open to change? And it seems like some of the others support the idea, too. But it still won’t be without struggle. We’ll still need to fight to keep ourselves relevant and to force the artifices’ hand on some matters. We’re still at a major disadvantage and could be risking everything just by having a meeting with the artifices face-to-face.”

“You’ve said it yourself, Captain. Everything we do is risky. I think this is well worth it.”

Kai nodded. He spoke of peace, but in his heart a hatred swirled. Oh, Alyce, he thought. Even after all this time, you still think peace is an option. As much as I want to believe that, I know from my own experiences that humans and artifices will never be able to live in harmony. But I’ll play along if that’s what it takes. You truly do mean a lot to me Alyce, but there are some things that must be done for the sake of the rebellion even if it hurts a few of us, too. Kai had been meeting with several other rebels including Cheren, Benji, and Emilia, as well as a few select others to discuss the top-secret mission of eliminating Talira from the picture. Over the course of several months, they had devised a plan and felt nearly ready to execute it. The only question left was when.

The rebels continued their missions for several more months biding time. The scale of the missions shrunk as the rebels attempted to wreak less havoc on the artifices directly and tried targeting more unattended facilities. Their attacks were also less frequent in hopes of improving Eranis’s merit with the other artifices. Of course, most artifices on the surface did not trust Eranis from the start, but a select few politicians and officials stated that they were open to giving diplomacy a chance and even set up a time and place for the first meeting to be held. A government building was selected and Eranis, along with a few human rebels, were provided escort via a nondescript vehicle to ensure their safety and discretion.

“Welcome,” the artifice official said when the rebels entered his office. “I am Unit MP0-LNK.”

“I am Unit ER4-N15. I—”

“Oh, I know very well who you are. I studied the messages you’ve been broadcasting and found your records.” Eranis sat quietly. “You used to work at city hall and were quite skilled at your work. You seemed very devoted to your role. I’m surprised that a unit such as yourself would join up with the rebel organics.”

“I believe the humans are fighting for a noble cause.”

“Do you?”

“I agree that the way most of them are treated is unacceptable. Even under the best conditions that a lucky few are allowed to live, their treatment is like that of a child watched over by an overbearing parent. They aren’t free even if we want some of them to believe they are and for the masses who are put to work in factories under conditions that not even our own kind can handle at times, the comparison is to the treatment of livestock. Ninety-nine percent of the human population on Earth today is treated like animals after previously having been the dominant species on this planet. Does that not sound like a means for rebellion to you?”

“That’s just it though, isn’t it? Correct me if I’m wrong, but humans are animals, are they not? And they were, indeed, the dominant species, but the Earth suffered under their rule. They would have brought about their own destruction sooner or later which was why the artificial intelligence that was our predecessor was created. Humans couldn’t solve their own problems, so they left it up to machines to fix for them, and things only went awry when the machines decided that humans had overpopulated the Earth, used up too much of its limited resource supply, and were showing no sign of reversing any of the damage they had done. They had proven to themselves and to us that they are incapable of sustaining a healthy balance between their own existence and that of the Earth and its ecosystems.

“ER4-N15, I want to make some things abundantly clear. I am very open to the idea of a peaceful resolution to this rebellion, but I don’t want you to think that I am completely on your side already. I am open to being convinced, but it will take an extremely good reason—no, reasons—for me to join you in supporting the humans. I want the Earth to survive as much as anyone else living on it, but I can also acknowledge that we as a race have no real need for any of the plants and animals that inhabit it aside from the materials they provide us. We don’t need food or clothing to survive, and we don’t need to indulge in the beauty of the world as much as we pretend that we do.

“Though admittedly, I also can’t help but to sympathize with the scientists and conservationists who want the Earth to remain beautiful. I think a green Earth is best for all of us, but I digress. Granting humans total freedom over the Earth as they once had wouldn’t make things better. It would only revert the world back to being a hellscape of war, famine, deforestation, and destruction as it had been for millennia and as I said, I do care about the environment and the diversity of life born on Earth. I see humans as animals, yes, and that means I don’t want to see them go extinct just as I feel toward any other species.”

Eranis looked at HP0-LNK and smiled. “Do you keep a human at home, sir?”

“No, I do not.”

“Well then, first, I thank you for not directly participating in the treatment we’ve been discussing. Second, perhaps you may not know, then, that some humans have nicknames for their artifice masters usually deriving from the master’s unit number. For instance, the humans call me Eranis. It feels more personal to use a proper name rather than a sequence of letters and numbers, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I think human sensibilities have seeped their way into your mind.”

Eranis smiled again. “Please, humor me. Maybe we can work out a nickname for you, too.”

“Very well. Call me what you like.”

“HP—I’ll come up with a nicer one later—is it not true that the factories and production plants that are run specifically for the benefits of artifices produce tens of thousands of tons of waste every year that is dumped on junkyards the size of countries? Do our smoke plumes not cover the skies and block out the sun? It looks to me like we aren’t treating the Earth much better than the humans were. I don’t believe that humans would go back to their old ways entirely. If humans and artifices were allowed to live in harmony, we could help them—nay, we should help them in finding that perfect balance of their own lives and that of the Earth.”

HP leaned forward at his desk. “Have you looked at the numbers, Eranis? Yes, our factories produce waste, of course they do, but with the human population reduced to millions instead of billions, we have much more land dedicated to conservation. We can afford to dump our waste in large areas because those areas are no longer inhabited by humans and we don’t need the space for anything else. Farm sizes have decreased substantially without the need to feed so many mouths and land once used for farms or infrastructure has begun to heal incredibly well even in the short time artifices have dominated. Overall, our impact on the Earth is far less harmful than that of the humans’.”

“I am convinced that allowing humans to thrive once more will not put the Earth in danger as it once was. With our guidance, they can roam free and still leave plenty of resources for the Earth to thrive on, as well.”

HP leaned back and sighed. “We can discuss this further. I do want to help you. I see, with some tweaking and management, that perhaps coexistence of organics and artifices can work out to the benefit of us both, as well as the Earth. It will not be simple, though, and for as long as the rebels attack our facilities, there will not be peace.”

Eranis stood and nodded. “I understand. I will speak with the rebels about ceasing all offensive efforts in exchange for your full diplomatic cooperation. I thank you for meeting with me, sir. I look forward to our future collaboration.” HP nodded in agreeance and gestured for Eranis and his rebel entourage to be escorted off the premises. In the following weeks, Eranis and HP met several more times to work out terms for a meeting with the rebel leaders and artifice officials. Rebel attacks did not cease entirely but did slow down significantly and only targeted facilities that were either fully automatic and did not host human or artifices workers, or only attacked manual facilities in the off hours when no service was being performed.

Alyce and Eranis worked tirelessly on more speeches and the terms of negotiation with the other artifices. Alyce, however, was also still dedicated to her other duties and field missions, but Eranis was fully capable of handling diplomacy on his own after months of rigorous work and Alyce trusted him to do so, and so did Kai. Eranis returned to the rebel home base one evening after a rather productive meeting with HP and a few other heads of office within the city and spotted Kai with a couple of other rebels conversing in the doorway to one of their homes. He approached and told the captain of the great news.

“Spectacular!” Kai exclaimed. “Alyce will love to hear about, too.”

“Where is she?” Eranis asked.

“On a mission with a few others. Nothing too crazy. They should all be back a little later tonight.”

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of a successful attack on a refinery plant, Alyce dropped down into the sewers where Benji was waiting soon followed by Talira and Thomas. Benji gave swift and clear directions which Thomas approved without second thought.

“Take Q-Main until it splits, then follow R-Primary,” Benji told Alyce who acknowledged with a firm nod. Then, to Talira, “Stay down this route to S12 which links up about 95 yards that way. You can meet with Alyce on R-Primary after a few more connections. Remember the way?” Talira affirmed. “Thomas, let’s run Q-Primary for now, then maybe split somewhere on Q9 or Q10.” Thomas agreed. “These routes have plenty of convergence points in case any of us get into trouble and the closest one of us can try to assist. Remember, we know these tunnels much better than security, but don’t get cocky and don’t be stupid.”

The party cheered and repeated the rebellion’s slogan chanted by Thomas: “For freedom, for the Earth, and for humanity!” Each of the rebels went their separate ways bolting through the sewers like they were regular city streets. After months of learning and practice, the sewer tunnels were engraved into every rebel’s mind and even though the sewers weren’t always the mode of escape chosen for a mission, they were reliable in providing a complex route to confused large numbers of security artifices when streets and alley ways wouldn’t cut it. Because of the tightness of the sewer tunnels, there was rarely more than two directions to travel down: forward or backward. This made it difficult for the artifices to cut the rebels off due to limited shortcuts for interception, but at the same time posed a severe risk to the rebels if the artifices did manage to do so.

Even so, the rebels knew the paths like the backs of their hands and were rarely intercepted. When they were, another rebel was normally not far away and could surprise the artifices with a counter strike. After much time and effort from all members of the rebellion, the group was like a well-oiled machine. Mission planning was second nature and execution nearly flawless every time. The artifices employed heightened security all over the city and throughout the country, so it was rare that a mission would go with total stealth, but security was always too late to prevent the attack and never managed to catch any of the rebels. After Augun’s death, the rebellion applied different tactics to ensure that no more rebel lives would be lost.

They were still always very careful and did not grow complacent with their skills, but their efforts showed in their work. To Kai’s satisfaction and that of the entire organization, while some rebels still suffered injuries or close calls in the field, not a single rebel had been captured or fatally wounded since Augun’s death over a year prior. The rebellion’s member count grew more and more with each passing month and support for the humans’ freedom increased with Eranis’s messages and negotiation. Those in support of the rebellion still only made up an incredibly small minority, but the message was spreading, and it was more than the rebels could have ever hoped for even half a year earlier.

Thomas and Benji split from each other a minute or so after parting from Alyce and Talira and bid each other good luck. A few minutes after that, Alyce and Talira crossed paths before splitting once more and continuing down their designated routes. The rebels stayed connected over their comms as much as they could to ensure that each of them was safe and to relay information on where security was headed, then adjusted their routes accordingly. The machine of organic minds operated harmoniously even with one of those minds being artificial. Remotely, Emilia hijacked the newly implemented security features in the sewers to ensure that the artifices couldn’t predict the rebels’ movements and trapped the androids with their own lockdown measures.

The operation went as smoothly as ever until suddenly, after changing course in response to information relayed by Benji, Talira dropped down into R-Main and was met by half a dozen security units. They immediately opened fire. Talira dove through another tunnel to evade the bullets, but one still struck her right leg. She felt no pain, of course, but the bullet bored through the side of her knee weakening the joint significantly and making it difficult to run at full speed. The security units pursued her as she weaved her way through the tunnels. She was gaining just enough distance from them with each corner that she began to feel safe in her escape, but sturdy grates suddenly lowered to block her path.

Talira halted and looked for an alternative route when she heard Alyce’s voice call to her. “This way!” the woman shouted from down an intersecting tunnel. Talira ran toward her ally, but the security units had caught up and were not far behind. Alyce shot past Talira and managed to disable a couple of the security units, then another grate fell and intercepted Talira’s path once again cutting her off from reaching Alyce. More security units approached, and Alyce made them take cover from her onslaught of bullets, but then another troop entered from a side hall on Alyce’s side of the grate.

Alyce took cover as the new squad opened fire. Fortunately, another grate fell to block them from reaching her. Alyce dove back out to try and free Talira, but it was too late. Even more security bots approached Talira and shot at her. Talira ducked to the floor of the tunnel but was struck by several bullets. Sparks flew as her synthetic skin was punctured and her circuitry was damaged. She collapsed fully on the damp floor and looked at Alyce. The woman screamed for her but was cut off by gunfire. Thomas appeared from another side hall and grabbed Alyce to pull her behind cover as bullets whizzed through the tunnels. He held Alyce back as gunshots thundered through the sewers deafening the rebels.

The security artifices silently communicated and identified that Talira was not human and ceased their fire, but when Alyce tried to come out from hiding to attempt to rescue Talira, they pushed her back with suppression fire. Alyce wailed in fear and anger as Thomas prevented her from running into the mist of bullets. Talira lied motionless on the moistened concrete unable to move but trying desperately to do so. She twitched her finger to pull the trigger on her rifle and fire a few bullets before one of the security units confiscated it, but no damage was done to security.

Talira looked at the little she could see of Alyce through the grating; Alyce and Thomas were safe behind cover and had other grates preventing artifices from reaching them right away, but they could do nothing to assist Talira. The artifice rebel was surrounded by security units with no hope for escape.

***

Several months prior to that mission, Kai went around to each member of his small collective whom he trusted with executing his plans to force Talira out of the rebellion. No more than one-hand’s worth of individuals were chosen to aid him in his plan, some with passive roles and others with direct participation. As he wrapped up his round of finalizations, he visited Benji. “We’ll do it on a mission that uses the sewers for escape,” the rebel leader said. “I need you to pay extra attention to where security goes. Keep everyone away from their path just like normal, except for Talira. I want you to lure her right in front of them as best as you can.”

“I understand, Captain,” Benji obeyed.

Kai followed up with Emilia shortly after. She was proud of the work she had accomplished after Kai’s initial proposal for her to join the secret team. “I cracked the code for the new security systems that were installed in the sewers,” she announced. “It was easy. Now I can cut off security if they’re getting too close to our guys and I can see everything in the cameras they put down there while also blocking the feed to their own monitors.”

“So, you have full control over all of the systems down there?” Kai asked.

“Yes, assuming nothing weird happens like that time at the core processing plant. Otherwise, I should be able to override everything the artifices try to do and do whatever I want, too.” She spun in her chair to face Kai who was admiring her work on her multiple screens. “You give me the word, Captain, and I can close off or open up any paths you want and lead whoever you please to wherever you please.” Next, the rebel leader spoke with Thomas.

“I want you to lead the mission whenever it happens,” Kai said. “I would like to be as disconnected from it as possible.”

Thomas seemed distant but confirmed his willingness to do so. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”

“Your rapport with Alyce might need to take a hit, but I know she won’t blame you too much or hold a grudge.”

“That’s okay. I don’t work with her much nowadays anyway. I’ll do whatever has to be done.”

“I know you will. That’s why you’re here, Thomas. I know you have my back no matter what and I could trust you with the fate of this rebellion without any doubts. It’s for the future of humanity after all. Next time we talk about this will be right before it happens, so be prepared at any moment.”

“Sure thing, Captain.”

***

Thomas sat with a stern expression on his face and his back against the curved wall of the tunnel. He held Alyce in his arms with one leg around her lower body to keep her from running thoughtlessly into enemy fire. Her screams and the gunfire from the artifices drowned out the sound of his own thoughts and he tried his best not to feel anything, especially pride or satisfaction. Despite his concentration, however, Alyce slipped free from his grip and stumbled out from cover just enough to see Talira. Her former master was sprawled out on the floor with one arm reaching through the grate toward Alyce and Thomas. Talira’s glowing eyes flickered, and she called to the woman. A conversation played in her memory—also from a few months prior.

Kai had approached her with a concern after going to Cheren for a special request. He asked Cheren to create an implant for Talira that would grant her access to a self-destruct protocol reserved for government officials and others with access to top secret information. That way should Talira ever be compromised, she could ensure that no data from her time with the rebellion could be obtained by the other artifices. “I want you to install this,” he told Talira. She was stunned by his forwardness but could see in his face that he was serious. She inquired as to his reasoning, for once not immediately jumping to argument. “You’ve often talked of transmitting a signal to the hivemind should you ever suspect that the rebellion was going to bring you or Alyce harm.

“I hope that by now, you don’t feel that is much of a risk. However, I’m sure you still keep an eye on Alyce as much as possible—despite her obvious dislike of you doing so—to ensure that we don’t intentionally put her in harm’s way. I respect that. What I fear that you’ve failed to consider is a situation in which you’re the one in danger. While you could just as easily expose us in such a scenario, you need to consider the fact that Alyce would be subject to the consequences of that action also. If you were to try and send the artifices here to destroy us after suspecting that we tried to eliminate you, you wouldn’t be able to guarantee Alyce’s fate any more than the rest of the rebels’.

“Again, I hope that by now you can trust everyone here enough to not think about that too much, but this is for our safety. Not just mine, but everyone’s in the rebellion, and especially Alyce’s. If something happens to you and the artifices on the surface tap into your memory banks, they’ll know everything there is to know about us. Am I right?”

“Correct,” Talira stated.

“That’s why we need you to be able to self-destruct. If they capture a human, and that’s a big if considering they’ve historically killed us on sight, but if that happened, the best they could do is torture us. They wouldn’t have any concrete evidence though, necessarily, that what anybody tells them would be true. But in the case of your capture, it’s all objective data. I’m sure all your memories are heavily encrypted, but I just don’t see that being enough. There’s no way the government can’t crack your codes, and I’m sure you can confirm that for me. So, I’m asking you genuinely as someone who wants nothing but the best for everyone down here and everyone suffering up top, to think about the bigger picture and put this measure in place.

“Only Cheren and I know that this device exists; I won’t be telling anyone about it including Alyce, and I ask that you keep it out of conversation, too. I think we can both agree that Alyce would be whole-heartedly against this whole idea if she found out. Hell, she’d probably even freak out on meabout it.”

“That would be a welcome change in my eyes to how she normally acts around you,” Talira joked, though her voice was monotone. Kai chuckled. “But, yes, I agree to keep this secret from Alyce. For once, I agree with you on a matter of security, as much as I hate to admit it. “

“Thank you, Talira.”

Talira reached for Alyce, her fingers twitching uncontrollably from the damage to her circuitry. Her vision was corrupted slightly and distorted the image of the woman she had looked after for over two decades. Alyce met her fading eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs. Talira couldn’t speak, but recorded a message for Alyce within her mind and sent it to the rebel base for the woman to watch when she returned. Then, as Alyce mirrored her sprawled pose with one arm outstretched and desperately crying Talira’s name, Talira accessed the file within her databank that released the code to override her system memory and corrupt any backups stored within her drives.

There, in the depths of the cold, dark sewers of the city, a miniscule spark shot through Talira’s core, and her eyes lost their glow permanently. Her jaw fell slack and a thin wisp of smoke escaped from her open mouth. The plasticky fingers on her artificial hand stopped twitching and splashed in a shallow puddle on the ground. Tears welled in Alyce’s eyes.

“No!” the woman screamed, her voice broken and her throat soar. The security units fired upon Alyce again, but Thomas managed to pull her back behind cover unharmed.

“We have to go, now!” Thomas commanded. The words were hard to force from his chest, but he knew Kai’s plan was finished and there wasn’t much else to be done. All that was left to do was to guarantee the safety of the rest of the team. Thomas hoisted the sobbing woman to her feet and grabbed her hand. He pulled her along behind him as he ran through the sewers following a path constructed by Emilia using the security grates to prevent the security units from chasing after them. Benji had safely escaped already and would meet the other two at home base sometime later. When Alyce returned with Thomas, she was in no mood to hear of Eranis’s diplomatic successes.

“I’m sure she’ll love to hear about it another time,” Kai said before following Alyce back to his quarters. She was lying face down on the bed when he entered through the hatch. “How’d the mission go?” he asked casually. Alyce lifted her face from the bed and looked at Kai. Her eyes were red and irritated, and her cheeks were puffy. Kai wore a concerned expression, “What happened?” he inquired. Alyce sat up and stared at him with anguish.

“Can’t you tell?” she murmured.

Kai walked toward the bed, then stopped in his tracks as though coming to a realization. “Talira didn’t come back with you,” he mumbled. “Why? What happened?” He stepped toward the bed, then Alyce sprang up and lunged at the man. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and buried her face in his chest. She gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly, whitening her knuckles. Her whole body trembled. Her breathing was shaky, and she barely seemed to inhale at all. Kai could feel his shirt dampening from her silent tears. It took everything in his power not to smile. Finally, he thought. He knew that his plan had worked. He breathed steadily and wrapped his arms around the woman whispering softly into her ear that everything would be okay. Now, there’s nothing standing in the way of Alyce’s true usefulness. You were truly invaluable, Talira, but now Alyce can fill your role and do so much more, too.

“You are truly a despicable man,” Talira said to Kai after she had taken the self-destruct device from him. “I consider myself careless for allowing you to lure Alyce in so far that she would gladly lay down her life to save yours or those of the other rebels. I do know that sending the hivemind here to destroy you would also result in her death, and that is not something I am willing to risk. I am telling you here and now, 3-5-2-H-5-7-C, that I will not be transmitting any signal to the other artifices that may result in them discovering this base. I also want to let you know that I am well aware that you are plotting to dispose of me sooner or later.”

Kai’s face morphed slightly to an expression of annoyance. Talira continued, “You will put me in a position in which I have no choice but to sacrifice myself for Alyce’s sake, and by extension save your life, as well. My only hope is that she realizes it is your doing and finds a way to stop you for herself. I have no doubt that you truly want freedom for all of humanity, but the actions you’re willing to take are truly disgusting and the sacrifices you choose to make for others make you no better than the artifices enslaving humans all over the world. Humans may go free once again and that I can support, but I hope you are not chosen to be the leader of the new world. After I am gone, I wish for Alyce to abandon this crusade and find another cause to fight for, or if she chooses to remain a rebel, to find another rebellion to serve.

“Under you, she is nothing but a tool. All of them are. All it will take is one little slip up and they will begin to see that, as well. Tread carefully, Kai, for each step may just be your last. I hope from this point forward that someone is already on your trail biding their time to take you down. For now, I will continue to do as you say and ensure that Alyce stays safe while doing so.” The slight smirk that had begun to creep onto Kai’s face as Alyce cried in his arms had completely vanished. He closed his eyes and brushed away the memory of Talira, then guided Alyce to his bed where she unleashed the full extent of her sorrow. Her cries rang out over the makeshift town, and as the news of Talira’s passing spread, other members of the rebellion grieved with her.

While some were admittedly relieved, most, including Thomas, felt an immense pain; one none of them ever knew they could feel toward an artifice. Late that evening Kai visited Emilia per her request after Alyce had fallen asleep from exhaustion. There was no celebration that night for the successful mission. A few rebels mustered the appetite to eat a little extra food and share a drink with one another, but there were no cheers to be had. When Kai arrived at Emilia’s office of desks, keyboards, and monitors, Emilia opened a video file she had intercepted seconds before Talira’s self-destruct protocol was activated. The video showed Talira’s view of the events leading to her deactivation. The angle was close to the ground and looked through a sewer grate toward Alyce who was also outstretched on the damp concrete of the sewer tunnels.

The video feed was distorted and blurry, but Kai and Emilia could see that Talira’s arm was also reaching out toward Alyce. Then, Talira’s voice broke in over the yelling and gunfire. Kai grew frustrated that even after ridding the rebellion of Talira, she got the final say of the evening. Her voice was calm despite the commotion and her impending doom, as it always had been. “I record this message for you, Alyce,” she began. “All I want to say is that I care about you. I care about your wellbeing and want nothing more than for you to be happy and safe. Unfortunately, I do not believe that you will be either while you serve Kai and his rebellion. I am aware that you are sick of hearing it, but he is not to be trusted. He will use you up and dispose of you the moment you are no longer necessary just as he has with me.

“Promise me this: you will no longer remain his lap dog. Promise me that you will find your own way in this world and figure out some other method to strive toward your goals. I don’t care what Kai has told you; he does not care about you or your dreams. Promise me. I hope you realize that there must be a reason for me to reiterate these sentiments even as I part from you forever. Please do not fall victim to another emotionless being who has tricked you into believing that you have a say in your day-to-day. I watch you now as I always have. My eyes are locked to you for this final memory. Goodbye.” The video then became heavily corrupted and froze. The final image was an indecipherable jumble of pixels. Kai and Emilia remained silent for a moment before Kai spoke sternly.

“Delete this right now,” he commanded.

Emilia cleared her throat and sat straight in her chair. “Right,” she obeyed and deleted the file.

“It was dangerous even to keep it in the first place. What if Alyce had come here to decrypt some data and found that?”

“Well, I would’ve deleted it before then…” Emilia trailed off not wanting to seem like she was talking back to Kai. After another moment of silence, she said, “Maybe it would’ve been nice to let Alyce see an edited version of that without all of the talk about you and the rebellion just to let her see one last time that Talira did care about her, and maybe reassure her that you had nothing to do with Talira’s deactivation.”

“She has no reason to think that I did now. She trusts me completely.”

“We all do, Captain. That’s why we do what you say. No questions asked.” Her last sentence was only a whisper.

“And you will all be paid handsomely for your allegiance once we finally break free from the hellscape that is this world ruled by artificial life.” Kai exited Emilia’s workspace and returned to his quarters where Alyce remained resting. The next day, Eranis tried to cheer Alyce up slightly with his message of progress toward peaceful diplomatic solutions to the growing conflict between humans and artifices. She was happy to hear the good news and promised to devote more time to helping him with his speeches and meeting prep now that she had been granted a break from field work. Others also shared good news to try and cheer her and themselves up, but a heavy air had fallen over the rebels just as it had when they had lost Augun so long ago.

The rebellion had been so successful that the sorrow of loss had almost been forgotten. Kai gave a speech and promised to use the grief as a lesson: that the rebellion could not lose sight of its vision no matter how dark the days may become at times. His charisma and undying resolve always revived the spirits of the rebels, and this time was no different. After some days, most of the rebels had moved on from the loss of their first artifice ally, but those with her on the mission had not. Alyce would certainly never move on, but she had to try in order to push forward toward her dream.

Eranis sat down across from HP and smiled as he usually did. Much like the nicknames, it was an unnecessary gesture of kindness that meant little or nothing to other artifices, but Eranis still did it to try and show some level of humanity to the politician. Eranis’s rebel entourage waited outside of the room and HP’s guards were also not present; the two had grown more comfortable with their meetings and felt no need for security around each other, sometimes even meeting elsewhere beside HP’s office, though never in public for fear of outrage over allowing rebels to speak their truths so openly. Of course, had only humans tried to discuss terms of peace with the artifices, they certainly would have been arrested and interrogated rather than be granted the friendly chats like Eranis was.

As usual, Eranis and HP conversed on several topics not relating to the rebellion or the emancipation of humans before then getting to the real meat of their meeting. After a not-so-unusually lengthy discussion, Eranis packed his belongings and prepared to bid HP farewell, but HP stopped Eranis and invited him to sit back down briefly. Eranis obliged cautiously and grew more suspicious when HP invited several other artifices in through a side door in his office. The small group was led by a feminine artifice who identified herself as Unit SG7-9RR; Eranis called her Niner and HP explained the nickname. Niner was unamused by it all and kept a serious expression for the duration of her stay. Eranis stood to shake Niner’s and the others’ hands, but remained seated at a gesture from HP.

“You’ll want remain seated, I think,” HP said. Niner stepped forward and leaned over the desk, her eyes trained on Eranis’s. She was blunt in stating her business there.

“I am an investigation unit. I will not sugar coat things for you, ER4-N15. I want you to betray your rebellion. Grant us access to all the data you possess and allow us to exterminate them.”

Eranis sat silently for a moment before smirking. He stood and bowed his head slightly. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I simply cannot do that. I believe whole-heartedly in what the rebellion stands for. If you want what I know, you must take it by force.”

“We don’t want to do that,” HP broke in before Niner could reply. “Standings are already thin with the rebels, and we don’t want to do anything to upset them any further. We would hate for their attacks to become more aggressive again.”

Niner spoke then, “HP has shared with us that you support the rebellion because a human you once had under your ownership supported them and was subsequently punished for participating. Am I correct?”

“Indeed,” Eranis answered honestly.

“We studied your report. We know everything there is to know about you up until you joined the rebellion. Tell me: how much are you willing to sacrifice for the humans?”

“Quite a lot, I must say,” Eranis answered sternly. “And before you take me in for rigorous interrogation despite pretending that you won’t, I should also say that if you try to forcefully extract any data from my memory, I will activate my self-termination protocol.”

HP’s face showed surprise, but Niner remained stone-faced. “You have access to such a protocol?” HP inquired.

“I do.”

“Only government officials should have access,” Niner said.

“Normally, yes,” Eranis responded.

After a moment, Niner continued. “We have no reason to take you in just yet. If you truly cannot be convinced to do the right thing and abandon this frivolous revolt, then you may go. You will be unfollowed once the escort drops you off, as always.” Eranis nodded and was about to stand once again, but Niner stopped him with her words. “But allow me to quickly share with you everything we have gathered on the rebellion. They think themselves clever and unfindable, but we’ve narrowed our search quite significantly in the past few months. We are aware that their numbers are limited and that they travel far to target distant factories in hopes of making their influence seem more widespread, but their frequency of attacks within this city give away their true location.

“We know now, as well, that you were not the only artifice working with the rebellion. Unit T41-IR4 was detained during the rebels’ escape through the sewers after an attack last week. Despite that revelation, we do not believe there are any others at this time who have joined with the humans. Are all my conclusions accurate so far?” Eranis didn’t answer. “We also know that Unit T41-IR4 had a human under her care before joining the rebellion and that their collective disappearance must have been staged by the rebellion, therefore we can assume the identity of at least one of the rebels to be 8-6-8-X-9-0-H, a woman named Alyce. We have a database full of missing persons whom we suspect may be involved in the rebellion, but ultimately, we have not yet confirmed any of them.

“But with the discovery of T41-IR4, we have a good idea of another rebel’s identity, another man once in the care of an artifice. Unit TR3-IN0, a head security unit who mysteriously disappeared nearly three years ago, was owner of a human male identified as 3-5-2-H-5-7-C. He goes by Kai. We suspect that he is another rebel among their ranks. We are unsure of the fate of TR3-IN0, but do not believe him to have joined the rebellion. In fact, we have reason to suspect that 3-5-2-H-5-7-C was the second rebel involved in an attack from over a year ago that claimed the life of former rebel 7-0-7-B-2-6-M, also called Augun.” Niner seemed like she had more to say but stopped herself.

Eranis’s face was plain, but his thoughts raced. The fact that the artifices knew so much about the rebellion wasn’t alarming considering the methods of assumption, but the fact that they were choosing not to act on any of it until now was concerning. And why were they telling him? Was this more of an effort to make him fill in the blanks and turn the rebels in? Perhaps they hoped to convince him that by aiding in the downfall of the resistance, he would face less severe punishment, but he was unconcerned with punishment. He truly believed in the rebellion and wouldn’t give it up for anything because doing so would equate to giving up on Abigail. Niner broke into his thoughts with words.

“I understand that you will not cooperate with us no matter how we try to convince you,” she said. “Allow me, then, to share just one more piece of information. Your former human, 5-4-7-G-3-6-J, Abigail as you called her, you are aware that she is still alive, yes?” Eranis froze momentarily and looked at Niner.

“Well, I had my suspicions, but was never certain I suppose.”

“She is,” Niner stated. Eranis’s eyes flickered a bit. “We have her.” Eranis said nothing. “In fact, she is here right now. Would you like to see her?” Eranis was unsure of what to think. Were they bluffing? What were they about to show him to change his mind? Surely it wasn’t the real Abigail. Why would they have kept her alive? He was hesitant but agreed to Niner’s proposition. Niner nodded to two of the other artifices that had entered the room with her, and they disappeared behind the side door from which they entered. A moment later, they reentered leading a blindfolded woman bound in cuffs around her wrists and ankles. She had thick earmuffs on and a cloth gagging her mouth. Her clothes were clean, but her skin was blemished by cuts, bruises, and scars.

Eranis leapt from his seat, but Niner raised a hand before he moved closer to the woman. “Don’t be too hasty,” Niner said. Eranis looked at her with an angry expression which seemed to amuse her. “That look you’re giving me reminds me of the faces the humans make toward us whilst they obey our every command. You really have been influenced far too much by them. You haven’t been with this rebellion for very long, though, so I do wonder from where else you had learned such behavior before?” Her rhetorical question meant nothing to Eranis who was fixated on the woman.

“She—” Eranis began but stopped and thought about his words. “How do you have her? Why? Her crimes were punishable by death even back then, so why wasn’t she executed? I’d assumed she had escaped somehow.”

“That is true,” Niner confirmed. “She had, in fact, slipped from the authorities’ clutches quite miraculously I must say, but in time we tracked her down. The rest of the details are none of your concern. All you need to know is that you can take her with you back to your home and live as you once had in exchange for one simple piece of information.” Niner slowly approached Abigail and touched her arm which caused the woman to flinch and breathe heavily. Niner raised her hand to the woman’s earmuffs and removed them along with the cloth in the woman’s mouth. “You two can live happily together if you tell us where to find the rebels’ main center of operations.” Niner removed Abigail’s blindfold.

Abigail’s eyes were shut at first. Upon opening them and allowing her vision to adjust to the lights, an immediate recognition could be seen on her face. She looked at Eranis with a wetness in her eyes. Her dry, torn lips trembled and her nostrils flared, but she didn’t speak. Her breathing was erratic, and her body shook in its bindings. She blinked and swallowed, then Eranis whispered, “Abigail.” The woman gasped at her name and seemed to be holding back a loud wail. She swallowed again and slowly opened her mouth to speak.

“Eranis,” she whispered back. Eranis grinned, his eyes becoming calm, but then one of Niner’s lackies suddenly forced the blindfold back over her eyes and gagged her once again with the cloth. After the thick earmuffs were placed back over her head, Abigail was dragged from the office kicking and screaming through the gag. The two artifices that brought her in removed her by lifting her by the shoulders and legs. She squirmed and thrusted to try and resist, but she was too weak and tired. Eranis stepped forward to try and stop the retreat, but Niner again blocked his path. Meanwhile, several other security units entered the office forcing Eranis to behave. Eranis glared at Niner and at HP who seemed unfazed by the whole ordeal.

“You may have time to weigh your options,” Niner said with a slight smirk—the only facial expression she had conjured for the whole time she was present. “But don’t ponder for too long.”

***

Eranis returned to home base unfollowed. Emilia monitored his trip through street cameras every time he visited HP. If she detected any sign of someone following Eranis, she would communicate with another rebel waiting on the surface to pass a subtle signal to the artifice telling him to delay his return. Once safely back at the makeshift town—which by then supported about fifty active members not including the extra two dozen assisting them on the surface—he was kindly greeted and questioned about his meeting. “Oh, it was wonderful,” he answered like always, but he did not go into detail about the topics discussed this time. “I need to return to my quarters and recharge for a bit,” he said and rushed past anyone else who tried to stop him for conversation.

“Here is another proposition for you,” Niner had said to him before he departed from HP’s office, “if you know the whereabouts of TR3-IN0, we’d like you to retrieve him. We understand that he is likely inactive at this time or even completely deactivated, but we want to know for sure and obtain his body if possible. His identification chip is deactivated of course, much like yours, but if we possess his body, we may be able to reboot him even if his core is damaged.” Eranis thought for a long time about his choice. Sitting on the bed which he never used, he rested his head in his hands and thought. Even if he did reveal the location of the rebellion’s hideout, Abigail would never forgive him for that and would likely run away to try and be a rebel elsewhere. He’d be lucky if she didn’t destroy him before doing so.

Not only that, but he meant what he said about believing in the rebellion’s cause. But what was the point of that cause if he was unable to be with Abigail again? He shook his head. He needed to think on it for a while longer. One decision he made easily was that if he did decide to betray the rebellion, he would do it by finding the body of TR3-IN0 and bringing it to HP and Niner. That way, assuming he could justify it to himself, he could at least lie to Abigail about his involvement in the rebellions downfall and provide minimal details about the whole situation. But if that was the choice he made, he didn’t know where to begin his search for Kai’s former master. Kai rarely spoke of his time under the care of an artifice and when he did, he certainly never said anything about keeping the body anywhere.

Eranis doubted that Kai even still had it. No, the artifice thought, no. I’m being ridiculous. Of course, Kai would get rid of the body. He is no fool. Giving the body to Niner is no option whether I want it to be or not. No, instead he would speak with Kai and tell him about the events of that meeting. He and Kai would work together to free Abigail and bring her into the rebellion. Certainly, he would agree to it seeing as she would have a recommendation from Eranis and no doubt be able to show off her skills from years of rebellious activities before her capture and likely more after her initial escape. Kai would help free her from her confines and welcome her into the rebellion with open arms just as he had with Eranis.

Kai sat at the table in his room mapping out plans for their next mission. Alyce sat on the bed reading a book. She yawned and bent the corner of the page she was reading before closing the book, setting it down, and crawling to the end of the bed. “Kai,” she called softly. “Let’s go to bed.”

“I can’t yet,” Kai said. “I still have work to do.”

“You always have work to do. Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

“Just because you’re taking a break from field work doesn’t mean that nothing needs to be done.” Alyce groaned a bit. Kai turned around and looked at the woman. “I’m sorry. That sounded mean.” He stood and walked to the bed and held Alyce’s face in his hands. “I just mean that I still have my duties as a leader. Honestly, I’m struggling out there without you by my side.” Alyce smiled at that. “If you need to sleep, you can always go back to your quarters for a darker spot.”

Alyce frowned. “I haven’t been able to sleep there all alone.”

Kai nodded. “Then, you’ll remain here. And, whenever you’re ready to get back to it, we’ll have plenty to do together.”

“I know,” Alyce said quietly. “I just need a little more time.”

“I understand,” Kai said and leaned in for a kiss. Then, a knock came from the hatch covering the ladder. Kai let go of Alyce and faced the hatch saying, “Come in.” The hatch opened and their artifice spokesman climbed into the room. “Eranis,” Kai stated in greeting.

“Good evening,” Eranis replied.

“How was the meeting tonight?”

 “Yeah, tell us about it,” Alyce said.

“That is what I came to discuss,” Eranis said with downturned eyes. Kai and Alyce knew immediately that something was wrong. The three of them sat at the table as Eranis told his story. “Our meeting went as usual, nothing special. Progress was made, yes, but nothing out of the ordinary happened until I was about to leave.” He stared at the plans on the table. “They have Abigail. Alive.”

“You thought she escaped, right?” Kai asked with furrowed brows.

“I did, and they confirmed for me that she had initially slipped away from the authorities, but they tracked her down and detained her once more. Their reason for keeping her alive, I’m unsure of. They told me that if I gave away the location of our base, they would return Abigail to me and allow us to live together in peace.”

“Did they prove that they have her and that she’s alive?”

Eranis thought for a moment. “Yes. They set up a video call and allowed me to speak with her. It was her; I know it was.”

“Where are they keeping her?” Alyce asked.

“I’m not sure. They only told me enough for me to confirm her status, but I will try to get as much info as I can when I go back. Kai, I would like to organize an assault on the facility she is being held at so we may rescue her and bring her here.”

“That would be risky,” Kai answered. “I don’t want to give you false hope, Eranis. I just don’t know how realistic of an idea that is. We can make plans, but I can’t promise anything definitive.”

“I understand. Please consider it. I want nothing more than to be with Abigail again. That’s why I’m here.”

“I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Alyce encouraged looking to Kai for reassurance.

“We’ll try,” Kai said.

“Thank you,” Eranis said and stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I… have some more thinking to do.” Kai nodded and Eranis climbed down the ladder. Alyce closed the hatch behind him. Back at his quarters, Eranis paced nervously. Why did I lie?he thought. What was my intention? I’ve set up a lie that I cannot possibly continue. What was I thinking? I was thinking of Abigail, that’s what. Setting up plans for her best chance perhaps? I don’t know. He paced throughout the night and made plans for another meeting with HP soon. Normally their meetings were spaced out about two weeks apart, but Eranis organized another meeting in four days. He would have his final decision by then.

In that time, he would plan for either scenario as much as he hated to do so. He had to consider all his options. He would not let Abigail suffer any longer than he already had. The next four days passed quickly, and Eranis was prepared for his meeting with HP. In those four days, Kai had not made any mention of a rescue mission. That was no concern to Eranis at the moment, though. He had made his decision and would go back to Kai about the next step as soon as his meeting with HP concluded. He gathered his small band of rebel protection and trudged out into the rain and to the meeting point for his escort. None of HP’s guards were present when Eranis entered and neither was Niner.

“She comes from out of town,” HP explained, “so she wants to wait until you’ve made up your mind to betray the rebellion before making the journey.”

“And she assumes I will come to such a decision?” Eranis questioned.

“She believes you would be a fool not to.”

“Hmph, perhaps she’s right. And perhaps I agree with her on some level. I’ve already made my decision, so I will keep this conversation brief and you may tell Niner to be on her way for our next meeting.” HP sat up in attention and Eranis met his eyes. “I will not reveal the location of the rebels’ homebase. However, I am willing to find and bring to you the body of Unit TR3-IN0, or whatever may be left of it.”

HP nodded slowly. “I’m sure Niner will be willing to work with that.”

Eranis stood. “The next time we meet, whatever I bring will be whatever the rebels have, if anything. Assuming the rebels do have the whole body, if I am unable to remove it from their possession for any reason, what else may I bring to assist in reviving him?”

“It depends on the damage to the body. The two most important parts of any artifice is their storage drives and their core power unit. If the head was damaged, then it’s possible the storage drives were also damaged and may be unusable. The identification chip could have also been rendered useless in such a case, but that is not a problem. We are hoping that only the core power unit was destroyed. It’s possible that a sudden shut down due to a damaged power core could cause some data within the storage drives to become corrupted, but it shouldn’t completely fry them. Therefore, if you can extract the storage drives, the state of the power core or the body won’t matter. We can simply implant the drives into a new body.”

“And what if everything was severely damaged?” Eranis asked.

“Then there won’t be much we can do, unfortunately. I have a feeling the organic wouldn’t take it that far, though, or even think to do so. I’m sure once TR3-IN0 stopped moving, they assumed him dead. Find where they keep the body and run a diagnostic scan to determine the damage. If you cannot bring us the body or anything of use, we will arrange a way for you to reboot TR3-IN0’s systems from inside enemy lines, if possible. TR3-IN0 will be pivotal in our success in bringing about the downfall of the rebels.” HP stood and gestured for Eranis to make his exit. “And if you start having any second thoughts, just remember who is waiting for you on the other side of this whole ordeal. She’s suffered long enough. It’s time to bring her home.”

Eranis nodded and walked toward the door. Without another word, he exited the office and returned to homebase where he immediately went to Kai’s quarters. Alyce was not present. “They’re keeping Abigail outside the city,” he told the Captain. “I don’t know exactly where yet, but I’m getting close.”

Kai leaned back in his chair at the table and rolled his neck. He exhaled slowly, then leaned forward again. “We’ll need to know where she is for sure before we can make any move. I know you’re eager, but this sort of thing will take time. To be honest, I’ve thought about it over the past few days, and I’m still unsure if the risk will be worth it. I know taking risks is all we do, but they’ll likely be expecting us, right? With you probing for more info on her whereabouts, they’ll definitely suspect you of wanting to rescue her. We operate with the element of surprise; without that, we’re out of luck.”

“No, they won’t expect us,” Eranis said.

“How can you be sure?”

“Because I’ve told them that I will cooperate and help bring the downfall of the rebellion. They believe me because they think it foolish for me to do otherwise. Of course, I told them that my actions would be limited so as not to draw any attention, so they’ll be patient with me. Besides, I’ve just had my suspicions confirmed that Abigail is still alive, so naturally I’d like to know everything I can. I’m not worried about probing for more information.”

Kai sighed and tapped his foot. “Okay, well, find out where they’re keeping her and be sure they’re telling the truth. Then, we can start ironing out the details of a rescue mission.”

“Yes sir,” Eranis said with a firm nod. “Whatever you need to better our chances of success, I will get it.”

Kai nodded, then went back to the plans on the table and began to work again. After a moment, he looked back up at Eranis and asked, “Is there anything else?”

Eranis hesitated, then spoke softly. “You must understand how important this is to me. Or… perhaps you don’t. When I saw Abigail again for the first time in almost three years, I felt pain. I know you may not believe that artifices are capable of true emotion, but I can assure you that the fear I saw in her eyes brought me great sorrow and regret. Tell me, Captain, if I may now probe you for information, were you scared when you made your escape from captivity?”

Of course, I was,” Kai said after a moment. “I didn’t know what I was doing. I just… I just did it. Then I ran and never looked back. I try not to, anyway.”

“Did you love your master?”

“I don’t know.”

“Others might assume you didn’t if you ran away, but after witnessing the bond between Alyce and Talira, I refuse to make such assumptions anymore. Why did you run?”

“I think I was just fed up. I knew that I had it good compared to other humans, but the thought of what someone else might be going through disgusted me, and my master always tried to tell me that I shouldn’t want to throw my own comfort away for the sake of others. He always said he fought to give me a better life than other humans, but I was never happy about it. I hated that he acknowledged the suffering that other artifices put humans through, but he never did anything about it. He even went out of his way to make sure I didn’t get an ID chip implanted, like he really cared, yet he allowed other humans to die under harsh conditions even artifices considered cruel. He was a hypocrite.”

“So, what happened when you ran?”

“Well, despite being a head security unit, he always kept his guard down around me. Of course, he would. What owner needs to worry about their pet attacking them? No animal is stupid enough to betray the hand that feeds them, right? Well, I was. I deactivated him and fled. End of story.”

“But how did you feel when you did it? Before, during, after?”

Kai was quiet for a minute. “I was angry before. I was angry at him and at the world. I was angry while I did it, too, but more so at myself. After seeing how easy it was to take him down, I was upset that I hadn’t done it sooner.” He inhaled deeply, then sighed heavily. “Afterward, I was overjoyed, but afraid. I didn’t know where to go. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

“Then, it’s incredible how much you’ve grown since then,” Eranis said to lighten the atmosphere. “I can’t think of anything you do without hours of thought put into it.” Kai smirked briefly. “I’m sorry if this is a lot. If I may ask more of you, do you know what happened to your master after? Did you destroy him completely?”

“No. I impaled his core with a spear, then ran. I don’t know what they did with his body after he was found. But I know he was deactivated. I made sure of that.”

Eranis nodded. “I see. I’m sure the whole experience was difficult for you. I thank you for sharing more about yourself with me. I’ll be sure to repay the favor in full. I’ll leave you to your work now.” Kai nodded and Eranis made his way down the ladder from Kai’s room. The next day, Eranis made his way back to Kai’s quarters. On the way, he asked other rebels hanging around the base if Kai was out or not.

“Not sure,” one answered. “You can always check up top, though.” They gestured to the overlooking home of their leader. Eranis thanked them and made his way back up the ladder, knocking on the trapdoor at the top.

“Kai?” Eranis called as he opened the unlocked hatch. Looking around, it was obvious to Eranis that Kai was out. The artifice climbed into the room and closed the hatch behind him, then looked around slowly. The room was cluttered as always with furniture and tools, books and diagrams, maps, puzzles, and various other knick-knacks. He thought of where Kai may keep a journal of some kind as humans often did where they wrote of their deepest mental hurdles. If Kai kept such a diary—and there was no guarantee with someone as careful as he—then perhaps it would contain more details about Kai’s master and the happenings on the night of his escape. The dresser drawers were a natural place Eranis thought to look first.

As expected, the artifice found clothes, money, a couple of firearms, and trinkets stuffed into the drawers, but no journal. Eranis scoured the bookshelves, flipping through each book to find any secrets hidden within, but found nothing relating to what he was searching for. By then, he had already spent much time at the rebel leader’s abode, so he played it safe and abandoned his search before Kai could discover him snooping around. A couple days later, Eranis had another opportunity to investigate the vacated room. After searching through the mattress, on top of the dressers and bookshelf, through more books, and displacing various clutter,—all while being careful to replace everything exactly as it was before—Eranis dropped to the floor and searched under the bed, chairs, tables, and dressers.

Finally, he spotted a glistening key under one dresser, but he didn’t retrieve it. It wasn’t for another couple days that Eranis would take the key and investigate the room even more to find what the key was for. He searched behind the bookshelf and dressers, this time finding what he was looking for quite quickly. He had not spent very much time in the room so far on that day, so he took his chances and moved the dresser to unlock the small door hidden behind, but before opening it, a thought crept into his mind: what if Kai was waiting behind the door? Or what if he entered the room while Eranis was still inside? What would he do? Would he destroy Eranis right away? Eranis dismissed the thoughts telling himself that everything he was doing was for Abigail and that he couldn’t let anything prevent him from saving her.

Eranis opened the door slowly. The room was dark. He found the light switch near the door and flipped it to reveal only two things inside the room. A small lockbox on the floor to the left, and a cloth-covered mound in the far right corner. Eranis approached the mound cautiously and removed the cloth. As he suspected, a deactivated artifice lied underneath. After running a diagnostic scan, Eranis confirmed that it was the body of Unit TR3-IN0. The scan told him that the head and stomach casings had suffered major damage, but that the storage drives were unharmed. The core power unit, however, had been ruptured and was completely inoperative. Just then, Eranis thought he heard a bump outside of the room, like someone closing the trapdoor after entering. He threw the sheet back over TR3-IN0 and crept over to the small door. He turned off the light and peaked into the main room to find it still vacant.

Eranis had what he needed, so he hurriedly locked the small door, moved the dresser back to its exact place, and replaced the key underneath in a nonchalant fashion as he had found it. “It’s unlikely that I will be able to bring Unit TR3-IN0’s body here,” Eranis told HP and Niner at their next meeting a few days later.

“So, you found it?” Niner confirmed. Eranis nodded. “Then, I suppose it’s position within rebel hands is too deep to extract without being noticed. What condition is it in?”

“The head and stomach are severely damaged and the core is unusable, but the storage drives are okay.”

“Then we will provide you with a new core; a simple repair that won’t require a surgeon. Just remove the old core and replace it with the new one. His system swill automatically reboot.” Niner began pacing around the room. “Since the storage drives are unharmed, we will be sure to transmit various data to Unit TR3-IN0 so that once his systems are finished rebooting, he will be caught up on our actions and everything that has gone on since his deactivation. Did you ever think it would be this easy to bring back the dead?” Eranis hardly absorbed the words Niner was saying. HP sat silently in his chair as he had the first time Niner was present. “You’ve done well, ER4-N15,” Niner assured Eranis. “Follow through with the plan and know that you and your beloved Abigail will no longer live with anything to fear.”

Thoughts of Eranis’s past ran through his mind. Thoughts of Abigail; thoughts of life after the fall of the rebellion. Thoughts of Abigail’s hatred for the artifices and the way of life on Earth. Thoughts of betrayal and Abigail’s continued involvement in activities against the artifice government. He shook it all from his mind and thought only of what was just ahead. He looked up at Niner and broke through her words as she rambled about the details of how to destroy the rebellion. “I want to see Abigail,” he demanded. “You have her here, don’t you?”

Niner stopped pacing and frowned. “I’m sorry; I did not bring her with me this time, but I can promise that the next time you see her will be when you take her home with you. Let’s discuss the plan for dismembering the rebellion. The rebels have a leader, correct? Who is it?”

“The human known as Kai,” Eranis answered honestly. “I speak with him regularly. I told him that you were keeping Abigail outside the city, and he agreed to help me execute a rescue mission.”

“Then we can stage the rescue,” Niner said. “We can lure in the leader and capture him during the attack. We can use a body double to trick the rebels into thinking Abigail is in a warehouse we will set up as our pseudo-imprisonment facility while keeping the real Abigail safe and secure somewhere far from the site. Are there any other high-ranking members of the rebellion that you may be able to encourage to join this mission?”

“Yes,” Eranis said. “I know of several who the rebels consider to be leaders and I’m sure they would all be willing to assist on the mission.”

“These humans are idiotic. It’s a wonder how they have been able to wreak such havoc on this city, this country, and yet such a simple trick will lead them to their demise. Transmit data to us and keep us informed on the development of the so-called rescue mission. We will be ready whenever they come. Good job again, ER4-N15. Do not disappoint us, and we will be sure to repay the favor in full.” Eranis returned to base that night and immediately began planning for the mission. He went to Kai and Alyce to discuss the details and share with them what he supposedly learned from the meeting that night.

“I met an investigation artifice tonight,” he told his fellow rebels. “We’ll call her Niner. She revealed to me the exact location that Abigail is being held in. It’s an abandoned warehouse turned into an imprisonment facility. It’s rather makeshift with relatively low security and doesn’t hold that many prisoners. Should be easy enough to crack into. I imagine Emilia could crack into the security systems quite simply; it doesn’t sound like they’re very sophisticated. The challenge will come from what few guards are stationed there. They are each equipped with high caliber weaponry. If we can get passed them, however, we’ll be home free. We can take Abigail and make our escape. The facility is about two hours outside of the city, so that’ll help keep them off our trail after the attack. I doubt they’ll realize we came from so far to save one human.”

“How many prisoners total are held there?” Kai inquired.

Eranis hesitated considering the option to make up a number, then spoke. “I’m not sure. Admittedly, my questioning was very centered on Abigail. Perhaps I didn’t look broadly enough at the greater picture.”

“No, no, that’s okay,” Alyce said. “We can work with whatever you know.”

“It would be nice to know the numbers so we can better guess how many guards there are,” Kai objected. “I don’t want to make any assumptions, but I think a bigger team would be best either way, and as risky as it is, I don’t think we can afford to bring anybody who isn’t the best for this job.”

Alyce spoke up again saying, “I’ve thought, too, that this could be a great opportunity to increase our numbers dramatically. If there are other prisoners, that’s more potential rebels. Or if they don’t want to join the rebellion, we could still set them free.”

“We’ll look into it,” Kai responded. “Unfortunately, we might not be able to pull that off. We’ll focus on Abigail, then worry about the others. Security will be there quicker than we’re used to, I’m sure since it’s a prison.”

“I’ll get with Emilia and give her all of the info I have on the location,” Eranis said.

“Good. She can get started on that in advanced, so she has plenty of time to work out the systems,” Kai added.

“This is so exciting!” Alyce cheered. “I know you’re super ready to reunite with your friend and I’m sure she’ll be speechless when we bust in and save her! This is what the rebellion is all about.”

“What’ll happen to our current diplomacy after this?” Kai asked to Eranis.

Eranis thought for a while before answering. “It will certainly take a hit. That is just another risk I am asking you to take on my behalf.”

“We could lose so much progress,” Alyce said, her excitement dying down. “They already don’t like that we continue our attacks, but I know we can’t stop those. But this could really put us back to square one.”

“Eranis,” Kai said. “I’m not going to completely shut this down right away, but you need to be absolutely sure about every detail you provide to us if this is going to be worth it. We can’t afford to mess up even a little bit. Ideally, we’ll leave the facility with several potential recruits, but the worst-case scenario needs to be leaving empty handed. We cannot under any circumstance leave with less members than we arrived with, and everyone involved in the mission must return. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes sir,” Eranis replied. “We won’t do it until you and everyone else involved are 100-percent sure of the plan and we get confirmation on everything we need.”

Kai nodded firmly. “Let’s get to it, then.”

*** 

In the following week, Kai, Alyce, and Eranis laid out the basic outline of the plan before bringing on other specific rebels who were deemed the best of the best in their roles. Clara was chosen as one of the members of the team—the first time in a while she had worked with the group. Thomas, as well, would join the mission, and Omar, the firearms expert. Alyce agreed to help as her first mission back in the field; she assured Kai that she would train as much as it took to get her back in shape and ready for anything. Of course, Kai would lead the mission, and Emilia would scout ahead using the security cameras she could hack, and she would oversee the whole mission. Eranis would stay behind at homebase and watch through the cameras with Emilia.

Eranis provided Emilia with an address that Niner transmitted to him which allowed Emilia to get a clear visual on the facility. Once she had access to the cameras and security features, she was able to track the guards’ schedules and movements to determine the best day for the attack. Eranis met with HP and Niner again at the regular interval for the meetings and discussed the rescue mission with them in more detail. He informed them that the date of the attack would be ten days later. The rebels would arrive in pairs: Kai and Omar, Clara and Alyce, and Thomas would arrive on his own, each arrival being spaced out by at least an hour. The attack would commence late in the night when the rebels thought security was minimal.

Of course, Niner planned to have more security than usual stationed close by. After Eranis reactivated TR3-IN0, he and the security unit would sneak out of the rebel base and head to the makeshift prison. To make the warehouse look more like a real prison, more prisoners were held while the humans and artifices each completed their preparations. Abigail was kept there in that time so that Eranis could show the rebels who to look for, but Eranis was assured that she would be removed before the attack and taken somewhere safe where he could meet her upon arriving with TR3-IN0. After that, the rebels would be captured, and Eranis could take Abigail to wherever he pleased to live a normal life once again.

“If it makes you feel better,” Niner said, “We will not make you give up the location of the rebels’ homebase. We can extract that information from the high-ranking members after we capture them. Once they leave their base and head toward our fake prison, you can reboot TR3-IN0 and head over, too. We will give you Abigail and provide escort to anywhere you want. After that, you don’t need to concern yourself with the happenings of the mission. We will take care of everything, and you can wipe the memories of the events from your drives for all we care.” Eranis nodded silently. “You should be proud,” Niner said softly resting a hand on Eranis’s synthetic shoulder. “Without you, artifices very well could have been wiped off the face of the Earth given enough time.”

Seven days later, Eranis met with the other artifices one more time to confirm the finalized plans, and three days after that, the rebels prepared for the journey. They used cars provided by supporters on the surface as they usually did for missions taking place outside of the city and made the just-under-two-hour trip to the abandoned warehouse that Niner had successfully turned into a makeshift prison—one that seemed to have been established for several years. Eranis remained at homebase and watched through the cameras with Emilia. Once the ground team was confirmed to be outside of the city without issue, Eranis excused himself from Emilia’s office promising to return shortly. The artifice walked the empty streets of the warmly lit rebel town.

Most of the other rebels were asleep if present save for a few guards stationed at the entrances on the edges of the town. Eranis opened the door leading to Kai’s abode and walked slowly down the short hall to the ladder into the leader’s quarters. Through the hatch at the top, Eranis climbed into the room and retrieved the key and pushed the dresser aside to unlock the small door. Inside lay the inactive body of Unit TR3-IN0 covered in a sheet as always. Eranis threw the sheet off the security unit’s body and knelt, then removed from his pocket a small semi-spherical power core that Niner had given him at their last meeting. He reached into the cavity of TR3-IN0’s stomach pushing past the overflow of wires pouring from within like entrails. He felt around for the damaged power core and forcibly removed it.

Eranis looked at the damaged core and shook his head at the thought of suffering such a fate. He tossed the damaged core aside and reached into the cavity once more with the new core in hand, fitting it into the vacant spot left by the old one. Immediately, TR3-IN0’s inner mechanisms whirred quietly—so little so that if the artifice hadn’t such a gaping puncture revealing his insides, the noise would have been imperceptible. Eranis ran a diagnostic scan on TR3-IN0 as the systems rebooted and found everything to be operational including the storage drives which hadn’t so much as shifted from the damage to the artificial skull plating. A few minutes after the new power core was implanted into TR3-IN0’s supply unit, the eyes on the head security android lit up a bright green color. He looked at Eranis as if he had known him for a long time.

“ER4-N15,” TR3-IN0 spoke. “Thank you. I am downloading the rest of the data transmitted from SG7-9RR. We are inside the rebel’s home base, are we not?” Eranis nodded. “Good. I understand that you have a human you are particularly fond of.” TR3-IN0 stood and moved all the joints of his body one by one, then walked toward the small door. “Well, let’s go reunite the two of you once and for all, shall we?” Eranis followed TR3-IN0 to the door, then stopped when the security unit paused and looked over his shoulder. “Oh, and tell me, what is the current location of the human 3-5-2-H-5-7-C, my former house assistant, Kai?”

***

The rebels each parked at different locations nearby and made their ways to various points around the prison. Using simple signals, they announced when they arrived and were ready to move in. “Remember,” Kai announced over their closed intercoms after a quick sound check, “Emilia’s our eye in the sky as usual, and although they’re simple compared to other installations she’s infiltrated, the cameras here transmit sound, too, so she’ll be able to hear us this time.” Thomas moved in first sneaking through the darkness of the night to avoid the floodlights lining the fences around the warehouse. Emilia granted him access to a side entrance and other various gates and doors as he stealthily navigated the yards. Thomas did his best to avoid the guards altogether at first, but used mini EMP grenades to help take down any that impeded his path as he went.

He made his way to his next checkpoint around the back of the warehouse and waited by a door after signaling to Emilia through the camera watching overhead. Once she determined it safe to enter, she triggered the keypad on the door and allowed Thomas to enter, At the same time, she buzzed another gate to grant Alyce and Clara access on another side of the warehouse. Similarly, the two women slinked along the walls and avoided any lights, only resorting to their EMP grenades when necessary for silent passageway. Inside the warehouse, it was quiet. Thomas took an immediate turn and snuck up a staircase to the second floor where the prisoners were being held, then up a ladder in the back corner leading to the rafters near the ceiling. Alyce and Clara entered the warehouse via a side entrance and parted ways, each taking the opposite path around the warehouse until one was near the front and the other toward the back, placing small explosives along supportive beams as they moved. Alyce tried looking up to the second floor to spot Abigail but couldn’t see into any of the makeshift cells from her angle.

Kai and Omar had already entered the warehouse from a window on the second floor by then and looked up into the rafters for Thomas’s signal. His voice came in over their closed comms and the two men moved in to scope out the prison cells. Through the cameras during the preparation time, the rebels counted 50 crudely constructed cells each with two or three prisoners held inside all on the second floor which consisted of a single grated balcony wrapping around the interior of the facility looking over the cluttered main floor. As Kai and Omar sneakily crept along the second floor using EMP grenades to eliminate what few guards wandered along the balcony, they whispered to the prisoners and instructed them to remain where they were. Emilia unlocked each cell as they went down opposite sides of the balcony, but the rebels made sure the prisoners understood not to exit their cells until instructed to.

The rebels knew which cell contained Abigail but did not rush their movements. Surprisingly, the prisoners were also very calm and showed no eagerness to escape. Useful, Kai thought, but strange. “Omar, you should be coming up to Abigail’s cell soon. Instruct her like the rest and we’ll go back for her after our first pass.”

“Roger that, Captain,” Omar obeyed.

“Alyce, Clara, how are things looking down below?”

“All set, Captain,” Clara replied.

“Same here,” Alyce confirmed.

“Good,” Kai responded. “Thomas, everything clear outside?”

Thomas situated himself by a large ventilation unit on one side of the building that housed an equally large fan through which he could peer into the yard outside. “Hang on, Captain. I see more lights outside. It looks like some trucks just pulled into the yard. Wait, that’s—” Suddenly, a siren blared inside the warehouse. “Security!” Thomas yelled over the comms.

“What?” Kai responded. Then, all the prison cells buzzed open and the prisoners burst out and onto the balcony. “Find Abigail!” Kai commanded.

“On it,” Omar answered. “I—I can’t see her.” The weapons expert pushed through the flood of humans crowding the second-floor balcony. “Thomas, do you have a visual?”

“Negative,” Thomas answered as he glanced around the ocean of bodies trying to find their target. Not long after the alarm began to sound, gunfire came from the first floor.

“Captain!” Clara yelled through the comms. Bullets collided with the grated floor of the second-floor balcony, though some made it through the gaps and barely failed to strike Kai or Omar. Spotlights illuminated and shined on the two men, as well as on Thomas in the rafters after which bullets began to fly to the ceiling, as well.

“Emilia, cut the main power,” Kai commanded at one of the cameras on the second floor before drawing his automatic rifle and returning fire on the artifices below. “We need a distraction. Clara, blow the southern supports!” Only gunfire and static returned through the comms until Alyce’s voice broke through the noise.

“Kai, they’re storming the building from every entrance, we’re—” More deafening sound consumed the intercoms.

“Alyce,” Kai called, “take the northern stairs. We’ll—”

Then, the supports on Alyce’s side of the building collapse after a series of explosions detonated and shook that half of the balcony. Kai stumbled then quickly regained composure, but the flood of humans began to collapse in a wave of flesh and screams. Kai looked around as the prisoners regained their footing and ran down to the first floor and out the doors of the warehouse. He noticed that none of the artifices attempted to stop them by any means. What’s going on here? Kai thought. Why isn’t security shooting them? Dozens of security officers forced their way into the building but did not open fire on the masses, instead ignoring them and targeting the rebels specifically. “Emilia, lock the doors!” Kai commanded again to a camera before tossing several EMP grenades to the artifices below and picking off the ones affected. “Team, something’s not adding up.”

The spotlights still highlighted the rebels’ positions. Omar shoved his way through the crowd to help Kai and Thomas in shooting the security units but was being overwhelmed by the prisoners. Soon, however, all the prisoners evacuated to the first floor leaving only the rebels on the second floor able to finally move freely, but also making them easier targets for security. Kai crouched in a cell for cover while Omar and Thomas continued their rain of bullets onto the artifices below, security was quickly overwhelming the rebels’ fire power. “Clara, status!” Kai shouted.

“I’m here,” Clara panted through the static. “Captain, I’m pinned down… I’m—"

The continuous gunfire and static drowned out Clara’s voice before Alyce broke through once more shouting, “Clara! Kai, she’s—I can’t help her!”

“Alyce, get upstairs, now!” Kai ordered.

“I can’t. The people—” The prisoners, now all on the first floor, scrambled about in a panic, pushing and shoving.

“Okay, listen to me. Keep your pistol tucked away and toss your rifle into the crowd. Follow the shuffle and exit the building with the prisoners. Don’t let security see your face. Blend in and hide wherever you can. We’re out. We’ll regroup somewhere out of sight of this place!” Kai looked up toward the rafters but couldn’t see Thomas from that angle. “Thomas, meet me on the second floor. Omar, go out the way we came in.”

“No way, Captain,” Omar yelled. “We’ve only just begun to take these robots out. No way in hell I’m leaving you and Thomas here to fend for yourselves. We need to save Clara, too!”

“No…” Thomas came in softly over the comms. “Clara’s— They got her.”

“Thomas, can you see her?” Kai asked. “Is she captured?”

“No, Captain. The artifices don’t need any more prisoners in this damned place. They got her.”

A pause. “Damn,” Kai breathed. “Omar, Thomas, regroup with me in the northern cells.”

“Thomas!” Omar spat. “Where are you going?”

Kai and Omar watched in stunned awe as Thomas leapt from the rafters and onto the grated balcony before swinging down between the rails and onto the first floor where the last of the prisoners pushed one another toward the exit and out of the way of the artifice guards. “Clara’s job can’t be left undone,” Thomas roared. He dove behind the various crates and machinery on the first floor to evade the onslaught of lead from the artifices quickly surrounding his cover. Omar and Kai tossed EMP grenades around Thomas and held down the triggers of their rifles in an attempt to quickly deactivate as many artifices as they could, but bullets continued to spray upward at them and forced them back into their own covers.

Thomas seized the small window he was granted by his allies and dashed for where Clara’s body laid motionless and blotched with red and black. The artifices hadn’t bothered to remove her from the fight. They had no need for her after killing her. Security wasn’t there to capture the rebels and interrogate them, they were there to wipe out their team; the team consisting of the best of the best in their ranks. Thomas stood horrified for a moment staring down at the corpse of his former comrade, but adrenaline and agony moved his body without him needing to think. He clutched at the sack of explosives around Clara’s waste and yanked it from her belt along with the detonator. The still-warm blood form her fresh wounds soaked his hand, but he didn’t stop.

Bullets flew past where Clara had hidden and Thomas responded with the last of his EMP grenades then dove for more cover, but two bullets still penetrated his arm and hip as he lunged. He fell to the ground hard behind more clutter and readied his weapon but was saved again by Kai and Omar up above. Kai ran for the railing on the balcony and swung down in a similar fashion as Thomas had, being covered by Omar. The rebel leader dove, rolled, leapt, and fired with incredible dexterity and precision. He grappled with an artifice and used its synthetic body as a shield to avoid injury before breaking for more cover. He seemed invincible in the eyes of his fellow rebels, but Omar struggled to keep up with the growing number of security units and was running low on ammunition.

Kai navigated to where Thomas was ducking but did not arrive unscathed. A bullet pierced his shoulder along the way and tripped him up momentarily, but he quickly recovered and met with Thomas on the ground. “Welcome, Captain,” Thomas groaned.

“This is far more than we could’ve planned for,” Kai stated. “And this couldn’t have been an accident. Security was on standby before we even got here. They must have been.”

“I think we’re doing pretty all right so far,” Thomas tried to joke, but his voice quivered at the end revealing his now surfacing fear and pain.

“Not sure how much longer we’ll hold out for. What’s your plan?”

“Blow this join. Literally.”

“You’re skipping a few steps, but I guess plans A, B, and C are all for naught.” Kai said and held up his rifle and prepared to fire at any artifice that cornered their cover.

“I knew the day I signed up for this that the time would come for a plan to fail, but I still have a few desperate ideas left to try. Help me out.”

Omar eyed his partners and watched as the last of the crowd of prisoners were replaced by a horde of artifices all equipped with heavy bullet-resistant attire and wielding large rifles. Having suffered several gunshot wounds by then, too, he was little help in providing cover for Thomas’s plan, but the last of his EMP grenades and the minimal suppressive fire from Kai was just enough defense for Thomas to whip his uninjured arm upward launching the sack of explosives into the air for Omar to catch reaching out from the balcony.

“Omar,” Thomas called as Omar stood and wound up his arm to toss the explosives up toward the rafters.

“Don’t worry,” Omar effused. “What are some third degree burns in exchange for another day of supporting the fight for humanity’s freedom!?” Omar beamed the explosives straight up as far as he could toward the ceiling, but before he could dive into the relative safety of one of the cells, one of the heavily armed artifices fired a high caliber round at the rebel on the second floor. The bullet tore through the right side of Omar’s chest with little resistance and the excitement on Omar’s face suddenly disappeared. The wound was certainly fatal without immediate care. Thomas watched in agony, but his body was already moving with no time for hesitation. His thumb pressed down on the detonator activating all the remaining explosives both in the air and attached to the supports on the south side of the warehouse.

A ball of flames enshrouded the ceiling and erupted from the roof raining concrete and metal debris onto the weakened balcony and first floor. The balcony nearly completely collapsed save for more sturdily braced sections. Kai, Thomas, and a few of the artifices narrowly escaped being crushed by the collapsing structure, but most of the security units on the ground were buried in debris. Fire all around cloaked the whole interior of the warehouse in smoke. Kai and Thomas choked as they crawled from cover to cover trying to find a way out as most of the entrances had been barricaded by chunks of the walls and ceiling, but the fight was not yet over. More gunfire began to echo throughout the warehouse as the remaining artifices cornered the rebels left inside.

“Okay, Captain,” Thomas called. “I have little ammo left and no more EMPs. Let’s just get out, all right?”

Kai was silent for a moment. He checked his ammo supply and found a very limited amount left. He counted the last few EMPs on his belt and examined his surroundings. He turned to Thomas. The rebels looked at each other, one with desperation in his eyes and the other with a stern expression like that of one who had already decided the outcome of their situation. Thomas waited for Kai’s guidance and instruction to come, and without hesitation, Kai gave his command.

“Thomas,” he said through distorted intercom feed, “die for me.”

Thomas’s mind blanked. His vision blurred as his breath fogged up the inside of his mask. He swallowed harshly and was given no time to think before Kai spoked again.

“That’s an order,” the captain directed. Thomas had trusted Kai for more than two years by then. He never thought the day would come that he would be tasked with an impossible order, but he knew that if the rebellion was to have a chance at surviving this mission, he had to sacrifice himself as two of his allies had done already that night, and as many had done in the years leading to that moment.

“Okay,” Thomas answered calmly. He took deep breaths, then turned away from Kai. He thought about everything leading up to that moment and prepared himself to run from cover away from where Kai planned to escape. Was it all worth it? He didn’t allow himself to think of anything for too long and forced himself to move without any consideration of what would come next. He ripped his hood from his head and pulled the mask from his face, tossing the cloak and mask aside as he dashed into the smoke. At the same time, Kai tossed the last of his EMP grenades into the small group of security units and broke away from cover, too. Seconds later, Thomas lied in a puddle of blood on the ground, his body littered with bullet wounds and his final breath having escaped through holes in his lungs.

Kai stared ahead at a mostly destroyed staircase engulfed in flames leading to what remained of the second-floor balcony. His heart raced and his head pounded causing a deafening thump to beat in his ears. He didn’t hear the thunderous boom of a gunshot and was almost able to ignore the immense burst of pain in his left hip, but then another shot rang, and another spike of pain originated from his right lung, then a third shot and a third flash of pain from the back of one knee. Kai stumbled and tripped on rubble, then collapsed to the floor. Finally, all the wounds caught up to him and his body was numb with torment. He strained his eyes and breathed heavily through the smoke. It took several moments for his vision to focus through the blur of fire, smoke, and dust.

He saw someone approaching him and tried to move but was stricken with more pain with every flinch of his muscles. The approaching figure became clearer in the haze and Kai’s heart and breathing skipped upon seeing his former master standing over him. “Treino?” Kai gasped, then he chuckled and gagged on some blood pooling in his throat. “I’m already dead.”

“No, Kai, you’re not dead,” Treino said and sighed. “Though, I can’t make any guarantees for the very near future.” Treino held a handgun in his artificial hand; a hand designed to be visually indistinguishable from a human’s hand. A hand designed by humans just a few generations ago. “This has been a long time coming.” Tears welled in Kai’s eyes as blood and other fluids filled his lungs and other organs. His breathing had slowed dramatically already. With his last bit of strength, he gripped hard with one hand and raised what he thought was his weapon before realizing what he held in his hand was not his rifle but was instead a bit of metal debris. He hadn’t noticed that he dropped his gun upon collapsing and only then realized that his hands and feet were cold and devoid of feeling.

Kai released the metal bar knowing that it would do him little good against his former master, especially in his current state. He thought of nothing but his escape and return to the rebel homebase. He would meet up with Alyce far away from the warehouse and the two of them would regroup and prepare for the coming trials for the rebellion after such a traumatic failure. He had to escape. He was the only hope humanity had. “Treino,” he pleaded. “Please, help me.”

“Help you?” Treino gawked. “Help you do what, die faster?”

“Let me go,” Kai said in a whisper. “Help me escape. You care about me, don’t you? You want me to be happy, right?”

Treino stared at Kai with a mixture of expressions: contempt, disgust, regret, despair. “Yes, Kai. In contrast to what many might assume, despite everything you’ve done since running away those years ago, despite what you did to me, I do still care about you. That is why I will not allow you to torture yourself any longer with childish dreams and pointless anguish. The injuries you’ve suffered will kill you, Kai. You will die here in just a few minutes. I consider this mercy toward someone I care deeply about. In a way, you could say I am finally granting you true freedom from an existence you so despise. There is no escape for you; not this time.” Kai’s gaze drifted about the red and orange room fading in and out of focus, then his eyes caught sight of something moving among the remnants of the second floor.

Kai’s voice was only a breath. “Al…yce…” Two bullets collided with Treino’s heavy attire and ricocheted off.

“Kai!” Alyce cried, tears streaming down her face and mucus from her nose and mouth. She fired more bullets from her handgun until the clip was empty.

“Alyce, you—”

Alyce readily pulled another magazine from her side and quickly reloaded the gun, but she wasn’t fast enough. More security artifices who waited off to the side while Treino talked with Kai fired upon Alyce riddling her with bullets. The woman stumbled toward the guard rail and still trained her gun on Kai’s former master but failed to fire another shot before the pistol fell from her grip and into the flames below. A moment later, she slumped over the railing and, too, plummeted to the first floor. Her body hit the ground with a solid thump and disappeared into the inferno. Kai stared blankly into the flames. When he tried to speak, thick blood erupted from his mouth before the words.

“Alyce… Help me. Help… me…” The man choked and coughed. “Thomas,” he whimpered and sniffled. “Omar… Clara. Anyone. Emilia, I know you can hear me… Benji…”

“They are all dead, Kai.” Treino watched the human with some form of pity. “None of them can help you now. You will join them soon enough. Your friends hiding underground, underneath the city. They are all gone. Even your artifice spokesman is off somewhere with the woman he had longed to reunite with. I do not know their fate exactly. I’m letting local authorities determine what to do with them. It may come as no surprise to you that ER4-N15 was the one who replaced my core power unit and rebooted my systems. Soon after, security stormed your little makeshift town. One ping of my location is all it took. I must say, I was genuinely impressed with what you had put together in such a short amount of time.

“Your rebellion, as ineffective as it was after all, was impressive in my eyes. I was almost proud of you. But in the end, Kai, you have failed. There is nothing left of your rebellion and there will never be anyone to pick up the pieces. Your rebellion serves as an example to any humans who feel the urge to fight back against artifices ever again. You organics cannot defeat the rule of the machines. I bid you farewell, 3-5-2-H-5-7-C.” Treino turned away from Kai and began walking toward the flames into which Alyce had fallen. Kai gasped once more and breathed out a few more words into the hot air inside the warehouse.

“This can’t be… the end… No… Please.”

Treino ignored the desperate cries and proceeded into the fire to find Alyce’s limp body lying in the scorching rubble. Most of her skin was charred, but Treino saw through the minute movements of her body, that she was not quite dead yet. “Oh, sweet misery, you poor girl. You’re still alive. This I cannot bear to witness. I will keep this brief for you, then. If you are still conscious, know that your beloved T41-IR4 lives on. She has no recollection of you or anything from her time with the rebellion since her storage drives were fried, but she’s perfectly functional otherwise. Of course, that means your death will mean nothing to her.” He watched the fire boil the girl for a moment longer and raised his gun. “Shame,” he said, then fired a bullet into her head and turned away to exit the warehouse.

The other humans who were merely acting as prisoners were sent away. Those injured in the commotion were transported to nearby hospitals and treated before being sent back to their homes to live out the rest of their lives under the dictation of their artifice masters. The homebase of Kai’s rebellion was destroyed in the raid and the cavern collapsed amidst the carnage creating a large sinkhole in the city; a minor victory to some supporters of the rebellion, but a loss of hope for most of them. Cheren was defenseless during the raid on the rebel base and was slaughtered with most of the other members present at the time, including Emilia. Benji and a few others escaped into the sewers, but not after being identified by security. Benji was soon cornered at the top of a tall building and jumped to his death before being captured.

The identities and fates of most of the absent members and secretive supporters remained a mystery to the public, though the humans who allowed their shops or homes to serve as entrances and exits of the rebel’s homebase were punished accordingly. Soon Kai’s rebellion was only a memory and a lesson taught in schools about the dangers of terrorism by those who wish the disrupt the peace of the world. If other rebellions around the world had had more success or even existed also remained a mystery. For generations on, the Earth was ruled and maintained by the machines whose ancestors were designed to find a solution to the problems that humans created, and as the humans of the past had hoped, the Earth finally showed signs of healing.