Boy Robot Read online

  At least I got to see something genuinely cool before I die.

  V’s hand scrambles for Azure, and the guns lean in farther with a loud, metallic groan that reverberates throughout the room.

  “Don’t move,” the voice says again, booming from somewhere unseen.

  My eyes frantically search for a way out, but I can’t see anything beyond the machines.

  I stare into the barrel of one of the huge arm guns and wait for the quick, painless explosion.

  “Oh my God, Malek, cut it out. You’re gonna give them all heart attacks,” a girl’s voice says beyond the machines and the glaring lights.

  Everyone besides Azure takes a deep breath and relaxes around me. V puts a hand over her mouth and shakes her head as the machines begin to step away and loosen the tight circle around us. As they part, a girl with ebony skin and long, vivid turquoise hair tied into a braid runs toward us. She practically pounces V as they embrace and laugh.

  The girl stops and pulls away from V, further examining her crop top and the rest of her ensemble.

  “Oh, excuse me,” the girl says sarcastically.

  “I had some gold hoops earlier, but I thought that would be a little much,” V says as she flips imaginary hair from her shoulders.

  They laugh and hug each other again as the machines creak and groan around us. I examine them further in the light—without the fear of imminent death—and realize they are suits and that there are faces inside. The one standing closest to us begins to open at the chest, and a boy steps out. A young man, really.

  The guy walks toward us once he’s free of the machine. He’s tall—as tall as JB, if not taller—with broad, muscled shoulders, a chiseled face, and skin that matches the girl with the turquoise hair. He’s gorgeous.

  The young woman lets go of V and looks to the rest of us. “Forgive my brother, guys. He can be such a dick sometimes.”

  She playfully slaps him on the shoulder as others begin to climb out of the machines as well.

  The gorgeous guy approaches JB. “Hey, you.” He smiles, and I look to JB’s face, waiting to gauge his reaction.

  “Hey.” JB grins in return, and they embrace.

  The guy pulls out of the hug and then goes in for a long, passionate kiss.

  My stomach falls to the ground, and I don’t know if it’s the alcohol again or what, but my head starts to spin. I look to Kamea, waiting for a stunned reaction from her that never comes. She catches my eyes and gives me a tiny, apologetic smile before mouthing, Sorry.

  “Where is Aleister?” Azure asks the brother and sister as Tace, V, Kamea, and JB begin greeting some of the others from the suits.

  “Hello, Azure,” the guy replies, his arm still around JB. “Always a pleasure.”

  “He’s upstairs with the others,” the girl says, before giving her a small smile. “And hi, Azure.”

  Azure nods to her in reply as the brother’s and sister’s eyes land on me.

  “I’m Arielle,” she says, smiling warmly at me.

  I try to catch JB’s eye as the guy drops his arm from his shoulder, but he evades. The guy catches the glance.

  “And this is my brother, Malek.”

  He holds out his hand for me to shake.

  “Isaak,” I reply despondently.

  His hand engulfs mine as he shakes it, squeezing hard enough to break bones, were they still human.

  I try not to wince as he lets go.

  “Nice to meet you, Isaak.” He smiles and puts his arm back around JB.

  I can’t tell if I want to punch something or cry.

  Arielle looks at me and smiles again. “Welcome to Grand Central.”

  I give a catatonic nod in response.

  • • •

  “Do you like the new toys?” Malek nods back to the mechanical suits as we leave the large underground hangar. Several of the others stay behind to walk them beneath metal, tentacle-like arms dangling from the ceiling on the far side of the chamber. I watch the first step into position as the tentacle comes to life and inserts itself into the head of the suit. This is a docking chamber. There must be a hundred of them.

  “The charge from a Robot’s body activates and operates them, so no fun for you guys, unfortunately.” He looks at JB and Kamea. “They use calixarene crystals to create hydrogen fuel, so the energy toll on a Robot during a fight is much less than if you were to fight without one. Think of it as a Robot battery pack, with guns.”

  A steel door leading out of the hangar slides open as we approach.

  “Who are we fighting?” I ask.

  Arielle turns and shoots her brother a look.

  “They’re more of a precautionary measure,” he says, before giving his sister a placating glance in return.

  We step into a wide, concrete corridor. Small orange lights, recessed into the floor beneath us, glow softly along the wall, lighting our way.

  “I’m assuming Aleister had something to do with them,” V says as we round a corner.

  “How’d you guess?” Arielle replies sarcastically.

  Malek turns to see Azure’s grim expression and changes the subject.

  “This is all new,” he says, gesturing to the walls around us. “They finished construction about three months ago. You guys have all been gone way too long.” He looks back to JB and grabs hold of his hand as yet another set of steel doors slides open before us.

  We step out into another large chamber—an open room three stories tall, surrounded by a balcony on all sides at each level. Rows of aluminum tables and benches line the floor. It looks like a cafeteria. The cool, white lighting overhead washes everything out in tones of bluish gray. Every surface is either metal or polished concrete.

  More than anything, this place looks like a bunker and feels like a fortress.

  A tall column reaches from the floor to the ceiling directly across from us—a steel elevator shaft—and staircases flank either side. Large windows line the lower level where we currently stand, looking into various large rooms. In one I can see several screens and couches, and in the other, the glass barrier of a buffet line. That must be the kitchen. I crane my neck to examine the upper levels. From my current position I can’t see very much. “This is the main hall,” Arielle says, looking back to me. “Where we eat, where we meet when the entire population needs to be addressed—”

  “Where we party,” V interrupts, grinning and pretending to dance.

  Arielle rolls her eyes and laughs. “Yes,” she continues. “You’ve made it just in time for Tribo. We’re having one the day after tomorrow.”

  Another reference to something I know nothing about.

  I look to Azure, and her face is unreadable. JB tries to stifle a surprised smile.

  “Don’t get too excited,” Malek says, noticing the look as well.

  JB rolls his eyes and gives him another kiss.

  I turn away to admire a lovely concrete wall on my right.

  The sound of more doors sliding apart draws my attention to the elevator opening at the center of the room. A towering scarecrow of a boy with a mop of curly, copper-orange hair teetering off to one side of his head steps out and marches toward us, flanked on either side by a pair of jet-black Doberman pinschers. Behind him is a shorter, petite girl with ivory skin and raven hair tied into intricate braids running tightly along her scalp.

  “Azure,” he says flatly when he stops before us. His catlike eyes, perched above sharp, severe cheekbones, land on me for a moment. It feels like ice water is pouring down my back. His gaze is heavy in a way I’ve never experienced before, with anyone.

  “This is Isaak,” Kamea says, saving me. He turns to regard her for a brief moment.

  “Kamea. Always a pleasure.” His tone sounds anything but pleased. “I trust you’ve been productive during your time away.” He stops to look at the rest of our group. “V, I hear your visit with my associate was . . . tumultuous.”

  “I was under the impression they were our associates,” she says as she
gestures to the entire building around us.

  He gives a small, hollow smile and moves on, passing over Tace dismissively. His eyes dart back to me and it’s like having the wind knocked out of my chest. I don’t want this person to look at me—ever.

  I do my best to hold his gaze as he assesses me. A flicker of light blooms in his irises. . . .

  “Aleister, we need to talk,” Azure says, drawing his attention and breaking his gaze.

  The glow I saw fades, and I wonder if I imagined it.

  “Yuki, stay with the others,” he says to the girl behind him without turning to acknowledge her.

  I don’t like this guy. At all.

  The girl—Yuki—gives a terse nod as Azure and Aleister turn to leave. They make their way into the elevator and turn back to face us as the doors close. Both stare at me as they disappear behind the steel.

  V huffs out a sigh. “Prick.”

  “At least he’s consistent,” JB replies.

  Arielle takes a breath and shakes her head, then turns to face me with another one of her kind smiles. “You must be exhausted. I’ll show you to the dorms.”

  She walks toward the staircase on the far side of the room. My feet follow on autopilot. Before placing my foot on the first step, I look back to the others just as JB’s eyes flash up to meet mine. The sight of him disgusts me. I make sure he can see it in the brief moment he holds my glance, and then turn to follow Arielle up the stairs.

  Exhaustion starts to creep into my body as we make it to the final landing at the top of the third flight of stairs.

  “The top floor houses our dorms. New members are assigned temporary rooms and bunkmates in pairs and then given more permanent accommodations once they’ve been assigned.”

  Hallways split away from us in every direction. A wide balcony wraps around the floor that looks down into the main hall on all sides. The direction we’re currently facing has three separate hallways. “The members who live here full-time stay in the larger rooms on the other side. You’ll be down this way.”

  She walks toward the hallway on the right and looks to me. “You lucked out though: You’re the first new arrival in several weeks. You get your own room.”

  Lucky me.

  We continue down the slate-gray hallway, dimly lit by the same orange lights embedded into the floor, and take a right at the end. Another lengthy hallway stretches out, with more hallways splitting off on either side. This place is a labyrinth. I hope they don’t expect me to find my way back.

  We pass door after door and eventually take the last left at the end and turn into a dead-end hall. She stops at the sixth door on our left and opens it for me. I step inside as lights—recessed into the edges of the walls along the ceiling—come to life and make the tiny room glow. A small, simple bed sits along the wall next to a nightstand with a little lamp on top. In the other corner is a sink with a mirror. To my right is a desk with another lamp and a chair. Everything is stark, utilitarian, and I can’t help but notice there isn’t a bathroom.

  “Dorms in this wing don’t come with private bathrooms,” Arielle says, reading my mind, “but you’ll find them at the end of the first hallway we walked down.”

  I take in the tiny room in silence as I begin to succumb to the exhaustion spreading over me.

  She puts a hand on my shoulder. “You’re safe now.”

  I look into her eyes and wonder if that will ever be true for me again.

  “I used to be scared too. My entire life felt like a nightmare before I came here. But I made it. I found others like me. Found out what I really am—who I really am—and discovered I have a purpose. You have one too. I’m not scared anymore. You won’t be either.”

  She gives my shoulder a light squeeze. “Good night, Isaak,” she says before closing the door behind her.

  I collapse onto the mattress. It’s firmer than I expected, but I don’t care. I’m so tired, so drained, I could pass out on a slab of stone. I can’t stop thinking about JB—about him kissing someone else, someone who was here, waiting for him. I feel like an idiot. Kamea kept trying to tell me, and I was too naive to take the hint. My fists ball at my sides as tears well in my eyes.

  Then, for the first time in days, I think about Jonathan. I’ve been so caught up in this never-ending chase sequence my life has become that I completely forgot my best friend. My heart aches as I think about how hurt and confused he must be, having lost his mother and his best friend on the same day. Guilt racks my entire being as I think about what it must’ve been like back there since I left. Did anyone even find Patricia’s and Carl’s bodies? They were never warm or kind to me, but they were worth more than the end they met. They didn’t deserve to be gunned down because of me. They were broken, sad people who needed more love than they were capable of accepting. Jonathan must think I died along with them. Any chance I had of contacting him was buried the moment I entered this underground fortress.

  I don’t even know where I am.

  Tears stream down my face and I can’t stop them. I feel lost, confused, and so desperately alone.

  The recessed lights begin to automatically fade, and after a few seconds they go dark.

  I turn onto my side and cry myself to sleep.

  • • •

  Out in the audience, beyond the glare of the spotlight, I catch a glimpse of my father.

  The screen in his hand lights up his face and I see he’s not paying attention.

  The bow slips over the strings and I lose my rhythm, making a loud, harsh squeak as the music falters.

  The audience gasps as I try to regain my place in the song.

  My fingers fumble and I look back up to see him laughing at me.

  She is laughing too, with her blond hair and obscenely inflated breasts brimming over the top of her whorish dress.

  Hatred boils in me as I funnel my rage into the strings.

  Something curious begins to happen: Small slivers of connection bloom in my mind, like puppet strings connecting me to everyone in the auditorium, and I am the puppet master.

  I let more and more of my rage flow out of me and can feel the reaction taking hold in all of them.

  They all begin to stir.

  I want them afraid.

  I want them to cower in fear at the mere mention of my name.

  They are dirt beneath my feet—garbage—and I will trample them.

  People in the first few rows begin to rise from their seats, frantically backing away from me.

  No.

  They will trample one another.

  Chaos erupts as the entire audience bursts into screams and races toward the exits all at once.

  Children cry and howl for their mothers; grown men cry out in agony as others run them over.

  I continue playing.

  I funnel fear into them until I feel they might break.

  I push harder.

  My eyes land on my father in the sixth row, frantically pulling on an arm from beneath a pile of people climbing and trampling one another like animals.

  It must be her.

  Too bad.

  I keep pushing until he loses his footing and slips under the stampede along with her.

  I watch as a hulking, beastly man uses my father’s skull as a step to climb over another man.

  I smile as I hear a loud crack over the screams.

  • • •

  My face bears into the pillow as I feel him push into me.

  My hands reach back to grab his thighs and my knees take his weight as I arch my back down to let him in deeper.

  I gasp in pain and pleasure all at once.

  I’ve missed this.

  His hand grabs the back of my neck and I turn to face him—JB, thrusting into me with ravenous hunger, leaning back in the dim light, jaw open, eyes closed . . . thinking of someone else.

  I saw how he looked at him, that boy. The one he arrived with.

  My stomach turns and I want him out of me.

  • • •

&nbs
p; A voice comes in over the speaker in the pitch-black room.

  I look to the door to make sure no one is there for the third time. No one has access to this area. I shouldn’t be afraid. Fear is for lesser beings.

  “Can you confirm the effectiveness of the specimen?”

  I lick my lips. There is no turning back now. This is what I set out to do. The only way forward.

  “I can confirm. He is the one.”

  What is left of my heart goes still in the darkness.

  “Perfect. It will happen in two days. 0100 hours. Be ready.”

  “Wait,” I say, before he can hang up. “How is she? Can I speak to her?”

  “We both know that’s not possible.”

  I close my eyes and hold my breath.

  “But I assure you, she is safe, healthy, and happy. Be ready.”

  I exhale and nod to a voice that can’t see me as the line goes dead.

  The darkness closes in as I try not to think about what I’ve just done.

  • • •

  I jolt up in the bed and the lights come to life around me.

  More nightmares. I’m in the clothes I arrived in—soaked through with sweat from another restless sleep. Yet again I remember nothing. I fumble for the lamp on the nightstand and find the switch. In the increased light, I look around the room—concrete walls, smooth, concrete floor. A twelve-by-twelve-foot cube of bare-bones necessities. I have to get out of here.

  A knock at the door brings me fully into consciousness. I throw my feet over the side of the bed and blearily stumble to the door and open it. A boy with fair skin and brown, wavy hair sits in a wheelchair on the other side.

  “Hi, Isaak? I’m Kyle.”

  “Nice to meet you.” My mouth feels like I’ve been sucking on cotton. Another gift from the alcohol last night, I assume.

  I step back and let him into the room.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, apologizing for my appearance. “I just woke up.”

  “It’s okay.” He wheels himself inside a few feet and angles back toward me. “I wasn’t supposed to be up this early either, but Malek apparently had things to do before the Assembly meeting. He sent me to wake you and take you to breakfast.”