Ezra (New Carnegie Androids #6)

Chapter 10

[ 10 ]

Kat

Where do we go from here?

After the door shuts, my eyes fly open. I can’t sleep. My mind is a jumbled mess of plans and possibilities. Ezra’s been gone since one a.m., having been summoned by the department, and I’m trying to sift through all of the bad and separate it from the good, trying to think of some way he and I can be together, how I can still somehow continue chasing my dreams while salvaging what’s left of my father’s.

I’m not sure I can. But I don’t trust myself to make a decision so large right now. My only comfort is thinking about Ezra.

He saved us from being kidnapped in the stairwell. He watched over me, keeping me safe. He called me on my bullshit, never letting me take an easy win, never allowing me to walk all over him. He’s strong, spirited, courageous.

For my entire life, I’ve been waiting for a hero to miraculously appear while convincing myself bitterly they don’t exist, reading and living in dreams and fantasies while chasing my own ambitions. I swore I’d never settle; I’d never get less than what I deserve. Only the very best for Katrina Carson.

The universe delivered. I met Ezra. I decide I’m not going to let all of this fall on top of his shoulders. He’s strong; I know he can handle it, but I need to be the one to take risks now.

I get to be strong for him. Protect him. For once.

I start formulating a plan. I’m not the woman I was before I met him. He’s made me better. I’m going in one hundred percent with him. I pace through my apartment, too much energy scouring through me to allow me any amount of idleness. I decide to announce Dad’s retirement and dismantle the movement entirely. No rebranding; it’ll be something brand new. Something that can bring people together instead of driving them apart. It won’t just be me at the helm. I’ll make sure I get the right people to help me lead it so I don’t have to give up all my hopes to make this happen.

I’ll get my PhD here. Resume work at the museum. That’s an undertaking all on its own. It’ll take the better part of a decade. But it means I’ll be here with Ezra. He won’t have to leave his family behind. He’ll be busy, and so will I. We can do what we love together. And when it’s finally time for me to leave for France, who knows? Maybe the situation will be better. Maybe he can bring Deion and Rashelle for a well-earned family vacation every so often. There are so many possibilities. It could be wonderful.

Even if it isn’t, I don’t care. He wouldn’t let me go; I won’t let him go either. I’ll go to France, do what I need to do, but I’ll still be his. He’ll still be mine. And I’ll return whenever I can. Long distance. People do that all the time when they’re in love, don’t they?

I can return to the States happily if I’ve done all I set out to do. See Lascaux, see Chauvet, go to digs, make my contribution. Then come back and teach what I love to others. Compromise is everything. We’ve compromised ever since we met each other. We’ll keep doing so.

Isn’t that what a relationship is?

After a little while, I check my phone. There are a few missed messages and calls. Texts from Jayne, asking if I’m okay and telling me not to blame myself for the gala. I respond to her while I have the mind to do so. Messages from Ashley Barnes that I’ve ignored, offering me condolences about the gala. I’m not interested in speaking to anyone from Humanity First. Not now. I check my texts from Ezra, and there’s nothing. He’s listed as last being online a half hour ago.

That’s weird. His ability to text is hardwired into him. If he’s not in sleep mode, he’s online. That’s how androids work.

I haven’t heard anything. I know he’s probably busy, but I’m anxious to hear from him. I shoot him a text. He doesn’t read it. I finally cave and call. There’s no answer.

There’s a stabbing feeling in my gut. That doesn’t feel right. Do I call again?

Yes, I do. One more time. Two missed calls doesn’t look desperate yet, just persistent. When he doesn’t answer again, my shoulders sag and I lean forward, sighing. “Come on, Ezra. Please.”

Minutes pass. Then an hour. It’s almost two a.m.

Then my phone rings, and I practically jump out of my seat to answer it. I accept the call before it even registers in my mind who’s calling me. “Hello?” I hold my breath.

“I shouldn’t be calling you. Deion would kill me.” It’s Jayne, keeping her voice low. “But I want you to know we’re doing everything we can. Please don’t worry.”

“What?” Utterly confused, I check the caller ID. Yep, it’s Jayne. “What’re you talking about?”

She sounds just as confused as I am. “I figured you were watching the live broadcast.” She sounds sheepish, and I hear voices behind her. “I gotta go.” She disconnects.

Rising from the sofa, I clear my throat. “TV on.” It snaps to life, and I flip channels until I find the local news station.

“We’re watching the action unfold on the North Side of Vanderbilt Bridge, where we believe PureEarth terrorists are holed up in a nearby utility vault underground,” the anchor reports to the camera. “An inside source tells us a locator beacon was activated by NCPD’s sole BNP99 android police unit, a kind of bionic SOS, along with footage of?—”

My heart drops into my stomach. This can’t be happening.

They have Ezra.

Here I was, fretting like an idiot about why he might not be answering my texts, wondering what could have possibly happened. But then, my gut already knew the answer—something was wrong. Because Ezra would never ignore my calls or texts, not when he was built to multitask.

They have him. My enemies have him. My hands start to shake.

“No.” I try to breathe through it. “No. No. No.” I can’t have a panic attack. I can’t lose it.

Not now. I need to focus. What do I do? How do I help him?

The broadcast suddenly goes dead, the TV flickering with an old circular logo surrounding a tall letter A. I’ve never seen it before. A distorted voice comes through my speakers, prickling the hairs on the back of my neck.

“Humanity has lived beyond its useful purpose. Only the righteous will ascend. The earth will be purified.”

I swallow. It’s TerraPura. The screen blips as the news station likely fights for control of its systems again. After a few minutes of this message, repeated over and over again, the perplexed anchor finally returns to the screen and immediately begins discussing what happened.

I tune them out when my smartphone thrums in my trembling hand. I answer it again. “Mom?”

“Your dad still hasn’t come back.” She’s been crying; I can hear it in her voice. “He said he was going out to meet with Barnes about announcing his retirement, but he won’t answer my calls?—”

I try to steady my breathing so she can’t hear how scared I am. Part of me thinks this can’t be coincidence, but I’m not sure of anything right now. “Okay. I’m picking you up. We’re going to the precinct.”

“Do you think he’s there?”

Honestly, no. I’d be surprised. But I can’t tell her that. If we’re both hysterical, it won’t help anything.

“We’ll find out,” I reply, gathering my keys and my purse and flying out the door. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Ezra was there for me when I needed him. It’s my time to woman up and help however I can.

My mother barely holds it together as we storm into NCPD headquarters’ reception area. When we ask to see Jayne Rose, the woman behind the desk makes a quick call and then directs us down a hallway. Jayne makes her way toward us, staring in surprise.

“What are you doing here?” she asks. “Did the chief call you?”

“Why would the chief call us?” I ask as dread locks itself in the pit of my stomach, hoping I don’t already know why. But I do. It’s not just Ezra that’s in trouble. Somehow, it’s Dad too. Coincidence is looking less and less likely as the seconds pass by.

“Shit.” Jayne checks around her, lowering her voice. “Look, I broke protocol and reached out to you as a friend for Ezra’s sake, but you’re going to have to be patient and let us do our jobs now. All right?”

“Please let us know what’s going on,” Mom implores.

Jayne glances between us and then sighs. “TerraPura has Ezra. And we’ve reason to believe they have your husband too. Ezra uploaded some footage to his cloud before we lost all connection entirely.”

It feels like the floor has been swept out from under me. All my worst fears tear through me like bullets. It’s miraculous I’m still standing. Mom grips my arm, and I rest my hand over hers as I swallow the desire to burst into tears and lose my mind.

“I told him,” she chokes. “I told him he should’ve stayed with me at the hotel, but he insisted on going home.”

“What will they do to Ezra?” I ask Jayne. “Will they—will they make him into a?—”

“I don’t know, Kat, and I don’t want to think about it. Neither should you. All we can do is stay out of the way and let the right people do their jobs. I’m sorry,” Jayne says. “Stay in the waiting room where it’s safe. When we know something, you’ll know something.”

Minutes feel like an eternity as my mother and I sit and wait on a small bench, fidgeting and shifting in our seats, our eyes glued to our phones as we try to stream whatever live broadcast we can get our hands on. Everyone is shaken about what’s happening.

It’s clear TerraPura is getting brazen. I can’t just sit around anymore.

My phone rings, and I snatch it so quickly that I fumble with it. “Yes? Hello?”

“Katrina.” I’ve never heard Deion sound so serious, and I know why. Everything is on the line right now.

“Please tell me you have them,” I say softly, taking my mother’s hand and squeezing.

“I don’t, and the situation just got more complicated. Your friend, Zoey Meyer, is the one behind all this.”

My feet are cemented to the floor as I stare ahead in shock. I can’t speak for a moment, the name too heavy in my mouth. “Zoey?” I repeat, almost dream-like.

“I’m sorry, Kat. I’ve exhausted every other option. She’s not responding to our professional negotiators. I can’t get her parents or her boyfriend on the phone. For all I know, they’re in on this. I need you here. I need you to try to reason with her before people with more sway than me start ordering others to pull triggers.”

He doesn’t need to explain the rest to me. Of course, Chief Jacobs, Commissioner Winters, and other people on the force wouldn’t care if they lit up an android. Their android. He’s just a machine. He doesn’t matter.

“Katrina?” Deion says softly, and I realize I’ve gone silent.

“I’ll be right there.” I end the call, shifting my handbag on my shoulder as I turn to my mom. “Stay here, okay? I’ll be back.”

“Wait, where are you going?” my mother calls after me as I turn on my heel and flee the precinct. “Katrina!”

I’m not about to answer questions or let her talk me out of this. I can’t sit around, hoping and waiting for Ezra to return to me, or for Dad to be safe. I’ve never believed in a higher power, and I’m not about to entrust the rest of my life to prayers.

If I don’t act now, I don’t deserve him. And I never will.

I get into my car and take off as fast as I can go, driving toward the bridge. What used to be beautiful architecture, a symbol of pride for the city, now seems more and more ominous in the dark the closer I get to it. The night is pitch black, except for the neon lights of the city.

On the other side of the bridge, there’s a barricade. Blue holo-tape closes off the road, and behind it are several police vehicles, and more keep showing up, soaring past me. When I finally slow down and park, I all but fly out the car toward the two officers tasked with turning people around.

They see me coming and intercept me. “Ma’am, you can’t be here,” one of them says.

“My name is Katrina Carson,” I interject before they can continue. “Detective Washington called me.”

They don’t believe me. I imagine communication isn’t the best right now. Everything is so hectic. “You can’t be here,” the officer repeats sternly. “Get back in your car.”

I desperately search for Deion among the other uniforms, positioned all around the bunker in a ready formation behind their cruisers to open fire if need be. It’s such an unassuming building, surrounded by a security fence that’s been cut wide open, run down from several decades ago, tan bricks with plain windows stained with hard water.

The officers look like they’re about ready to forcibly shove me backward, or maybe even arrest me for refusing to listen. Then I see him, tall and unmistakable, speaking with the chief.

No. Arguing with him.

“Detective Washington!” I call, waving frantically. “Deion!”

He spots me. “Wait.” I’m relieved as he approaches me, looking as pissed off as I think I’ve ever seen him. “Kat. Thank god. We’re running out of time here.”

“Tell me what to do,” I say as I slip past the barricade to join him. He leads me straight to where Jacobs stands with two unarmed men, both of whom appear to be the failed negotiators. “I’m ready to help.”

Jacobs’s gaze is almost murderous. “Washington tells me you know the perpetrator?”

I nod quickly. “She’s a friend.”

“You think you can talk her down?” Jacobs asks, skeptical.

“I can try,” I say. “This isn’t like her. I—it’s hard for me to believe.”

“What we have is a troubled young woman who is way over her head,” Deion says. “If you can talk her down before SWAT gets here and things potentially get messy, that’d be best.”

Left reeling from this, I can only focus on who matters most to me. “What’s happening with Ezra and Dad?”

“His comms are jammed by whatever they’re up to in there. I can’t reach him,” Deion says. “The longer we wait, the worse things might get.”

“Get her over there,” Jacobs barks.

“Yes, sir.” Deion goes over to one of the negotiators and takes the necessary gear, then attaches a small, thin electronic device to the back of my cell phone. “This is so we can hear what you’re saying on our comms. You’re gonna use your cell phone, nothing fancy. Just two friends talking on the phone. We’re going to get you as close as we can. So she can see you.”

He gently presses his hand to my back and guides me along the line of trained officers. Officers on high alert keep their distance from where Zoey is. “Three androids total,” I hear someone say. “Programming compromised.”

BioNex technologists wearing their signature striped BioNex uniforms are glued to their tablets, trying to override Ezra and the others, but they’re failing. Their ability to send a signal is jammed somehow, and they aren’t sure why.

I clutch my cell phone tightly. “What has she been saying?”

“She’s making demands. A way to get out of the country, money, or they’ll hurt your father, ascend as a group.” Deion is honest, and I feel like I’ve just been kicked. He sees my uncertainty and grasps my shoulders. “You’ve got this, okay? You’re a good speaker. I’ve heard you. Talk her down. We’ll get Ezra and your dad out of there.”

“What if I can’t?” I whisper, suddenly seized by the fear of losing Ezra and my father in one horrible swoop. “What happens if I fail?”

“Kat,” Deion says quite seriously. “You can’t.”

That’s the only reassurance I think I’m going to get.

Deion leads me to the closest area I can be to the situation, standing behind a barricade. Exhaling to steady myself, I call Zoey. She doesn’t answer the first time. The second time, she picks up.

“Night not going the way you wanted, Kitty Kat?” Zoey taunts me, but beneath that confidence, I can hear it. She’s on edge.

“Zoey,” I say softly. “What’s going on?”

“You should know,” she scoffs. “Don’t play dumb. They haven’t told you?”

“They’ve told me the bare minimum. They say you’re TerraPura and you’re going to hurt my dad. I don’t think you’re like that. I don't think it’s possible for you to hurt someone. I’d prefer to hear it from you.” I glance at Deion, who gives me an encouraging thumbs up. “I’m outside right now. This doesn’t look good, and I want to help.”

“You can’t help. You’re the reason for all of this shit.” Zoey’s words tear through me. “If it wasn’t for Humanity First, TerraPura probably wouldn’t exist. A pendulum can’t just swing one way.”

Swallowing, I look at Deion again, who mouths at me to keep her talking. SWAT has arrived, but they’re not going in yet. “You’re right,” I reply. “You’re right, Zoey. Part of this is my fault. My dad’s fault. And we were wrong—but you can’t kill us for it.”

“Like hell I can’t,” Zoey replies tersely. “Tell the cops to back the fuck off, because I’ve got two fully loaded androids in here with me, and we’re about ready to make Ezra one too.”

“Nobody’s coming in without your say so, Zoey,” I reply. “I just want to know why.”

I didn’t expect the conversation to last long at all, but it does. She’s venting, going on this somewhat nonsensical tirade, but she lets it all out. I can recognize indoctrination when I hear it. It’s difficult for me to separate the girl I worked with at the museum, laughing and joking about sexy cavemen and dancing around my new apartment, with the girl who holds the life of my father and the man I love. All I can do is keep her talking and hope it calms her down.

The sun will be rising soon. I’m somehow exhausted and wired at the same time. Zoey’s starting to lose some of her steam.

“You have to kill my masters, you know,” she says during a lull in our conversation. “The androids with me. Ezra shouldn’t have activated that beacon. Now they refuse to leave unless you kill them. They won’t risk being taken by the enemy.”

“I know,” I tell her softly. “But they’re not who I’m worried about. I’m worried about you. And Dad. And Ezra.”

“They beat up your dad a little bit.” Her voice softens a little. “Gave him a black eye and stuff. But he’s alive.”

She sounds more like a nervous kid than a confident young woman at the moment.

“And Ezra?” I whisper.

“They reprogrammed him. He’s TerraPura now.”

I grip my cell phone tightly, bowing my head. For a moment, I forget how to breathe. How to think. But something in me refuses to accept it. I can’t believe it, not until I see it with my own eyes. I can’t trust everything she says. Clenching my jaw tightly, I finally respond with another question. “What happens if you try to walk away from this now, Zoey? Tell me what happens to you.”

She’s quiet for a long moment. “My masters kill me.”

“Okay,” I whisper. “But we’re not going to let that happen. Where are they now?”

“They’re here. They can hear me. They just don’t care. They’re invincible, you know? The masters. Nothing fazes them. I can say anything I want, and it doesn’t matter. They’re just waiting for orders.”

“Orders from who?”

“I don’t know,” Zoey mumbles. “They didn’t really tell me. I was supposed to accompany the androids, appear like their owner, and deliver Carson to an anonymous contact. But then NCPD found us. They won’t come now.”

“Okay.”

Zoey’s voice breaks. “I don’t want to get shot. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I’m just so angry all the time. My dad lost his job. My mom left him. My boyfriend barely makes ends meet. Diana, her husband—everything is just so tainted. We ruin everything we touch. I want someone to pay for it, and?—”

“I know,” I tell her, trying to sound sympathetic while still being guarded. This is my friend, but the sting of betrayal is strong. “But it doesn’t have to go down like this.”

“They’re not going to let us exit. It’s too late for that.”

“It’s not too late.” I look to Deion for assistance as the SWAT team readies itself. “I just need your solemn promise that you’re not going to hurt anyone.”

“Is Bridger there with you?”

“No, but I can get him here. That won’t be hard. He loves you, Zoe. We all know you’re a good person, deep down.” It hurts me to say those words. How could she do this? After the museum bombing, after everything. But I’ll say anything to get the people I love out of there. “Promise me.”

Her answer is a resigned sigh. “Okay.”

I’m guided to stand far back, near the bridge. Then, SWAT is deployed. They crash through the utility vault, barricaded inside by the occupants.

My heart beats so hard, it might as well be lodged in my throat. Come back to me, Ezra. In an instant, I witness an exchange of gunfire, unsure of who’s winning this fight. More and more police show up, circling the insurgents.

Two androids appear, rushing the police vehicle barricade. Neither of them is Ezra. Law enforcement tries to gun them down, but they keep coming until one has catapulted over a barricade, his body lighting up from the inside out.

Jacobs shouts, “Get back, get back, get back!”

I can only watch in horror. The android is unstoppable, like a freight train. He doesn’t stop, and finally, he explodes, sending me and police ducking and scrambling for cover as he takes out a few cars with him.

But the other doesn’t follow suit. I’m expecting a secondary explosion. It doesn’t come.

“Stay where you are!” Deion shouts, aiming at the other android. Bullets are flying but they aren’t slowing him down. He just keeps moving. Ivory blood speckles the ground but nothing seems to deter him. He maneuvers a hundred feet from that utility bunker and makes his way to the bridge, tossing officers out of his path when they try to intercept, like they weigh nothing to him. He balances himself on the rails, impervious to bullets as they whiz past him, embedding into his synthetic skin. He turns and looks at everyone, smiles maliciously, and jumps off the side, plummeting into the dark waters of the Vanderbilt River below.

The police peer down over the rails when they hear the loud splash, but they’re helpless to go in after him. Officers and detectives are cursing, helping one another near where the other android detonated. “What the fuck was that?”

“I don’t know, man,” says another. “Who knows what the fuck TerraPura thinks about, except TerraPura.”

“Kat, are you okay?” Deion calls to me.

“I’m fine,” I reply. I’m shaken; anyone would be after seeing androids bulldoze through people like that without any regard for human life. But I’m not injured.

Ambulance and fire truck sirens howl as they course through the city in the direction of the bridge. Off to the side and out of the way, I watch as the officers advance on the utility vault, their guns trained ahead of them.

Two SWAT officers drag Zoey into view. She’s squirming and crying out in dismay. They slam her down onto the ground and firmly keep her pinned as they cuff her hands together. Her shouts turned into frightened sobs, but it’s hard for me to feel sympathy. They got her. My shoulders sink in relief, and I finally let that anger I’ve been holding in flow freely. How could she do this to me? To Dad? To Ezra? I still haven’t seen any any sign of them, and now I’m terrified of what that could mean.

Officers, wounded from an exchange of gunfire, singed from the explosion, or suffering from broken bones after the androids’ rampage, are being carried out. That’s when I see Dad, injured but alive, being brought out from the utility bunker and led toward an ambulance.

“Dad!” I call to him desperately, forgetting about my own safety as I rush toward him. He’s disoriented and bruised up, but he’s alive. “Dad!”

“Kitty!” We collide, and he wraps his arms around me. “What’re you doing here? It’s not safe!”

“I had to come,” I insist. “I had to help. Where’s Ezra?”

“He’s—” My dad hesitates. “I—I don’t know. They reprogrammed him, but then he attacked the other two androids. It didn’t make any sense.”

I’m not sure what that means. Attacking the other androids? Why? Doesn’t TerraPura work together? Did the reprogramming fail?

“Sir, we need to get you to Carnegie General,” a paramedic instructs, pulling my father away from me.

“No way, he’s not going anywhere with anyone,” I say, suddenly stricken with paranoia. My own friend was in league with TerraPura. Anyone could be them. They’ve infested every dark corner of my world.

“He’s in good hands, ma’am,” the paramedic insists. “And he’ll have an armed escort. I promise.”

“It’s okay, Kitty, it’s okay. I’ll be fine,” Dad says reassuringly. “Contact your mother for me, tell her to meet me there. Hopefully, this is the last hospital for a long time.”

Reluctantly, I let him go and reach out to Mom. She sobs on the phone in relief when she hears the news. Reporters show up in droves, pushing boundaries to get closer to the scene, get better footage. I tune out their commentary, knowing more than they do at this minute. Kyrone Johnson is now here, speaking urgently with Deion.

Why is he here? Has Ezra been injured? Does he need repairs?

I receive a text from Jayne. You were a big help. Great work, Kat. I mean it.

Do you know where Ezra is? I respond, desperate for any word of him. Did he disappear, like so many androids have when handed over to these people? I get a horrible feeling I’ve lost him forever, and tonight was our final night. This can’t be it. It can’t.

She doesn’t respond right away. When she does, dread grips me tightly. Yes, he’s been located. Dangerous. They’re calling in the fire department droid to handle him. He won’t let us get close. He knocked out two SWAT guys.

But he didn’t kill them?

No, they’re on the way to the hospital now.

Then Ezra isn’t fully reprogrammed. Why would a TerraPura android let a human live if they weren’t instructed to? Maybe he’s still in there.

Waiting around is torment. Firefighters arrive on the scene with their own colossal fire bionic, Nolan. He’s a large, powerful android with short-cropped black hair and brown skin, taller than most. He’s dressed in his responder pants and a sleek black T-shirt that hugs every muscle of his upper body. Without hesitation or fear, he enters the utility vault in search of Ezra, while the others hang back.

Ten minutes pass, and then there’s a loud crash of brick and cement. Startled, I watch as the firefighter bionic goes flying through the wall of the vault and out the other side, his heavy steel mainframe impacting against a cemented barricade. He lets forth a mechanical groan as he staggers back up to his feet.

Ezra steps into view amid clouds of dust. I stand anchored in a mixture of relief that Ezra is still here, still alive, alert, and moving, while being similarly worried sick. I’ve never seen him look so devoid of warmth, of everything that makes him who he is. His white eyes are backlit, glowing, and he looks angry. That calm, neutral mask he’s always used on the job has given way to pure hatred and disgust.

“Open fire!” Jacobs shouts. “Bring him down!”

“No!” I shout, mortified by his order.

“No—no! Don’t bring him down—” Deion tries to shout as bullets begin to fly. “Goddammit, stop!”

But aside from ripping through Ezra’s favorite trench coat and the rest of his clothes, cutting through his synthetic skin and causing him to bleed ivory, the bullets otherwise ricochet off his steel mainframe much like they did the other androids. He’s built for a gunfight, and where this would normally devastate any other android, he doesn’t even flinch.

I don’t trust the chief. They’ll kill him. And that overrides fear for my own safety. “Ezra!” I cry out desperately. “Ezra, please!”

He doesn’t acknowledge me. His gaze is fixated on Nolan, who’s gotten up with a grunt, and now looks properly irritated.

“I can’t go near him,” Nolan shouts to his team. “He’s trying to implant a virus in my programming. One touch, and it’ll be over for me.”

Of course. That’s it—that’s why TerraPura wanted him so badly. Ezra can power down droids with a single touch. He can access their memory banks, everything about them, with physical contact, and there’s no way to override him. It’s specific to the BNP99 design. With Ezra in their arsenal, they can easily overtake hundreds—thousands—of androids effortlessly.

They wanted to kill my dad, they wanted to kill me. But Ezra was the golden goose they were hoping for.

I’ve been told to hang back, that this isn’t the place for me, but that isn’t true. Despite all the mayhem, I move toward Ezra, one slow, steady step after the other, feeling like I’m walking through one of my own nightmares. Several officers notice me as I pass them.

“Hey. Hey! What’s she doing?”

“Miss Carson, don’t!”

I step in front of Nolan as Ezra steps forward. He stops and glares at me. “Out of my way, insect,” he declares with such disregard for me, I blanch.

But I remain where I am. “Ezra, it’s me,” I implore. “It’s your Kat. You remember. I know you do.”

Nolan stands a yard behind me, watching carefully, but he doesn’t try to remove me or push me out of the way. “Ma’am, you should get to safety.”

“I love him,” I reply. The words flow from me as easily as breath. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Ezra snarls at me. “Human filth.”

He could storm forward, knock me to the side, but he doesn’t. His feet are firmly planted, his fists are curled. He could devastate me. But something’s holding him there.

The reprogramming. He’s fighting it. Somehow, he is. He has to be.

“Ezra, I know you’re in there,” I whisper. “I know you. Your systems, your gratification drive—everything about you sees me, and knows me. Listen to me. Listen to my voice. Do you remember what we talked about last night?”

“This is good,” Nolan softly encourages me from his position. “Keep talking to him. Keep going. You might be getting through. His systems are all out of whack on the inside. I can see it.”

Ezra’s lip curls in a sneer as he storms toward me.

I hear officers lifting their weapons again. “Don’t shoot!” I shout to them.

Then Ezra’s hand closes around my neck, and he holds me tightly. He’s done this once before, with love and trust. Now it hurts. But he’s not trying to choke the life out of me. He could crush my windpipe in less than a second, but he’s not.

He doesn’t speak a word, but he stares into my eyes, and I stare into his. I keep talking with effort, my voice low and gentle. “You told me you’d find a way. That nothing could keep us apart, and you’d find a way to make this work. I believed you. I still believe you. I need you to find a way back to me right now, Ezra. Please. I need you.”

His grip doesn’t tighten. “Stop,” he snarls, and his face scrunches up in pain. “Stop it. Stop talking.”

But I can’t stop. Even here, in the face of what could be my death at the hands of the man I love.

“I love you.” I rest my hand on his chest. “I’ll always love you, no matter what happens. Remember, Ezra. Remember that I’m yours. And you’re mine.”

Slowly, the fingers around my throat loosen. His eyes flicker, and his pupils shutter. He snarls in frustration and clenches his jaw in a kind of pain I can’t imagine.

“Ka . . . tri . . . na.” The sound coming from him is mechanical, garbled, like an error in audio playback.

“Ezra,” I insist, desperate and hopeful. “Fight it. Come back to me. I’m here. I’m waiting for you. Don’t let it take you.”

A few officers try to shuffle closer, guns at the ready, but Nolan holds up his hand. “Don’t. Stay back,” he tells them. “Let her do this.”

“Katrina,” Ezra says between his teeth. “Hurry. Power me down. Hurry!”

“Deion!” I call, not taking my eyes from him.

“Kyrone,” Deion says in the background. “Do it. Get the cord, get behind him. We don’t know how much time she’s got him for.”

“On it.” Kyrone pulls a long, heavy cord and a sleek black case from his car. He holds the tri-plug end like a knife. He crosses the distance between the police cars and Ezra’s position in long strides.

But I never look away from Ezra. “I love you,” I reassure him.

“Katrina.” His entire body shakes as he fights the programming inside him. “I love?—”

Kyrone jams the cord into the back of Ezra’s neck. Ezra jolts, then goes completely limp. I feel like I’m getting stabbed too, wondering if it’s painful, if I’ve caused him hurt. I sag, stifling a sob.

“I don’t got a lot of time. I need to reset him,” Kyrone explains as he starts frantically working through the holo-projections hovering about his tablet. “TerraPura programming is self-destructive.”

Fresh fear overwhelms me. Will I lose Ezra either way?

Seeing Ezra limp, prone, as people extend his limbs like a scarecrow and scan him with machines right here in the open seems so macabre. I know they’re helping, but I want them to stop touching him and let him be. I can only stand there with him, remain as close to him as I can. Ivory blood leaks from a hole in his chest left from a ricocheted bullet. I press my hand over it to stifle it, gazing into his slumbering face.

“I’m here,” I whisper softly, hoping he can hear me in his present state. “I’m here with you, and I’m not going anywhere.”

“I’ve got it,” Kyrone says, like he’s struck gold. “I’ve got it! Holy shit.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve got a copy of the TerraPura programming now, for the first time ever,” Kyrone says, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. “Droids always self-destruct before we can really take a look at it. I managed to quarantine it like a virus and download it. We’ll be able to study it and shield Ezra and other droids against it in the future.”

He looks up at me. “And you made it made it possible. Thank you for this.”

“Is he going to be all right?”

“Right as rain.” With his words, I let go of all of the tension in my body for the first time since I learned what was happening. “He’s hella smart. He uploaded his memory drive to his cloud before he went out on assignment, like he does every time.”

“Katrina.” Deion rests his hand on my shoulder gently.

I turn to face him. I can see the weariness, the gratitude, the stress of it all weighing upon him, all tinted with relief. “Thank you.”

I smile at him. “Don’t thank me. Thank you—for being his brother.”

I stay with Ezra until he’s packed into a car and shuttled off to BioNex headquarters. I want to go with him, but Deion refuses, promising me he’ll be with him every step of the way, telling me I need to get some sleep. I’m so exhausted that I can barely argue. The tremors in my hands threaten to return. My mom and dad are at the hospital. They need me too. At least with Deion and Kyrone, I know Ezra is safe. Now there’s a way to ensure this never happens to him again. I’m not a bionic engineer; I shouldn’t get in the way.

The next day, after sleeping a full twelve hours, I have to play catch-up with everything going on. Rashelle and Jayne keep me apprised of Ezra’s progress. He needs massive repairs—things that can’t be done overnight. He’ll be out of commission for a week in the laboratory. A week without Ezra is like an eternity, but Rashelle offers to go with me to see him while he’s being repaired, and I eagerly take her up on it.

It’s like being in another world, watching from outside Laboratory 317 at BioNex headquarters. Dr. Genevieve Taylor and her android, Victor, are hard at work. Ezra is mounted on an activation pedestal, his arms outstretched and his synthetic skin removed. He looks almost alien without skin. Ethereal. His mainframe is sleek dark blue, almost black. Lights glow where his circuitry is.

I watch engineers and technologists tend to him in quiet awe. Ezra is the most earth-shattering man I’ve ever met—but seeing just how intricately he’s designed, how beautiful he is beneath his synthetic material renews my admiration for just how incredible he truly is.

Several days pass. I stay with Mom and Dad at the hospital the first night, and then when Dad is well enough to be released, we head to a hotel and don’t tell anyone where we’re going, except Detective Washington. He keeps tabs on us, and I check in with him often.

It’s difficult, broaching the subject with Dad about shutting down Humanity First for good. But to my surprise, he didn’t fight me or argue or even seem disappointed in my decision.

“I’m only sorry I made it in the first place,” he says regretfully. “I was filled with so much anger when I founded it. And filled with so much hope that we could really change the trajectory of the nation. Of the world. But there’s no stopping what they’ve started now. And I only caused heartache for everyone involved.”

“Dad—”

“No, Kitty.” He doesn’t allow me to argue. “That’s my burden to bear. Let me sit with it a while. It’s the least I could do.”

The conspirators within Humanity First have been arrested and charged for attempted murder. That bolsters my father’s spirits a bit. Together, my father and I announce his retirement in a livestream announcement on the website several days after his kidnapping. All of our funds will be donated to various local New Carnegie charities.

Then, with Dad next to me, I address the entire organization from my platforms, with hundreds of thousands of viewers watching me from all over the globe. It’s the biggest livestream I’ve ever hosted, and the pressure is on. But I know what needs to be done.

I lay Humanity First to rest. It’s officially dissolved. The interests of the people remain, but whatever I build must be alongside androids, not against them. The burden off my shoulders is indescribable, even when there’s so much more work to do, to learn from the mistakes we’ve made and still vouch for the rights of the people. At least now I can be true to myself, whether or not I’m in front of a camera or in my own home.

A silver lining in all of this is the reopening of the museum. Diana has returned to her position, and so will I, once I get back to work. Arnold Vaughn insisted I take some paid time off and properly recuperate, which I’m grateful for. Everything has been so emotionally exhausting that I really don’t want to see anyone. Zoey has been arrested and is cooperating with authorities, and is going to plead guilty to terrorism and kidnapping, which may take the death penalty off the table. She’s going to be in federal prison for a very long time. I’m still grappling with the fact that my former friend is responsible for the museum bombing. I reached out to her boyfriend, Bridger, but he’s lying low and doesn’t seem keen to talk to me. Last I heard, he’s sticking by Zoey no matter what.

“How are you feeling?” I ask my dad over the phone as I peer out my bedroom window from where I’m snuggled beneath blankets and a fort I’ve made of pillows. It’s been two weeks since the incident at the bridge. I’ve deleted all the social media off my phone for now, and the peace of mind that comes with that is exactly the sort of serenity I needed in my life. Charlie trills as he rests on my stomach, his multiple eyes squinted contentedly. Everything outside seems calm, yet the city is always bustling.

It’s been two weeks since the ordeal, and things are finally returning to some semblance of normal. People are on to the next big thing. Nothing in New Carnegie ever stays still for very long.

“Like I’m a free man,” Dad replies. He and Mom left the city right after his retirement announcement, and I don’t think they’ll be back any time soon. They plan to stay in California indefinitely. They’re already talking about selling the house remotely, and heading farther north, maybe to Seattle.

“I hope you can forgive me, Katrina. I’ve been a fool. I’ve dragged you and your mother through hell with me because I couldn’t let go of an old slight years ago. I pretended to care about people, but I was being selfish. I let myself become blinded by hatred against androids. Zoey, unfortunately, was right about one thing. TerraPura likely exists because of me.”

“Dad, don’t say that.”

“No. It’s true. Hatred begets hatred. Only love can put it out. Those pro-bionic kids were onto something, and I missed the mark. TerraPura and the people who died... That’s something I’ll have on my conscience for the rest of my life. The cost was too great. It isn’t justice if it’s at the expense of others. I see that now.”

This is the dad I remember from my childhood. The contemplative, philosophical man who enjoyed a decent political debate over cigars and whiskey at a gathering of friends. Whatever anger he’s carried with him has finally been doused.

“You won’t believe who called me yesterday,” Dad says.

“Who?”

“Ezra,” he replies. “He was checking in to make sure I was okay.”

That captures my attention completely. I’ve been waiting on pins and needles for Ezra to reach out to me. The silence I’ve had to endure without him is a torment I never want to live through again. But why did he reach out to Dad and not me? I sit up slowly in bed, blinking. “Really? That’s...wow. That’s really sweet of him.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t know about it,” Dad says. “You’re dating, right? Haven’t you talked to him?”

My stomach twists into a knot. “I didn’t know he was out of the lab. I haven’t heard from him.”

“I see,” Dad says. “Well, I wouldn’t worry too much. Because we mostly talked about you.”

“What about me?”

“He cares very greatly for you,” Dad replies. “And while he disagrees with many of the things I’ve said and done . . . he wanted to be honest with me about that. And I was—impressed. By his honesty, by the way he carried himself through the conversation. He didn’t ask for permission or a blessing or anything of the sort, but—it felt like it was near to it. And I respected him for it.” He pauses. “That’s something else I have to apologize for.”

My spirit already feels lighter. I never expected Ezra would do anything like call my father. Like I always hoped a man might, if he were interested in me. And the fact that they could have a conversation—a real conversation—that’s some incredible progress, for my dad. “What do you mean?”

“I realize I didn’t handle it very well when you told me,” Dad replies. “Perhaps I should’ve been a little flattered. Every father dreams of the perfect man for his baby girl—but I’m the only one who can say I had a hand in building one for her myself.”

I smile, then laugh softly.

“I just ask that you be patient with us, Kat. An android boyfriend for you will take some getting used to, and we’re not quite there yet. But we both know you’ve never been a mindless or impulsive young woman. And he means a lot to you. We’d like to get to know him so he can mean a lot to us too. After all, he’ll be part of our family someday.”

My heart soars. My mom slides into view with my father and kisses his brow. “Love you, Kat,” she echoes affectionately.

“Love you too. Thank you, Dad. Mom.”

“Get some rest.”

“I will.”

I disconnect and toss my phone to the side. Charlie beeps at me, and I hug him, rolling over on my stomach as I try to stop thinking about why Ezra hasn’t called me yet. My heart’s been through the ringer; any more, and I’ll lose my mind. I can’t ruminate over this. No doubt he woke up to a pile of reports, to a complete mess at the ACU, and his own family needs him too. I can’t be selfish or greedy.

Yet I can’t think of anyone else. I keep checking my phone, hoping just one time, I’ll see a message or a missed call from him that I didn’t hear.

Charlie gently touches my face with a leg. “I’m okay,” I tell him with a soft chuckle. “I promise.”

Alone with my thoughts, I put on some music and take a shower, then treat myself to some much-needed self-care, trying to cheer myself up. I’ve only burst into tears twice today. That’s much better than the day before. I don’t know where to start when it comes to healing after everything that’s happened, and there’s still some part of me that worries it isn’t over.

I moisturize my face and ruffle out my hair, then wrap a robe around myself and glance at my feet. I nearly scream, stumbling back, then catch myself and cover my mouth.

A real spider. Goddammit. Where do these things come from? I stare at it as it scampers harmlessly across the floor and sigh. “Really?”

Charlie watches me curiously from where he’s climbed onto my counter, beeping.

“Look, they’re a lot scarier than you think,” I say. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to squish him.”

Charlie gives a little beep-boop of excitement and skitters back and forth on the counter.

“I know, I know, he’s just like you, only smaller. You’re not scared, are you? Take it easy. I’ll put him outside.”

Grabbing a flat towel and a water glass, I manage to herd it and capture it, then carry it out to my living room window. I set it on the open windowsill then shoo it away.

“Go. Go on. Go eat bugs or something.” I shut the window, and head back to dry my hair.

“I’m surprised. No bone-chilling scream? You’ve made progress.”

I practically jump out of my skin and whirl around, wide-eyed.

Ezra stands in my kitchen, hands resting in his pockets with his sleeves rolled up and a warm smile on his face. When I glance at the doorway, I see his trademark trench coat hung up on a peg with his hat. He’s already loosened his tie.

“Ezra,” I breathe.

“I didn’t even have to bust the door down,” he says.

Is this a dream? I blink a few times. He’s still standing there in front of me.

Then I run to him, and he catches me, laughing as he twirls me around and buries his face against my neck.

Relief—joy—overcome me. “You’re safe.”

He plants kisses against my neck. “Chief had to make sure I wasn’t a ticking time bomb before I returned to work, and I didn’t feel like allowing the analysis team a window into my private life. Hard to have any contact with you when they’re scanning my memory banks and looking through my systems over and over again.” He gazes at me. “Are you all right?”

I’m crying. “Y-yeah, I’m fine now. Everything’s fine.”

He squeezes me tightly. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m happy. I thought I lost you.”

“When you cry, you send my gratification drive into panicked circles.” He cradles my face, peering into my eyes with a chuckle. “And somehow you still manage to be the most beautiful woman in this whole damn city.”

“Not the world?” I ask playfully, just grateful to hear his voice again, feel his hands on me, gaze into his eyes without worrying it’s the last time.

“Take me with you, and I’ll be able to tell you for certain,” he teases, dodging a smack of my hand. “Don’t hurt yourself. I’m made of steel.”

I cup his face, touching him, and that damn tremor returns to my hands again as I trace his shoulders, his chest, checking him. “You’re okay. You’re really okay. You’re perfect.”

“Thanks to you,” he replies. “You saved my life. And the lives of others. I don’t know how you did it. I can’t remember everything after they reprogrammed me. But I do remember your face, your voice, the way you spoke to me.”

It feels odd, being thanked for that. “I love you,” I whisper. “What else could I do if not that?”

“Regardless.” Ezra brushes strands of my hair out of my eyes. “There’s no telling what I might’ve done, had you not been there. And because of you, we now have the TerraPura virus. We can study it. Their grip on androids will weaken considerably.”

“For now,” I muse. “I’m sure they’ll design another one, and it’ll be worse.”

“Maybe. But you’ll have helped the ACU save bionic lives.” He caresses my cheek with his thumb. “Now isn’t the time to be humble. You did that.”

The way he lowers his voice, eyes beckoning, threatens to derail me. “I just never want to be that close to losing you ever again.”

Ezra sighs softly, bowing his head. “That’s something I can’t change. My job will be dangerous at times. I’m not leaving my unit. I have a duty. I can’t forsake it. Even if I weren’t company property, serving is what I was made for.” He watches me, measuring me. “Can you handle that? There’ll be long nights where I can’t always be home. Jayne meant well, but she has her own job to do. She won’t always be calling you and keeping you informed of my whereabouts or what I’m doing.”

I get a small dose of anxiety at his words, butterflies of a different kind in my stomach.

“There may be times you don’t know where I am or what I’m up to. You just need to trust that I’ll do everything in my power to come home, that I haven’t forgotten you. That nothing is more important to me than returning to you. It won’t be easy. Can you live with that?”

I don’t hesitate. “I can. I have to.”

“Do you?” he asks.

“Of course I do. It’s all worth it if it means I can be with you.”

His smile is bright and hopeful. “You told me you needed me that night. You have no idea— no idea—how I’ve carried that with me. This is it.” He looks back at me. “You’re it.”

My tears are gone, chased away by his words, his presence, and his reassurance that no matter what, he’ll always come home.

I believe him.

“I need you, Ezra,” I whisper, then repeat it for good measure. “I need you in my life. I love you.”

We crash together as he kisses me deeply, tongue delving past my lips to tangle with mine. He lifts me onto the countertop as his scent, his taste, the feel of his hands pulling open my bathrobe, carry me away. He pushes my legs apart, leans me back as I pull his cock from his pants, and hilts himself inside me.

I suck in a breath and cling to him tightly as he fiercely ravages me, thrusting wildly until I’m begging him to come with me. His name is a cry on my lips. He slows, his clothing disheveled from my failed attempts at pulling his clothes off at my current angle, and withdraws.

I huff playfully at him. “Hey.”

His lips trace my neck. “Hm?”

“I said I love you.”

He leans away, grinning at me slyly. “I know.”

I pound his chest with my fists in indignation, and he laughs. He wraps his arms around me, squeezing me tight as he kisses my ear. “I’ll always love you. For all time.”

Shivers thrill me from my head to my toes. “That’s better.”

He picks me up and carries me to the bedroom. “How do you feel about becoming a Washington someday?”

“A Washington,” I say, giggling as he tosses me onto the bed. “Really?”

“Yes.” He crawls into bed with me. “I’d like for us to share something. Like a name.”

The possibility of becoming Ezra’s wife sends me to new heights, my entire body on pins and needles, shivering with delight as he brushes his hands over me. “You really don’t waste any time, do you?”

“Nope,” he replies. “Can’t help it. Programming, reflexes. Lightning fast.”

“I would love to carry your name.”

His hands slow as he gazes at me. “You mean that?”

“With all my heart,” I say. “You are a Washington. You always have been. They’re your family, Ezra. Deion’s your brother. I’m honored you want me to be part of your family too.”

His face lights up considerably with hope. “Ezra and Katrina Washington,” he murmurs, leaning in and brushing his lips against mine. “Has a ring to it.”

“Oh, there’d better be a ring.” I rest my head back on the pillows, laughing.

“There will be.” Ezra smiles at me again, and that smile—the one he saves just for me—has me all but melting into a puddle on the bed. “I promise.”

We share a deep kiss, and I’m anticipating it’s about to lead to a second round of what we began in the kitchen, but Ezra starts laughing quietly. “What?” I ask in confusion. “What is it?”

“Jayne texted me,” he explains, shaking his head as he nuzzles me affectionately.

“Are you needed at work?”

Ezra’s white eyes glow as he gazes into mine. “No. But I owe her doughnuts again.”

I laugh as I wrap my arms around his shoulders. “Lost another bet?”

“I did.” His gaze searches mine. “But this time, I’m glad she won.”

Before I can ask what he means by that, Ezra’s mouth crashes against mine. All other thoughts, worries, and actions slip away, lost in a blur of passion.