Ezra (New Carnegie Androids #6)

Chapter 4 #7

Jayne nods. “So they never got flagged. But the deposits were all cash, no wires or anything for us to track, so the financial trail ends there.”

“Someone tried to assassinate my father for thirty thousand dollars?”

Katrina murmurs. “That seems like such a small amount.”

“That’s where it gets weird,”

Jayne says. “See, I know TerraPura. I infiltrated their lower and middle infrastructures back in Ireland. They don’t pay people to commit murder or blow up droids. So the money is the part that doesn’t make any sense.”

I nod, pensive. “Cultists kill to ascend to another echelon.”

“Right. This isn’t Ascension, like the protest bombing, or a Purification,”

Jayne says. “This was a contract killing.”

“What’s Ascension?”

Katrina asks, confused. “Purification? I recognize those words. The droid at the march last year was ordered to ascend by his handler. And then purify was carved in the bombing android’s forehead at the museum.”

“Ascension is when an android achieves godhood status. Purification is the killing of humans, usually in a bombing. Like at the museum,”

Jayne explains.

“I can’t believe they have names for it,”

Katrina whispers, looking at me. “Like it’s sacred.”

“Unfortunately for them, sanctity and science are two different things,”

I reply. “And they can’t hide from the latter.”

“And you’ve got the android responsible?”

Katrina turns her attention back to Jayne.

Jayne suddenly looks sheepish. “Sort of.”

“What do you mean, sort of?”

I ask in alarm.

“Don’t get mad, okay?”

“I don’t get mad,”

I reply, folding my arms. “Why, what happened?”

Jayne looks at Katrina, mouths, yes, he does, and drives on before I can protest or remind her to focus. “He self-destructed. Not like at the march or the museum.”

She sighs. “When we arrested Clayton, he shouted to his droid to ascend. The bot went crazy, like. Crushed his own head in his hands. Everything’s melted together.”

Katrina shudders beside me, looking away. Disappointed by this development, I grimace.

Jayne continues. “Even if we managed to extract its memory banks, they’d be too damaged to be of any use.”

She studies me a moment and winces. “You said you wouldn’t get mad.”

“I’m not mad,”

I snap as I pace in front of the screen. “This is beyond ridiculous. If I’d been present during the arrest, I could’ve stopped the android from terminating himself and retrieved everything—including potentially crucial information regarding the bombings.”

“I know.”

In her best attempt at commiserating, Jayne offers a smile. “Sorry, love.”

I can sort out my own frustration later. “It’s fine.”

“Does this mean I’ll be able to go home soon?”

Katrina asks.

Jayne gives her a sympathetic smile. “That’s up to Chief Jacobs, sadly. But it won’t be long now, I think.”

She didn’t realize how right she was. An hour later, as I continue brooding and reviewing case information, Jacobs calls Katrina directly, and she places him on holo-speaker, dancing waves moving up and down and hovering above her phone when he speaks.

“Good news, Miss Carson. At this point in the investigation, we’ve determined the bombings were unrelated to your attendance personally. What that means is nobody’s out to get you. We still think it’s best you avoid returning to your parents’ residence. Dr. Schroeder says you’re welcome to stay as long as you need.”

“That’s very kind,”

Katrina says. “But I’d like to relocate to my apartment, if that’s okay. I was supposed to move over the weekend. Nobody’ll know I’m there. I think I’ll go crazy if this continues, being cooped up here.”

“I understand. Did Ezra give you any trouble?”

My circuits surge. It bodes well for me that the chief can’t see me. The way he refers to me, like a child entrusted to her care, instead of the other way around. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I work, he’ll always refuse to see my value—and it’s costing the entire department.

As if she senses my ire, Katrina speaks with a slight edge in her voice. “No. Ezra was perfect. No trouble at all. Thank you for assigning him to me personally. Honestly, I’ve never felt safer.”

“Oh.”

I can hear in Jacobs’s voice that isn’t the response he expected. “Well, I’ll be sure to pass that along to his handler.”

Handler . I bristle with anger I can only restrain in silence. Police dogs can win medals for bravery. For my work, a human gets thanked.

“You should also pass along that I won’t be voting for Commissioner Winters next election,”

Katrina declares with fire behind her words. “I’ll be encouraging my organization to avoid doing the same.”

Jacobs pauses. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“You only have one BNP99 in the entire city, Chief Jacobs,”

Katrina replies.

“It’s both inefficient and a waste of resources to place your most capable officer in charge of one civilian’s welfare, something any new officer could’ve done with ease.

Ezra’s far too valuable to be kept out of matters involving TerraPura.

I consider this incompetent city leadership.

And I’ll make my opinion known.”

I get up from my seat and stalk toward the window, staring out at the city as rivulets of rain water trace the glass.

I’m bewildered by Katrina, yet grateful as well that she not only stuck up for me, she shoved a metaphorical boot up my boss’s ass.

Deion and Jayne are the only others who’ve ever defended me in that way to my superiors.

Now, it appears I have a third in my corner, from a position I never expected.

It was satisfying to hear her indirectly chew Winters up and spit him out—but I doubt it’ll make a difference.

Jacobs is either amused or flustered; it’s hard to say which, but he recovers quickly. “I’ll keep that in mind. At any rate, it’s best you continue to lie low for the time being. We’re still trying to make sense of what happened at the museum. Until then, it’s a possibility there could be other attempts on either your or your father’s life. We just want to make sure we’re taking all the necessary precautions.”

I glance over my shoulder. Everything about Katrina’s body language suggests she’s closing herself off. Her brow is knit, arms and posture tense. I turn away again.

After he rehashes all the same information Jayne already gave us, Katrina ends the call. “Well.”

I turn to face her. “Well?”

She comes to stand next to me. “I guess you’re right.”

“In what way?”

“Everyone in charge of you is kind of an asshole.”

She gives me a half-hearted smile. “Except Deion, of course.”

It’s so strange that we are friends. We’ve stated as much. I never expected this. I never thought I might find someone else, beyond the Washingtons and Jayne, that I might actually begin feeling comfortable with. Enough to vent my frustrations, discuss the issues I face. That the entire city faces.

Not only that, but we crossed a boundary together that I never imagined. We haven’t talked about it, but we both know it’s there. Replays of our stolen night return with a vengeance from my memory banks, sending my gratification drive into a whirlwind of need.

I hold back. My own desires don’t matter in this instance. It’s clear that this isn’t something we can explore, so why should I try to talk about it? What do I expect her to say?

As if sensing my self-restraint, Katrina changes the subject. “You must be ready to get out of here too.”

“I am, yes,”

I reply as we face each other. Her perfume is mild and pleasant. I’ve grown used to that smell in my short time here with her. My scent receptors immediately identify bergamot, jasmine, and vanilla. I’ve never really cared about a woman’s scent before, nor have I been so quick to memorize it. But it’s not the perfume itself I find solace in.

It’s Katrina. Her presence.

“You’ll head to your new apartment?”

I ask her.

“That’s the plan.”

She nods. “An air mattress and takeout. That’s all I need. What about you? Do you think you’ll catch the people responsible for the bomber droid in the museum?”

“I don’t have a choice,”

I say. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

“I know.”

When Charlie playfully skitters across the floor and harmlessly pounces at her ankles, she scoops him up. “Yes, yes, I know. I’ll miss you too, Charlie. But I have to go.”

Katrina can’t seem to look at me directly for very long. She scans the apartment. “I’ll have to call Dr. Schroeder, thank him for letting us stay here. I need to call Liam too, see if he answers. Before it’s too late. I’ve put that off for too long, and I’m ashamed of myself.”

“I’m sure he’ll understand. You could stay, though. This isn’t a bad place for hiding.”

“It’s definitely not bad, but it’s awkward. It’s a reminder of a rift my family will never mend. It’s like stomping on the gravestone of my father’s friendship with Schroeder. There’s nothing I can do to fix that, you know?”

“I don’t think it’s your responsibility to rebuild that bridge, Katrina,”

I say softly.

“You’re right.”

Katrina ruffles her hair. “Guess I’ll pack up. Do you think you could drop me off at my new apartment?”

“Of course,” I reply.

After she’s gone to gather her things, I steal a few moments of standby. Even as I partially shut down some of my functions to rest them, my processor is racing. I’m looking forward to returning to investigating and to resuming my directives at Deion’s side. I’ve even begun to miss Jayne and her lighthearted, well-meaning jokes. Yet, a part of me is reluctant.

I question myself, trying to understand. Shouldn’t I be relieved? This wasn’t a job I wanted in the first place. Not that I’ve ever had a choice. If I were human, I would’ve never been made to sit here and watch over a civilian—Jacobs and Winters wanted me out of this investigation, that much is certain.

But what began as being benched by my boss turned into something fruitful. Enjoyable. Passionate. I have a better understanding of the opposition. Remaining in close quarters with Katrina Carson became more than tolerable.

It became something to look forward to.

And I am disappointed that I’ll likely never see her again.