I was in the back of the mansion where the Lab was, and now scanned the side street. It looked like any other residential street, but I could hear the noise of Forbes Avenue. Several cars were parked outside of the building.
One looked so futuristic, I paused in front of it for just a moment. It was all folded lines, triangular and huge. Its wheels were oversized and it looked like it had come straight out of Stars Wars. The car was black with gold tints, like the Lab colors. It must be the company car, I guessed, and at that very moment the car clicked and I heard it speak
“Welcome back, Ryder.”
I guess it’s my car. Or Ryder’s. I had not time to consider the implications. I had to get away as quickly as possible. Taking the company car was probably a very bad idea, but it would get me away from the Lab quickly.
It took me a second to figure out how to open the door, and I frowned at the design. And then I was in. The car spoke again.
“Where would you like to go?”
The question stumped me. I had no idea.
Where would I find clues to my existence?
“Home.” I said. “Take me home.”
Before I had a chance to start the car, or even figured out if I had the keys, the car started moving. How does this thing know what to do? I wondered.
The car display came alive, and I saw a map of where we were going.
It turned onto Forbes avenue and drove itself to Greenfield. I still live in Greenfield? I shrugged.
I saw an icon with Stewart the fox flash in the corner and tapped on it. It invited me to play the game. What? Drive and play? I opened my eyes wide. The future was amazing. I forced myself to focus on the present.
The drive was smooth and for a moment I looked out the window onto the streets of Oakland that turned into Squirrel Hill. The neighborhoods I knew so well. Home. I guess I live with Dawn. The thought was almost revolting after the conversation I’d had with Dr. Matucci. How did I let those two manipulate me? What was I doing all these years? Were they really the AI masterminds?
And then I thought of April. She will have the answers. I can ask her. I reached for my phone and scrolled through the list of contacts in search of her number.
There was no one named ‘April’. I frowned, then remembered that April and I were divorced. I guess we don’t talk.
I knew April’s number by heart. We got our phones together, and hers was the first number I’d saved on my cell phone. Maybe it’s still the same. I punched in the numbers, starting with 412. The Pittsburgh area code. My hand trembled, and I was about to hit the green button, when I saw the contact populate with a ‘Do Not Call’ tag.
I had labeled April that? Why? I hit ‘call’ anyway and listened to it ringing. There was no answer. The phone went directly to voicemail, and I threw it on the passenger seat in frustration. I slapped the wheel of the car and heard the robotic voice warning. ‘Excessive use of force detected.’
“Whatever!” I shouted.
The car was now at the intersection of Murray Avenue and Forward and my mouth gaped open at the changes. Nothing was how I remembered it. The building at the corner had turned into a fancy apartment block, with smooth, curved lines. I stopped at the light, which, unlike the buildings, was still the same. It took forever. As I took in the changes, I had a flash of a memory.
This was where I’d planned on killing Phil. I had sat in wait on this very block. I remembered crouching behind the fence of the newly constructed building. There had been a hole in the fence, and concrete blocks were piled on top of each other. I’d been waiting behind one of them, a knife in hand. A knife. Not a Ryder truck. Maria Matucci lied to me. She has no proof. The thought flashed through my mind and disappeared. The light changed to green, and we moved, and at that very moment, the car display lit up.
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‘Incoming call from Do Not Call. Incoming call from ‘Do Not Call.’
April!
I answered.
I was about to hear her voice, the familiar voice. I missed April, ached for her. She was the only person in the world who could save me. The only connection I still had to the real me. To Rodion.
The connection, which, it became immediately clear, wanted nothing to do with me.
“What the hell? You really got the balls to call me?” April screamed. “After everything? I was going to ignore your call, but I’ve really had it. You don’t just get to call me and screw with my mind like you did last time.”
“April, wait, please.” I pleaded. But that only got her going stronger.
“Oh, wait, is this not what I think? You didn’t get into a fight with Dawn, and this isn’t a booty call? I am not falling for this again.”
“Please, April, it’s not that. I’m sorry. I really am. I don’t know what I’ve done, but please, this is different.” I yelled into the receiver.
“You are pathetic. A real loser. You and your millions, and your fake wife. All of you make me sick.”
“April, please, I need you. I need your help!”
“You should have thought of it before you did what you did. I have no words for you. All I want is to go back in time and to never have met you.”
The conversation, if you could call it that, was over. It lasted one minute and 11 seconds. 1:11. A cool-looking number.
The car was now driving me across the bridge and into Greenfield.
I guess I still live in Greenfield.
I passed Giant Eagle. The parking lot of the supermarket looked exactly the same, still full of late afternoon shoppers, pushing carts piled with groceries. I wonder what day of the week it is?
I checked my phone. ‘Saturday.’ It said. Alright, then. I guess the Lab works on weekends, too.
The car turned behind Giant Eagle. This was the hill I knew so well. My first street in America. The corner where my bus stop used to be.
I felt as if I were punched in the gut. April. This is where I first met April. The school bus. Now April wants me to never have met me. For me to disappear.
I remembered how Mama took me to this stop, how terrified I was on my first day of school. I spoke no English, and leaving her for the first time was like flying to the moon. But I had overcome all that. I’d made it, survived all the hardship, and even Mama’s death.
I was no AI-controlled robot. Not Ryder. How dare Dr. Matucci mess with my head? I was Rodion Likharev, I knew exactly who I was. I would reclaim my mind whatever it took.
The car passed the stop sign and went up Frank street. This was the curviest, steepest street in the neighborhood. And then I saw it. I knew right away that this must have belonged to Ryder. It screamed money and power and stuck out like a sore thumb in the otherwise quaint neighborhood. The house was built in black brick and was enormous. I guessed that at least two, if not three, older homes had been razed to make space for the monstrosity. It had a three-car garage and huge driveway, and was surrounded by an electrified fence that buzzed.
What is this?
The car came to a stop in front of the fence, and it blinked. I saw a gate, which otherwise would have been invisible. It opened and let me inside. As the car drove in, I noticed a little kid standing on the sidewalk, observing. The look on his face wasn’t that of surprise or annoyance, but more of curiosity. He was holding something bright red, clutching it to his chest. I squinted and saw it was Stewart, the fox. The lovey that looked remarkably similar to my own. Do kids still like Stewart? The car came to a full stop, and I exited, leaving it parked in front of the garage. The idea of speaking to the kid occurred to me, and I walked up to the fence, but he was already gone.
The house looked impenetrable, all concrete and glass. A black futuristic-looking door was designed in such a way that it almost merged into the wall, and I didn’t notice it right away. I came up to it and tried to push it open, but nothing happened. I had no keys, and, judging by how everything else worked, it was probably contactless or there was a pin code somewhere. I moved my hand up and down the side of the door, but nothing happened. Then, I tried it again. Nothing. I scanned the perimeter of the door, feeling for a lock with my fingers. Nothing. I needed to get inside. Ryder lives here. I told myself. It will have answers. I stepped back and stood next to the car. The garage! I thought, There must be a garage opener. I got back in the car and it started. Adjusting seat position. It said. Alright. I pulled the lever to open the glove compartment, but it was locked. How does this thing work? I yelled in frustration.
“How may I help you?” The car said. I rolled my eyes.
Make me human again, I thought and shook my head.
That’s when I noticed Maria Matucci’s phone. I’d taken it with me and dumped it on the passenger seat, and it must have slipped to the floor. The phone had the app that controlled me. I grabbed it and stared at the screen. It was locked. I swiped and a prompt for a passcode popped up. I entered 0808, but it required two more digits, so I tried 080808, and the passcode prompt reappeared. I should have changed it earlier, when the phone was unlocked! I nearly cried out in frustration. Instead of running, I should have updated the app! It was too late now, and then the car repeated
“How may I help you?”
“Alright, you wanna help me? Open the garage.” I yelped, still staring at Dr. Matucci’s phone, and watched as the garage door rolled up, letting me inside.