My eyes flickered on, the lenses flexing their returned strength as the world slowly came into light, my vision fully restored.

I looked down at my legs, the limbs reconstructed and solid, only superficial scratches and dents remaining. Even then, I could feel them slowly repairing themselves.

Tilting my head back upwards I came face to face with Kassidy, a crazed look in her eye with a broad grin on her face. Her sudden appearance made me flinch back a second, earning a giggle of delight from the woman.

“Amazing. You truly are amazing.” Kassidy said as she stared into my eyes.

“Thanks?” I replied, placing my hand on her face and gently pushing her away.

Looking around I found myself leaned up against a metal table, Kassidy sitting upon it. Attached to my side was a haphazardly jury-rigged wire connected to an electrical socket. The room itself expansive and open, though absolutely full of miscellaneous junk.

“What is this place?” I asked offhandedly as my senses slowly started to come back.

Kassidy hopped down from her perch to stand in front of me.

“John’s Discount Storage Emporium,” she said in a grandiose manner, “Otherwise known as my basement... Can’t be using my real name for business, ya know?”

The woman looked at me with a sideways smile, a little sadness in her eyes.

“Must be tough, not existing.” I replied.

“It's not fun lying to everyone I meet,” she muttered, “but I manage.”

It made a bit more sense to me why she was so eccentric now. Shut off your whole childhood... then having to stay away from society. That would make anyone a little socially stunted.

I nodded my head at her answer.

Speaking of everyone.

“Where are the kids?” I asked, not noticing them in the near vicinity.

As the words left my mouth, the memory of what had happened rammed itself into me.

The behemoth.

The destroyed truck.

The blazing building.

Paris.

My heart wrenched and sputtered, the motors within me seizing momentarily.

The girl that trusted me.

My first and only friend.

Dead.

I had watched as the tower came collapsing down upon the little girl, my body failing me, incapable of saving her.

My lenses flickered and my mind went blank.

A muted voice broke past my shock.

“Those brats are upstairs trashing my apartment,” Kassidy said with disdain, “Surprised you actually got them all out though.”

“All?” I asked in confusion.

“Yeah, can’t give you all the credit though, those kids put up a hell of a fight too.” The woman said with a small chuckle of admiration.

I took a chance and asked a question I didn’t want to ask. The answer having the possibility to scatter my hopes.

“Paris?”

Kassidy looked off into the distance and let out hearty laugh, “I don’t know how the little desert rat did it, but she made it out of the fire. First ever kid to kill a behemoth!”

I jumped to my feet, my vents letting out a low purr.

“She’s alive!?” I yelled out, swinging my arms in my exclamation.

“Little beat up, but yeah. Kid’s got some cool scars now.” Kassidy replied, her gaze looking at me intently.

It took me moment to understand her meaning, but I eventually got there. Paris may not be hurt, but she was still harmed, and it shows. I would have to make sure that I didn’t let anyone put her down.

While, the scenario was not good, it was nice to have to worry about something that wasn’t life or death.

“Can we go up?” I asked, eager to see Paris and the other kids myself.

Kassidy nodded her head, “Yeah, in a minute though. I gotta show you something first.”

I watched as the woman walked to collection of monitors and picked one up, blowing dust off of it.

Kassidy pulled out a cable that had been set into the back of her head and plugged it into the screen. The device flickering to life, a news channel playing on it.

“This was broadcast just a few hours after your fight.” The woman said, unmuting the video.

I focused on the screen.

“-at Liam, is why it’s important to always keep your door unlocked.” A female host finished saying. The woman’s presence enhanced by a series of intense cybernetic modifications, her face giving off a heavenly glow from behind her skin.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Well Gwen, I’m glad you told me becau-” The male host cut himself off abruptly, gazing off into the distance. The man’s own odd silver eye’s read a message that only he could see, his face slowly growing more and more grim.

Gwen let out a soft cough to bring the man back to the show.

The male host jumped slightly and returned to his normal self, though now looking into the camera with a serious expression.

“I’m sorry for the interruption, but I have just been informed that the city is to go into full defensive lockdown within the next thirty minutes. There has been a hijacking of a shipment of behemoth suits only a few miles from the city. It is unknown if the thieves plan to attack the city with the devices, but we must be prepared for the worst.”

Liam looked to his co-host, signaling her to speak.

A picture of myself and Paris appearing besides the woman.

“In addition, the heist has been tied to these two fugitives, you may remember them from an earlier bulletin posted by the Red Door corporation. These individuals may seem harmless, but are responsible for the death of our beloved behemoth operator Pilot 76.”

As the woman read those last words, she teared up slightly, liquid gold pouring from her eye, in an exaggerated show of compassion.

Liam patted her on the back.

The woman nodded thanks to the man and continued her speech, “If you have any information regarding these outlaws, please call your district police immediately. The sooner we have captured these derelicts, the sooner our city can once again be at peace.”

Kassidy cut the video.

“So?” I asked, “We were on the news before, what's the big deal?”

“You weren’t ‘on the news’, you had a bulletin put out, not even a very big one.” The woman said, her tone shifting as if talking to an idiot.

“The entire city is LOCKED DOWN, because of you. Do you know how big of a deal that is? I assume not because you are just staring at me with that stupid smile on your face.” Kassidy continued.

My smile wasn’t stupid... I like my smile.

“Okay,” Kassidy clapped her hands and looked directly at me, “Let me explain this for you. When the city is on lockdown, no one can go or do anything. Nothing! That means no one can work, shop, leave! Nada! Until you and the behemoths are gone, if the behemoth story is real, you are the most wanted man in the city. Millions, want you dead. Got it?”

“I don’t appreciate how you said that.”

“Then don’t be such a damn imbecile!” The woman shouted at me.

I felt very degraded.

“So what? I take it that means I have to leave?” I asked.

“No shit Sherlock, yeah, but it’s not that easy. City is locked down, in and out, you gotta sneak out somehow.” Kassidy responded, walking tippy toe to demonstrate.

“Who looks stupid now.” I said.

“Shut up.”

I rolled all six of my eyes, “So, I’m guessing you have a plan?”

If I learned anything about Kassidy since I met her, she liked her plans.

“Nope, not my problem.” She said dismissively.

“What.”

Kassidy burst out laughing, doubling over as I stood there confused.

“Oh my god, your face,” The woman’s laughter making her tear up.

How did I end up with you, I thought, disappointed in my choice of friends.

It took a moment and a few more spiels of laughter before Kassidy could compose herself.

“It wasn’t that funny.” I stated dryly.

“You're a machine, you're lucky to know what funny even is.” Kassidy replied offhandedly, “Besides, yeah, I have a plan. All I need from you is a destination. Needs to be nearby though.”

“What type of destination?” I asked, interested in her machinations.

Kassidy shrugged, “Just a place to lay low until we can move someplace else. It just needs to be close because I can have supplies shipped to us if it is.”

I tilted my head, “’We’?”

“Yeah, we, I can't stay here after this whole fiasco, they will track you guys to me eventually. I got a souped-up purple SUV in my basement for crying out loud. Besides, you owe me a few more study sessions.” The woman rattled off, clearly already decided on the matter.

She made some good points regarding her own safety, and she was handy with her computers.

It was embarrassing to admit it, but she was also a half-decent friend.

For now, at least.

I decided to raise my hands in defense, “Okay, okay, ‘we’.”

“I think I know a half-decent hiding spot anyways, its got good bones.” I continued.

Kassidy nodded her head contently, “Good, I wouldn’t have taken no for an answer anyways, gearbox. Where is this place you're talking about?”

I went to grab my phone, but remembered that I had left it in my suit. The suit itself likely long destroyed, along with my phone.

And my energy gun, the loss of which made me oddly sad.

I enjoyed the watching the pinkish bolts it shot fly across the sky.

“Here.” Kassidy snapped out, throwing me an object.

Off reflex, I caught what she had tossed me, a small flash drive.

“What is this?” I asked.

“Internet stick. You're welcome.” The woman replied with a grin.

Observing the device, I opened up a panel on the side of my head and slotted the device into a socket. After a short analysis by my system, a new area appeared in my mind.

I had access to the internet.

“Wow, this is definitely more convenient than my phone.” I said, looking off into space.

Refocusing, I pulled up a satellite map of the area and located the place I thought would be good.

Except it wasn’t there.

I had planned to find the place I had been born and offer it up as a possible location, but the map simply showed a mountain there.

“Kassidy, the map is wrong?” I shared my view with her, “There should be a canyon here, with a helicopter and a small building.”

“Why would there be a place there?” Kassidy asked me, a look of confusion on her face.

I hesitated, but told her, “That was where I woke up. There should be a bunker right there.”

I pointed at the map.

Kassidy nodded her head slowly, considering the possibilities, “This is live feed, so it would be extremely hard, but it might have been scrubbed. I don’t know by who, but if a machine like you came from there... it’s worth hiding.”

I nodded in agreement, “Anyways, that should be a good spot. We will need that supplies though.”

Kassidy just shrugged, “If you say so. Now, you ready to hear my plan? Or do you need to reboot first?”

“No, I don’t need a reboot. Thanks for the concern.” I replied, laden with sarcasm.

“No problem, I gotta take care of my favorite toaster,” she said with a smile, patting me on the back, “Anyways, we got two options when it comes to sneaking outta here.”

“The first option is the easier of the two. We crawl through the underground reservoir, and exit outside the city. I can bypass all the electronic defenses and get through easy-peasy. Problem is, we have to walk the rest of the way. Those kids might not make it.”

I grimaced.

Kassidy was right, if those kids were in the same shape as I last saw them, they wouldn’t make it very far.

“Option two?” I asked tentatively.

“Option two could end up a bit more action packed, we know how much you love that.” Kassidy said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes again.

“The north eastern gate has an outdated locking system, if we can get to it undetected, I can slip us out. That undetected part will be hard though.” She said with consideration.

“How would we get a car there and out without getting caught?” I asked, skeptical of the plan.

Kassidy pointed over the iridescent purple SUV, “Plain sight.”

“You have to be kidding me.”

“Hear me out,” the suicidal woman stated, “They aren’t looking for me yet and not all the kids have their faces posted everywhere. We would just have to hide you and Paris.”

“Even if we were hidden, I thought you said that no can move around during a lockdown?” I asked.

“True, that’s why I’m going to pull the best card I can.” Kassidy said with a smirk.

“What’s that?” I asked, incredulous.

“I’ll pretend to be in labor!” The manic woman said with glee.

“I hate that plan.”

“Let’s at least discuss it?” Kassidy bargained.

“No.”

“Then what’s your idea hotshot.” The woman questioned me, frustrated at her plan being shot down.

I didn’t have a plan.

“I’ll tell you after we meet up with the kids.” I said, turning away from the woman.

“That’s what I thought.” Kassidy said smugly, “Operation Baby On Board is a go!”

I often wondered how I ended up with the life I was given. There were so many things that I was thankful for, but Kassidy... Kassidy was sometime hard to be thankful for.

I let out a sigh and nodded my head, “We can discuss it. Can we please go upstairs now?”