Chapter Fifty-Three – Into the Camp
"Get in line." A muffled voice ordered, the rifle barrel knocking Mai in the back painfully. Naru's arm was around her in an instant, pulling her close. She pressed against him fearfully as they approached the huge gates. Barbed wire circled a long electrical fence that wrapped around the whole site. The gates swung open and the line moved. Mai watched as the androids were forced to strip at gunpoint. Their clothes were tossed into recycling dumpsters. Mai shivered as she slowly reached for her coat, Naru's hands stopping her.
"You can't go any further." He stated, his eyes shifting to the androids ahead, who were removing their artificial skin. Mai shook her head stubbornly, both of them ignoring the line that moved around them. "Mai. You're human. You don't belong in there." He added firmly, Mai's hazel eyes telling him everything he needed to know. He didn't need to be able to link with her to see the affection and fear in her eyes.
"I want to stay with you." She said, accepting the kiss pressed to her lips and the softness in Naru's blue eyes.
"If I could choose my own life I would stay with you…I'd go back to that coffee shop, and I'd run it with you…I'd hold you, care for you, and live with you for as long as you asked me to…I can't exactly name this feeling, but…You were one of the first humans to show me affection and treat me kindly. I'll be grateful for it until the end." He said softly, allowing the skin to peel back from his hand as he caressed Mai's cheek and kissed her warm lips. Mai gripped his arms tightly, desperate not to let go. They only moved when a rifle shoved at Naru's shoulder. They moved forward in the line and Naru began to strip, Mai's eyes watching with an increasing sense of dread.
"And you." The soldier added.
"You've made a mistake. She's human." Naru stated as he stood before them naked, Mai's chest aching as he removed his human skin. She could still pick out the details of his face, but once he turned away he would be indistinguishable from the others. "She was caught up in the crowd by mistake." He added as he looked at Mai. Mai shook her head firmly, taking a step closer to Naru. She looked at the confused soldiers anxiously.
"He's lying! I'm an android, I've just been damaged…I can't remove my skin." She objected, her voice shaky. It was easy for Naru to tell she was lying. He hoped the humans were just as sharp. The soldiers looked at each other.
"She's lying. Scan her if you don't believe me." Naru objected. Mai shook her head as one of the soldiers stepped forward to do just that. He confirmed she was human, reaching out to grab her as she latched onto Naru tightly.
"You can't do this! They haven't done anything! Don't do it!" Mai cried, her vision blurred as she felt Naru's cooling plastic shell beneath her fingers. She screamed as she was torn away, watching as Naru was shoved towards the other androids. She struggled against the hold, vaguely hearing Naru's pleas that she not be harmed. "Naru!" She cried, watching as the androids were split between two more gates. Mai struggled free, making it through the first gate before being cut off by a man in armour.
"Fucking sympathisers." He sighed, slamming the butt of his rifle into her temple. The world span as she fell, hearing a second voice reproaching the soldier for the rough treatment. She was vaguely aware of being lifted into strong arms before she passed out.
