Chapter Fifty-Six – Failsafe

Mai opened her eyes with a wince as she looked around the room. It was a small break room. She winced at the pain in her head as she got to her feet and tried the door. Locked. Of course it was. She had to get out. She had to find Naru. She could hear whirring machinery somewhere. There were windows up near the ceiling. They were too high to reach. She didn't have much choice other than to try getting through the door. It had a round knob that twisted. It must be bolted from the other side…

Mai braced herself, turning the knob and ramming the door with her shoulder. The door itself was quite a light, thin wood. An android would have broken it down without a problem. Unfortunately she was much smaller and weaker. The door didn't budge at all. She felt her heart racing, the machines whirring continuously in the background. Naru could already…He could already be…She felt her throat stick at the thought, small cries of frustration breaking free as she rammed the wood again and again. Her shoulder ached from the continuous impacts.

"Let me out!" Mai shouted, her hands slapping the wood in despair. She blinked away the tears in her eyes. Kicking the door angrily. She couldn't be this close only to be stopped by a wooden door. She looked around the small room again. There had to be something that could help her. She looked up at the glass again before sighing. That was too high. Her eyes dropped to the kitchen counters. She opened the small cabinets hesitantly, but of course there was little inside.

"…see the game last night?" A muffled voice asked, footsteps echoing outside the door. Mai felt her chest tighten as they approached, diving into the cupboard on impulse. She wasn't even sure why she felt the need to hide. She'd been locked in here. She pulled the door shut anyway, opting to remain quiet as the steps paused outside.

"Yeah, it was…Why is the door locked?" A second voice asked, his voice getting clearer as he removed his helmet. The other man didn't have a clue either, but they opened the door and entered anyway. Mai held her breath as the steps approached the counter, hearing the rumble of the kettle boiling.

"God, I hope this is all over soon. My wife keeps whining about all the overtime I'm doing." The first voice sighed, the scrape across the tiled floor telling Mai that he'd sat down. The other man scoffed his own agreement as he made hot drinks for them and joined his companion. She was careful as she edged the door open, just enough to see the two men sitting across from each other at the table. If they turned their heads they'd be able to see her if she climbed out. She'd have to wait.

"Hey Tony!" They greeted as another man stepped inside, this one without a helmet. Their friend looked around the room in confusion for a few moments.

"Did you guys see a girl in here? Some kid got herself caught up with the androids and took a nasty bump to the head. I left her in here to sleep it off." Tony said, but the other two officers shook their heads and voiced their objections.

"Room was empty when we arrived…Someone else must have seen her out, don't worry about it." One of the others replied. Mai held her breath as they continued to exchange small talk. While sitting there she decided to think of a plan. What could she do? She didn't even know what was happening. I know there's a lot of machinery, but what kind? What is it used for? What is it doing? She wondered, chewing her lip as she listened to the continuous whirring and clicking.

Once I get out of here I need to find Naru! He's probably in the same room as those machines…Those machines are probably…She shivered at the thought of what those machines would be doing right now. What if Naru has already…She shook her head. She couldn't think like that. If those machines were destroying the androids then the only way to save Naru was to stop the machines from working. But how do I do that? She wondered. It was unlikely there would be a big red 'off' switch lying around, and it wasn't like she could just walk in there and…Maybe I can! Androids can look like humans, and if I can convince them…So long as the men from earlier don't recognise me…

That gave her a way to get into the room, but what would she do once she was inside? The armed men would be keeping the androids in line with guns. It wouldn't do any good for her to get shot. There has to be a way of stopping those machines without hitting an off switch…She thought, a sick feeling welling in her stomach. The machines are made to pull apart androids, but…what would happen if a human were…She took a small, shaking breath at the thought. She would be putting a lot of trust in the machine having a failsafe. It was a big gamble. Cyberlife is a multibillion dollar company with a lot of human workers though, there must be something in the machines to stop them in the event that a person gets…She trailed off again with a shudder. She felt sick, but she had her plan. It was a weak plan. A potentially bad plan. But if I don't do it then Naru…

"Well, got to get back to it." The two men sighed, leaving Tony behind to finish off his own coffee. Mai waited nervously until he too left, the door closing behind him with a gentle click. He didn't lock it. She sighed in relief as she crawled out of the small cupboard and listened. There was no one in the hall. She was hesitant as she reached up to her coat. She'd only ever been naked in front of her grandmother and Naru before. This is no time to be embarrassed! She chided as she started to strip. She couldn't leave her clothes in the open, so she shoved them beneath the sink in the cupboard before sneaking to the door.

The tiled corridor outside was long and brightly lit. The sound of machinery was loud, almost deafening. It came from both sides, so it didn't seem to matter which path she took. She turned left, following the shorter path. Her heart was pounding as she dared to look round the corner into the next all. She took the louder path, heading towards the machines. Her legs were shaking. It was cold. Her feet were starting to go numb. Just a little further…

"Stop right there!" A voice shouted behind her. Mai stiffened to a stop, trying to control her breathing. She heard heavy footsteps approach before a hand gripped her shoulder and turned her. She trembled under the masked gaze of whoever was inside the suit. "What the fuck?" He stammered, his gun trained on Mai as he looked at her cautiously. Mai couldn't stop her body shaking, from both fear and the cold.

"Please, don't…My internal systems have been damaged. I was unable to remove my synthetic skin layer." Mai excused shakily, trying not to wince as she soldier's gloved hand grabbed her chin and tilted her head up at a painful angle. He turned her this way and that, paying special attention to her temple. He let out a sound of disgust as he released her and dropped his hand.

"Fucking deviants…Always trying to escape. You actually got much further than the others, I suppose I should be impressed." The man almost mocked as he gave Mai a small shove. Mai stumbled back into the wall, her voice stuck in her throat. He shifted his gun, pointing further up the hall towards the machines.

"Wait, please, I don't want to be deactivated." Mai objected, playing into the man's expectations. He scoffed and pushed her roughly with the rifle. Mai stumbled before padding ahead obediently. She had to be careful. If she made him angry he'd hit her with the rifle, and if he made her bleed it would all be over. Mai was silent from then, occasionally looking back to give the man a fearful look. She didn't even have to pretend to be scared. The louder the machines got the more she thought this was a terrible idea. But Naru's life is depending on this…

"What the hell is this?" A second muffled voice demanded. Mai looked up to find they'd arrived at a large set of double doors, which would likely lead to the machines. It was almost deafening. The floor was actually vibrating beneath her feet. The second man stepped forward to look Mai up and down and speak to his companion.

"Defective unit. Skin won't come off, pain in the ass, right? Don't worry, the spider will take care of it." Mai's escort excused, and before she knew it Mai was shoved into a huge room. Beyond the double doors were metal stairs leading down to over twenty different metal pens divided by wire fencing. Each one was filled with line after line of white, plastic androids. It was like they were queuing for a train. They stood silently, waiting, waiting, and then stepping forward one after the other.

She was forced down the stairs, almost stumbling on her numbing feet. She ended up in one of the pens and joined in one of the long lines. She was surrounded by white shelled androids, most of them not even deviant. They stood in line obediently, shuffling forward one at a time towards whatever was at the front. Mai shivered in the cold and tried not to wrap her arms around herself. Androids didn't feel the cold. A few of the androids' eyes flickered to her curiously, LEDs flashing yellow or red where they still had them. I need to get to the front…

"Keep it moving!" A muffled voice shouted, the line slowly stepping up. Mai took her time, skirting slowly in front of the android before her. She looked again before jumping the queue. Her heart pounded as a soldier walked by. He looked at her before radioing it in, but her escort was spreading the word. Yes, they were aware of the skinned android. No, it wouldn't affect anything. Once he moved further down Mai hopped forward.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" A white android hissed at her. Mai's eyes widened, shaking her head silently, urging the unit to be quiet. "You can't be here!" The unit urged, and Mai just about recognised her as the blonde android from the truck. If she's this far back, then maybe Naru is…She couldn't think about that right now. She had to get to the front. The android didn't have time to say anything else, Mai once again slipping further up the line. She could see them now. The machines. They were inside large Cyberlife issue pods, designed for android disassembly. The huge spider arms whirled, shutting down the androids and separating the parts. It was sickeningly clean. Not a drop of blue spilled. The parts were then deposited in bins for reuse later. Arms. Legs. Torsos. Heads. Power cores.

Mai crept closer, pushing in front of a feminine unit. She wasn't sure if it was deviant or not, but it certainly didn't object to Mai volunteering to go first. Mai took a breath as she looked along the row of pods. All of them were connected. The main power line ran through all of them. If one stopped, they'd all stop. Mai closed her eyes and took a breath. The android in front of her moved up to the podium. Mai whimpered as she watched.

The arms of the spider gripped the unit's arms and legs before raising it off the ground. This android, thankfully, wasn't a deviant. It remained calm and peaceful, LED blue until the machine stabbed a sharp connection tool into the back of its neck. The unit's LED flashed before going dark, the machine swiftly twisting and unclipping the limbs. Did Naru already? Has he already been? Please…Please…Mai thought, closing her eyes as the soldiers yelled for the next group.

"What are you doing? You're going to get killed!" The large male android beside her hissed as Mai stood beside him facing outwards. She noticed the way the soldiers avoided looking at her. Of course they would, that's why they forced the androids to deactivate their skin, so it didn't seem so real for them…Mai thought as she waited. The android beside her never stopped looking worried. Mai felt like she was about to hyperventilate and almost gave into her fear until she heard it.

"Mai! Mai, no! Stop! She's a human!" Naru's voice cried from somewhere. She did know where, but it was enough for her to relax. She wasn't too late. The machine would stop. Naru would be alright. She would be too if the machines worked as they were supposed to. Mai let her eyes drift across the crowd until she saw the female android from earlier. She'd followed Mai almost to the front, watching with an almost blank expression, something in her eyes flickering red. It was almost like a recording light on a video camera. Mai looked straight at her, hazel eyes terrified as she heard the arms smoothly swing towards her and grip her limbs. The hold was tight, almost painful. She whimpered as she was lifted, listening as the connection arm drew back. Naru…She thought, shutting her eyes tightly as she heard the whirr of the arm stabbing forward. Her eyes widened as a sharp pain shot through the back of her neck. "No!" Naru's voice screamed.