The bus stopped. The bus driver walked up to the only two remaining in the seats, a little girl and an android. "Alright, end of the line," he told the android.

The android looked at him, questioning. "End of the line?"

"Yeah, that means you gotta get off." He turned around, back to his seat. The android, Kara, turned to the little girl sleeping next to her. "Alice, wake up, we gotta go," Kara said gently. Alice woke up, rubbing her eyes. They got up. Kara looked at the bus driver. "Listen, we have nowhere to go." She looks at Alice. "She's exhausted and it's pouring rain. Can we just stay for a little while?"

The driver looks at her and says, "This bus is going back to the depot. There's nothing I can do." He feels bad. He wishes there was something he could do for them, as they seem to be in a bad spot. But he couldn't risk losing his job.

Kara gave a slight nod and turned to the door. They left the bus, and the doors closed behind them. A cold chill swept through Kara, bringing with it a sense of uneasiness. I should have taken the gun, she thought to herself. It would be some protection if anything would happen. Given different circumstances, she would have, but Alice was her first priority. With that, though, she turned to the young girl, who was sitting on the bench of the bus stop, shivering.

"You're gonna be okay?" Kara asked. Alice nodded, still shivering. "We'll find someplace to spend the night," Kara assured her. Kara looked around, looking for anything that could help. She spotted an android and walked up to him. He might have some information about someplace to stay. She connected with him. "We need a place to stay. Do you know anywhere we can spend the night?" The android either didn't know or could not answer, as it gave none. Kara looked around again. She spotted a laundromat, a motel, an abandoned house, and a side alleyway. Alice was shivering hard. "Alice, you're freezing cold."

Kara could see Alice was trying not to let it show. "I'm all right, I'm not that cold," she said, her body clearly betraying her words. Kara's resolve to find a place to stay only grew stronger. She checked the motel. Androids weren't allowed in, and entry was $40, money she didn't have. This wasn't a viable option at the moment. As she turned around, Alice asked, "Why aren't we going in?"

Kara looked at Alice and told her, "We need forty dollars, and to get rid of this uniform," gesturing to the standard android uniform. They stopped in the laundromat to warm Alice up. After that, they went over to the drugstore. Kara asked the clerk for help, and he had nothing to offer. Discouraged, she and Alice left the store. They were about to try the alley when Kara noticed the car. It was an older model, possibly from the 2020s. The window was down, despite the cold, and a man was inside, seemingly looking for someone. Kara went up to the car and knocked gently on the door. The man looked up.

"Excuse me, but I'm with a little girl, and I'm wondering if you could help us."

The man looked at Kara, then behind her at Alice, who was still shivering in the cold. "Get in. I'll get you somewhere safe," he says, opening the passenger door next to him. Kara got into the back with Alice. The car drove off into the night.

They drove in silence, the man only telling them his name, which was Dakota. He drove for about an hour, arriving at a house. It was small, but well kept. The car pulled into a garage, and they went inside. The inside was clean and spacious. Dakota turned on the lights and turned up the heat.

"There's a bathroom with a shower at the end of the upstairs hallway. I don't have any clothes for either of you, but I can get some for you tomorrow. I can reheat some leftovers for you, Alice, if you want." Dakota said to the both of them.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry." Alice answered.

"That's fine."

Kara took Alice upstairs and helped her into the shower. As Alice got herself cleaned, Kara went to look for a room for her to sleep in. She found Dakota making a bed in a room off to the right. The room was a simple guest room, with little decoration. The bed was a comfortable looking full size. Dakota did not look up at her, but still recognized her presence. "You know, I haven't gotten to know you. Why were you two out there?"

Kara was unsure of where Dakota was going with this question. "What do you mean?"

Dakota looked at her. "You were in a downtown business district with a nine year old girl at about midnight. You were running away. The girl has a fresh bruise on her nose forming, and she wasn't wearing clothes made for the cold. Some of your artificial skin is missing on your cheek and around your neck. You were likely running from either someone or something, and left in a hurry, without a plan. I just want to know what happened."

Kara thought over his words and decided she could trust him. She took a breath, and told him their story. "Her father was abusive, and he snapped. He was gonna hurt her, and something in me changed. Her life just became more important than mine, and I had to do something."

Dakota looked at her and smiled. "You did the right thing." He went to the closet and pulled out a small tote bag out of there. "I had a friend who always kept some spare night bags for her cousin. There are some pajamas and fresh clothes in there."

"Thank you," Kara said gratefully.

Alice finished getting cleaned. As Kara got her dressed, Alice spoke. "Why didn't he ever love me? Why was he always so upset with me? All I wanted was a life like other girls. Maybe I did something wrong? Maybe I wasn't good enough? That's why he was always so angry. I just wanted us to be a family. I just wanted him to love me. Why couldn't we just be happy?"

Kara was somewhat perturbed. "I don't know, Alice."

"You'll never leave me, right? Promise you'll never go."

"I promise…"

"Will we be together forever?"

"Forever." Kara hugged Alice. "You should get some sleep." Alice laid down, Kara turned off the light, kissed Alice, and laid down.

Outside the room, Dakota was heartbroken. To know what the little girl went through, and the idea that she was not the only one to have gone through that was disheartening. He resolved to do what he could to help them.

The next morning, Kara woke up from standby. She looked over next to her. Alice was still asleep. Kara got up and went to the bathroom. Under the sink there was a haircutting kit. She took it out, cut her hair, and changed the color of her hair to jet black. She also used the scissors to remove the LED. If she was technically a fugitive, she should change her appearance. She looked through the closets in the other guest rooms, careful to stay quiet, for any clothes for herself. She found a simple navy blue button down shirt to cover her uniform. Kara went downstairs. She found Dakota in the kitchen, cooking.

"Good morning, Kara." Dakota said, without looking up. He continued cooking for a moment, flipping some food on the electric cooking surface. He wiped his hands on a towel, and looked up at her. "Changed your hair. Looks good like that. It suits you."

Kara didn't really know what to think of that, so she accepted it as a compliment. "Thank you," she responded. Dakota smiled for a moment, then his face grew serious. "How's the girl? Alice, right?"

"Yes. She's still sleeping," Kara told him.

Dakota looked somewhat relieved. "Good. She had a hard day. She should sleep."

"You're right. Thank you," Kara agreed, grateful for his understanding. Kara also saw that he was making pancakes. Even though she was a deviant, the original code was still there, and she felt a compulsion to help. "I can help with that."

"Thanks, but I got it. I find cooking to be … relaxing. It's something I can do that ends up always tasting good. That and I really want to do something for Alice."

"You act like you care so much about her. Why?" Kara asked.

Dakota paused, thinking over his words. "Because… because I want to care. I've seen people get hurt because someone wasn't there to help. And no kid should be left without people who care, whether they're permanent or not."

Kara was moved by his words. The more she saw of him, the more of a genuinely caring person he seemed to be.

Something from the events of the previous night (morning?) emerged from her memory. "Last night, an android gave me an address. He told me that there was someone there that can help."

Dakota nodded. "I can get you there tonight.

"Thank you," Kara said, grateful.

Alice woke up around one in the afternoon, and Dakota had some sandwiches made, and of which Alice ate up hungrily.

Later, Alice was sitting on the couch in the living room. Dakota sat down next to her. "Wanna see something?" Alice looked at him somewhat warily, not entirely sure whether to trust him or not. She decided to trust him. If he tries anything, she thought, Kara is right there to keep her safe. She took a quick glance at Kara, who gave a slight nod. She relaxed a little, and decided to trust him. If he tries anything, she thought, Kara is right there to keep her safe. "I guess so."

Suddenly, there was a slight pressure in her head, and then she had a thought. Do you hear me? Only it was in Dakota's voice, and it wasn't her thought. She was so surprised she nearly fell off the couch. Dakota caught her.

"Woah, sorry. Should have warned you. The first time always comes as a shock." Dakota told Alice, slight bemusement in his voice. Kara stepped forward, worried. Dakota held up a hand. "She's all right, don't worry," he said reassuringly. Kara stopped, no less worried.

Alice held a hand to her head. "What was that?" She asked, in a confused voice.

"It's called telepathy. It's the ability to talk to another person using only thoughts. Similar to what androids can do. It's a very useful thing to know, and I want Alice to have it." He turned to Alice. "If you want to use it, just focus on me, and think of what you want to say. Go ahead and try it."

Alice closed her eyes and focused on Dakota, she imagined his voice, felt the pressure in her head again, and thought tentatively, Like this?

A moment passed, and she heard him. Exactly like that. Great job, Dakota's voice said in her head. If you ever need help, use this to tell me and I will be there to help.

Always? she asked.

Always, Dakota replied reassuringly.

Alice nodded. Okay. Thank you.