Chapter Sixteen
Wren figured it was early in the morning when she left her cell in Prometheus. No one else haunted the hallways, save for the armed guards at every doorway. Wren frowned at them. The armed guards were a new addition to Prometheus's halls. They reminded Wren of the guards at CyberLife, with their masks and gear. But she knew they watched her, even if she couldn't see their eyes.
After checking the cafeteria and finding it empty, Wren wandered to Squadron Two's gym. The guards' heads followed her, but they never uttered a word. Wren entered the gym and found that it too was empty. With a sigh, Wren stretched. Then, she dashed toward the obstacle course. Climbing, leaping, twisting, and sprinting always got her heart rate up. By the time Wren finished the obstacle course, her stomach roared. Using one of the towels folded on a rack, Wren wiped the sweat from her brow. Then, she tossed it in the hamper and padded back to the cafeteria. Her core muscles ached a little, but Wren liked the soreness after a nice workout.
In Squadron Two's cafeteria, Nina and Otto sat huddled together with fresh breakfast. Wren's heart jumped at the sight of them, so she hurried over. "I'm so glad you guys are okay, I've been worried—" Wren stopped herself when Nina and Otto lifted their heads, allowing the florescent light to illuminate their bruised faces. Wren's empty stomach churned. Electrical burns marred the sides of Nina's and Otto's heads. Nina sported a black eye that was yellowing at the edges. Otto appeared a little more healed, but he glared at Wren with cold, dark eyes.
"Please," Nina croaked, "don't talk to us. It's better that you don't."
"This is all your fault," spat Otto. "If you hadn't tried to spread your deviancy, then we wouldn't have gotten dragged into it!"
Wren bowed her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."
Neither of the other two cyborgs responded. Wren didn't blame them as she turned away and left the cafeteria. She returned to her wing of Prometheus and entered Squadron One's cafeteria. As the lone member of Squadron One, Wren collected her tray of breakfast and sat down by herself. She pushed her eggs around with her fork, thinking of the other cyborgs.
Maybe it would be better if she just got out of Prometheus and left them behind. Everything she did seemed to put them in danger, and only made it harder for her to escape Prometheus's clutches. Her deviancy spread like a plague, infecting the other cyborgs every time she spoke with them. She could just go home. She could be free.
Wren stepped into the shower after she ate. Running her fingers through her hair, her mind drifted back to the cyborgs. Maybe it was her fault that they were deviating. Maybe if she had just kept to herself, they wouldn't be in danger of deviating in the middle of Prometheus.
Wren shut off the water and dried off. She dressed and wrapped her hair in a towel. Maybe if she'd kept to herself, she wouldn't care about the cyborgs and she could go home. Maybe if she left, Prometheus would leave them alone.
No. Prometheus would keep hurting the other cyborgs because deviancy was inevitable. What she needed to do was hurry up and find a way to save Squadron Two. Maybe not 06, because fuck him. Wren snorted to herself. 06 was a dick, but he was still a cyborg conditioned and programmed to obey Prometheus.
Someone banged on the door. Wren took off the towel and scrunched her hair before answering the door. Two armed guards stood at the entrance. Wren swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Can I help you?"
"We're here to escort you to Director Thomas's office. She wants to speak with you."
Wren dipped her head and left her cell. The two guards marched on either side of her. Wren glanced at their assault rifles. Without meaning to, she imagined herself walking to her execution. Her stomach churned and she shoved the thought aside. It was just a meeting. But Wren had everything to hide, and with each lie she told to protect herself from Prometheus, the more she sank into a tangle of claws and chains.
…
Pauline's fingernails looked longer and more pointed at the tips. She steepled her bony fingers and pressed her lips into a flat line as Wren approached the desk. The lines around Pauline's mouth harshened for a moment.
"We need to discuss your behavior with the RK800."
Wren lifted her chin. "What about it?"
"I think you know. You've been fraternizing—"
"Fraternizing?" Wren laughed dryly. "No, we need to talk about 06's behavior."
"This meeting is about your behavior, not 06's."
"You sent me to work with the DPD, fully knowing my relationship with them. I'm sure 06 informed you of my reasoning for spending more time with Connor and the DPD. I'm sure he left out the part where his abuse has interfered with my ability to solve this case."
"Your relationship with them," Pauline examined her fingernails. Her eyes fluttered back up to meet Wren's. "Are you saying we shouldn't trust you?"
"I'm saying that you gave me an impossible task to test my loyalty. How could you take me away from them and then put me back and expect me to not care about them?"
Pauline was quiet for a few seconds. "I hope you understand that once this case is solved, you will return to Prometheus as usual."
"I do understand," Wren replied, "but you will never stop me from caring about them. You can't take that away from me."
Pauline narrowed her eyes. Then, she shrugged. "Fine."
"Tell 06 to back off—"
"I thought I made it clear that this was a meeting regarding you, not 06."
"No, we're going to talk about it because you want me to accomplish this mission, but it's a little hard when 06 decides he needs to punish me for my behavior. I can't interrogate suspects when my lip is so swollen, I can't talk."
Pauline didn't look too surprised, but a slight frown creased the space between her eyebrows. "He's harmed you physically?"
"Yes. I wasn't kidding when I said his abuse is interfering with my ability to solve this case."
Pauline's frown deepened. "I will discuss this with him. In the meantime, I want you to remember that you can pretend things have gone back to normal with the RK800, though I advise against it. You won't adjust well when you return to Prometheus."
"That's my problem."
"It becomes Prometheus's problem when it interferes with your ability to complete a mission."
Wren worked her jaw for a moment. "And that's all Prometheus cares about. The mission. It doesn't matter that we're people. We can't even have names because that makes us too selfish. No, better that we're just numbers. Is that to control us, or to help you sleep at night?"
Pauline regarded Wren with an unreadable expression for several seconds. Then, her mouth twitched with a tiny smile. "There was a time when you believed in Prometheus. I'd like you to do that again."
Wren narrowed her eyes. "Am I dismissed?"
Pauline dipped her head and Wren turned on her heel. She barely noticed the armed guards escorting her back to the elevator. She couldn't believe in Prometheus anymore. They hated androids and believed humans were superior. They couldn't even view cyborgs as people. And Wren didn't know what Prometheus was fighting for anymore.
…
Time distorted within Prometheus's walls. There were no windows to gauge the sun or moon. There was a period of "lights out" to signal night, but not all of the lights went out. Wren's head ached from the constant flickering of a florescent light outside her room. If she had to guess, she'd been there about a week and a half, waiting for Prometheus to create an undercover persona for her.
As it often did when she was alone with her thoughts, her mind drifted to Connor. The familiar emptiness in her chest that ached for him throbbed. Her fingers brushed her lips. She missed the feel of his lips on hers, the way his were so much softer than hers, like a marshmallow. She missed the tender look in his eyes when he looked at her. The longing in her chest crushed her even more when she thought of his rare but warm grin. His smiles were usually soft at the corners of his mouth. His smiles were usually in his eyes, not his lips. But she'd seen him grin before, and she wanted to see him happy enough to grin again.
But lately he wore an expression that revealed how exhausted he was. He seemed wearier and sadder than anything else lately. It tore Wren apart that Connor's worry was eating him from the inside out. She wanted to take that weight from him, but how could she when she was prolonging it each time she chose to return to Prometheus for the sake of cyborgs who wanted nothing to do with her?
A selfish part of her wanted him to worry about her, though. That part of her didn't want Connor to move on and abandon her for his sake. That part wanted him to worry, and fight for her. That part of her didn't care if it hurt Connor because she didn't want to be forgotten or abandoned. No matter how much she hated that part of herself, she couldn't quite drown it out.
Wren pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs. Tears stung her eyes. She'd never felt so lonely.
A bang on the door jolted her out of her self-pity. Wiping her eyes, Wren untangled herself and answered the door.
06 barely even regarded her. "We've got training. Let's go."
Wren followed him to the elevator, where Dex and Otto were already waiting with the armed guards. Wren's brow puckered. "Where are Jamie and Nina?"
"07 and 09 are on a surveillance mission."
They took the elevator down several levels. When the doors opened, Wren expected more linoleum floors, white cinderblock walls, and florescent lighting. She expected the same hospital look that the parts of Prometheus she'd seen resembled. But down here, the walls, floor, and ceiling were dark steel and concrete. A trail of neon lights strung along the wall, illuminating the corridor in dark blue. 06 led the way to the right. They marched until they reached what looked like a massive steel garage door. 06 stopped and faced them.
"We're going to enter a simulation. Our job is to remain hidden. Take out enemies with stealth and reach the safe zone without being seen. We have to work as a team, so no solo ideas." His gaze lingered on Wren. Then, he handed them earpieces and microphones. Wren clipped the microphone to her collar and slipped the earpiece on.
06 scanned his palm. The door slid open to reveal a vast hangar-like room. It was largely empty, save for storage containers found at shipyards and slabs of concrete wall that looked like sturdy cubicles or miniature labyrinths. The room darkened to pitch black. Someone thrusted a pair of goggles into Wren's palm. She tugged them onto her face. The room was alight with figures. Armed people, Wren realized. The Virtual Reality transformed the hangar into a brightly lit desert landscape. Wren kicked dust around with the toe of her shoe. It looked real, even sounded real.
"On my mark." 06's voice sounded muffled through the earpiece. Wren glanced around. The goggles regarded her teammates as they looked in real life. When 06 gave the signal, they broke off into two groups and fanned out. Wren and Dex crouched low as they took cover. Dex took out a simulated figure by choking it out. She frowned. She wasn't exactly sure how simulated figures worked, and she prayed they weren't androids.
Wren moved to the next cover and waited for the guard to patrol past her.
[Preconstructing… Complete]
˟ Execute
Wren leaped up and grabbed the simulation from behind. It was an odd sensation. It felt like a foam body in her grip. Fortunately, it felt nothing like the synthetic skin of an android. The body struggled in her grip before collapsing. Wren dragged the body behind cover and moved to meet Dex.
They continued on, taking out "enemies" and ducking behind "buildings" to avoid getting spotted. By the time they nearly reached the safe zone, sweat drenched Wren's body and seeped through her tank top.
"01 and 010, there's a large group of hostiles in front of the safe zone. We need a distraction to get around them."
Wren turned to Dex. "I'll go ahead and lure the guy to the left your way."
Dex nodded. Wren snuck around. She felt along an empty barrel and concrete wall. She'd need to be fast. She kicked the barrel over and ducked behind the wall. The nearest two guards came toward her to investigate. Wren picked up a rock and tossed it toward Dex. One of the guards went to investigate the noise while the other drew closer to Wren. When he got close enough, Wren grabbed him and pulled him behind the wall with her. She choked him out and let his body slide to the ground.
"Made it to the safe zone," reported Otto.
Wren peeked around the corner. 06 couldn't get past one of the guards without being spotted. With a sigh, Wren crouched and tugged off the boot of the collapsed guard at her feet. She tossed hit the wall with it to draw the attention of the guard in 06's way. Footsteps alerted her that the guard approached. Wren waited, her back flat against the wall, still in a crouch. When the guard appeared at the corner, Wren jabbed her fist into his crotch. The guard groaned and doubled over. Wren punched his face and grabbed around his neck. She pulled him to the ground, straddled him, and squeezed his throat to cut off anymore noise.
"In the safe zone," said 06 in Wren's earpiece. "01, get to the safe zone. You're clear."
"Is Dex clear?"
"It doesn't matter. Get in the safe zone, now."
Wren glanced back in the direction of Dex. No, she wouldn't leave him behind. Wren yanked the earpiece free and hurried back to Dex. She tossed some rocks to get the attention of the guard blocking Dex's path. As the guard sauntered over, Wren took him out. Two loud bangs sounded.
Wren collapsed face first onto the ground, her back searing with pain. The wind hissed straight out of her lungs. The simulation disappeared and Wren tugged off the goggles, her face pressed against the steel floor. She was no stranger to the pain of being shot with a rubber bullet. Dex groaned from behind her. Pushing herself up, Wren glanced at Dex, who was flat on the ground, too. He clutched his side and winced. 06 and Otto marched toward them, tugging off their goggles.
"Congratulations, 01. You just got yourself and 010 killed. When I give an order, you follow it, understand? Let's run it again."
Wren rolled her shoulders, grimacing at the sharp pain in her back. She reached out a hand to Dex, who ignored it and stood on his own. He glared at her. "Just follow orders."
Wren pursed her lips and bowed her head as Dex shouldered past her.
…
06 trained them with the simulations for a few days. Wren guessed three. She'd gotten better at following orders, and now they moved fluidly. A well-oiled machine, just like Prometheus wanted.
She'd been locked inside Prometheus for two full weeks, with no word on her undercover mission. She pushed aside her worry that maybe it was a ruse and she was trapped here forever. It didn't make sense. There was still a killer out there, and Typhon might be behind it. Taking down Typhon was a huge operation. Prometheus wouldn't just pull her out of the mission without word. Unless they replaced her.
Wren shivered. No, it didn't make sense. And even if they did, Connor wouldn't do nothing. Hank wouldn't let them take her. Tina would do something. North would notice something was wrong. Wouldn't they?
Thumbing the red stripe on her uniform, Wren lifted her eyes when the elevator came to a stop. 06 never made them wear uniforms until today. Instead of going right, 06 led them left. Wren's eyes stretched as they neared the end of the corridor. About fifty or so people milled around, all wearing similar uniforms but with different colors. Grey, green, yellow, purple, blue… One group wore orange, another white, another teal, and another wore pink. There were five people to each color. Ten squadrons, all divided into five… Wren composed her expression. Cyborgs.
Some of them looked quite young, no more than eighteen years old. One of the younger ones, wearing a uniform with pink lining, turned her gaze onto Wren. One eye was synthetic as she zeroed in on Wren, who felt quite naked under this young cyborg's scrutiny.
Pauline stood in front of the massive steal door. She stepped onto a stool, so that she towered over them by a foot. Everyone faced her and awaited instructions.
"All of you have been trained with your squadrons individually. I'm proud of your progress. Each squad has accomplished incredible feats and should be proud of themselves."
Wren glanced around at the other cyborgs, who all gazed up at Pauline. Some seemed to puff out their chests, other squadrons exchanged prideful glances. Even 06 gave a curt nod to Dex and Otto. Looking around, Wren realized she was the only one in red. The only one in her squadron. Wren lowered her head. CY003, the first cyborg to attack her in Detroit, flitted into her mind. Would they have been friends? How would Wren have fared as a squad leader? Something in her chest twanged and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before returning her attention to Pauline.
"The time has come for all of you to merge your abilities. There's a war coming, and it will take all of us working together to stop it. So, you all will begin training together once a week. Today, you will remain with your respective squads. Your objective: rescue as many hostages without being detected. Your opponents will be human Prometheus guards, so please, don't actually kill anyone. Incapacitate. Hostages will be marked as such. You may begin."
The hangar door slid open. Wren put on her earpiece and microphone. No goggles were needed for this training session. The massive hangar had already been outfitted to look like an abandoned industrial building, complete with hallways, staircases, and steel rafters. She moved with 06's squad, who wore uniforms with sage lining that glowed. They wound through halls, ducking inside rooms in search of hostages. 06 and Dex took out the first two guards while Wren and Otto released two hostages in a room. The hostages were Prometheus guards wearing tags that said "HOSTAGE" on them.
They continued back in the hall, this time with Wren in the lead. She rounded the corner to find a guard pointing a gun at her. Before he could shoot her with a rubber bullet, Wren grabbed his rifle and shoved it toward his face, slamming the guard into the wall. She kicked his leg and yanked the gun from his hands. She knocked him out and turned around as another guard attacked. She swung the rifle in her hand and caught the second guard's gun with hers. She shoved both guns aside. Otto tackled the guard and knocked him out while 06 and Dex moved forward.
The rest of the corridor consisted of incapacitating guards. Wren used Dex's leg to launch herself forward to take down a guard. She and the squad were like a ballet. They moved as if they'd rehearsed the fight, and they were more lethal than a bullet. They used each other like weapons or tools, and trusted each other to cover. Wren never trusted 06 more.
One guard grabbed Wren by the throat and slammed her into the wall. 06 grabbed the guard and wrenched him off of Wren while Dex and Otto secured the next hostages.
"Down here!" shouted a guard from above. Wren grabbed one of the incapacitated guards' gun and shot the one who spoke with a rubber bullet. She shared a look with 06, who panted heavily before dipping his head to Wren.
On 06's signal, they moved forward, taking down opponents. They failed to rescue anymore hostages, as they couldn't find anymore in the corridor. They were one of the first squadrons to reach the safe zone, and Wren felt a slight blossom of warmth for her teammates, 06 included. When all the other squadrons reached the safe zone, Pauline stood on a platform and faced them.
"Congratulations to Squad Five, who rescued the most hostages. Squad Three was the stealthiest, and Squad Two incapacitated the most enemies. All of you did well, as I'm sure you will continue to do in the future."
Wren glanced toward Squad Five. They looked more or less her age. Squad Three, however, couldn't be older than teenagers. It took Wren ten years to become CY001. If that time was standard, then these teenagers were taken in by Prometheus as children. These were fucking kids, experimented on and trained to be weapons. Wren clenched her teeth and blew a hot breath through flared nostrils.
Otto stepped into view, jerking Wren's attention away from the teen cyborgs. "Not bad for a deviant."
Wren raised her eyebrows. "I guess that's why I get the red. A warning label."
Dex grinned. "Next time they should just stick a Class 6 warning label to your forehead."
"Infectious substance," Wren rolled her eyes, "I'm not biohazard."
"You might as well be," muttered 06. Wren met his gaze.
"Thanks for getting that guy off me."
06 shrugged. "I'd do it for any Prometheus agent." He moved past them, bumping Wren's shoulder as he went. "Let's go."
Wren trailed after Otto and Dex, who still seemed to be riding the high of an intense training session. But Wren's heart slumped in her chest heavily. She glanced back at the young cyborgs. Did Prometheus break them down, too? Did they go through weeks of torture? Did Prometheus torture children? Where did they come from?
The hair on the back of Wren's neck straightened, and she glanced around until she found the cold eyes watching her. Pauline. Wren curled her fingers into fists before following 06, Dex, and Otto out of the hangar.
…
Three weeks cooped up in Prometheus had Wren ready to rip her own hair out. Was Connor worried about her? Was he looking for her? Even if he were, he would never find her. Wren's heart plummeted and her shoulders sagged.
A light knock on Wren's door forced her to suppress a sigh. She wanted to mope and think, not go to anymore training sessions. The person knocked again, so Wren pushed herself off her bed and answered the door. Her eyes widened at the sight of Jamie and Nina.
"Pauline needs to speak with us," Jamie said coolly.
Wren's stomach twisted. Dex and Otto seemed to have forgiven her for inadvertently getting them investigated for deviancy, but Jamie and Nina still seemed cold. Well, Jamie certainly did. Nina just looked guilty and sad.
The three of them walked with armed escorts toward the elevator and rode it up to Pauline's floor. They entered Pauline's office and found the woman in a chipper mood.
"Hello, ladies. Please, sit."
Pauline gestured to the other side of her office, adorned with two loveseats and an armchair. Wren took the armchair and let Jamie and Nina sit together. Pauline took the other loveseat.
"As you are aware, 07 and 09 were on a surveillance mission. They were conducting research for your persona when you go undercover. They've compiled a list of individuals you need to make contact with, and they also studied certain behaviors and customs you need to uphold if you are to make an impression. You will have to work your way up subtly, so this operation might take a few months."
"Understood."
"They've also informed me that the illegal resetting and trade of androids is quite common among suspected Typhon affiliates. So, we've also created a persona for the RK800."
Wren's heart seemed to shrivel. Her grip on the seat arms tightened. "You don't think it'd be better for me to do this alone?"
"I think you'll need a second pair of eyes, and the RK800 is supposed to be equipped with undercover protocols." Pauline raised her eyebrows at Wren, who licked her lips.
"You trust me to do this?"
"What's the matter, 01? I thought you'd be pleased."
Wren lowered her gaze. "Nothing. I'm just surprised."
"Well, we will be extracting your acquaintance Connor to work with you within the next few weeks on your personas—"
"Wait, you're bringing Connor here?" Wren's heart skipped a beat at the thought of Connor trapped in this hell with her.
"Heavens, no. You and he will be going to a secure location."
Wren's brow puckered. "Extracting… So, kidnapping?"
"Agent Anson assured me that Connor will be aware of what is happening, which is why he will not be brought directly to Prometheus." Pauline pursed her lips for a moment. "Your CIA friend refused to put the RK800 in temporary stasis and bring him here."
Wren's chest warmed with gratitude for Rhett. "So, we'll be going over our personas, and then we'll be released to work the operation. When do we start?"
Jamie stood from the loveseat. "Now."
She placed a rag doused in chloroform over Wren's mouth and nostrils. It didn't take long for everything to go black.
…
Wren woke up with a bag over her head, slumped in a moving vehicle. Someone grabbed her and dragged her out of the car when it stopped. From the smell outside, Wren was in the woods. A heavy, metal door creaked open and the person walking Wren shoved her inside a building. They ripped the bag off her head. Blinking against the bright lights, Wren followed Jamie down a long hallway. They entered a room that looked a bit like the HAD's setup at the DPD—a mounted screen on the wall, a long table with chairs, and bulletin boards with notes and pictures tacked to them.
Connor stood in the center of the room, studying the bulleting boards with his arms folded. Pauline and Nina sat at the table behind him. Nausea rippled in Wren's stomach at the sight of Connor here, so close to Prometheus and in her world. She never wanted him this close to the beast.
Connor, however, did not seem bothered. He turned when Wren entered the room and his eyes widened. Immediately, he crossed the room and pulled her into a crushing embrace. "I thought they'd taken you away."
His voice seemed so small. Wren scrunched her brows together and bit her lip. She wanted to cling to him and cry into his chest that she was scared they had taken her away. She wanted to hold him and tell him that she hated seeing him here, but she hated herself more for wanting him here. Instead, she patted him awkwardly on the back.
"I'm fine."
Connor withdrew, and damn it, his eyes shined with understanding. The hairs on the back of Wren's neck straightened again, and she looked directly into Pauline's narrowed eyes.
"Let's begin." Pauline stood and grabbed a remote. The screen blinked on as Wren and Connor took their seats. "You are going to be Nicolette Black, an art curator, blogger, and liaison. Your connections will be valuable to the HSC, and ultimately Typhon. At your art shows, you will only showcase art by humans and notable anti-android artists. You will blog about your opinions to get your voice out there. We have ways to make sure your voice is heard; just focus on settling into this persona. Connor -51 is a fairly famous android, so he will be acting as a disposed RK800 unit that Nicolette had reset and programmed to obey her and act as her bodyguard. Nicolette has an inflated sense of self. She thinks androids need to return their subservient states, obeying every whim of humans. Nicolette doesn't see androids as alive in the slightest. They're tools and commodities, even toys. And that's how she views this RK800. It's her bodyguard and sex toy. It exists only for her pleasure."
Pauline paused in her presentation to flash a smile at Wren. "That should make you happy, 01. You can fuck each other all you like and maintain your cover."
"Understood," Wren gritted out. Connor glanced at her, but Wren kept her eyes on Pauline.
Pauline's lip curled. "The two of you will remain here for however long it takes to get you to take on your personas. 07 and 09 will monitor you for the entirety of this preparation and will go over their research with you. Don't disappoint me, 01. Taking down Typhon is beneficial for everyone. I'd hate for your sentimentalities to get in the way of this mission."
Pauline left, and Jamie took over, grabbing the remote for the screen. A picture of a man filled the screen.
"This is Alexander Alderidge. He's a doctor and donates frequently to the HSC. He's long time friends with Axel Brewer. He likes to organize attacks on android marches all over the country when he can. He sponsors Senator Charlotte Holt."
Nina stood on the other side of the screen, which revealed the picture of Senator Holt. "Senator Holt is a known anti-android politician who thinks androids should be terminated entirely, but in public, she advocates that androids—as a separate species—need to live apart from humans in their own space. Two-faced bitch."
Jamie snorted. The screen showed another man. "Walter Coldwell owns a nonprofit organization that helps find jobs for people who've been misplaced by androids. He lobbies for Senator Holt."
The screen showed another woman. Nina squared her shoulders. "Chelsea Harding is an oil-rig heiress. Since the oil industry is struggling, Harding deployed a team of androids out to the Arctic to find thirium, but the Liberation freed those androids and she lost quite a bit of money because of that. She's got a thing for art, which is how we hope Nicolette will make contact."
"You might recognize Senator Jordan Radcliffe," said Jamie as the screen flitted to the next picture, "since he's against androids and wants to revert them back to merchandise. He's more extremist in his views, but with some, he's quite popular."
Connor shifted beside Wren. Her fingers twitched to take his hand under the table, but she resisted the urge.
"And this is Dylan Jonz," said Nina. "He's a Red Ice dealer. Well, more than a dealer. He's in charge of other dealers, so he mingles with some of these higher-ups. We're pretty sure he harvests androids for blue blood."
"Your goal is to make connections with these people, starting with Chelsea Harding. You'll need to read these books to wise up on art terminology. We also have some books written by anti-android activists, so you can understand their viewpoints and know their philosophies. Connor, you'll work with Jamie on your persona; Wren you'll work with me on yours. The two of you have to practice your personas a few hours each day, to make sure that you can convince us that Connor is an RK800, a machine who never deviated and is programmed to serve Nicolette Black in every capacity. Got it?" Nina eyed them.
Wren and Connor looked at each other. Wren's heart fluttered like a panicked bird in a cage. But Connor, if he was scared, did not show it. He turned back to Nina's intense, dark gaze. "Got it."
…
Alright, we're just a chapter away from their undercover mission! I'm really excited about it, and I hope you guys are, too! Thank you all for your continued support. Please leave some feedback! It's always motivating/reassuring to see. Thank you all to who continuously leave some feedback. I love you guys! ?