Chapter Twenty-Four

Warning: Gore, body horror, and canon-typical violence!

The next day, Wren awoke from surgery to find Elijah Kamski's face staring down at her. He smiled pleasantly as Wren sat up, feeling a bit sore, but she'd suffered worse.

"I'm pleased to announce that we successfully removed the listening device Prometheus implanted in you. I deactivated it, but I would destroy it for good measure, if I were you." He placed the tiny device in Wren's palm. She rolled it between her fingers. This stupid, tiny device monitored her for the past several months? Made her feel like she couldn't speak honestly with her friends?

She curled her fingers around it and clenched it. The strength that her cybernetic limbs possessed crushed the device with ease, leaving it nothing more than broken metal bits in her palm. She swiped them onto her bedside tray. "Done. Anything else I should know?"

Elijah blinked. "I bet you have a mean right hook."

"Guess I have CyberLife to thank for that," Wren flexed her artificial fingers.

Elijah hummed. "I placed an experimental tracker in place of Prometheus's listening device. To my understanding, we have a plan of attack in the works, but just in case they decide to sweep you away…"

"Thank you." Wren rubbed the back of her neck. CyberLife knowing her whereabouts at all times instead of Prometheus kind of felt like trading one evil for another, even if it was the lesser of the two. "It's not gonna stay there forever, is it?"

"We will remove the tracker when all of this is done," said Elijah. "If I, or CyberLife, wanted to track you, I wouldn't have told you."

"Right. Sorry."

"I'm sure it feels like an invasion of privacy," said Elijah, turning from Wren to face the window. Detroit's skyscrapers glinted in the sunlight. "But we've essentially declared war on Prometheus. Make no mistake: they're here in Detroit, and they're watching us."

A lump swelled in Wren's throat. "I know."

Elijah turned, and his eyes pierced Wren even from across the room. "I wouldn't go anywhere alone."

Jesus, Elijah knew how to unsettle her. Wren rubbed her wrist. "Wasn't planning on it. Do I have to stay here, or—"

"This was a minor operation," said Elijah. "I'll send in the doctor."

Before Elijah swept out of the room, Wren called, "Thank you. For… You didn't have to help me as much as you have."

Elijah paused in the doorway, a sly smile curving his mouth. Somehow, he always looked like he was in the middle of plotting something. But here, this looked like pure amusement, even fondness. "There are a lot of sins CyberLife committed, sins I was aware of and turned my back on, and sins I wasn't aware of but am now coming face-to-face with. I'm sure serving Prometheus makes you feel similarly."

Wren bowed her head. "A lot of blood on my hands."

"Just make sure you don't try to wash blood with blood," Elijah winked, and left the room. Wren licked her lips and rubbed her temples. Then, she reached for her phone and called Connor.

"Wren, how'd it go?"

Wren smiled. "Hello to you, too."

"Sorry," Connor sounded like he was smiling, too. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. It went well. I'm officially free of Prometheus's ears."

"Let's worry about getting you free from them for good," said Connor.

"I should be free to go here pretty soon. Can you pick me up?"

"I can't," said Connor. "I'm about to be evaluated."

"Evaluated?" Wren's brow scrunched. "Oh. To reenter the field."

"Yes. This is my first psychological evaluation."

"Well, good luck… Can Tina or Hank come get me?"

"I don't think so. Captain Fowler is keeping a very close eye on all of the HAD."

"Shit."

"See if Chloe can. I'm sorry, you know I would—"

"I know, sweetheart," Wren fiddled with the sheets of her hospital bed. The doctor entered her room. "Hey, I gotta go."

"Alright. I'll text Chloe. I love you."

"I love you, too." Wren hung up and smiled at the doctor. "Am I good to go?"

"Yes! Everything went well and looks good… You'll need to fill out some paperwork. This was a minor operation, but I want to stress that you shouldn't be doing any strenuous activity for a while. About a day or two."

"I'll do my best," Wren promised. Her word probably wasn't worth much, considering she had just declared war on an underground organization of assassins, but the doctor didn't need to know that.

After filling out her paperwork, Chloe arrived to take Wren to the townhouse. Wren helped Chloe carry in some groceries.

"How's living with Tina?" Wren asked, sticking a jug of milk into the fridge.

"Oh, it's great. I didn't know I was a snuggler until I started sharing a bed with Tina. We haven't touched your room, by the way. I mean, I have when I've cleaned in there, but it's all the same."

Wren laughed softly. "Chloe, it's okay. I appreciate it, but I wouldn't care."

Chloe relaxed. "Okay, good. I didn't want you to think that Tina was kicking you out or replacing you by having me live with her."

"I left," Wren shrugged. "I wouldn't have minded."

"I think Connor would've."

"Why?"

"He came over sometimes, but only to sleep in your room."

Wren's heart clenched. Damn, she hated hearing about how hard Connor took her return to Prometheus. She cleared her throat and continued putting away groceries. "How are you and Tina?"

"Oh, we're good," said Chloe. "We've been having a lot of home dates, with all that's been going on… But I like it. Tina and I have been learning origami together."

"Oh, cool," Wren smiled, but something in her chest ached. Would she ever get to have normal dates with Connor? Argue with him about laundry, or which movie they'd go see? Or would they be damned to fight, tooth and nail, for what they had? Would they constantly live afraid of Prometheus and serial killers? Wren swallowed. "I mean, it's not cool that you guys feel like you can't go out."

Chloe's shoulders slumped and she bowed her head. "Yeah. I don't understand why some people hate androids so much that they want to hurt us."

Wren's hands curled into fists, itching to punch whoever kept killing the android-human couples. "I don't know, Chloe. I'm sorry that people suck."

"People don't suck," Chloe smiled graciously. "There are some who do, yes, but I believe humanity's good."

Wren picked at her nails. "I wish had your optimism."

"Don't you?"

"After the stuff I've seen, it's kind of hard to."

"Yes, but you've seen some good, too."

Suddenly, Wren didn't like the way Chloe looked at her—so hopeful, and believing, and trustworthy. Like Wren hadn't hurt innocent people under Prometheus's influence. As if Wren weren't a trained killer. "I've been the people who suck, Chloe."

"You're not now, though," said Chloe. Her smile was a little too understanding. "You're trying to fix that."

"Not because I'm a good person or anything," said Wren.

"You're trying to take down Prometheus."

"For a lot of selfish reasons."

"Some not-so-selfish ones, too. Tina told me about the other cyborgs, and how you keep doing things to protect the ones you love."

Wren folded her arms. "Yeah."

"You're trying your best. That's good to me."

"I—" Wren stopped. "Thank you."

"Of course," said Chloe. "Go get some rest. I've heard that surgery can make you pretty tired."

"Yeah. Are you sure—"

"Go!" Chloe shooed Wren upstairs.

Wren padded into her old bedroom. It looked the same, except a framed picture of her and Connor lay faceup on the bed. Wren's heart twisted. Connor probably laid on her bed, staring at the picture, her iPod playing music softly to pluck at the sadness within him. She moved the picture to the bedside table and laid on top of the covers. Downstairs, Chloe started up the vacuum cleaner. The static noise lulled Wren's eyelids to droop. If she could help it, she'd never abandon Connor like that again.

When Wren awoke, she had ten texts from Tina, North, and Connor.

Tina: Hey b hope everything went well! [Delivered 2:37 PM]

North: FaceTime me when you get a chance. I miss your stupid face. [Delivered 2:45 PM]

Connor: I think the psych eval went well. I won't know full results until I've passed the other tests, though. [Delivered 3:00 PM]

Connor: Call me when you wake up. [Delivered 3:07 PM]

Connor: Sorry if that seemed really serious. [Delivered 3:21 PM]

Tina: Hey, is Chloe with you? [Delivered 3:25 PM]

Tina: Yo [Delivered 3:27 PM]

Tina: She isn't answering her phone [Delivered 3:30 PM]

Tina: Hey is everything ok? [Delivered 3:31 PM]

Tina: Hellooooooooo? [Delivered 3:34 PM]

3:37. Shit, Wren slept for an hour and a half? She was more tired than she thought. Tina's seemed the most urgent, so Wren called her.

"Fuck, Wren! I was about to send a patrol car over!" Tina said.

"I was taking a nap," Wren replied, wiping her eyes.

"Sorry," said Tina. "Is Chloe around? She doesn't normally not answer her phone…"

"Uh, yeah, she was vacuuming when I fell asleep—" Wren froze in the middle of pulling on a cardigan. The vacuum's static purr was silent. In fact, not even the sound of Chloe rustling around the kitchen, which sat right under Wren's room, could be heard. Wren's stomach curled.

"Wren? Everything okay?" Tina queried.

Wren burst out of her room and into the hall, straining her ears for any sound of Chloe. "Chloe?"

"Wren, you're starting to freak me out."

"Shut up for a second," Wren hissed. She inched along the hall; the phone still pressed to her ear. "Chloe?"

Nothing.

Wren's heart slammed in her chest and pulsed in her throat. There could be a simple answer, like Chloe was taking a bubble bath and got sidetracked, but something felt wrong. When Wren reached the intersection of the hall where the bathroom was, someone inhumanly strong grabbed her.

Wren screamed, but the person holding her clamped their hand over her mouth. She kicked out, pushing her feet against the wall. She slammed the person into the wall behind them, but their grip didn't even slacken. Wren dropped the phone to grab the person's hand around her mouth and screamed as loud as she could.

"Tina, get help!"

Wren's assailant dragged her toward the bathroom, with Wren kicking and struggling the whole way. The person's grip on her didn't even seem bothered by her fighting back. They grabbed a fistful of Wren's hair and kicked the bathroom door open. Wren nearly fainted at the sight.

A naked body in the bathtub. Bloody handprints on the walls. The face, so beaten and bruised it was just barely recognizable—but it was Otto, one of the cyborgs she was so desperate to save—thirium mixed with blood purpled the liquid in the bathtub. Otto's left leg slung over the side. The parts that were human in his body were beaten, cut, and bruised. Chunks out of his leg had been carved out. A skin grafter had been used on his chest in multiple places. On his arm, a cut ran so deep Wren swore she could see bone. Electrical burns marred his temples.

Wren's attacker kicked the backs of her knees, forcing her down onto the floor. Her palms thrust out to catch herself and landed on a pair of bloody pliers and human teeth. Tears stung her eyes as her assailant gripped her by the back of the neck and forced her face close to Otto's.

"Look at him." The assailant's voice sent chills down Wren's spine. It sounded like Connor's voice, only deeper. Colder. "You did this."

"No, no—" Wren tried to shake her head, but her attacker held her head steady. Otto was missing an eye.

"Oh yes, you did. You think betraying Prometheus doesn't come without consequences?"

"Please—"

"Do you know who I am, Wrenley?"

"No," Wren choked.

"I'm the one Prometheus sends to teach enemies a lesson. And boy, have you made yourself their number one enemy. Androids don't feel pain the same way humans do, but I will make your boyfriend suffer, and when I'm done, I'll take my time with you. Traitors get special treatment."

Wren didn't answer. She shook as she tried to hold back a sob.

"You don't fuck with Prometheus."

"Wren?" Connor's voice called frantically from downstairs. The person holding Wren let go and swept out of the room.

Wren remained frozen on all fours, still staring at Otto's corpse. She willed herself to move. That monster could hurt Connor, probably hurt Chloe—

But she couldn't.

The world around her was a tunnel, narrowing its dark edges around her like a constrictor, forcing her to look at Otto. Sounds were muffled, as if she were underwater.

Otto. He never got a chance to live, to escape, Wren was too late, the other cyborgs—

Someone burst into the bathroom behind Wren. They seemed to stumble, and then they dropped down beside her. She flinched when the person's hands touched her back, but these hands were gentle.

"Wren? Can you look at me, sweetheart?"

Connor.

Slowly, Wren tore her eyes from Otto to Connor. The lines on his forehead, his parted lips, and the way his eyes danced around Wren's face helped ground her. She was swimming back to the surface, emerging from the depths—

"Let's go," Connor murmured. "Come on."

When he tugged on Wren, she pulled away. "No, no, I can't leave him behind!"

Tears welled in her eyes anew, and she scrambled away from Connor, slipping on the bloody floor. Connor held out his palms, as if approaching a wild animal. "Wren, we have to go—"

"Whoever was here is long gone," Gavin interrupted from behind Connor. "Jesus H. Christ…"

Connor flattened his lips for a moment, nodded to Gavin, and then crouched, inching toward Wren. "Wren, we need to go. It's not safe."

"I…" Wren's eyes darted toward Otto.

"There's nothing you can do for him right now." Connor's voice caught. He reached toward Wren. "It's not safe for you, and we need to help the others, okay?"

He was right. Fucking snap out of it.

With a small nod, Wren accepted Connor's hand. He helped her to her feet and guided her out of the room, bearing most of her weight. He brought her downstairs, where Tina dragged a hand through her hair and Chloe wrung her hands. Gavin blocked the stairwell, but moved aside when Connor and Wren stumbled down. Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Why Otto? Had he deviated? Were Nina and Jamie okay? And what about Dex?

"We have to get out of here," Connor's voice hummed through Wren's haze. "None of us are safe."

"What about the goddamn body in my bathtub?" Tina demanded. "We're not gonna have to move it, are we?"

"No," Wren croaked. Everyone stared at her. "Prometheus… They'll clean it…"

Suddenly, the room felt extremely hot. Bile surged up Wren's throat. She pushed away from Connor and hurried to the nearest door leading outside, doubled over, and vomited. Connor stood by her side in an instant. Wren clenched her knees for several seconds, not wanting to see the look of concern on Connor's face.

"It's my fault," she breathed. "I did this."

"Wren, none of this is your fault."

Wren straightened and shook her head, blinking back tears. "None of this would've happened if I'd just shut up and obeyed."

Hurt flashed across Connor's face, but he composed himself. "We don't have time to think about that right now. Right now, we need to get somewhere safe."

Without packing clothes, everyone convened in the Void at CyberLife Tower. Wren stood in the corner, still feeling as if she were underwater. Otto's face flashed in her mind every time she blinked. Pale skin, chapped lips, mouth lulling open, one eye milky with death—

Chris sat in one corner of the room with Skye and little Damien, explaining in very vague terms what was going on. Tina sat with an arm around Chloe, whose face bore tear streaks. North, Markus, and Josh sat with Hank, who seemed to explain what happened. Gavin sat with his head in his hands. Elijah observed everyone from the other corner in the room, his eyes narrowed a fraction.

Wren's throat constricted. Every person in that room was there because of her. Every person was in danger because she chose to deviate, because she chose to defy Prometheus and declare war on them. What had she been thinking? How selfish could she be? Just because she loved Connor, her friends and family…

Connor led Wren out of the Void and into the bathroom.

"No one here thinks this is your fault," Connor muttered, wetting a paper towel. He scrubbed blood off of Wren's palms.

Wren closed her eyes, and her wet lashes seemed to glue them shut. "I know."

"But you still blame yourself."

"I don't know what you want me to say," Wren opened her eyes and forced herself to meet Connor's gaze. "He did that to Otto because of me. He said so."

"Who?" Connor's brow scrunched and he tossed the wet paper towel. He grabbed a new one. "06?"

Wren clenched her teeth as Connor wiped blood from her face. "No. I'm pretty sure it was RK900."

Connor froze. "What do you mean you're pretty sure?"

"I never saw his face. I only… heard him."

Connor lowered his gaze. "And it was my voice, wasn't it?"

"Not exactly," Wren furrowed her brow as she gazed up at him. "His voice was deeper."

Connor's LED flickered yellow, and Wren placed her hands on his chest. He placed his hands over hers. Tears welled in Wren's eyes again, and she gripped the lapels of Connor's blazer to steady herself.

"They did that to Otto and I wasn't even that close to him." Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. "He didn't deserve that. He never got a chance—"

Connor squished Wren close to him, and his arms wrapped around her. "I know, sweetheart."

"I was too late," Wren sobbed, clutching Connor's blazer as he stroked her hair.

"You can't save everyone." Connor's voice sounded tight, as if he were holding back tears.

"I didn't want to save everyone, I just wanted to save them." Wren's body shook with another violent, choking sob.

"You don't know that they're all gone. We still have a chance. If we bring Prometheus down, you'll save more lives."

Wren squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart ached, as if it were Atlas, carrying the world upon its shoulders. She was so fucking tired. Tired of fighting, of crying, of being afraid. She wanted to give the other cyborgs a chance. A chance like she'd had, a chance at freedom and a life outside of torture, killing, and obedience. She wanted to live a normal life with her friends and family, and Connor.

Wren cried in Connor's arms until her eyes and throat hurt. He simply held her, squeezing her to his chest, his head resting on hers. When she finally stopped and pulled back to look at him, he looked as if he shed a few tears for her. He kissed her forehead and ran his thumb along her cheek.

"Let's go see the others."

Back in the Void, Kamski had found sleeping bags and blankets—or had someone bring them—and everyone was piled in cozy spaces. Kamski had Skye and Damien taken on a tour of the Tower so that Wren could explain their next move.

With everyone staring at her, Wren's heart jumped. She gripped Connor's hand and cleared her throat. "Prometheus targeted one of the cyborgs. They sent someone to threaten me and all of you. I…" Wren drew in a shuddering breath. "I think it's best if no one goes anywhere alone, and we should all stay here tonight. Rhett should be here in the morning, and we can plan out our attack."

"Wren, are you okay?" Tina asked.

Wren blinked back tears. Something about being asked if she were okay always managed to break her down. "I will be."

Hank rubbed his hands together. "Look, kid, we're here till the end of the line."

Somehow, that didn't alleviate the ache in Wren's chest. She inched toward Chloe and sat beside her.

"Are you okay?"

Chloe rubbed her arms. Mascara smeared underneath her eyes. "Yeah, I'm not hurt. Wren, I'm so sorry, I was just doing the dishes, and then someone electrocuted me or something and all of a sudden, I was in stasis mode! You could've been really hurt—"

Jesus, Chloe was so sweet. Wren shook her head. "This isn't your fault at all. I'm sorry I put you in danger."

Chloe smiled softly. "This wasn't your fault, either."

"Oh God, no. Wren, I hope you know that no one thinks that," said Tina, her arm around Chloe.

"Maybe one day I'll believe it." Wren squeezed Tina's hand and headed over to Elijah. "Do you have a secure phone I could borrow?"

Wren stepped into the hall and called her mom. The phone kept ringing, and Wren's stomach churned. If Prometheus laid a hand on her mother—

"Hello?" Shannon answered, sounding breathless.

Wren relaxed. "Mom?"

"Wren? Baby, is that you?"

"Yeah, Mom. It's me." Wren smiled, despite her throat swelling and her eyes brimming with tears again.

"Oh my God, how are you? Are you okay? Did you do it, are you free? Did they get you out?"

Connor told her that he told Shannon and James to appease their questioning, but away from Detroit and everyone, Wren couldn't imagine how lonely her mom and brother had been, waiting for news.

"No, not quite. We're close, though," said Wren. She coughed softly to clear her throat. "Listen, uh, I can't talk for long, but… I just wanted to tell you to be safe, okay? Keep an eye out… Maybe get away for a few days…"

"Honey, what's going on? Are you in danger?"

"I can't explain everything, okay? Just… Things are up in the air, and they're gonna get really bad before they get better." If they get better. "Just get out of town for a few days, okay? You and James and Izzy."

"You're scaring me."

"I know," Wren's voice cracked. She looked at the ceiling to keep from crying. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm really sorry for everything I've put you through." Tears slid down Wren's cheeks.

Shannon's breath stuttered. "Oh, honey… You don't have to apologize for anything. Just… Tell me that you'll be safe, okay? Tell me—" Shannon's voice broke.

Wren nodded. "I'll be safe, Mom. I promise."

"I love you, Wrenley. I love you so much, angel."

"I love you too, Mom." It came out like a squeak. "I should go. Be safe, please."

"We will."

Wren hung up and wiped her eyes, drew in a deep breath, and then returned to the Void, placing the phone in Elijah's hand with a dull, "Thanks."

Nothing was more exhausting than grief. Wren's eyes were gummy, her throat was sore, and she sat beside Connor heavily. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

Early in the morning, Chris left with Skye and Damien to stay in a hotel outside of Detroit. Wren didn't like the idea of sending Chris off with his family alone, but she agreed that the further they were from her, the safer they probably were. She helped tidy up the Void while they waited for breakfast to be delivered.

Everyone ate in silence, waiting for Rhett to arrive. The more Wren thought about Rhett, the more she clenched her teeth. He had told her the best strategy was to wait. She warned him this would happen. She told him that Prometheus would figure out Wren wasn't loyal. She told him that Prometheus would target the other cyborgs and eventually her friends. Even when they had enough evidence to open an investigation, he still insisted on waiting.

Now, Otto was dead.

Wren pressed her mouth to her knuckles, having only drunk a bit of coffee. Her eyes never swayed from the door of the Void. North, Tina, Hank, and Connor cast glances her way, but Wren never wavered. Rhett sent her back into that hellhole, convinced her to be a hero and take down Prometheus. She warned him of the fallout. She didn't blame him entirely for Otto's death—no, she carried that—but she blamed him for making her wait. They waited too long. The CIA should've started their investigation when they had the chance, and should've pulled Wren out of Prometheus.

Now, a cyborg—Otto—was dead, and there was no telling how many more were. There were child cyborgs—child soldiers—and they were in danger, too.

When Rhett entered the Void, Wren stood from her seat and smacked him so hard across the face that his entire body twisted with the force. "You promised me that we'd take them down, that we'd get them out, that we'd get me out! I fucking told you this would happen!"

Rhett rubbed his cheek. "What happened?"

"They killed Otto," Wren snarled. "Cut him open and dumped him in my bathtub and sent someone to threaten me. We are out of time. You said the CIA would investigate—"

"We have been," said Rhett.

"Then why the fuck haven't you gotten me out of there? The other cyborgs? There are children locked up there, Rhett!" The room trembled with Wren's yell.

"You think I get a say in everything?" Rhett's nostrils flared. "Prometheus has a lot of power. A lot of our investigation has involved red tape—"

Wren laughed dryly. "Was there any point to sending me back?"

"Yes," Rhett insisted. "Wren, you and your little ragtag band of misfits here made more headway than you even know. You were essential to all this."

Wren flexed her fingers. "Well, it's time to stop dicking around. We have to go in. Prometheus isn't going to sit around and wait."

"I know," said Rhett. "I've been working on a plan."

He withdrew a flashdrive. Wren took it and put in the main console, and the screen on the far wall lit up with schematics of Prometheus, as well as designs for a disguise. Rhett stood at the terminal.

"We can't burst into Prometheus like some sort of drug bust or something," said Rhett. "They'll see that coming. CIA's not as interested in the cyborgs. In their eyes, they're just as liable as the rest of Prometheus—"

"What?" Wren widened her eyes.

"One step at a time," Rhett said, pulling up a picture of the guard uniforms. "CIA's interested in Prometheus's assets—their intel, their weapons, their plans, their connections."

"Then they should be interested in the cyborgs because we were built and trained to be weapons," Wren growled.

"In CIA's eyes, the cyborgs are agents, not assets."

Wren folded her arms. "Okay, so why can't we just take them down?"

"Prometheus has friends in the CIA. They'll know if we're coming. That's why you're so essential, Wren. They're more focused on you. If you can draw Prometheus out and get their attention, they won't notice my team enter in through the back door."

"You want to use her as bait?" Connor demanded; his arms folded. His LED swirled yellow.

"Prometheus's security is incredibly advanced, and they've got connections everywhere, even in the CIA. If my team and I barge in there without some sort of diversion, Prometheus'll be ready, and this whole thing could be ruined. But they've never experienced anyone like Wren before. I'm telling you, this will work. Wren is important to them for some reason."

"Why?" North snapped.

"I don't know yet," said Rhett.

"What the fuck have you been doin' at the CIA? Sitting around with your thumb up your ass?" Hank glowered.

Rhett sighed. "Look, I know this has been difficult—"

Wren pressed her fist to her mouth as she eyed the schematics, the uniform diagram… Rhett's plan could work. If Prometheus was more focused on her…

"Are you sure they'll be more focused on me? Are we sure I'm important?"

"Yes," said Rhett, looking relieved. "They've never had a rogue agent before. They've had a lot of reasons to doubt you and get rid of you, but they haven't. They're keeping you alive for some reason."

"And that reason most likely involves something catastrophic," Connor barked.

"Is there any way to do this without using me as bait?" Wren questioned.

"Not any that will be fast," replied Rhett. "I know this asking a lot of you—"

"Will you be able to get to her before they kill her?" demanded Connor. Rhett's eyes cut to him. Wren's chest hurt for Connor. He still wanted to ensure her safety, even in the middle of a war.

"I probably won't," said Rhett. "But you can."

Connor and Wren widened their eyes.

"Me?"

"You're an RK800. You're actually built to handle situations like these. Maybe not as well or as specifically as the RK900, but you and other RK series are capable of it."

"Wait, other RK series?" North demanded, her eyes flicking to Markus.

"How do you think he was able to fight so well?" Elijah cut in.

Markus's mouth fell open. Connor's LED swirled yellow, and then settled on blue.

"I'll focus on getting Wren out."

Wren parted her lips, wanting to argue with him, but that would be hypocritical. She was about to put her life on the line to save others. She couldn't tell Connor he couldn't do the same, no matter how much she'd worry about him.

"Alright," she said. "I'll draw them out. What's the rest of your plan?"

Wren had argued against letting Tina and Chloe accompany her at the townhouse, but Rhett had insisted that drawing out Prometheus needed to look authentic. So, Wren entered the townhouse gingerly with Tina and Chloe walking so close to her that they almost tripped her.

Trembling, Wren climbed the stairs and peeked toward the bathroom. It was spotless, as if nothing had ever happened. But Wren knew that Otto's corpse in the bathtub would always be there.

In Wren's room, she packed a bag of clothes without really paying any attention to them. She wouldn't be wearing them, anyway. A few minutes later, Tina and Chloe joined her on the landing, their bags packed. Around every corner, Wren expected RK900 or CY006 to attack her, but no one jumped out at her. Her stomach twisted. Maybe Prometheus hadn't taken the bait.

Of fucking course Wren was wrong, though.

As soon as she exited the stairwell and entered the kitchen, 06 greeted her with a gun. He smiled. "Come with me, and your friends don't have to get hurt."

Make it authentic. Rhett's words rang in Wren's ears. Whelp, here went nothing.

Wren knocked 06's gun out of his hand. She kicked him in the gut, sending him staggering into the kitchen counter, where he grabbed a knife and slashed. Wren threw up her forearms to block her face. The knife sliced through her artificial skin, sprinkling blue blood on the tile floor.

"Tina, Chloe, go!" Wren roared.

"We're not leaving you!" cried Tina.

Wren scrambled back and used the freezer door to smack 06 in the face with. He groaned, holding his now-bleeding nose. Wren ushered Tina and Chloe toward the front door.

"Get out of here!" Wren cried out when something heavy and metal slammed into her back and knocked her on the floor. She rolled just as 06 dove for her kicked him off. She punched him in the groin and tried to punch him in the face, but he blocked.

"I can't get a good angle!" Tina yelled. Wren caught a glimpse of Tina with her gun through the scramble of limbs. 06 punched Wren in the mouth, and she kicked him off of her. He fell back and Wren struggled to her feet, breathing heavily. She needed to get to the gun—

But 06 reached it first. He grinned, blood staining his teeth. "What did you think was going to happen, 01? I'm superior to you. This isn't a fight you can win."

Wren lifted her hands in surrender. "Okay. Just… Don't hurt them. Take me, but don't hurt them."

06 narrowed his eyes. "You really are pathetic."

And then he shot Tina.

Chloe screamed and dropped beside Tina. Wren's throat ached with a scream she couldn't hear. 06 grabbed her, but Wren didn't fight him off. She was only watching for any sign of life from Tina. 06 dragged Wren out of the house, and zip-tied her wrists together before tossing her into a car with a bag over her head. Chloe's screams scratched down Wren's spine, and the sight of Tina collapsing onto the floor replayed over and over in Wren's mind. Prometheus took the bait, but at what cost?

Holy shit, I'm sorry guys. For some reason 's posting system is having a lot of trouble. I've tried everything I can think of. IDK if this is like an isolated event or what… If it happens again, just switch to my AO3 account, stormflight777. Whelp, lots of stuff happened this chapter. Let me know what you guys thought by leaving some feedback! Thank you all so much for your support; it means the world to me!