Mai opened her eyes with a wince. Her head was throbbing, the skin tender as she reached up and touched it. There was likely a bruise, though she wouldn't be able to see it through her hair. She looked around the quiet room. It was a small break room. She'd been left lying on some worn, cushioned chairs that had been pushed together against the wall. There was a round table with enough plastic chairs to seat three people, and a small kitchenette. 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. Machinery that was probably tearing androids apart. There were windows up near the ceiling. They were too high for her to reach, even standing on a chair. She had little choice but to try getting through the door. It had a round knob that twisted. It must be bolted from the other side…
She 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 as she listened to 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!" she 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. It was far too high. Even if she stacked all three plastic chairs on top of the cushioned ones, her fingers would barely brush the ledge. They weren't the sort of windows that opened either, so she'd have to find something to smash her way through. Her eyes dropped to the kitchen counters. She opened the small cupboard beneath hesitantly, but of course there was little inside. There were just a few plates inside the first one, and cleaning supplies in the one under the sink.
"…see the game last night?" a muffled voice asked from the hollow sounding hallway. Footsteps echoed outside the door. Mai felt her chest tighten as they approached. They probably wouldn't hurt her, but she didn't really want to be seen. She ducked into the open cupboard on impulse and curled herself around the pipes from the sink. They probably already knew she was in there. She'd been locked inside. She pulled the door shut anyway, opting to remain quiet as the steps paused outside. Her breath sounded so loud in the tight space of the cupboard. She rested a hand over her nose and mouth in reflex.
"Yeah, it was…Why is the door locked?" a second voice asked, getting clearer as he removed his helmet. The first 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 as one of the men turned it on. She didn't know what they were doing, but one set of footsteps moved across the room as the cupboards above were open and ceramic tapped on the counter above.
"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 and hope they didn't lock the door again as they left.
"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. He was young, maybe just a couple of years older than her. His short blonde hair was in a buzz cut, barely an inch long. He put his helmet on the table as he tugged his armour loose.
"Did you guys see a girl in here? Some kid got herself caught up with the androids and took a nasty bump on 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. Mai could only guess they were some sort of military. All three had the same short hair and body armour. The police certainly weren't that regimented. There was no way Takigawa would have gotten away with his ponytail if that were the case.
"Room was empty when we arrived…Someone else must have seen her out. Don't worry about it," one of the others replied as he sat back with his cup. Mai held her breath as they continued to exchange small talk. While sitting there, she decided to think up a plan. What could she do? She didn't even know what was happening, or where exactly in the building she was. 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 is 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 them from working. But how do I do that? 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, it could work!
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…A sick feeling welled 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'd be putting a lot of trust in the machine having a failsafe of some kind. It was a big gamble. Cyberlife is a multibillion dollar company with a lot of human workers. There must be something inside the machinery to stop them in case a human 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, we've got to get back to it," the two men sighed, leaving Tony behind to finish his own coffee. Mai waited nervously until he left, too. The door closed 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. It was her guess that they had scheduled breaks, and no one else would be able to leave until they got back to their posts. She should have a couple of minutes before anyone else came. She was hesitant as she reached up to her zipper. She'd only ever been naked in front of her family and Naru before. This is no time to be embarrassed! she chided as she stripped. She couldn't leave her clothes in the open, so she shoved them beneath the sink 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 pounded as she dared to look round the corner into the next echoing hallway. She took the louder path, heading towards the machines. Her legs were shaking. It was cold. Even the shiny floor was cold. Her feet were going 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 approaching before a hand gripped her shoulder and turned her body. 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 her up and down cautiously. Mai couldn't stop her body shaking from both fear and the cold.
"Please, don't shoot…My internal systems have been damaged. I couldn't remove my synthetic skin layer," Mai excused shakily, trying not to wince as the soldier's rough, gloved hand grabbed her chin and tilted her head up at a painful angle. He turned her face 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. Mai's heart was pounding as she waited to find out if she'd gotten away with it. From his tsk and the fact he hadn't lowered his gun, she assumed she had.
"Fucking deviants! Always trying to escape. You actually got much further than the others; I suppose I should be impressed!" the armoured 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. Mai's hazel eyes darted that way. That was the path that would lead her to Naru. She swallowed nervously. She knew she shouldn't act too eager. She was supposed to be an android trying to escape.
"Wait, please! I don't want to be deactivated!" Mai objected, playing up to the man's expectations. He scoffed and pushed her roughly with the rifle's muzzle. 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 on, 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 as they turned into a shorter corridor. Mai looked up to find that 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. They acted like she wasn't even there, like she didn't matter at all.
"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 with a scoff, and before she knew it, she was being shoved through the doors and 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. Stepping forward one after the other as the line moved. There was no point in even trying to spot Naru in the mass of androids. They all looked too similar.
Mai was forced down the stairs, almost stumbling on her cold, numbing feet. She ended up in one of the pens and joined 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…She wasn't sure if they'd give her away or not. It wasn't exactly their business if a human snuck in where they shouldn't. The armoured men probably wouldn't believe them anyway.
"Keep it moving!" another muffled voice shouted from the crowd. The line slowly stepped forward. Mai took her time, skirting slowly in front of the android ahead of her. She looked around again before jumping the queue. The androids didn't stop her. The undeviated ones had no reason to, and even the deviants weren't eager to reach the end of this particular journey. Mai's heart pounded as an armoured man 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. The spider would take care of it. Once the man had moved further down, Mai hopped forward.
"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" a white android hissed in her ear. Mai's eyes widened, shaking her head silently as she urged the female android to be quiet. The android joined her in looking around to make sure they weren't about to be interrupted. "You can't be here!" she 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 as Mai once again slipped 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 span and whirled, shutting down androids and separating their parts. It was sickeningly clean. Not a drop of blue was spilled. Clinically efficient. The parts were then deposited in bins for reuse later. Arms. Legs. Torsos. Heads. Power cores.
Mai crept closer, pushing in front of another female android. 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 the whole long row. If one stopped, they'd all stop. Mai closed her eyes and took a breath. She could feel the hair on her arms rising fearfully, and her heart was thrumming in her chest. The android in front of her moved up to the podium. Mai whimpered pitifully as she watched.
The arms of the spider gripped the compliant android'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 yellow before going dark. The machine swiftly twisted and unclipped the limbs. Did Naru already-has he already been-Please…Please! Mai thought desperately, closing her eyes as the armoured men along the row yelled for the next group to step forward.
"What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed!" the large male android beside her hissed as Mai stood beside him, facing outwards. He was huge. The biggest android she'd ever seen. Mai gave him a look that pleaded for silence as she checked on the armoured men. She noticed the way they avoided looking at her. Of course they would…That's why they forced the androids to deactivate their skin. So it doesn't seem so real…The android beside her never stopped looking worried. He glanced at the armoured men more than once, likely thinking of saying something. Mai felt like she was about to hyperventilate and almost gave into her fear until she heard it.
"Mai! Mai-no! Stop! She's human! She's a human!" Naru's voice yelled from somewhere across the massive space. She didn't know exactly where, but it was enough to make her to relax. Her whole body flooded with giddy relief. She could have laughed, she was so happy. She wasn't too late. The machine would stop. Naru would be safe. 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. She was 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 wrists and shoulders. The hold was tight, almost painful. She whimpered as she was lifted. She listened with a fresh sense of dread as the connection arm drew back. Naru…She shut her eyes tightly as she heard the whirr of the arm stabbing forward. Her eyes widened as a sharp, lancing pain shot through the back of her neck and straight down her spine. "No!" Naru's voice screamed as deafening alarms shrieked to life.
