8:30pm- Zlatko's house

Ruby

Zlatko still lay there in the snow, blood turning the white crimson. The androids he had broken, had already gone into the night, wanting to put more space between them and their hell.

Ruby tucked the handkerchief further into the pouch on her belt. It was still lined with Zlatko's blood. Everyone else had gone back to the house, out of the cold. But Ruby needed to think. Needed to feel her rage dissipate in the wind before she joined them.

"We need to do something with him…" Caleb said quietly behind her. "Before we leave. Kara is anxious to move on, as am I."

Ruby tilted her head slightly. "I just can't believe it. There were so many androids out there who thought he could help them. Help them find freedom and safety. He duped them and took them apart for experiments." She spat at Zlatko's feet. Caleb grabbed her arm.

"Enough. You know that's not how we have been taught to deal with the ones we kill. We have a creed to live by. Our Mentor entrusted us to this mission." He pressed his lips into a thin line. "Thanks for saving me back there. I was a bit rash and thought I could take him on."

"It felt good to end him. Like all those androids were finally free. Justice had been served…" There was silence for a moment, broken only by the wind.

"The Templars will be nearing the Piece soon. We need to get in contact with Vera and find out what's going on. As soon as Kara and Alice are safe, we can meet up with her."

Ruby nodded silently. Then they began to dig.

10:30pm

Caleb restoked the fire, aiming to keep them all as warm as possible before they continued on their journey. The assassins found whatever scraps they could find in the fridge, offering some to Alice who shook her head.

"I'm not hungry," she said feebly.

Ruby pulled out her phone and tapped in Vera's number. A sigh came through on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Vera? It's Ruby." Caleb crossed his arms. Ruby rolled her eyes. "And Caleb is here too. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just been a hell of a day. What's been going on with you?"

"Oh nothing much… just a psycho trying to kill us—well kill androids. We just happened to be in the way."

"You can say that again," Caleb muttered, rubbing his head. "Have you come any closer to finding it?"

"No. The symbols have been at every crime scene we've been to. But nothing has come of it so far. Connor has no idea what any of it means. I think I've become a lot more accustomed to androids too."

Ruby glanced at Kara and Luther as they talked quietly in the kitchen.

"Us too. We're going to help them get to the border and then we'll find you."

"If I have any more information I'll let you know. Maybe even send you in its direction." Another sigh. "I'm sorry I have nothing else to report. But we haven't actually caught a deviant yet."

Caleb scoffed. "Isn't Connor really high-tech? Isn't that his prime purpose to catch them?" He softened his voice. "I mean, I hope nothing bad happens to them but if we can find the piece, won't it be worth it?"

Before Vera could respond, Ruby whispered. "No, it wouldn't be worth it. You were preaching about the creed earlier. You know what would happen if they got their hands on them."

"You know what'll happen if the Templars get their hands on the piece—"

"Alright. Enough. We can't lose faith in ourselves this far into the game, okay? We will find the piece, but we'll find it the right way. You two need to get them to a safe place while I work out the whereabouts. You already have a mission, so complete it! Then get back in touch. I'll speak to you again soon. I promise."

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Caleb looked downcast. Like a puppy that had just been told no. Ruby placed her hand on his shoulder silently. He nodded.

Luther decided to open the rest of the cages around the house. But then announced that they should get a move on.

"There's a car in the garage. We can take that," Luther said, as everyone bundled into their coats. "It's a few hours to Rose's house. We'll be able to get there tonight."

"Good. We just want to be safe…" Kara sighed, glancing around the room.

"She can help us, and we can cross the border safely."

Kara nodded but said nothing. She knelt down to Alice who was staring at her feet. Kara clasped her shoulders. The little girl sniffed.

"It's gonna be alright, Alice. I promise, I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

Alice slowly hugged Kara, gently pushing her small body into the woman's arms. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Kara sighed, nodding to Luther to lead them to the garage.

The garage was cluttered. Shelves were pressed against each wall littered with metal arms and legs but also with kettles and pots. Zlatko's car sat in the middle covered by a dusty sheet. Opening the garage door, Luther and Kara piled into the front while the others got into the back. Alice sat herself next to the window, resting her head against the cold glass and closed her eyes.

She must be exhausted… Ruby thought, wrapping a blanket she'd found over the girl. Alice smiled gratefully.

The snow was coming down heavier now, but the car pushed on smoothly. Luther cranked up the heating.

"Are you sure this Rose will want to help?" Caleb asked, leaning forward.

"I've heard that many androids have gone to her and have been cared for. Trust me, she will help us." The corner of Luther's mouth lifted. He had faith in this woman. Ruby suddenly felt it too.

"We'll be cautious, but I'm sure she will," she said carefully.

7th November

1:02am

The rest of the journey was quiet. Caleb and Ruby dozed against each other. Alice curled up next to them for extra warmth. Kara stared out of the window. Ruby woke at Kara's voice as she spoke to Luther.

"It's good that Zlatko had a car. I wouldn't want Alice walking out in this cold."

"I saw it once in the garage. I don't know if Zlatko ever used it."

Kara smiled out of the window. "I've never seen snow before. It's pretty."

"It's slowing us down," Luther said solemnly. Kara was quiet for a moment before a sharp intake of breath.

"How did you hear about these people we're going to see? Are you sure it's not another trap?"

"The androids that Zlatko captured. I heard them talking about them. They're humans that are helping androids cross the border into Canada. We'll be safe there."

Kara didn't seem convinced, but she ploughed on anyway.

"Is it much farther?"

Luther looked at the dashboard that showed their journey time and the road they were taking.

"It'll be about an hour or so until we arrive." But then an alarm started beeping, the dashboard flashed red with a malfunction warning. The system told them the emergency brakes had been activated.

"This doesn't look good," Luther noted.

"That doesn't sound good either," Ruby groaned, casting her eye out into the darkness.

At the side of the road, the car finally stopped. The snow was coming down harder now, blowing harshly in the wind. Luther and Kara's chairs spun around to face the assassins and Alice.

"Stay inside, Alice." Kara sighed, following Luther out of the car.

"I'll stay with her," Ruby said, a furtive smile beginning on her lips. Caleb nodded to her as he followed the androids out.

They opened the bonnet, and a plume of smoke was released. Kara waved her hand to clear it. Ruby closed her eyes.

"Shit," she whispered.

Luther paced for a moment before joining Kara at the bonnet. Their muffled voices travelled inside the car.

"What are we going to do?" Kara wondered despairingly.

"I don't know. Continue on foot, I guess." Luther shrugged.

"Where even are we? How are we going to find anywhere?" Caleb asked sharply, looking around the dark, snowy road they were on.

"It's thirty degrees. Alice won't make it! Who knows where we are, we'll just have to find somewhere to spend the night." Kara frowned, making her way back to the car door.

"There's nowhere to stay around here, Kara." Luther tried, but Kara wasn't listening. She helped Alice out, zipping up her jacket. Ruby followed after, glancing at the dark clouds.

Luther picked up Alice and she clung to him for warmth. The assassins pulled their own jackets further around them, hugging themselves tightly. Kara led with a torch trudging along the roadside.

"Over there…" She raised her voice finally. Kara pointed at a sign. Through the heavy snow, they could just about make out the words: Pirates Cove. An animated pirate waved on next to the words.

"Pirates Cove?" Caleb raised his eyebrows. "Sounds interesting."

"Maybe it used to be…" Ruby wiped snow from a map of the park.

"We need to find shelter. We have to get out of the cold," Kara called behind her as she shone the torch over the buildings. They were rotten, falling apart. There was wood slanting from the roof of each building, holes lined the stall walls and the wind whooshed through them. Metal cages leant against the counters and some swung ominously above their heads.

"This place gives me the creeps," Ruby muttered as Kara stopped at a fortune teller machine. She clicked the button and it yelled into the shadows:

"Beware! Danger always comes when least expected!" His voice echoed around the derelict buildings.

Caleb snorted humourlessly. "Great! Thanks for the tip!"

"Probably worth listening to…" Ruby swallowed, taking out two knives. Caleb frowned at her.

They moved on, looking in each building and under the stall counters for any kind of shelter.

"Find anything?" Luther called as they checked more buildings.

"No. Nowhere we can spend the night…" Kara answered as she pulled back from another stall.

"There must be something around here. A restaurant or those tunnels where people queue…" Caleb threw his hands into the air despairingly.

"We'll find something. It looked like a big amusement park from the map." Ruby squinted in the heavy snow. "Look there, is that something?" She pointed to a large building on the corner. As they neared it, they saw that it was semi-intact. Just without much of a roof.

Ruby looked through one of the windows over the wooden boards and saw a fireplace with some old chairs scattered around. She moved back to look at the outside again.

It looks kinda like a cottage. Just bigger…

Kara pulled at the boards over the door, but they didn't budge even an inch. She moved her hands further apart and tried again. Luther placed his hand on her shoulder gently.

"I'll handle this."

Kara moved back, holding Alice behind her. He ripped off the boards with ease, throwing them into a pile at his feet. Glancing back at the others, he moved back and kicked the doors open. They slammed wide against the walls inside, and the torchlight opened the shadows before them.

A pirate statue stood next to the door, holding a menu. His face was crumbling, and the paint was chipping. They went inside cautiously. There were more benches dotted around the walls, rope attached to poles were lying on the floor near the bar and there was a huge fireplace on the far wall.

"I don't think we'll find anything better," Kara said, moving further into the Tavern. Luther sighed.

"I'll go and get wood for the fire."

"I'll help you," Caleb offered. Luther nodded without a smile.

He still doesn't trust us. And who can blame him?!

Ruby sidled over to Kara who was looking at a photo she found. Ruby looked over the android's shoulder. The photo was of a family of four in front of the Ferris wheel. Smiling as if they were having the time of their lives.

"Once we get to these people, you're going back to your friend aren't you?"

Ruby frowned. "No. We're coming with you to the border. Then we will meet up with her. When you guys are safe."

Kara turned her whole body to face Ruby.

"Why? Why are you helping us?"

"That's what assassins do. Help the 'little people'. People who need help and have a higher authority stopping that freedom. You need to get to Canada to be free—and that's what we're going to help you do. No matter what."

Kara smiled a little, gratefully. Ruby nodded her head, eyes flickering to where the fire had started in the fireplace. Alice stood looking up at the wall. Kara shared a worried glance with Ruby before moving to Alice.

Ruby pulled down the torn curtain to use as a blanket and picked up a pillow on the windowsill that had a pirate flag on it. She placed it by the fire for Alice.

The wall Alice was looking at had the same picture on it from the photo Kara had picked up. Alice's lip trembled as Kara lay a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you think we'll be like them some day?" Alice asked in a small voice. Ruby felt her heart ache. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turn her head and Caleb smiled at her.

"Once we cross the border, we can start over… You can go to school. Maybe I'll find a job. We'll be like them. Like everyone else." Kara beamed as she spoke, thinking it through.

Alice looked up at the older woman. "As long as we're together that's all that matters." Kara placed a hand on the child's cheek for a moment, then put an arm around her.

"Come on, let's get you to bed."

As she tucked Alice in, Caleb beckoned Ruby over to the corner of the Tavern. Boxes covered with snow lay in this corner and red writing on the wall…

"RA9…" she whispered. Caleb nodded.

"I've taken a photo of it and sent it to Vera." He shook his head. "It's got to make sense somehow. It's got to lead to something."

"Maybe if it's something to do with deviants, they have a place where all this leads?" Ruby scrunched up her face for a moment. "I don't know. That's so far-fetched, and it could be anywhere."

They looked over to where Luther and Kara sat on the windowsill. She made her way over to them with Caleb at her heels.

"Have you ever heard of RA9? It was on the wall over there and our friend has seen it a few times…" she added quickly as the androids squinted suspiciously.

Luther sighed. "RA9 was the first of us to awaken… One day he will rise up and lead our people. And set us all free."

Kara pressed her lips together. Then scoffed lightly.

"What if RA9 never comes? What if he's just a story that we tell ourselves to keep each other going?"

Luther shook his head, sitting up. "RA9 exists. I believe in him. I know he's amongst us. When the time comes, we will all see him…"

Ruby shared a worried glance with Caleb. RA9 is someone, not something. How will we find it before the Templars do?

"Faith is everything. As long as we believe, we'll all be free in a way…" A brief smile fled across her lips. The others nodded slowly in agreement. Caleb and Ruby sat on another windowsill nearby, settling in for the night.

Kara turned back to Luther, tilting her head slightly.

"Do you know what you're going to do when you reach Canada?"

Luther pulled his legs tighter to his chest. "Haven't really thought about it. I've never been free before…" He chuckled shortly. "'Free…' I like the sound of it. But I don't know what it really means yet."

"Do you remember anything from your life, before Zlatko?" Kara asked. Ruby held her breath. It was probably a very difficult time watching every other android killed before you when you could do nothing about it. Would Zlatko have destroyed all of his memories from before?

Luther shook his head. "No. My model was designed to carry heavy loads. Maybe I was a longshoreman or a labourer. But who I was doesn't matter anymore. It wasn't really me."

Ruby shivered in the silence. Caleb pulled her closer to him, his fingers wrapping around her shoulder tightly.

Luther straightened. "Kara… Have you noticed anything… about Alice?

Kara turned her head sharply between Luther and Alice. She frowned.

"No. What do you mean?"

Suddenly, there was a loud banging. One after the other. Shadowed figures clambered forward like zombies. There were many of them.

The four adults shot up and Alice shuffled backwards against the upturned table.

"Kara!" She shrieked as the figures smashed through the glass windows. The assassins pulled out their guns, stepping in front of the androids. Kara pulled Alice to her feet, pushing the girl behind her. Luther grabbed the gun from the bag and stood next to them.

The figures were coming in now. Many of them all climbing in at once. They were outnumbered. Massively.

"You take the left, I'll take the right," Ruby muttered, splaying her left hand for her hidden blade.

"Not sure that's going to cut it this time…" Caleb replied gruffly.

The crowd stopped a few feet away. Their LEDs flashed in the semi-darkness. Ruby placed a hand on Caleb's arm.

"They're androids too," she whispered. She put away the hidden blade but kept the gun aimed at them.

"Who are you? What do you want? Leave us alone!" Kara yelled desperately.

The android at the front of the crowd raised his hands slightly. His cap was bitten with frost along with their uniform, but Ruby could just make out the park symbols underneath.

"Don't be afraid. We don't wanna hurt you." He smiled a little and gestured to those around him. Just like him. "Our name is Jerry. We were working here before the park closed… We didn't mean to frighten you, but sometimes humans come to hurt us, so we wanted to see who was there." A stab of bitterness entered his voice. Ruby and Caleb shared a solemn look. They lowered the guns. "What are you doing here?"

"We were looking for shelter for the night. We'll be gone tomorrow." Kara rushed, the panic still evident in her words.

The first Jerry leaned down. "A little girl! We haven't seen one for a long time! Children used to love to come and see us…" He paused, frowning. "She looks sad."

You just scared the living shit out of her… Ruby tried hard not to roll her eyes.

"The last few days have been difficult," Kara responded slowly.

Jerry grinned, leaning down again. "We have something to show her. Something fun! She'll love it… Does she want to see?"

Kara shook her head quickly. "Oh, I don't think she's—" Alice was already peering around her.

"She should follow us then!" The Jerrys were already running out of the door. Alice grabbed Kara's hand.

"Alice, I don't know if it's a good idea…"

Luther smiled. "I don't think you have any choice." As Alice pulled on her arm.

"Come on, Kara!" But when Kara was still hesitant, she took Luther's hand. Ruby giggled.

"It'll be fine, I'm sure," she said to Kara as they followed them out.

They came to a carousel in the middle of the park that seemed to be ocean themed.

"Be our guest!" Jerry said, pointing to the lever. "The little one can climb on board."

Kara pulled the lever sharply and the carousel came to life. The jewels on the middle podium lit up first. Then the fairy lights and the tent lit up white and pink.

Alice chose an orange seahorse. Kara lifted her up and then stood with the rest of the group as the ride began.

Alice beamed as she waved at them. Kara laughed as she waved back.

"That's the first time I've seen her smile."

Luther leaned towards her a little. "She hasn't had much to smile about lately."

The group finally enjoyed a quiet moment watching Alice bob up and down on the orange seahorse. They slept better that night and were ready for the rest of the journey they were to make the next morning…