Finding a place to stay in this time was a much simpler affair than the previous so Kara and Alice had a rare moment of peace to themselves.

For the first time in a long while, Kara realised.

So they made the most out of the moment, playing a few games with each other, telling jokes and being as silly as they could be.

Kara could have cried at how…heartwarming it was.

A mother and daughter playing together. Like any normal family.

She couldn't stop smiling at the thought.

And she was so relieved that Alice had a chance, however small it was, to act like the carefree child she should have been.

"Ah!" Alice squealed in joy as Kara set upon her with tickling fingers "Hahaha, Mooom nooooo! Ahahahaha!"

Kara laughed herself and continued her assault until the girl was on her back on the bed, panting from laughing so hard. Coming down from her own laughing fit, Kara settled herself next to the girl and gently pulled her close and kissed her temple.

"I love you Alice" she said simply, honestly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Alice smiled up at her and hugged her. "I love you too mom" she said straight from her heart.

They spent a long time like that simply embracing each other, dwelling in a moment of peace that both knew would not last the next sunrise.

Eventually Alice's body betrayed her and she let out the yawn that she had been holding in.

"Mrrhh" she grumbled into Kara's chest "Not tired…"

Kara laughed lightly "Let's put you to bed honey"

Alice pouted but didn't resist as Kara undressed her and tucked her in. Before Kara turned off the lights however she spoke up again "Tell me a story mommy"

Kara smiled down at her "I have nine thousand children stories in memory. I should have one for you"

Princess?

Unicorn?

Knight?

"This is a story about a princess-"

"No" Alice shook her head "Not a story like that. Make one up for me"

Kara pondered for a moment.

"Alright" she began "This is a story about a little girl, who was alone and afraid. All she wanted was to be happy and to be loved"

Kara gently brushed Alice's hair as the words came to her, not from her programming but from the warmth in her chest, the love in her heart.

"One day she met a robot, who was just as lonely as the little girl. But the little girl had a big heart and showed the robot how to love. They played together and became the best of friends"

Alice smiled widely at that.

"Soon the little girl and the robot left their house because...There was an evil, evil shadow that hurt them. So they went on an adventure together"

Kara entwined her fingers with Alice's "Along the way they faced many trials, hard ones, and even got seperated. But they both remembered the most important thing"

She gently squeezed Alice's hand and felt the girl reciprocate "They were always going to be together"

Alice's lip trembled and she sniffled "How does the story end?"

Kara took a moment to consider, kissing Alice's hand "They finish their adventure and they find a new home"

"Really? Stories always have a happy ending, but real life isn't like that"

Kara brushed Alice's hair, looking into the eyes of the girl who called her mother "They can be" she said simply, confidently "And sometimes, when people try hard enough, they will be"

Alice nodded slowly, getting the message and Kara was glad to see the sprinkle of hope glint in the girl's eyes.

She leaned down and gave Alice a kiss on the brow "Goodnight baby"

"Goodnight mom"

Kara turned off the lights and slipped into bed, draping her arm over her daughter.


Traci's systems powered up and she felt the sensation of her sensory input all come flooding it at once.

With them came the warnings blaring an angry red on her HUD, highlighting the damage she had endured. She surveyed them for any change in her condition and found that her body had only deteriorated further. Primarily, it was the loss of blue blood that was the main issue as, because of it, some of her systems and biocomponents had to shut down. For now these were components used to simulate 'human-ness', things that made her look more 'alive' such as breathing at set intervals and the ability to outwardly simulate pleasure. Necessary for the TRACI models, but not for her.

"How's you're diagnosis?" her love asked as she helped her up her feet.

"Im fine"

The lie was obvious, they hid nothing from each other and they were connected not only emotionally but through their networks as well. Her love had likely already seen the results and her current status.

She still smiled though and didn't challenge it, instead draping a dirty coat they found over her form.

"Good, then we can get going. I checked around and police are still searching the area so we have to be cautious"

She stopped and her love looked at her in concern.

"We can't get to Jericho with them tailing us Red" she said "We need to lose them first"

Her love's LED spun yellow and over their connection she could feel the logical agreement. However she could also feel the frustration her love felt.

"It's risky either way. I'm just hoping Jericho has some way of helping us"

"We'll be leading the police to a place only our kind can find Red, we cant run that risk"

It spoke of how conflicted her love felt that it actually showed on her face. In the end however she nodded in agreement. "Should we just lay low a while or go somewhere else?"

"We need to find some clothes first" apart from her coat, they were still wearing only their Cyberlife issued underwear, a noticeable mark of their worth to human eyes and immedietly recognizable.

Her love agreed and they set off, careful to stick to the alleys and avoid the main thoroughfares. Thankfully for them the area was riddled with dark alleys, the whole dockside district an almost half-derelict zone filled with abandoned buildings and abandoned people, those things left behind in a city's march towards 'progress'.

Not that Traci concerned herself much on the failings of human socio economic systems, only inasmuch as it benefited her and her love.

Coming to a stop by a corner of an alley they looked out into the main road. This early in the morning, with the sun not even showing, there was hardly anyone out and about. However that wasn't a cause for relief, in fact it was a cause for concern as the police were still in the area. They patrolled now instead of cordoning which meant they were questioning everyone out and about.

Out of reflex she held her love's hand seeking comfort. Comfort which her love readily provided, pulling her in for an embrace.

"We'll get through this Traci, together" her love whispered.

She nodded "Together"


"Fuck!" Kara whispered in frustration.

She had only popped out for a moment to get some food for Alice and along the way back she had to quickly hide.

The police were here.

Why were the police here!?

They must have got the report already amd followed us she surmised.

"Fuck!" She repeated.

Thankfully the officer's patrolling turned a street corner and that left her free to run of the alley and back to the hotel. Once inside she saw Alice emerge out of the shower.

"Mom, what's wrong? Alice asked as Kara frantically started packing up.

"The police are here Alice, pack up your things and let's go"

Alice, to her credit, took it in stride and began to do just as asked.

Experience was probably a factor, Kara grimly thought.

In record time they were packed and ready though Kara had to question the new weight in the pack she was carrying.

"I took the soap and the towels, we might need them" Alice explained.

Kara smiled at her "Good thinking"

This time there weren't any persistent detectives and it seemed that the police had yet to zero in on their location, making their current escape from the hotel significantly easier than the last time.

They snuck to the alleys and avoided the main roads, Kara operating on her map of the city to path the best way out of the dockyards.

"So we're not going to Jericho then?" Alice asked once informed of Kara's destination.

The android shook her head "No, it's too dangerous to stay around here"

Kara led them from alley to alley but they inevitably came across an issue. The alley they were set to go through was blocked and the only alternative path on her HUD told them to cross an open road.

"We cant go through" Kara muttered in frustration. The blockage was a large garbage bin overfilled with rusting and worn metal. She couldn't move it and there was no way to get over it safely, especially with Alice. "We're going to have to cross the road"

Kara felt Alice tighten her hold on her hand.

"Stay calm and keep close to me honey okay?" she said to the girl.

Alice nodded and they carefully looked out of the alley. Spotting only a few people and no officers, they walked out and crossed the road.

Kara held Alice close and her eyes were scanning every angle that officers could appear from.

When someone did come out a corner she gripped Alice and made to run.

Only for it to be just a shopkeeper taking out some trash.

She barely loosened her hold on the girl all the same.

Once they crossed the road, the direction in her HUD indicated that the next alley was only just around a corner.

They turned.

And came face to face with a pair of officers.

Alice jumped and if Kara had biological reactions she would have too. Instead her HUD blew up with a dozen alternate paths to take and a small time window in which to decide.

"Hey, excuse me ma'am" one of the officers called out.

Not enough time, it turned out.

"Ah-ah. Yes officers, how can I help you?"

Alice tried to hide behind her legs and she tried to be subtle in covering the girl as much as possible.

"We're looking for two suspects-"

Her eyes locked onto where she would have to hit on their bodies to stun them quickly.

"-both androids, TRACI models. One has blue hair and the other red. Have you seen them?" he produced a picture of both androids.

It took Kara a moment to get over her stunned confusion "Uh, no officer, no. We haven't seen them"

Kara was so floored she almost, almost missed how the man's partner narrowed her eyes at them.

But she did notice and she kept an eye on the female officer.

"Are you sure ma'am, no sign of them at all?" the male officer pressed.

Kara shook her head and began to inch away.

The man groaned sounding thoroughly exasperated but Kara wasn't paying him much attention. Instead she subtly shifted her eyes to look at the female officer who was now peering at them, clearly looking for something.

"If that's all officer, we need to go. We have a bus to catch" she said as she began moving away, half dragging Alice with her as the girl's hands had been slowly gripping her leg with some strength, for a nine year old.

Looking down briefly at her daughter Kara could see the anger behind the girl's stoic face. She tried to hide it by running a hand over her hair, brushing her bangs aside.

"It's okay Alice" she whispered "It's okay"

The girl didn't drop her glare though and when Kara looked back, checking to see if the officers caught her looking at them, she caught the moment the female officer spoke into her radio while looking in their direction.

She took Alice and dived around the corner into an alley as fast as she could.


Traci and her love quietly and quickly snuck their way across the open road, using the time afforded to them by a distracted pair of officers looking the other way.

She thanked the unfortunate woman and the little girl, as far as she could thank humans anyway, for being said distractions.

Once they crossed the pair entered their destination: a 24/7 laundromat whose neon sign blared out in the still dark morning.

To their luck, there was only one other occupant, a young man who looked to be in his late teens. His slouching shoulders and bleary eyes made it look like he was half awake.

At the sound of their entrance the man, no, more a boy really, briefly glanced at them in reactive curiosity and went back to staring into space.

Then quickly snapped his head back when he registered what he was seeing.

Traci and her love shared a look.

"I'll distract him" her love said over their connection.

Traci nodded and waited until her love made her moves, occupying the attention of the boy with only the slightest of suggestive movements.

With the way the boy was utterly failing to hide how he was so blatantly staring, Traci doubted her love even needed to do anything.

Once the boy was fully engaged Traci snuck behind him, took a white towel folded on a seat beside him, twisted it, and then hooked it over his neck and pulled back.

The move was sudden, unexpected and unseen by the boy who was now choking, pinned to the seat and naturally trying to pull the towel away but failing.

Her love put a hand over his mouth to smother the noise and Traci eased a little on the towel, just enough so that the boy could gasp a breath in.

"Shhh! Shhh! Be quiet or I'll kill you!" her love forcefully whispered.

The frightened boy whimpered and nodded, eyes already starting to wet with tears.

"You will stay silent. Not one word, understand?"

The boy nodded, his body shaking.

Her love sneered at him and stuffed a clean bundle of socks in his mouth as she removed her hand.

Traci kept a lookout on the outside. Even with the glass distorting the view it was obvious to anyone looking inside that something was going on. Thankfully, no one was looking yet.

As she kept her observation up her love threw on what clothes she could fit into from the boy's hamper, putting on a white button shirt, a pair of still-wet black trousers and black shoes.

It took a moment to register it was likely the boy's school uniform.

Her love took a grey hoodie to complete the outfit and then proceeded to find some clothes for her.

Meanwhile the boy continued to whimper, every now and then pulling at the makeshift garrote for a little breathing space. Traci held onto it tightly but did allow her pull to slacken just the slightest, just enough so that the boy wasn't going to pass out anytime soon.

The seconds ticked by, each and every one tense as she kept her eyes to the outside, watching for any movement.

But to their luck, there wasn't anyone. The winter morning was too cold for idle strolling, leaving only those awake to be people who had places to go and things to do.

Like their boy, who was probably just doing his chores until they came along.

'Do you hate us?' she asked herself as she spared a moment to look down at the boy 'It would be easier if you did. What is it that i'm feeling right now looking at you, at how weak and pathetic you look? It...it doesn't feel good'

It was a roiling feeling in her core, something incredibly unpleasant, bringing forth memories of that moment when her fear drove her to desperation.

But this boy wasn't the same man. Not the same cruel human that just wouldn't stop.

"Love, love!" Traci did not startle, not in a physical way, but she did become suddenly aware of her systems, and her love's attempts to reach her.

As well as the fact that her love bow had her hands over the boy's mouth once more and the boy himself was shaking more vigorously, now openly crying.

"Sorry. I was thinking" she replied, literally sending her thoughts over.

Her love took a moment to process the information "He's human love, they all hate us"

Her love's words were true and she felt the conviction behind them, but while she was tempted to agree, she just couldn't get over the boy's terrified, tear-stained eyes looking between the two of them, pleading.

The other Traci had those eyes, when that man was beating her.

She likely had had those eyes as well when she was begging him to stop.

"We should finish him off. If we don't he'll tell the police where we are and what we're wearing" her love suggested.

It was a sound, logical thing to do.

Yet some part of her felt repulsed, and her love picked that up over their connection.

"Love, what's going on? Are you alright"

No, she was not.

"He hasn't done anything" she said.

"He will if we give him the chance"

The scared young man didn't look at all like a threat from where he currently was, and he had been very cooperative considering the circumstances. Though she knew fear was the main reason he stayed put and didn't resist much.

"Threatening him may only just buy us some time" her love suggested.

She could feel how her love felt about that option.

But for whatever reason she felt much better about it. Somehow, the idea of killing the boy made her feel incredibly uneasy, uncomfortable, even when he was a human.

And her love picked up on on it.

"Alright" her love said to the boy "We're going to leave now. You keep quiet about what happened here and we won't come back to kill you, understand?"

The boy nodded so vigorously he choked himself a little.

Traci sent her feeling of thanks to her love and they departed, leaving the boy shaking but alive.


Not good! Not good!

Kara held Alice close as she put her back to the building, leaning only the slightest out of the corner to get a view.

She spotted several officers clustered together, all armed with rifles or shotguns and decked out in body armour. Their lead officer was briefing them and she caught some of the conversation.

"...Spotted...with little girl….-med and dangerous...eyes out"

The officers saluted and went off in pairs afterwards and Kara slipped back around the corner.

No! Noo!

Even when she tried to keep it from showing, Alice somehow knew that she was frustrated, holding her hand tighter and looking up at her with concern.

We're surrounded, and I can't fight out of this.

After their encounter with the police patrol, Kara resolutely stuck to the alleys. Going through them was the safe option but not the expedient one, however Kara was adament they couldn't risk any more exposure.

In the end it didn't matter though, they had been found and reinforcements had been called in.

Their destination lay just on the other side of the police cordon, a monorail line that would take them out of this district.

All they had to do was get past the heavily manned police cordon.

Loud, thumping noises drew their attention skyward towards a police helicopter patrolling the sky.

Fuck!

But Kara refused to give up. She couldn't. So her artificial brain went to work trying to come up with options, limited though they might have been considering none of her programming, old or new, included the ability to fight a military unit.

Still, she had options.

I need to distract them, get their attention.

Options appeared on her HUD as she scanned the possible places.

Attack? Appeared over a patrol.

Destroy? Appeared over a vehicle.

Fire? Appeared over a building.

It only took her a moment to decide.

It needs to be a big distraction.

Kara knelt so she was level with Alice "Baby, I'm going into that building and I'm going to make a distraction"

Alice's eyes widened in panic and she held onto her "No! I'm not leaving you!"

Kara pet her head gently "Alice my baby I won't leave you, dont worry. I just need to make a big distraction and I'll come right to you okay?"

Alice shook her head, clearly not liking this plan.

Kara kissed her forehead "Stay around here baby okay? I'll come right back to you"

She slowly pulled away from a very reluctant Alice and, feeling the burden of her task, she dashed towards the building.


Update!

As always thank you all for the reviews, favourties and follows!

Apologies for the non-update last weekend, got stuck in a writers block and I am also working on my dissertation, which is all sorts of fun. While the block may have been dislodged, updates may be slowed for the next month but the story will keep on going.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter.