"Would you like to add a cookie for…" I trail off as the woman's two escorts turn to look at me from scanning the restaurant, both of them seeming to glare at me for daring to waste the woman's time. One of them refuses to open her eyes though, which is mildly creepy. "Er, nevermind. Your total is-"

I quickly finish the transaction and am immensely relieved when the two silent escorts head away without ordering anything.

"Hadwin, dude." I turn to see Rakim, my greasy coworker, has stepped up to the counter. "The blonde one is hot."

I glance back at the bodyguards. Holding guns in public is generally frowned upon, but with how brazenly these two young women do it, they must have been given exemptions. "Really? I thought the taller one was more your type."

He grins. "Normally I'd go for the bigger boobs, yeah, but she's probably blind. She doesn't open her eyes."

A frown crosses my face. "If she's blind, how can she be a bodyguard?"

Rakim shrugs. "Maybe she-"

"Rakim." We both turn to see our short manager standing there with her hands on her hips. "What did I tell you about creeping on the customers?"

Instead of waiting for one of her infamous lectures and getting caught in the crossfire, I turn back to the counter.

The tall bodyguard is standing at the corner, a perfectly peaceful smile on her face and eyes still firmly shut.

"...Can I help you?" I ask after a moment to collect myself.

"Da. May I get a cookie? I was going to ask earlier but-"

She cuts herself, eyes opening to reveal two brightly glowing orbs where her eyes should be, spinning on the spot and picking up her gun.

I barely have time to react before the front of the store explodes inwards, glass shards flying everywhere. I fall over, barely catching myself from hitting my head behind the counter.

A bright beam of light scorches overhead, melting the concrete pillar holding up the roof.

Before my eyes, the roof collapses, debris raining down on my coworkers and knocking them to the floor. Some of them disappear behind the rubble completely and-

They might be dead.

My brain halts, all thoughts other than the panic of trying to process what just happened are gone. At least, it halts until three people vault over the counter.

The taller woman with glowing eyes lands beside me, the shorter blonde one is helping their escort to stay safe, both of them firing at something coming up from behind.

The glowing-eyed one turns to me and says something.

Or, she tries too. I can't exactly hear right now, the explosions having temporarily deafened me. Having been snapped out of my daze, I point to my ear and shake my head.

She pauses, then pulls a tube from her jacket, tugs at a metal ring on the side and lobs it over the counter.

A few seconds later, the intact portion of the building fills with thick smoke. Before I can try to figure out what just happened, I feel an arm grab my work uniform and pull me up, before throwing me back toward the collapsed portion of the building, next to the fryer.

I manage to get my feet under me and turn back, raising my head just in time to almost get it removed by another eye-searing laser that turns our deep fryer into slag and ignites the grease that had built up on the outside. I duck back down to avoid getting killed. Beside me, on the ground, is Rakim. I squat down and check his pulse, trying to recall the little bit of medical knowledge Lucas had imparted to me-

The glowing-eyed woman skids to a halt beside me, gun lowered. "Can you hear me?"

I nod. It's hazy, but I can hear her.

"Good. Is there a way out of here that's not the front entrance?"

I point back toward the collapsed roof, hesitating once I realize the back door is completely cut off. "It's… uh…"

"That's fine." A laser carves right through the counter, setting what had been a roof tile on fire as well as leaving a hole with burning edges in the counter. Looks like we're not going to have much cover for long. "Any windows?"

I glance around. "Uh, that one?"

She turns to see the small, high window that had shattered as the building had sagged. "Alright, looks like we're doing this the hard way." Her legs push off and she's suddenly running into the smoke.

I watch in a daze as the blonde woman continues to fire into the smoke-filled room, her friend only visible through reddish-pink glowing appearing in between flashes from the Lasers, now turned to try to hit the taller woman. Muzzle flashes give me a rough idea of her location, bright yellow bursts in the cloud.

After what seemed in the moment to be minutes but had to have been nothing more than mere seconds, the building falls quiet, at least below the level that my recently acquired tinnitus allows me to hear at.

The freshly shattered windows let a breeze blow through, thinning out the smoke to reveal the taller woman standing in the center of the room. There's six bodies that look like they've been extensively modified, legs ending in points and laser cannons strapped to their backs. At least, when they had been intact, bullets had punctured and twisted the modifications and completely severed some.

Though, as she comes back into sight some more, I can see that she's not exactly unscathed.

At first, I thought that the reddish liquid coming out of her side was blood, but eventually my mind catches up to what I'm seeing and processes it, sending a chill down my spine.

She's not human. With a chunk that size taken out of her side, she'd be dead if she was human, and the "blood" is too orange to be real blood.

Her bright eyes turn to me, then look down at her partner. "We need to go. Reinforcements might be on the way."

"Yes, but-" The blonde looks at the woman she's supporting-

Oh, shit.

The dignified looking woman is bleeding from several wounds, some still with glass sticking out of them. I'm no expert, but she's not going to last long without treatment.

I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and try to dial the emergency number, only to have the wounded woman- robot- grab my wrist. "You can't call the emergency services."

"We need to get her patched up." The blonde looks at the both of us while ripping up some of her jacket to make improvised bandages to slow down the bleeding. "Um… do you know where we could get some medical attention nearby that isn't a hospital?"

I hesitate, looking at the robot with her metal innards exposed. She's still got a grip on my wrist, and I've heard the stories. They can rip you to shreds with their bare hands.

Every shred of my being is telling me to lie and run, run as far away as I can and get the police to come deal with the threat.

Also, I can't lie to save my life.

"I… I have a friend-"

"What the fu- Hadwin?!" Lucas' eyes bug out as the four of us knock on his door. "What's going on?!"

"Look, I know this is weird, but-" I step aside so that he can see the woman that I now know is one of the Member of Parliaments of the Sector, Thea Panagos. The two robots, that had called themselves Tactical dolls, had introduced themselves as AK-12 and AN-94 as the tall and blonde one respectively. "She's injured and they can't go to a public doctor."

Lucas' eye flick over her wounds for only a second or two before he tosses the door open. "Hurry and get her inside." His face turns into a grim line. "She's not got much time left."

AN-94 and AK-12 bring the wounded woman inside and Lucas directs them to lay her down on the kitchen table.

The next hour is a blur as my friend, a surgeon in training, desperately tries to keep her alive by sewing her back up. The two T-Dolls and I are relegated to helping, boiling water, getting thread and getting him towels and tools.

MP Panagos is mostly naked from cutting her clothes away, covered in blood, but no longer bleeding at the end of it. Lucas is similarly covered in blood, his improvised medical gown soaked through.

He's talking to AK-12's whose eyes have been open this entire time. "-blood loss might be too much. I don't have the capacity to find out her blood type here, or get her anything." He hesitates. "Are you sure you can't take her to a real hospital? Her chances would be so much better there."

"I am sure." AK-12's cold voice responds. "We cannot trust that they will not report our activities."

"I see." Lucas nods. "Hey, Hadwin, can you come with me for a minute? I need some help cleaning up." He glances back at the two T-dolls. "Can you two please… erm, make sure she doesn't move if she wakes up? I'll see about getting her some clothes."

They both nod, and AK-12's eyes finally close, letting me release a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

Lucas leads me first to his parent's room to grab a set of clothes for the MP, then to his room and the bathroom beside it, getting me to help him pull off the sticky clothes and toss them into the shower to get rinsed out. He also washes himself in the sink, scrubbing extensively. Even as he does this, he turns to me. "Hadwin?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Why are there two robots in my kitchen, and why are they with a Member of Parliament?"

I scratch my head. "It's… uh… W-well, my job blew up."

He stares at me, hands growing still under the running water for a moment before continuing. "Like, a gas explosion?"

"No… um… It was attacked." I wince. "They were trying to kill the MP."

"...I see." He bites his freshly cleaned lip. "Are they still after her?"

I open my mouth to respond, but I find I have no answer.

"Alright… Now, how about you tell me why you are helping them?" He glances at the doorway to make sure that they're not listening in. "They're robots."

"Tactical dolls, actually." I run my shoulder uncomfortably.

"Dude." His wet hands grab my shoulders. "They're the enemy."

"I-I know that. But!" I point at the wall to the kitchen as if either of us could see through it. "She was dying!"

"Then call an ambulance." His eyes lock with mine. "They can't be trusted."

"..." I deflate slightly. He's right, of course. He's always right. He's my best friend, I've known him since… middle school? It's been forever. "Yeah, you're right… but, she had me in her grip and I they demanded that I bring them to a doctor not in the hospital-"

"Ah." He sighs. "Well, that answers that. Still, they can't stay here."

I open my mouth to protest but his grip on my shoulders tightens.

"Hadwin. I'm going to have a hell of a time telling mom and dad that I ruined two aprons, a good tablecloth, and more than a dozen towels. If I have to explain harboring robots I'm not sure even your dad would be able to keep us out of jail."

"...Right."

He releases my shoulders only to clap one of them right after, his trademark smile gracing his features once more. "Still, glad to know you're still the knight in shining armor you've always been."

"Fat lot of good it's done." I grumble. "At least this time I'm not being sent to detention."

"Actually-"

Both of us turn to see AK-12 is casually standing in the doorway, the chunk missing from her side filled with a foam of some kind.

"Given there's security cameras everywhere, a bleeding human and two dolls with guns running around in otherwise suspiciously empty streets, it's highly likely that Hadwin here is considered a known accomplice."

My mouth works for a good dozen or so seconds before I manage to pull my thoughts together enough to form words. "Accomplice?"

She nods. "Like it or not, you've aided and abetted us. Well," She shrugs. "I can make it seem like you were forced to help."

"H-How?"

She taps the gun hanging off her shoulder. "I could just shoot you a little. That would convince anyone."

Lucas tenses up, and I can feel my face contort.

"...I'm not really that enthusiastic about shooting civilians though, so…" She trails off. "We may just have to move the MP out of here and go back on the run. We can't wait here."

I glance at Lucas and see his face go through several emotions, before settling on determined. "No."

"...Hmm?" AK-12's eyes crack open a smidgen, and a little bit of light leaks through, sending a shiver down my spine. "Why not?"

"She's in a critical condition. We can't afford to move her." Lucas stands up straight, staring at the barely open eyes. "I don't care about the trouble we're getting into, I'm not going to let my work and her life go to waste."

AK-12's frown deepens, but before we can get any farther into trying to argue with the terminator, a voice comes from the kitchen. "12! She's awake!"

All three of us rush into the kitchen to see that the MP's eyes are indeed open, and she has a weak, pained smile on her features.

I stop at the doorway and Lucas pushes the T-dolls aside to start asking her questions about how she feels. I don't really register any of the words until the yelling starts back up.

"You are NOT moving her!"

"We can't stay here!" AN-94 pleads. "You'll be in danger!"

"She's not going to survive long if you do move her!" Lucas slams his fist on the nearby counter. "I'll be damned if I let you kill my patient!"

AN-94 looks like she's trying to argue, but can't find the words. AK-12, in the meantime, walks over to me and places a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you for helping us out. I know you took a risk doing so."

"Y-yeah." I nod. "No p-problem."

She grins. "Oh, I know it is a problem. I can't make it right at the moment but once we've finished our job, I'll make sure to get you a reward."

I can feel my lips curling into a sardonic smile against my will. "Uh huh. I feel like any favors I get from you would just put my life in more danger."

"Maybe." She shrugs. "We do tend to get into the thick of things. Although, maybe I could sneak some money out of Ange's account-"

Her eyes snap open once more and she turns to stare at the front door.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and the other two behind me grow quiet.

"The police are here." AK-12's voice returns to its flat monotone.

"...Which isn't good." Lucas grimaces. "What do we do?"

"Here's your options." AN-94 holds up three fingers. "Let us go out there with the MP. This will let you escape their wrath."

"Not happening." Lucas shakes his head firmly. "Next option."

"We stay here and get arrested."

"Also not ideal." I grouse. "What's number three?"

She hesitates, glancing at AK-12 for support which she gets. "We… um, run out guns blazing and try to fool them into thinking we have the MP with us."

"How would we do that?" Lucas asks.

AN-94 points to me. "We can disguise him with a cloak and escort him out. Lucas, you can say we held you at gunpoint, and as long as you don't let them see the MP, we can fool them into thinking she's still here."

All eyes turn to me. "W-well-"

"No." Lucas snaps. "No! We're not going to do that this time, Hadwin!"

"But…" I look him in the eyes. "What else can I do?"

"No!" He slams his fist again. "This time, it's not getting sent to the principal's office, it's going to jail!"

"If we're lucky and don't get shot." AN-94 adds. "It's not a good choice, I understand, but we don't have many good choices."

"...I'll do it."

Lucas looks my way and deflates. "Hadwin-"

"It's the best option." I state more firmly, then look at AK-12 and AN-94. "What do you want me to do?"

Less than a minute later, the MP has been moved into a back room and had the door closed on her and I've been thrown into an oversized black jacket. The hood is pulled down over my face, hopefully making it harder to see that I'm not the MP when we go running through the city.

There's no set destination.

We're just going to go running for our lives, the police on our trail.

AK-12 and AN-94 stand on either side of me, looking at the mass of police starting to show up outside the building, several of them with guns already drawn.

"Ready?" AK-12's eyes are back to being closed, and as such her voice has gone back from monotone to teasing.

"No, but I don't think I have a choice." I clench my teeth to keep them from chattering. "We really should get going-"

AN-94 scoops me up in a princess carry, and AK-12 pushes out the door, weapon raised and firing almost immediately at the assembled police forces.

The police dive for cover even as the T-dolls sprint down the front steps, onto the street, and then run down the road. AN-94 is awkwardly one-handing a pistol as AK-12 fires short bursts at anyone foolish enough to poke their heads out, eyes once more open.

A few bullets were sent our way in return, but by and large AK-12's fire had managed to suppress them, at least until we got to the intersection of the street Lucas' house is on and a cross road.

Once there, AK-12 makes a sharp turn, AN-94 following almost immediately and taking us out of sight.

The shouting behind us grows louder, and I hear the sound of some engines starting up.

These tactical dolls might be fast, but can they outrun a car?

"We need to-" I try to say, only for AN-94 to leap over some trash set out for collection, forcing me to bite my tongue.

Ow! OW!

When she lands, her eyes turn to me. "What was that?"

"'E need to geh out of sigh'." I try to speak, but my tongue protests the movement. "Hide."

"Locating a suitable area." AK-12 drones. "If you have a location, that would increase the likelihood of survival."

I carefully say my next words to try to enunciate them clearly. "We… could go to my house?"

AK-12 and AN-94 look at each other, then AK-12 looks back at me. "Provide me with an address, please."

I give it to the doll with the glowing eyes, and she spends a few seconds processing that before she points to an alley. "We can take that alley to lose our pursuers."

"They'll radio ahead." AN-94 cautions the taller doll. "Won't we just get trapped?"

"They will not know which exit we take, nor if we decided to hide in or leave through the shops. It's our best bet."

I'm not really in a position to argue, still being held by AN-94 and being largely at her mercy.

I close my eyes and focus on the pain in my tongue trying not to worry about the very real danger of getting shot by the police, or by the robots holding me, or… yeah, just focus on the pain, that's somehow more comforting.

I don't open my eyes until AN-94 starts to set me down. I land on my feet, glance around nervously, only to find we're all alone on the street right in front of my house, the condo my parents own, the third and fourth floors my home for all 20 years of my life so far.

AK-12 moves to head up the stairs, but I reach out to stop her. Her eyes are closed, but she somehow still sees or senses the motion, turning to look at me with a questioning look on her face.

"You… you can't go in like that." I point at her shirt, and the mechanical bits that are only partially obscured by some sort of expanding foam. "Mom and Dad are probably home right now, and they would freak out if they saw that."

"...Then I suppose I just need to borrow that coat." She grabs the sleeve of the coat I had thrown on, and I realize she's right.

I hand her the coat and she puts it on after taking AN-94's larger gun to hide it, then hooks her arm in AN-94's. My confusion must have shown on my face, because AK-12 smiles at me. "If I can't open my eyes, I have to pretend to be blind."

"I… see." I climb the stairs, watching the androids climb up behind me. "By the way, what names should I use? Yours are… not very common."

"Call me Antja." AN-94 nods.

"I'll be Lucia." AK-12 continues to carefully step up the steps as if blind.

"Um… not to be a worrywart, but are there cameras around here?"

"Ah, that's not been an issue since we left Lucas' house." AN-94 announces. "I took the liberty of breaking the entire system before we ran. It's not very strong though they'll be able to fix it soon."

"Well… that's good I suppose." I turn back to the front door of my house, located up two flights of steps. "Well… time to face my parents."

I turn the doorknob, and so begins the next, crazy chapter of my life.