57. It All Comes Down to Four

"C'mon, Four! It's me! Three's an a-hole!" One was entering a level of panic he'd rarely felt before. Two might actually kill him. Because she thought he was his own killer.

"Hey! Not doing much to make friends here, are you?" Three unholstered his gun.

"Look at his eyes! Four, you have to see it! Just tell her it's One," Five begged as Nyx held her back.

Two still had her gun trained on One. Her gun didn't move as she shifted her eyes towards Four. "What do you think?"

Four breathed deeply. "I believe the girl believes it's him."

58. Knowledge Won't Save You…

Five twisted away from Nyx and positioned herself in front of One. "Don't shoot! Just give him a chance!"

"Fine." Two lowered her gun. "If it'll make you feel better, we'll let him dig his own grave."

"I'm One. Three months ago, I woke up from stasis—"

"You're gonna have to do a lot better than that. The story's been all over the news."

Two shifted her grip on the gun.

"And a few extra details won't help. Jace Corso could have tortured One for hours before he killed him. I assume everything One knew Jace Corso now knows."

59. …But the Killer Robot Might

One looked at Five, desperate for any suggestions.

Only one idea came to mind. "Maybe… Wendy?"

One looked up at Two. "If I tell you about Wendy will you believe me?"

"Almost certainly not. But make it interesting and you'll buy yourself a few more minutes."

"She was an entertainment model. She made the food bearable, she played games with Five, she could experience pleasure, and yeah, I was pissed that you'd gone to bed with Three so we experienced some pleasure together. Right before she tried to kill everyone."

Three turned to Four. "Told ya."

Nyx and Devon snickered.

60. Second Thoughts

"Wait." Two's command silenced the room. "What did you just say?"

"I thought you knew—" His cheeks were bright red. Whether it was fear, frustration, or embarrassment, it hardly mattered. Corso didn't blush.

"About the android. Experiencing pleasure. How would you know that?"

"She told me. I asked her, you know, if there was anything in it for her…"

Never in a million years would Corso possess empathy for an android. Even if One had told him that detail, he wouldn't have considered it important enough to remember, much less repeat.

"Drang." Two holstered her gun. "It is you."

61. Freedom

Forgetting everyone else in the room, Two rushed up to One, held his face in her hands, and kissed him.

"I guess we'll be leaving you two to your pleasure," Three scoffed. Three, Four, Nyx, and Devon filed out of the room.

One pulled away from Two—or tried to, which wasn't easy since he was still bound to a chair. He ended up toppling backwards, landing with a grunt of pain.

"Are you okay?"

"No," he replied. Five immediately set to cutting his restraints.

Once he was free, Two grabbed his upper arm and hauled him to his feet.

62. Stay Away

"Ow." One pushed Two away. He rubbed his arms. They must have lost feeling, being bound behind him for so long.

"Are you hurt?" Two set a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't touch me. Just… stay away from me." His hands trembled as he walked away.

Five still knelt on the floor, beside the toppled chair, watching as he left. "What's going on?" Two asked.

"You really didn't recognize him?"

"No, how would I?"

Five shrugged. "I think he thought you would." She stood and started to leave. She paused, and, without turning around, added, "I thought you would, too."