Perfect (10 page)

I turned and fled from the room. I darted
down the hallway, trying to quiet my frantic footsteps while
running as fast as I could. The Institution seemed quiet, too
quiet. As I burst through the double doors at the end of the
hallway and entered the lobby, I heard a shout from the woman
sitting at the desk.

I ran faster down a different hallway in the
direction of the back door. I heard footsteps running after me, but
I didn’t turn around to see who it was. Their footsteps were as
fast as mine, only a few feet behind me, confirming they were
androids.

I got to the back door and shoved it open
before bursting through on my way to the parking lot. I spotted the
truck immediately and sprinted toward it. I jumped inside, locked
the doors, and turned the vehicle on. I hit the gas pedal and
backed up, sending the few androids that had been trying to pry my
door open, falling backward.

I looked toward the exit and saw that five of
them had scrambled to their feet. They stood in the middle of the
road, obstructing my way. I would have to run over them to get by.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
They’re androids. They’ll live.
And
with that, I floored the gas pedal.

I saw them getting closer at a dizzying speed
and watched in horror as I crashed into them. But to my surprise, I
didn’t go through them, or knock them out of the way as I had
hoped.

My eyes widened as they gripped the metal on
the hood of the truck, leaving inch deep handprints as they tried
to hold their ground. I kept my foot on the pedal. The truck wheels
spun and moaned, but the truck did not move. One of the androids
looked up and met my eyes through the windshield. He smiled.

In panic, I turned the truck in reverse and
backed up. I saw the androids run after me, and hoped that they
couldn’t tear the truck apart to get to me.

I saw the fence that lined the edge of the
parking lot. On the other side was another parking lot to another
place of business. I wondered, briefly, if the truck could run
through the fence, but decided quickly that I had a better chance
at that than trying to plow over the androids. I hit the gas pedal
once again and shut my eyes just as the truck slammed into the
fence. I felt it slow, but only for a second. The truck bounced
over the flattened fence and into the other parking lot.

I let out a scream as I almost hit a parked
car and scraped against another one. I hadn’t actually driven
before, and I wondered, with this in mind, how Yvonne could have
offered me a truck. I was pretty sure this wasn’t
her
truck,
but she would most likely flip anyway, once she saw the mess it was
in. Of course, I knew where the pedals were and how to steer, but I
was a little low on practice.

I turned the truck sharply out onto the
street and raced away from the Institution. I was breathing heavily
and my heartbeat didn’t slow until I had driven down the street for
a few minutes, making sure the androids weren’t behind me.

My mind wandered numbly back to the androids
in the parking lot. What had Glen done to them? I knew that I
wouldn’t have been able to hold off a truck. Yes, I could survive
being hit by one, but to stand there and prevent one from moving at
all? No way. It scared me to know that there were people who were
stronger, faster, and creepier, than me.

Maybe I wasn’t the perfect one anymore. They
were.

Chapter Sixteen

Once I was sure no
one had followed me, I made my way back to the hotel. As I knocked
on our hotel door, Jessica opened it, her eyes widening and her
mouth falling open when she saw me. She didn’t say anything, only
pulled me into a hug.

Soon, Michael came to the door and I was
hugging him. I buried my head in his shoulder and soaked in the
comfort of his arms around me, holding me close. He leaned down and
kissed me. We stood there for a moment until Jessica cleared her
throat beside us.

“What happened?” Jessica asked once I was
inside.

“I was in a cell for a few days, but
eventually, Yvonne got me out,” I told them. I left out the part
about doubting her.

“We were worried,” Jessica said. “A few days
are a long time.”

Michael nodded in agreement. He sat next to
me on the couch and laced his fingers in with mine. I leaned my
head against his shoulder and closed my eyes.

Later that day, Yvonne came by. It was around
nine o’clock in the evening and she had Jeremy with her.

“I’m glad to see you made it here safely,”
she said as she sauntered through the door.

I shrugged. She made it sound easy. Like I
had just walked out of there and ended up here without a scratch.
No, I had barely made it out, trashing the truck in the process. I
was sure she wouldn’t be so glad once she saw its condition.

“Just thought I’d come by to check and see if
you made it back,” she said.

I half smiled. “Yep. Here I am.”

She gave me a strange look. “Well, anyway,”
she said as she smiled, “the creators were so thrilled that I
brought you in.” She paused, for dramatic effect, probably, but her
flippant and peculiar ways just irritated me. “They’ve been talking
about granting me leadership of one of the Institutions.” She
smiled, her dark eyes dancing. “They call me the prime example of a
perfect android.”

I fought back the urge to roll my eyes. “And
what do they think now that I’ve escaped?” I asked her.

Annoyance flickered across Yvonne’s face. “It
doesn’t matter. They talked about all those things while you were
being held there. And besides, they’re pretty sure who helped you
escape and all. A newer android. Quiet little thing.” She smiled
mischievously and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. Some
innocent android was going to pay for Yvonne’s stupid trick and I
knew she had been the one to imply the android’s fault. I saw no
remorse in her eyes. Disgusted, I looked away.

Jeremy shifted uneasily beside Yvonne.

“Sit down,” she ordered, finding a seat for
herself on one of the cushioned chairs. “But anyway,” she went on,
“I’m not exactly the most patient person.” She let out a small
laugh. “And I don’t know how long this whole thing is going to
take, or if it was just talk. The ‘me being a leader’ thing,” she
said, clarifying. “So I was just thinking about forcing them into
it. After all, they fixed their computers much faster than I had
hoped and now everything is going all wrong.”

Jeremy nodded absentmindedly beside her.

“Forcing them to do it?” I asked her, sitting
up a little straighter.

She put one leg over her knee and nodded. “It
would make everything
so
much easier.”

“But, then, they wouldn’t trust you anymore,”
I pointed out.

She shrugged in reply. “Doesn’t matter
because I will be in control. There are already a ton of androids
that are supporting me. There are a few who are mindlessly
following the creators, like little puppies, but they can be taken
care of,” she added vaguely.

I thought of the androids that had tried to
stop me back at the Institution and wondered if they would be as
easy to get rid of as Yvonne thought. “I don’t know, Yvonne,” I
told her. “It seems like a big risk.”

She let out an irritated sigh. “Just let me
do the planning, okay? You guys are only tools to be used when I
need you.” Her voice was carefree.

“Okay, stop it,” Michael snapped. He stood
up, his eyes filled with anger and frustration. I looked over at
him, surprised.

Yvonne regarded him coolly, although I could
see her tensing.

“You talk about us as if we’re dirt. You want
us to do something? Then ask. Or at least acknowledge our presence.
I’m tired of being talked about when I’m right there, and I’m tired
of your attitude.”

I started tugging at Michael’s sleeve. “It’s
not going to change anything,” I whispered.

But he ignored me. “I’m tired of not having
any say in anything that goes on around here. I’m angry that you
took Drew and put her life in danger when
no one
else agreed
with you.”

Yvonne sat there watching him, her cat-like
eyes narrowed and her body tense. “You’re tired?” she echoed.

Michael only glared at her, his eyes meeting
hers with a bravery I had never been able to actually carry
out.

“Tired of this and tired of that,” Yvonne’s
voice was mocking now. She stood. “Seems to me you are in no
position to be complaining.” Her voice dropped dangerously low.
“Much less, demanding.” She walked up to him and was standing only
a few feet away. Even though she was a few inches shorter than him,
she seemed to tower over him with her glare and posture. “And I
don’t need you or anyone to agree with me. I’ll do what I want,
when I want, with or without your permission.”

Michael stood his ground, meeting Yvonne’s
eyes with a cool, but angry stare.

I was standing now, too, unsure of what
Yvonne might do.

“Don’t talk like that to me again,” she
snapped at him. “Remember who I am.” She said this as if it would
sum up the conversation.

“Who you are?” Michael snapped back before
she could turn to leave. “Yeah, just a brat with nothing else to do
but pick on people and throw a fit when you don’t get what you
want.”

My jaw dropped slightly. How could Michael
say that to her face? How could Michael just up and say what I had
wanted to say for years? It was true. It was so true. That’s all
Yvonne was, or at least appeared to be.

I saw Jessica a few feet away, watching them,
her eyes wide and shocked at what Michael had said. Even he looked
a little surprised, but he held his ground. I noticed that Jeremy
looked equally confused and somewhat scared.

Fire blazed in Yvonne’s eyes and the room was
filled with tension. Suddenly, Yvonne drew back her hand and I
realized she was going to hit him.

But I got there first, grabbing her hand in a
death-like grip. “Yvonne,” I said sternly. “Don’t.” I knew when she
was this angry she wouldn’t think. She would be blinded by her
anger and hit him as hard as she could. And with strength magnified
three times and a metal lined fist, Michael would not come out
okay. She would kill him, and she wouldn’t care.

She glared at me and probably coming to the
realization I had come to, backed a few feet away, she lowered her
fist and looked at Michael once again. “I could kill you in a
second,” she spat, as if he were dirt.

“But you won’t,” Michael replied, his voice
calm and stern. I admired him for being so brave. I knew I would
never have been able to stand up to Yvonne that way. At least I
knew I never had.

Yvonne scowled and headed toward the door,
Jeremy quickly following her. “Oh,” She said, turning toward me.
“The truck? I need to dump it somewhere that the creators won’t
find it.”

My stomach lurched. “The truck,” I repeated
numbly.

“Yes,” she snapped. “Show me where you parked
it and give me the keys.”

I followed her cautiously out the door.

There was complete silence in the elevator as
the three of us descended to the first floor. It was hours past
dark and I hoped Yvonne wouldn’t be able to see the dents and
scratches too clearly, but to my dismay, I had parked the truck
right under a street lamp, making everything completely and clearly
visible.

“Don’t tell me this is the same truck,” she
said slowly, once we had walked up to it.

I didn’t reply.

Yvonne cursed. “What did you do?” she
snapped.

“Those are not from me.” I pointed to the
handprints, trying to defend myself. “Those are from your little
android friends at the Institution.”

She glared at the dents. “Okay, and this?”
She pointed to a long scrape covering the whole front and side of
the truck.

“The androids were blocking the only exit so
I had to drive through the wire fence and into another parking lot,
where I scraped against another car,” I said quickly.

Yvonne just stood there, looking extremely
annoyed. “Who taught you to drive?”

I was silent. “Um...well, I know kind of how
it works.”

“No one taught you to drive?” Her voice was
louder now.

“No,” I cried. “No one ever taught me.”

Yvonne put her hand to her head. “Okay.” She
drew out the word for a long time. “Note to self.
Never
let
Drew drive.”

“Hey,” I said, trying to defend myself. “I
did pretty well considering the situation.”

“Whatever,” Yvonne replied, yanking her truck
door open and examining the interior.

“I was being chased by androids! And this was
the first time I had ever driven a vehicle.” I looked at her.
Taking everything into consideration, I did believe that I had done
very well, but apparently Yvonne didn’t feel the same way.
“Besides, you’re just going to dump it anyway. It’s not like it’s
yours.”

She shrugged. “Keys? And by the way, you
forgot to lock it.”

I gave out a small laugh. “Who would want to
steal it in this state?” I said, handing over the keys.

Yvonne didn’t laugh. “Well, anyway, the
reason I came here was to talk to you about my plan. Oh, and to
make sure you were still alive,” she added like it was an
afterthought.

My brow furrowed. “What plan?”

I saw Jeremy head across the parking lot;
most likely to wherever they had parked the car they had driven
there.

“The one I was
trying
to talk about at
the hotel before your little friend interrupted me,” Yvonne
clarified. “Where I was going to force them to give me a leadership
position.”

“Oh,” was I all could think to say. I could
tell she wasn’t happy with my response.

“I might need your help, and possibly your
little friends’ help, too. But I doubt it. They’re kind of
worthless.”

“Yvonne,” I said sternly, my voice warning
her I wasn’t going to take this from her.