Chapter 4
Sera
“What are you doing?!” I shrieked, beating its cold, hard shoulder with my fist to no avail. “Put me down at once! Bad clanker!”
It lowered me gingerly to the ground, and I lurched away, pressing my back to the cool wall as my heart pounded. My body tingled as the impression of hard, smooth metal, cool touch, and immense, overpowering strength burrowed under my skin.
Clanker could pick me up with no effort at all. It could probably throw me, crush me with its weight, or strangle me with one hand. If the thing went rogue, I’d be dead.
“Noting client’s heartbeat is 184 beats per minute,” it said, its smooth voice sounding mocking. “Scanning for signs of medical emergency. None found. Stress likely emotional. Attempt soothing… You are safe. There is no immediate threat anywhere in the area. You…”
“Shut up. No words. No typing. Just… Please.”
The elevator pinged, and I got out into a well-lit underground garage.
Rows of black and silver cars gleamed in front of me, each probably armored and equipped with the newest tech.
By the far side, an ursa female was changing the tire of an enormous off-road carrier, humming to the tune of a pop song playing from the speakers.
She wore jean overalls over her furry body, and heart-shaped pink glasses perched on her snout.
Why, oh why, couldn’t I afford an ursa? It took all of my savings and the inheritance I got after my mom’s death, and still, all that money was only enough to hire a clanker.
My bodyguard turned toward an inconspicuous gray sedan, and the doors opened as we approached.
I watched as it folded itself into the passenger seat, remaining graceful and efficient throughout.
When I got in, it was with far less grace.
I banged my head by accident and settled in, huffing from embarrassment and fury, only to find Clanker’s cold, expressionless face expectantly turned toward me.
“Not a word,” I growled. “And don’t fucking comment on my driving.”
I bit the urge to swear again. Oh, this was bad. I usually minded my language, but the events of today put me through the wringer.
Clanker faced the windshield, and I gritted my teeth, shifting the car into drive. Pulsing purple arrows appeared on the wall, pointing me left, and I followed them with a rigidly controlled exhale. A few turns, and the garage door slid open just in time for me to exit.
The GPS turned on the dashboard screen, and I followed the route, gripping the steering wheel with too much force. My gaze strayed toward Clanker, but the thing sat still, its eyes dimmed, like it was resting.
I knew my heartrate was still elevated, cold sweat covering my hands and sticking to my T-shirt.
I hated driving ever since the accident.
I had been in the car with my mother when it happened and I still bore the scars, all of them hidden underneath my clothes.
Usually, I managed to keep the memories from surfacing, but my skin was thin today.
Thankfully, the traffic wasn’t too bad where the GPS led me. The route was complicated with many turns, but at least, we avoided the most congested areas. I turned right and stepped on the gas, enjoying a mostly clear lane ahead.
The car lurched to a sudden stop, and I shot forward, my seat belt digging painfully into my chest. I gasped. There was a corgi on the road right ahead, staring at me in terror as a dark puddle spread underneath it on the asphalt.
A woman ran onto the street, shaking her fist at me, and walked away, cradling the dog. I exhaled, then jolted at the aggressive sound of a honk behind me.
Oh my God. I almost killed a dog. Oh my God.
Clanker watched me, its face impassive, eyes bright. I swallowed. My hands shook too violently to drive, and I couldn’t force my eyes to focus.
The driver behind us honked again, longer and louder. I fumbled with the door, finally opening it, and tried to get out with my seat belt still on.
“I recommend against leaving the car,” Clanker said in a cool voice.
I undid my seat belt and tumbled outside, dry heaving.
All I managed to feel was the heat and the smell of car fumes before I was yanked onto the sidewalk.
A truck shot past, way too close to our lane.
I stared after it with confusion, trying to wrap my head around what just happened.
If not for my bodyguard pulling me back at the last moment, that truck would have killed me.
“What…” I trailed off, remembering the corgi. I had to apologize and make sure it was unharmed, but the dog and its owner were nowhere to be seen.
As if all that wasn’t enough, an angry driver got out of the car behind me, his face red, his fists clenched.
“What the fuck are you doing, you dumb bitch?” he asked, rushing at me.
In the blink of an eye, Clanker stood between me and the man, its cool hand on my upper arm to keep me in place, its torso facing the assailant.
“Get back in your car,” my bodyguard said, its voice a commanding, masculine bark, so different from the one it used with me. I recoiled. “I am authorized to neutralize every threat to my principal’s life and wellbeing. You are a threat.”
The man’s face slackened as his gaze traveled up, taking in Clanker’s enormous size. He took a jerking step back then spat on the ground as his face twisted with fear and hate.
“Fucking robots,” he grunted, turning back to his car. “Learn to drive, you moron!”
Meanwhile, our car drove away on its own, parking itself neatly in the first free space down the block. Traffic moved along, the street loud with the sounds of cars, someone laughing nearby, someone talking fast in a hissing sort of language, probably not human.
I pulled in a deep breath that felt like the first in a very long time. Clanker led me under an awning in front of a colorful café, and gripped both my shoulders, lowering its face to mine.
“We are exposed,” it said slowly, its voice back to its normal, androgynous lilt. “I recommend getting back in the armored car. I will drive you safely to the airport. Alternatively, we can find secure accommodation and wait until you are capable of driving.”
I was about to answer when a soft, whistling sound pierced the air. Clanker’s lights went out, and it beeped a long, loud sound. Its palms on my shoulders tightened, and it shivered, its armor making soft, clinking sounds. It remained upright, but it seemed like it was offline.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, staring into its dark face.
“Vi-vi-vi-virus,” it said in a low, raspy voice, different from any other I heard from it before. “De-de-designed for Zenkyoza cy-cy-cyborgs. Sta-stand by.”
“What virus?” I asked, terror gripping my throat.
It was happening. I would be slaughtered by my own bodyguard. I tried to pry its fingers off me so I could run, but the thing’s hold was merciless. Clanker stood completely still, making no sounds at all. Its face was inches away from mine, its mouth hard, eyes still dark.
“Help,” I tried to scream, but my throat was so constricted, barely a squawk came out. “Somebody, please. Help!”
I flinched when its lights came on, purple and bright. I stared into them, wondering if it was infected now. Was purple light a sign of the virus taking hold?
“Help…” I whispered, barely hearing my own voice.
Its eyes went out for the briefest moment and then lit again. It was… a blink. I blinked back on reflex, and Clanker straightened, pressing me to the front of its body while its back faced the street. I was trapped between it and the wall.
“Shooter on the roof behind me,” it said in a low, gravely voice. “Objective: protect Sera at all costs.”
I had no time to answer, because Clanker picked me up and set off down the street at an inhuman pace. Its long legs pumped fast, its body barely jolting as its feet hit the ground.
The air whistled, and there was a low, metallic clang, but it didn’t slow it down. Our car’s doors opened, and Clanker shoved me in the back, jumping in the passenger seat. The car shot out of its parking spot and merged into traffic, the steering wheel moving on its own.
“Seat belt,” Clanker said without turning to me.
I was still lying across the back seats, one hand pressed to my madly pounding heart. I tried clearing my throat, but no sound came out. The car sped up, then turned sharply right.
“Seat belt because I need to go faster.”
So he drove—without even touching the controls. He controlled the car the way Charlie controlled screens and elevators at the MSA base.
I scrambled to sit up and fumbled with the clip. As soon as it clicked, the car roared ahead, zinging into the left lane to overtake two cars and merging back onto the right lane. I gasped. We almost crashed head-on into a red van.
My breathing was audible and harsh as I watched the world zoom by. It was surreal—like being in a car race in an action movie, only, I was in it, and I was going to die.
“Stop,” I whispered, panic and hysteria bursting in my chest. “Let me out.”
“Negative,” Clanker said, and did I imagine it, or was its voice even rougher? “You’ll die if you step out. Close your eyes if you can’t handle it.”
I didn’t. The car turned sharply left, brushing another sedan.
We were jolted with a screech of metal, but Clanker regained control at once.
We hurtled down the street, overtaking cars in short bursts.
I watched it with a slack-jawed terror as our car weaved between lanes seamlessly, jumping onto the left one to overtake one or two vehicles, then back just in time to avoid a deadly collision.
Police sirens blared behind us, but only briefly. I bit my nails, a nasty habit I was sure I got rid of years ago, but I couldn’t force myself to close my eyes. If I was going to die, I had to see it.
“Your heartbeat is dangerously elevated,” Clanker said, missing a towing truck by a hair’s breadth. We swerved onto the sidewalk, almost brushing an old lady supporting herself on a cane. “Let me address any worries you might have.”
A short, high-pitched laughter burst out of me, ending in a hiccup. “N-no thank you,” I said, my teeth chattering from stress. “B-better focus on d-driving.”
“I can multitask. Are you worried about the shooter? They followed us from headquarters, but we lost them for now.”
“You knew?” I asked, clutching the edge of my seat as a burst of speed pressed me into the backrest. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“We were safe inside the car, and there was no need to increase your anxiety level. Also, you forbade me from commenting on your driving. He was able to follow us because of it. You are barely competent behind the wheel.”
“What the fuck did you just… Aaaah!”
I shut my eyes on instinct when I saw a wall rushing us. The car veered sharply, and I was jostled, whimpering from terror. Any flicker of annoyance I had after Clanker’s words disappeared. Before I gathered my thoughts, it spoke again.
“I understand you’re upset by my assessment. Let me find a solution. Solution found. I’ll be the only driver from now on, allowing us to never discuss your abysmal driving skills.”
“You’re sassing me again.”
“Apologies.”
I stared at the back of his head, lost for words. This was no Charlie with his polished manners, nor was it the cold cyborg from before. I didn’t know what Clanker was anymore.
Or who. My brain just called him a he, didn't it? I had no resources left to focus on my bodyguard’s pronouns.
Clanker’s voice was definitely gritty and masculine in a way I associated with hardened men of action—policemen, firemen, soldiers. It was a voice belonging to someone who’d seen shit and possibly killed shit. With an ax.
“Is your voice different because of the virus?” I managed to squawk out, closing my eyes when we brushed shoulders with death for the umpteenth time today.
“In a sense.”
“Are you infected?”
“No.”
“Then what happened?”
“I believe I’ve awakened. Hold on tight.”
I was about to ask if he really meant it when the car burst ahead, the tires squealing. My eyes shot open. We did a 180-degree turn and sped down the street, passing a police car with blaring sirens.
“Hacking into the police system. Task complete.”
I gaped at the shiny back of his head, pressing both hands to my chest. My heart beat even faster, and it felt like it would hammer through my ribs and jump out.
“You can’t…” I began, but Clanker interrupted.
“It is well within my skillset, therefore, I can. Do you have a visa and a passport or do you require me to provide digital documents for you?”
I looked around wildly, locating my bag, its strap still across my body. It felt strange that it was still here after everything that happened.
“I have my documents,” I said. My voice trembled, and I cleared my throat, doing my best to get myself under control. We moved more sedately now, and no sirens were in pursuit. “I grabbed my getaway bag as soon as my car blew up. The visa is still valid. I intended…”
“To travel to Japan and expose Zenkyoza’s crimes.
In the future, I recommend against broadcasting your plans on your blog.
Checking for the name Sera Evans on Japanese servers…
Sera Evans blacklisted, to be denied entry.
Removing from the black list… Don’t have clearance. Attempting to reroute… Access denied.”
I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to focus. “What do you mean? I was blacklisted? But I have a visa!”
“That does not matter. Creating a false identity for Sera Evans… Crafting a full set of digital documents… Erasing the image of Sera Evans from all facial recognition databases… Erasing Sera Evans’ fingerprints from the database… Erasing vocal recognition patterns… Done. Here we are.”
“But I haven’t authorized any of that!” I exploded, opening my eyes to the sight of a travel-anxious crowd milling in front of the terminal.
My door opened, and Clanker reached over me, undoing my belt, then pulled me out of the car. It drove away as soon as the door slammed shut.
Clanker straightened, taking my hand into his cool, metallic one.
“I know. I believe taking initiative is something I enjoy. Let’s go.”