Perfection

by Melissa Koberlein

  Evie laughed, glancing at Iris in her mirror. “You don’t have to pretend you want to. I don’t like to play all the time either.”

  Iris sat up. “You don’t?”

  “Um, yeah. You don’t have to like Adam’s game to be human, you know.”

  “That’s a relief. I feel like I’m always pretending.” The muscles in her face relaxed. She touched her cheek, feeling its supple plumpness.

  “Iris! You’re smiling for real. God, I wish I wasn’t driving and had my sketchbook.” She glanced at Adam. “Look at her. She’s smiling.”

  Adam narrowed his eyes at Evie and then Iris, pursing his lips. “At my expense.”

  “Don’t listen to him. His obsession with DP is obscene,” Evie said.

  Iris moved her fingers to her lips, which were still spread wide. This was what a real smile felt like.

  When they arrived at the arcade, Jack was standing behind the counter at the front, swaying to what Iris detected as the band, Van Halen. Daisy was behind the counter at the snack bar. Her hair was purple. Iris was still acclimating to Adam and Evie’s friends, including Jack and Daisy, but with each day, she trusted a little more.

  Daisy glanced up and waved. “Hi, kids.”

  Adam bumped Iris’s shoulder and nodded toward Daisy. “She changes her hair color frequently.”

  Iris narrowed her eyes, wondering why a person would do that.

  “It’s a fashion statement,” Evie added.

  “Fashion?” Iris looked at Evie, her eyes large with curiosity.

  Adam said, “Look it up.”

  Iris nodded, and her eyes fluttered as she retrieved the information she sought. Thirty seconds later, she exhaled and looked down at the clothes Evie lent her. “I do not like my fashion.”

  Adam laughed, and Evie punched him in the arm.

  “Oh, I see,” Adam said. “You can make fun of me, but when the joke’s on you—”

  Iris interrupted, “Evie, I am sorry I do not like your clothes. But I am thankful you gave me something to wear.”

  Evie shook her head and rolled her eyes. “It’s okay. I’m sorry I don’t have more fashionable things for you.”

  Mazy, Evie’s friend, walked through the front door behind them. “Hey guys, what’s going on?”

  Iris looked at Mazy, armed with her new knowledge. She wore denim leggings, tall brown boots with a patterned sock peeking out the top, a cream-colored turtleneck, and powder pink coat. Her shoulder-length golden blond hair was pulled back in a low ponytail.

  “You look wonderful,” Iris said, reaching for the lapel of Mazy’s coat.

  Mazy backed up but smiled, looking from Iris to Adam to Evie. “Is she okay, guys?”

  Iris pulled her hand back and looked at Adam for reassurance. Adam’s friends were still wary of her, and she promised him that she would not harm anyone. Still, humans were so easily startled. She didn’t have her internal weaponry anymore so they were mostly safe.

  “Yeah. She just researched fashion, and you are apparently on par,” said Evie.

  “Oh, well, in that case,” Mazy said, taking off her coat. “You should have it. It will look great with your eyes and hair, and I just got a new coat anyway.”

  “Really?” Iris’s heart fluttered, her eyes wide with anticipation.

  “Of course.” Mazy held up the coat and indicated for Iris to turn around so that she could slide her arms into the sleeves.

  Iris acquiesced as Mazy eased the coat up her arms, and the thin, silky liner slid over her skin. It reminded Iris of how her fingers travelled over the barrel of her favorite revolver back at Bio-Core—so silky. Once on, Iris turned around a few times, feeling the softness of the lapel and pockets. Her skin tingled, her CPU lighting up with pleasure.

  “It looks great on you,” Evie said.

  “Really?” Iris asked.

  Mazy nodded. “Yeah, it does, but—” She held open the coat and stared at Evie’s worn T-shirt. “This doesn’t work.”

  Iris sighed. “I know. I informed Evie.”

  Evie crossed her arms and narrowed her dark-lined eyes at Mazy. “You know…first my makeup, now my clothes. It just never gets old. Do you have anything to add, Adam?”

  Adam’s eyes shifted nervously. and the jukebox changed songs. After hearing a few bars, Iris decoded it as “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell.

  Jack looked up from the magazine he was reading. “Hey, I was listening to that.”

  Evie sighed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

  The front door opened again, and Gage walked inside. “Nice coat, Iris.”

  “I thought you were practicing basketball.” Iris studied Gage, her heartrate ratcheting up a notch. He looked identical to Steel. She stepped closer. Gage’s eyes were different from Steel’s, not in color but in demeanor. Unlike Steel, Gage’s light brown eyes sparkled with flecks of green and amber.

  Gage raised his eyebrows. “Um, we couldn’t because you trashed the backboard, remember?”

  “Right. Of course.” Iris looked down at the floor.

  Gage looked past her. “What are you guys up to? Want to play some DP?”

  “Yeah, sounds good.” Adam glanced at the girls. “You guys in?”

  Mazy shook her head. “I don’t think so. Iris, do you want to go shopping with me at Dalia’s?”

  “What is Dalia’s?”

  “It’s the local clothing boutique. She’s actually got some really cool stuff. You in?”

  Iris turned away and did a quick search for clothing boutique and computed the regular transactions that occurred there. “I am unable to shop with you. I do not have money.”

  Mazy nodded. “Oh.”

  “Here.” Gage reached into his back pocket for something. He held out a plastic card. “Take my card. Whatever she needs.”

  Iris stared at the card in between Gage’s fingers.

  Mazy, on the other hand, wasted no time and plucked it from his grasp. “Are you for real?”

  Gage glanced at Iris. “Sure. That’s what friends are for, right?”

  Iris’s mouth twitched as she took a step toward Gage. “I will purchase something that you will like.”

  Gage’s skin tone reddened. His eyes darted to the floor and back. “That’s okay. Just get what you like.”

  Under her breath, Mazy said, “Wish you were this generous when we were dating.”

  Iris’s heart clenched. She placed her hand on her chest, trying to detect the cause. Under Adam’s direction, she’d done some research about dating. So far, the dating rituals Iris learned about seemed odd and time-consuming and certainly didn’t explain the slight pain in her chest.

  “Thank you, Adam’s friend, Gage,” Iris said.

  “Just Gage.”

  Iris nodded and whispered, “Just Gage.”

  “See you guys.” Gage turned and headed toward the back of the arcade with Adam, leaving the girls in the front.

  “You coming, Evie?” Mazy asked.

  Evie shrugged. “Why not? Apparently I need some fashion help.”

  “I am glad that you see that now.” Iris smiled and patted Evie on the shoulder.

  Mazy covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.

  Evie rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Let’s go.”

  3

  Dance Paradise

  Gage

  There was something about Iris that got under his skin. When he first met Adam, he seemed like a dorky kid who loved to game. Granted, he turned out to be an android. Not that Gage cared or anything. He actually thought it was cool.

  But Iris? She was different. She was having a hard time acclimating. But there was a curiousness about her that was fascinating—like she didn’t care how she came across when she experienced something new. He smiled. There was also the fact that she was incredibly hot, which was probably why he forked over his credit card.

  “So, did you ever see Iris at Bio-Core?” Gage raised his eyebrows.

  Adam tapped on the DP console, deciding on a song. “Ye
ah, she was around.”

  “Around? What did she do there?” Gage moved closer, his pulse increasing.

  “The same thing I did all day.” Adam continued to stare at the console.

  “What were the SIMs like?”

  Adam turned toward Gage and raised his eyebrows. “Oh. Well, there were different kinds. Some were like a capture the flag. Some were search and rescue. Then there were survival SIMs.” He shuddered as if bad memories came back to him. “Those were hardcore.”

  Gage had a sinking feeling in his stomach. His family’s company was to blame for what Adam and Iris had endured. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault, and it’s in the past.” Adam glanced back at the console. “Do you have a preference?”

  Gage looked down at the touch screen. He scrolled and selected a song.

  Adam smiled. “Cool.”

  They walked over to the lit-up footprints and followed the instructions on the screen to calibrate their body movements.

  “Did she have, like, certain weapon preferences or anything?” Gage asked.

  Watching the screen, Adam answered, “I suppose so. I only had SIMs with her when I was recaptured. She was great double-fisted with submachine guns.”

  Gage stopped moving. “Are you serious?”

  Adam shrugged. “Yeah. Why? What did you expect me to say?”

  “I don’t know.” Gage pursed his lips. “I just didn’t expect that. I guess it’s hard to think about her that way.”

  “Do you like Iris?” Adam raised his eyebrow at Gage.

  “What? No.” Gage shook his head and looked back up at the screen, his cheeks warming. “We’re just friends.”

  “Okay, cool. Ready?” Adam looked back up at the screen.

  “Yeah.”

  The guitar riff from “Paradise City” by Guns and Roses surrounded them. Gage followed his avatar on screen and moved around to the spots that lit up for him. The first time he played DP, he wasn’t sure if he would like it, let alone be any good at it. He didn’t think of himself as a dancer, or at least, he wasn’t on the same level as Adam. But he wasn’t bad either. He definitely preferred rock songs over the rest. He also wished Adam could update and add some more current music, but Jack would never allow that—eighties only.

  Adam hit his bonus freestyle first and started with some acrobatics. He had recently studied some YouTube videos on gymnastics to incorporate into his dancing. Gage clapped and continued following his avatar until his freestyle was full. He turned and did a back-flip, mimicking Adam.

  “Nice one!” Adam said.

  “You’re not the only one who watches YouTube.” Gage continued moving around the floor to the beat until his freestyle ended. Returning to his starting place, the two battled back and forth, Adam always slightly in the lead. The song ended, and Gage put his hands on his knees, his breath coming fast. “That was fun.”

  Adam smiled. “Yeah, it’s one of my favorites.”

  “They’re all your favorites.” Gage laughed.

  “True.”

  Gage stood up and walked over to Adam, slapping his hand. “You’re probably bored because no one can ever beat you.”

  Adam grinned. “I don’t mind being a winner.”

  “I bet.” Then he had a thought. “What about Iris? I bet if she practiced, she could take you.”

  Adam narrowed his eyes at Gage. “I don’t think it works that way. I mean, sure, we’ve got a lot going on up here.” He pointed to his temple. “But she’d also have to be passionate about dancing, which I don’t think she is.”

  “I guess that makes sense.” Gage’s mind drifted to what other things Iris might be passionate about.

  “You are thinking about Iris an awful lot for only wanting to be friends.”

  “I swear—”

  Adam chuckled. “Not my business, man.”

  “Let’s go play some Dragon’s Lair.” Gage turned to head out to the front of the arcade.

  “I’ll never understand why people like that game so much.” Adam followed.

  Gage watched while Adam took his turn. It would be a while before he’d lose. He wandered over to the snack bar and took a seat where Daisy was busy cleaning the counters. Adam had brought up a good point. Why was he so curious about Iris when she was inside Bio-Core? Maybe it was because Bio-Core was his family’s company. He did feel somewhat responsible for what happened to her now. Or, if he was being totally honest with himself, he found her attractive. She did have an amazing body and amazing eyes. She also had a way of carrying herself that was so strong and confident. He laughed inwardly. Probably because she grew up with a pair of machine guns in her hands.

  Daisy made her way over to the spot of counter in front of Gage. “Hey,” she said, stopping dead in her tracks, Clorox wipe mid-swipe. “Whoa. Gage Strickland, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve got boobs on the brain.”

  His jaw dropped, his cheeks heating. “Oh my God, Daisy. No.”

  “Oh.” She swayed side to side in a pseudo-seductive dance, her eyebrow arched. “It’s a whole girl then, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know.” He inhaled sharply and stared down at the counter. If anyone could see straight through him, it was Daisy. When he was a kid, he used to get his granddad’s driver to take him here. He didn’t have many friends that lived up the mountain, and Luke and Derrick had been his best friends forever. Since Daisy was their aunt, they always hung out together. Plus, she always had this uncanny ability to know what was going on inside his head, and she was especially great at solving problems. He thought of her as a very special aunt even though they weren’t related. Gage smiled. He missed her favorite remedy—tot-chos.

  Daisy started back up her methodic swipes of the counter. “Well, I don’t know how to tell you this, but she’s either in there or she isn’t.”

  “What do you think about Iris?”

  She shrugged a shoulder in contemplation, her swirls with the wipe getting larger and larger. “She seems nice enough. Although she still has a lot to learn. Why? What do you think about her?” She glanced up at him expectantly.

  Daisy and Jack were fully aware of what Adam and, now, Iris were. When Adam told them, they didn’t even bat an eye. Jack even made a comment about what a relief it was that he was an android instead of a religious zealot. Apparently, Adam’s lack of knowledge about holidays was a thing. As long as he’d known Jack and Daisy, they’d always been the accepting types.

  “I’m not sure. She’s pretty, and I can sorta tell she’s nice. But then she does really awkward stuff.” Gage’s mind drifted back to the gym that morning.

  “I’d know that look anywhere. Just haven’t ever seen it on your mug.”

  “What look?”

  She smirked in that knowing sort of way she had, like she knew the mysteries of the universe but wouldn’t share a single tidbit. “Never mind. How about you give her some time? I remember when Adam first came to us, he was a hot mess. You’d think we would have figured out his secret right away after he kept changing the songs on the jukebox.”

  Gage laughed. “Yeah, I guess.”

  The front door opened and closed. “Gage?”

  “Hello, Mr. Strickland,” Daisy said, rolling her eyes at Gage, out of view from his granddad.

  Gage turned around and faced his granddad. Their relationship had been tenuous ever since the incident at Bio-Core. “Hey, Granddad. What’s up?”

  Sam Strickland glanced around at the arcade, a wary look on his face. “Let’s go. I need to speak with you.”

  Jack, who was behind the counter at the front, sauntered over and clapped Sam on the shoulder. “Sam. How are you?”

  Sam looked down at the wrinkled, tie-dyed T-shirt Jack wore then at the hand on his back. Gage covered his mouth to hide his smile. Sam peeled Jack’s hand off his shoulder. “Yes, well, just fine.” He glanced around, his face reading just south of a shot of pickle juice. “The place looks—”

  “Gooood,” Jack
filled in, nodding slowly.

  “Right. Well, good to see you.” Sam distanced himself from Jack and looked back at Gage again. “Shall we?”

  “’Kay.” Gage hopped off the stool and nodded at Daisy. “Thanks for the chat.”

  She smiled. “Any time, shug.”

  Once they were outside, Sam led Gage over to his car. Alec was there and opened that back door.

  Gage shook his head. “I have my car.”

  “This can’t wait. We need some privacy. Get in.”

  “Okay.” Gage raised his hands.

  Sam slid in and turned toward Gage as Alec shut the door. “We need to talk about your brother.”

  Something in the pit of Gage’s stomach dropped, and his breath stuck in his throat, even though his brother’s name was on his tongue—Steel.

  “I’ve tried my best to neutralize him, but he’s become a bit of a wildcard since you two met.”

  “So what does that mean?” Gage didn’t like where this conversation was going. What did Steel want?

  Sam sighed and looked down at his hands. “It means that now that you know about him, he’s decided to stick around. You need to be on guard. He can be dangerous.”

  “Can be? I think it’s his MO.” Gage looked out the tinted window. “Are you ever going to fill me in on why Steel and I grew up separately?”

  “It’s not a simple thing. Your mother—” Sam’s voice choked up as tears filled his eyes.

  Gage turned back to his granddad, who was pressing a hand to his chest. He didn’t know how long he still had with him. His last checkup revealed that his heart wasn’t keeping up with his duties at Bio-Core, and talking about Ryssa Strickland seemed to make things worse. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.”

  “No, it’s not that. I just miss your mom.” Sam wiped away a stray tear from the corner of his eye. “Your brother is different.”

  “You mean his ability to speak through thoughts?”

  “Yes, that, but also, his lack of empathy, it would seem.”

  Gage looked out the window. “Yeah, we couldn’t be more different.”

  Any mild interest in getting to know him dissipated every time he thought about what he’d done to his friends. Then, Gage’s thoughts drifted to the mother he never knew. Was she aware of anything? Did she know that one of her sons was destined to be a complete psychopath? He sought out his granddad’s eyes. “Should I go see her?”