by Ruby Brown
“Shit...” Thea whispered, just as the man looked up and noticed them there.
“Hey! What are you doing here?” he said, his face going red in his anger. His speech was so slurred it was almost impossible to make out what he was saying, but Mal was surprised he could string a coherent sentence together.
“Follow my lead,” Thea whispered. Hurriedly, she folded his hands together and bowed her head jerkily. Mal copied her, doing her best to make her movements robotic and stiff.
“We apologise, sir,” said Thea. All emotion was gone from her voice, leaving it dull and empty. “We had been told to find an important document regarding the entrapment of the witch. We didn’t think to consult with you first.”
The man snorted and walked forwards until he was directly in front of them both, staring at the tops of their heads. Mal hoped the shaking of her hands wasn’t noticeable. Suddenly, he grabbed Mal’s chin and forced her head upwards so that she was staring directly into his eyes.
Mal tried not to gag as his alcohol saturated breath washed over her face. Up close, Mal could see that yellow stains on his teeth, the bits of food trapped in between them. “I’ve never seen your eyes before...” he said suspiciously.
“She’s a new build,” Thea said. The moment the words left her lips, Mal knew she had made a terrible mistake. She spoke a little too quickly, a little too shakily. The man’s head snapped around to look at her, his eyes narrowing.
Suddenly, the man grabbed Mal’s shoulders and spun her around. He grabbed her hood and pulled it down far enough that the back of Mal’s neck was exposed, peering at the skin. Mal didn’t know what he was looking for, but barely a second later he pulled her back around and grabbed the front of her mask. He pulled on it so hard that the strings holding it to her head broke. He tossed it aside so that it joined the rest of the debris on the floor, and when he saw Mal’s face he gasped.
“You!” he said angrily, reaching forward and seizing the front of her cloak.
Thea suddenly leapt at the man. They both fell over, smashing into the wall next to them. Mal went down with them, pulled by the grip the man still had on the front of her cloak. There was a moment of confused scuffling before Mal finally managed to pull herself free. She scrambled backwards just as Thea leapt to her own feet.
They locked eyes for a moment, and then the guard turned and started to run out the door. Mal made to follow her. She jumped over the man, who was still lying on the floor and struggling to lever himself up because of how heavy he was. But that didn’t stop him from snagging Mal’s ankle as she jumped.
Mal fell down hard, yelping in pain. She twisted around to see the man trying to claw his way up her leg to get to her, practically frothing at the mouth in his anger. Mal’s hands scrabbled on the floor as she tried to get away, and they landed on a broken quill. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. She jabbed the sharp end of the quill into the man’s eye. He yelled in pain and dropped her leg to clutch at his eye, blood pouring from his eye socket and staining the floor.
Mal launched herself to her feet and sprinted out the door. Thea had been waiting outside the door for her, and when they caught up to each other they ran together, their footsteps echoing off the high walls. As they got to the stairs, alarms started blaring from somewhere deep inside the building. Mal could hear doors slamming and people running, yelling, as they followed them.
The chase was on.
Mal followed Thea blindly through the twisting labyrinth of the building, hoping that she knew what she was doing. They rounded a corner and suddenly there was a pack of about five people. They crashed into them everyone went tumbling to the floor. There was a moment of dazed confusion before everyone recognised each other, a feat made almost impossible by the chalk-white masks everyone except Mal was wearing, and the fight resumed.
One of the mask-wearing individuals launched themselves at Mal, snarling and snapping crazily. Mal rolled over, avoiding their grasping hands my millimetres. She released several sharp bursts of Praethen energy. Her attackers crumpled to the floor. Mal didn’t know if they were unconscious or dead, and she didn’t wait to find out. She sprang forwards and seized the arm of Thea and the two took off down the corridor again.
Mal didn’t know how long she could keep running for. She hadn’t used her powers for a long time, and the energy that it took to bring down four attackers had left her emotionally and physically drained. She forced herself to keep running, relying on the pounding footsteps of their pursuers to keep her anxiety high.
They sprinted up the staircases and down the corridors, up a flight of stairs, and came face to face with a trapdoor. Thea threw it open and they ran outside, bursting out into the cool air. Suddenly, Thea stopped, and Mal ran into her. She fell on her back and looked up at Thea, who was staring straight ahead with wide eyes. “It’s just like you said...” she whispered. Mal looked at the horizon and realised that they were standing on a large island in the middle of the ocean. “After all this time...it was right here,” Thea said softly. Mal could hear the heartbreak in her voice, but it was immediately overtaken by the sound of gunfire. Mal jumped to her feet and seized Thea’s shoulders. “Come on,” she insisted, and pushed Thea forward. It was a lot harder to run on the soft sand, and Mal could only hope it had slowed the others down as well.
Thea led her to a small, battered two-person boat sheltered by some rocks. When they reached it, Thea seized it and started dragging it across the sand. As she did so, Mal spun around and started using her powers to shoot bullets of Praethen magic into the swarm of people moving forwards to attack them. Suddenly, there was an almighty bang and Mal yelled in pain as something struck her outstretched palm. She yelled in pain and realised that it was a bullet wound.
There was another bang and Mal dived behind the rocks that had previously been sheltering the boat. The bullets hit the sand just where Mal had been standing. She poked her head up above the rocks and continued shooting with her left hand, trying to go twice as fast to make up for the loss of her right hand. It was so draining though. She had never used so much of her powers in one go before. Her eyes started to droop, her reaction rates slowed. One of the bullets sizzled past her cheek. Mal ducked back down under the cover of the rocks and pressed a hand to her face. When she pulled it away, it was slick with blood.
“Shit...” Mal hissed.
“Mal! Get over here!”
Mal looked over and saw Thea climbing into the boat she’d managed to drag into the water. Mal ran towards her, ducking low to avoid the barrage of bullets. She jumped into the boat, and Thea jumped in after her. “Use your magic to propel us across the water!” Thea yelled.
Mal thrust her hand over the edge of the small wooden boat and summoned her magic. It burst forth from her hands and hit the water, streaming into it, acting as a propeller for the boat to move quickly forwards. It shot across the water, kicking up spray as Mal tried to keep it steady. She was surprised at how fast it was moving, but the incredible effort involved in keeping the boat moving was starting to take its toll. Her body started shaking, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she struggled to keep her powers going. She was painfully aware of the meter on her bracelet, getting lower and lower at a frightening rate.
Finally, when the island was just a distant speck on the horizon, Thea called “Okay! You can stop now!”
Trembling, exhausted, terrified, Mal collapsed onto the boat, drawing in huge gulps of air. Thea came and stood over her, looking down at her in concern through her mask. “Are you okay?” she asked nervously.
Mal blacked out.
Chapter 23
For a second, Mal forgot where she was. Terrified, she sat bolt upright, almost falling out of the boat in her haste. She looked wildly around her, feeling her heart rate increase as she realised she could see nothing but water, when her eyes fell on Thea, sitting at the front of the boat, trailing one hand in the water. Her eyes were shining brighter than the sun blazing overhead. Thea turned to look at
Mal and said softly “it’s just how you described it.”
Mal smiled, but then the events of the last few hours caught up with her in a sudden rush. Overwhelmed, she fell back onto the boat, breathing deeply. She sat up and said sternly “okay, I need an explanation.” She crossed her arms, hoping it would make her look more serious and intimidating, but really it was to give her something to hold on to. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what Thea was about to say.
Her guard looked away. “What do you mean?” she asked nervously.
You know what I mean. What was that place? Why was I there? Who are you? Where are you taking me?”
Mal’s guard fidgeted in her seat. “I don’t know where to start...” she said hesitantly.
“You could start by taking off your mask,” Mal said. “I can’t trust you if I don’t even know what you look like.”
Her guard hesitated, twisting her fingers together, tangling them in the loose folds of her cloak. Then she sighed. “Fine. Just...don’t freak out, okay?”
She raised her hands to the smooth, white edges of the mask covering her face. Her fingertips skimmed them for a second before curling underneath the mask and pulling it off in one smooth motion. Once the mask was off, she shook out her hair and then looked at Mal with pleading eyes, asking her to accept her for what she was.
Mal stared at the face of her guard. In the many weeks she had spent down in those dungeons, she had often entertained herself by wondering what her guard looked like. Mal now saw that she had smooth, pale skin, pale rose lips and soft brown hair that fell to her shoulders. Her blue eyes, more intense now that the mask was off, reminded Mal of the sky on a clear summer day. But that wasn’t what grabbed her attention.
The skin of her guard’s right cheek had been completely ripped off, leaving a gaping hole with jagged edges. But underneath the skin, there wasn’t flesh and blood, as one might expect. Instead, there was machinery. Made of shining silver steel, it whirred and clanked softly as the wheels and cogs turned smoothly, never once pausing in their movement. Mal looked back at the eyes of her guard, peering closely. Suddenly, she noticed that the eyes weren’t quite...human. There was something off about them, something Mal couldn’t quite put her finger on. Whatever it was, it scared her.
“What...are you?” Mal whispered softly.
Thea looked away, staring into the distance. She seemed to be lost in the tangled labyrinth of her own mind. Then she took a deep breath and started talking. “About fifteen years ago, the island that we just escaped from was home to a research base. They were studying artificial intelligence, building robots that could talk and walk and think for themselves. Despite using...questionable...methods to make their robots as lifelike as possible, they achieved amazing results. I was the first truly successful AI robot that they ever built. They named me Thea, after the leading scientist’s dead daughter.
“Before showing this amazing technology to the rest of the world, they wanted to make sure that I was working perfectly. They tested me, updated me, and rebuilt parts of me until I was as human as they could make me. They trained me to obey orders given by my master, no matter what they were. I was the ultimate servant, completely and unwaveringly loyal.”
Thea paused for a moment before continuing. “I was about six years old when it happened. They had just finished an update on me. They were re-crafting the skin that goes over the machinery. They were just starting to cover my right cheek when suddenly a group of people burst in, shooting fire and ice and water from their hands. The lead scientist, the one who named me after his daughter, grabbed me off of the table and pulled me down to sit with him behind it. He said ‘stay safe, okay? I can’t lose you like I lost her.’ I promised him I’d stay down and he ran away to help his friends. I heard screaming, lots of screaming. Then it all went quiet.
“I poked my head around the table to see what was happening. They were all dead. One of the fire people was burning their bodies. I screamed when I saw the lead scientist’s body burning. They all turned around and found me. I tried to run, but they caught me. They were just about to kill me when their leader told them to stop. He looked at the machinery in my face and asked me if I was one of the robots they had created.
“I told them yes, and over the next few years they kept me prisoner, studied me and the notes the scientists left behind so that they could build a robot army of their own. After a while, they used us for the menial tasks they didn’t want to do themselves, like looking after the prisoners they captured and cleaning up after they tortured them. I’m not sure exactly what they were after. They kept speaking about some kind of ‘ultimate power’ and ‘revenge’.
“Anyway, over the years I became less and less obedient. You humans have a lot of stories about artificial intelligence becoming too intelligent. I think that’s exactly what happened with me. I started to disagree with them. I hated following their orders, but I still wasn’t strong enough to overcome them. When you came here, I was determined to save you. They treated you worse than any of the other prisoners there. Gradually, I learnt how to overcome their orders. I started small, like bringing you food and coming into your cell to talk with you sometimes, but eventually I was able to break you out. I’m sorry it took so long.”
It took Mal a few seconds to realise that Thea had stopped talking. Startled, she stammered out “Th-that’s okay.”
Thea smiled, and then looked away, her face falling. “You hate me now, don’t you? You’re scared of me, think I’m strange.”
Mal grinned. “You’re not that strange compared to some of the people that I hang out with.” Her thoughts immediately went to the friends she had left back at Tenebar. Thomas’ smile, the vibrant red of Rose’s hair, Dallas’ strange eyes...she thought of Trixie and felt her heart tighten. She hoped Trixie was okay.
“That sounds really awesome...” Thea said wistfully. Mal looked up and saw that she was staring off into the distance, a faraway look in her eyes.
“Hey, you should come back there with me,” Mal said gently.
Thea’s head snapped round to stare at Mal, her pale blue eyes wide. “Are you sure? I mean, you really think I could?”
Mal smiled. “Well, yeah. You saved my life after all. I kinda owe you. Besides, you don’t have anywhere else to go.”
Thea grinned. She seemed to be completely lost for words.
Mal looked up at the sky and said “it’s getting late. We should probably get some sleep. It’s getting late.”
“Yeah, okay sure,” Thea said. “You’re right; I do need to recharge my batteries.” Mal blinked a few times before she remembered.
They both lay down on the ground, curling up under separate blankets. Just as Mal had closed her eyes, Thea said “Mal?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
Mal smiled. “You’re welcome.”
She heard Thea chuckle softly and then roll over. Mal shut her eyes again and within minutes she was asleep, feeling safe for the first time in ages.
Chapter 24
“People are looking at us...” Mal hissed as she walked into the train station with Thea.
“Just act natural,” Thea responded.
Mal didn’t blame the people for the nervous glances they shot their way. She and Thea were both dressed in oversized jumpers with the hoods pulled up high enough to conceal their faces. Paired with the jeans and combat boots they also wore, they looked like your stereotypical troublesome teenagers on their way to a drug deal.
Avoiding eye contact, Mal and Thea walked around the back of the benches and leant against the plastic wall there, trying to look as intimidating as possible to avoid any unwanted questions. Luckily, they didn’t have to be there for long. A few minutes later a train headed for the city pulled into the station.
The rest of the occupants on the station leapt into the train, grateful for an excuse to get away from Mal and Thea. The relieved expressions on their faces changed to horrified ones as soon as they realised Mal a
nd Thea were also getting on the train.
Mal took a seat as far away from other people as she could while Thea bought their tickets from the machine. When she came back, she handed Mal the small slip of paper. Mal gripped it in her hand, fiddling with it in an attempt to calm her nerves. She glanced upwards at the diagram showing all the different stops this train was taking before it finally reached the city.
“So...where exactly are we going?” Mal asked, confused, still inspecting the diagram.
Thea glanced up at where Mal was looking and scoffed. “You won’t find it on there. Just sit tight, you’ll find out soon enough.”
Mal waited apprehensively, still playing nervously with her ticket as the train went past all the different stops on its route before finally getting to the city. Since this was the last stop on the train, Mal moved to get up, but Thea grabbed her arm and pushed her back down into the seat. “Don’t leave the train,” she hissed.
“But this is the last stop...” Mal said, confused.
“Shush! Just look busy so the humans don’t suspect anything,” Thea said as she pulled out a purse from her jacket pocket and dropped it on the floor, kicking it under the chair. She bent down to retrieve it, taking much longer. Panicking slightly, Mal dropped to her knees and started fiddling with the laces of her shoes, hoping that people would think she was tying them up even though they were clearly already tied.
Glancing up from under her lashes, Mal could see that there was an unusual amount of people fussing around on the train, procrastinating getting off of it. They were all fiddling with something or another and being oddly clumsy, like the old lady sitting a few metres away from Mal who was putting some things into her purse and kept ‘dropping’ them. At one point, when she bent down to grab the drink bottle she had dropped, she angled her purse in such a way that the entire contents came spilling out onto the floor.