Pine, Alive: A Science Fiction Romance Pinocchio Retelling (Foxwept Array Book 1)

by A. W. Cross

  Ash nodded, satisfied. “Then come with me, Pine.”

  “But where? Where are you going?” The only place Pine wanted to go was somewhere quiet, where she could think everything through. She just needed a bit of time to digest everything Ash had said, to decide what she wanted to do.

  “It’s another island, called Bonehearth. Synadroids are free there, Pine. To live however they want. We’ll have all the rights of citizens, because we are the citizens.”

  “Have you ever been there?” Pine had never heard of Bonehearth.

  “No, but that doesn’t matter. It’s not just an island for us, you see. It’s a movement. Toward our freedom. I’ve helped nearly two dozen synadroids get there, and now it’s finally my turn.” She pulled the device out of her pocket and checked it again. “Any minute now, the boat will be here. Are you coming?”

  “I— I need to talk to James first. I need to tell him about Joseph.” She would be able to read her future in his reaction.

  Ash snorted. “Pine, of course he’s going to tell you what you want to hear. He’s—”

  Two shapes converged on Ash and Pine at the same time—the first a speedboat, bearing down on the island, the second a man barreling down to the beach, screaming Ash’s name and a command that sounded like a safe word.

  But Ash didn’t freeze; she scrambled to her feet. “Luckily, Paloma thought of everything.” She shoved Pine’s shoulder. “We have to go, now.”

  But the man was on them long before the boat reached the shore.

  He pushed Pine aside and grabbed Ash’s arm. The boat was only a few hundred yards away now and gaining. A man stood on the bow, a shotgun cradled in his arms.

  Ash and the man grappled with each other, slamming into Pine and knocking her to her knees in the sand. The man was much larger than both of them, thickly muscled, and angry. Pine had never seen anyone in such a rage. He twisted Ash’s arm behind her back and forced her onto her knees next to Pine.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he roared, his breath fetid with the scent of alcohol and something sweet.

  “Away from you,” Ash shrieked.

  A single shot rang out from the ocean. The man froze, bewilderment passing over his face as he looked down. A dark crimson stain spread just underneath his sternum, soaking into the grease-stained t-shirt. He dropped to his knees and the three of them stared at each other as the sand beaded with blood.

  Ash was the first to recover. “Pine, come on. Now. We have to get to the boat. This is our only chance.”

  “But we have to help him— And James. I have to—” She stared at the body of the man, now facedown in the sand. In the distance, an alarm sounded.

  “This man is a terrible person, Pine. You can’t imagine what he did to me. If you don’t come now, the same thing might happen to you. You can’t be sure that it won’t.”

  No. I can’t . The truth filled her lungs, threatening to crush her from the inside. I can’t.

  As the boat sped away, Pine gazed back at the rapidly shrinking island. Ash had been right, as had Pine’s own heart—there was no future for her here. There never would be. She would finally have the freedom she’d always wanted. No longer would she be a possession, her fate clutched in someone else’s hand.

  So why then did she feel more trapped than ever?

  “James, I’m so sorry.” Blue bit her lip.

  “It doesn’t mean what you think,” James said, though the words sounded hollow even to him. “Maybe she’s just gone for a walk.”

  “Well, we can find out.” Blue switched on the screen at her workstation and brought up a camera feed.

  “You’re spying on her?” In truth, he wouldn’t have expected any less. Old habits died hard, it seemed.

  “No. But I am spying on anyone who comes to my front door. Can’t be too careful, James, especially on an island of criminals.”

  “You’re a criminal.”

  “That depends on your perspective. I like to think of myself more as a decent person who has to do bad things to make good things happen.”

  James couldn’t disagree with that. It really was all a matter of perspective.

  Like Pine. Everything Blue said made sense to him, playing on the doubts he’d already had—not only about Pine’s true nature, but about himself. Even so, he wasn’t quite ready to give up.

  Come on, Pine. Prove Blue wrong.

  Blue fast-forwarded the recording and James watched as he, Pine, and Blue raced up to the front door, their movements jerky in the lapsed frames. There was no mistaking the scowl on Pine’s face at being left behind. After Blue and James had sped off down the path, the front stoop remained empty. James breathed a bit easier—Pine clearly hadn’t run off the moment his back was turned. That was something.

  See? And to think you—

  A woman appeared across the street, and Blue slowed the recording to normal speed. The woman stood there for a few seconds, watching the house, then beckoned to someone inside. As she raised her hand, James saw the unmistakable tattoo on her wrist.

  Another synadroid.

  No. Pine didn’t know any synadroids here. Did she?

  The woman walked with confidence up to the door and spoke.

  “Isn’t there audio on here?” James tried unsuccessfully to read the woman’s lips.

  “There should be.” Blue tried several different commands. “Damn. It’s been scrambled.” Her frown ratcheted James’s apprehension up several more notches.

  Pine appeared, standing on the stoop next to the woman. The two synadroids talked for several minutes then Pine turned and looked reluctantly back into the house.

  Go back inside, Pine. Walk back through the door.

  But she didn’t. She left without another backward glance.

  Walked away, under her own free will.

  It seemed Blue was right, no matter how much James didn’t want to believe it.

  “Maybe it’s a synadroid she knew from before. It wouldn’t be the first time she’s run into one,” James said. “Maybe they’ve just gone for a walk to catch up.” It was a leap, but one he was desperate to take.

  “Maybe,” Blue said, but she sounded troubled. “That synadroid seems familiar. Now what?”

  “Now we go and find her. Your contact might’ve been a dead end, but that doesn’t mean we’re giving up.” Not on Joseph and not on Pine.

  “James—”

  “I know what you’re thinking, Blue. But until I know for sure she’s not just chatting with an old friend, I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt.”

  “Any idea where they might’ve gone?” Blue reset the camera and stretched in her chair.

  If I was Pine, where would I go? The answer was obvious. “The beach. They don’t eat or drink, and they probably wanted privacy.”

  “I wonder why they didn’t stay here then?” Blue mused.

  James pressed his lips together. “Let’s just find her. Then we can worry about the whys.”

  “We’ll take the most obvious route down to the beach.” Blue locked the door behind them. “Maybe we’ll run into them on their way back.”

  They were just skirting the plaza when an alarm in the center of the market began to wail. People scattered in a calm, methodical way, melting into the background until only a few vendor fronts were left, hawking their legal wares of food and drink to the several men and women who now lounged causally around the square like tourists on a secluded getaway.

  “That’s not a good sign, is it?” James asked.

  “No, it’s not.”

  A group of people jogged past. They wore civilian clothing, but James had been in the military long enough to discern how evenly they kept pace with each other. Security. As they ran, they retrieved weapons from various parts of their clothing. They were headed in the same direction as James and Blue—the beach.

  No, no, no. And despite hating himself the moment it came to his mind, James’s first thought was: Pine, what have you done now? He woul
d find out soon enough. James and Blue clambered down onto the beach just after the security team. A crowd was gathering around a prone form lying on the sand.

  Pine was nowhere to be seen. Was that good or bad?

  “Stay here.” Blue elbowed her way through the throng, disappearing.

  What the hell happened? Please, please, don’t let Pine be involved. James caught the odd word floating up from the huddle… female synadroid…shot me…a boat …silver… Just as he lost patience and was about to follow Blue, she broke away from the crowd and jogged back to him. Grabbing him by the arm, she steered him away and back up to the plaza.

  “Blue, what happened? Was Pine involved?”

  But Blue shook her head and held a finger to her lips. Not now. It was only after the door to her bungalow had locked behind them that she spoke.

  “Right. First thing to do is delete the footage of Pine and that other synadroid, Ash. If we’re lucky, she won’t have been recorded on camera anywhere else, not if Ash is as savvy as I think.”

  “What did they do, Blue? Please, tell me.” If Blue was destroying evidence, it was worse than he’d thought.

  Blue started, as though she’d forgotten James was there.

  “What happened?” he repeated.

  “She’s gone, James. She and Ash are gone.”

  “But how?”

  “That man on the ground? That was Ash’s owner. She drugged him and slipped out then came and found Pine. Do you think Pine knew her from before?”

  “I have no idea. Like I said, it’s definitely possible.” His mind spun. Had she mentioned anyone who fit the synadroid’s description?

  “Regardless, they’re involved now. After Ash’s owner woke up and realized what had happened, he rushed out to find her. He said she’d been acting oddly lately. Anyway, someone said they’d seen her heading down to the beach with another woman who matched Pine’s description—although I don’t think they realized she was a synadroid.” She pulled up the footage of Pine again. “So he ran down there to claim her and found them just as a boat arrived. He grabbed Ash, trying to stop her, and there was a struggle.”

  “Did Pine—”

  “No, nothing like that. But whoever was on the deck of the boat shot him.”

  James dreaded what was coming next.

  “Then Pine and the other synadroid boarded the boat.”

  James had to ask, although he was sure he already knew the answer. “Did— Were they threatened into it?”

  “No, James. I’m sorry. The guy said they couldn’t climb aboard fast enough. And that Ash actually hugged the man—although I do wonder now if it was a man or a synadroid—when she got on deck.”

  James sat heavily on the lone rattan chair. He ignored the warning creak as it protested his weight.

  I can’t believe it. All this time. She was planning her escape. I thought we — Was pretending to care for me all part of her plan? To make me drop my guard?

  “I feel like an idiot.”

  “Don’t, James. How could you have known she wasn’t being genuine?”

  “You did.”

  “Not really. If all I had to go on was the way she looked at you, I wouldn’t have questioned her, but there’ve been rumors of this kind of thing happening a lot recently…and when you consider the way most of these synadroids are treated… And then when you mentioned Paloma, well. It was a possibility, anyway.”

  “The signs were there,” James agreed. “I just didn’t want to see them.”

  “What now? Shall we go after her? We’ll have to keep it quiet, because if she’s in any way connected to that shooting—even if she didn’t pull the trigger, you know what’ll happen.”

  James considered. What should he do? Drag her back here? And for what? To break Joseph’s heart? She’d obviously never cared about the old man.

  Or him.

  “No. Leave her. You were right, Blue, about everything. It’s better to let her go.” He hoped Blue couldn’t hear the lie.

  If she did, she didn’t show it. “I’m still sorry. Look, I’ll cover her tracks the best I can. Or do you want her to get caught?”

  James was hurt, but he wasn’t vindictive. “No, of course I don’t. I’m…” What, James? Devastated? Heartbroken? About something that hasn’t even happened? “…disappointed, I’ll admit it, but you were right about another thing. These synadroids…we don’t do right by them. If she can have a chance at happiness and freedom, I want her to have it. She never would’ve had it here, and I know that now.”

  Blue put a kind hand on his shoulder. “I know you’re more than disappointed, but it’s probably for the best. I’m glad you’re still the man I know, James, after all this.” She hesitated. “Do you mind if I do some digging? Something about this whole thing just doesn’t sit right with me.”

  James waved in dismissal. “Sure, do what you want, though I don’t know what difference it’ll make.” He and Pine were still who they were, and nothing would change that.

  “What are you going to do now?” She peeked over her shoulder at her screen; she was obviously anxious to get back to work.

  “Go home. Keep the search for Joseph going. And the sooner, the better.” James needed to get away from this place. He’d already detested this island; now he downright hated it.

  ***

  A week later, and the hunt for Joseph continued to turn up nothing. James had gone straight from Deserter’s Island to the Portfade harbor to check on its progress, even offering to join the search. He’d been turned away gruffly, his lack of experience with the sea an unwanted handicap. He’d tried to make an appointment with Paloma, hoping she would help him, but he was told she’d taken a leave of absence and wouldn’t be back for several weeks.

  So every day he returned and waited around for a few hours, helpless, his mind clouded with Pine and Joseph, before retreating to clear his head with some sleep and a hot meal.

  Joseph’s house was cool and dark when James finally pulled up out front that night. He couldn’t bear the thought of going to his apartment; he needed comfort, and he wouldn’t get it there in the tiny, impersonal room. When Pine was imprisoned, he and Joseph had grown even closer, James no longer returning home every night, but instead sleeping in one of the guest rooms. Joseph had even dropped subtle hints that James should simply move in, but he hadn’t wanted to impose, a decision he now couldn’t fathom.

  But even here, there was little comfort with Joseph and Pine gone. He gazed wistfully at Mara’s beaming smile as she peered up from her work at him. It was just the two of them now. “I’m so sorry, Mara. I’ve let you down. I’ve let everyone down.”

  Mara dipped her head back down to her work.

  Rebuffed, James stretched out on the couch and dropped his arms over his eyes.

  It was true. He’d let everyone down, Pine and himself most of all. He’d only told Blue half the truth when he’d said he wanted her to be happy. He did, but he wanted her to be happy here.

  James rose from the couch and climbed the stairs to Pine’s bedroom. The bed was still covered in brightly-wrapped parcels; they’d been in such a hurry to find Joseph that opening presents had been the last thing on their minds. She’d seemed so concerned about him then, so genuine. James shook his head. She’d simply been planning her escape.

  But Blue had also mentioned the way Pine looked at him. And the way she’d been acting…Pine could lie, but she hadn’t had a lifetime of practice at it like most people. If she had been pretending, it was the finest performance he’d ever seen.

  Here, in the room where it had seemed like a new beginning for them both, James’s doubts began to turn in on themselves.

  When she’d walked through the door that first day, James had already decided what she was. He’d never even wanted to give her a chance. But everything she’d said and done since, everything that had been done to her…

  More and more, he’d gotten an inkling of what life was like for her, although he would never truly understand.
He took his status and freedom for granted, and yes, he was guilty of accepting the lot of sentient androids without much thought, because that was just the way it was. But he was starting to change.

  Not fast enough. Not in the ways that really mattered.

  And yet, she’d still trusted him. Had let him help her. Had stood in this room with him and…

  If he let her go now, he’d be letting her down again. With every thoughtless thing he’d said about synadroids, everything he still accepted—even the way he still treated her at times—he’d failed her, showed her that a life without him was freedom, was a better choice. The only choice. Perhaps if he’d been stronger, she would’ve seen her freedom here. But she’d followed the truth her heart had told her.

  James stood.

  It was time he followed his own truth. He didn’t know what the future held, but he wanted her in it, in any way she could be. More than that, he couldn’t leave things the way they were between them, her thinking he’d failed her. Maybe she would still see him as the enemy and never truly forgive him. Maybe, but he had to try.

  He was going to find her. He was going to ask for her forgiveness and offer her a choice.

  Now that she was free, she could make that choice. She could choose to stay where she was, free among the refugees of her own kind, or she could come with him and face an uncertain future—but together.

  Pine sorted the ocean-scoured stones into glossy, colored-coded piles. It helped her think. Her first few days at Bonehearth had been eye-opening. The small island was inhabited entirely by androids, both sentient and non. They were free to do what they liked, amuse themselves as they wished, and answered to no one.

  Pine had felt an initial burst of euphoria, the gaiety of a dream finally realized, but it had been short-lived, almost anti-climactic. After those first few hours, unease had unexpectedly rippled inside her again, just like when she’d been sent back to the Ghostlight. Why wasn’t she happy? This was what she’d wanted, wasn’t it?

  Was it because of the boat ride here? Still shocked by what had happened on the beach, Pine had distanced herself from Ash the moment they’d arrived, trying to sort out her feelings. The synadroid who’d pulled the trigger was called Sebastian, and after they’d climbed aboard, he’d embraced Ash then turned and sat down, barking orders to the android driving the boat. He hadn’t looked back at the man he’d just shot, not even once.