Page 53 of Fembot
They made it to the front door, and Winston was tempted not to stop to put his shoes on, but some things couldn’t be skipped. He jammed his feet in his sneakers as fast as he could, not bothering to untie them.
Winston flung the front door open and came face to face with men from Rebonix Tech.
Winston slammed the door and threw the deadbolt. Whirling around, he shoved Calvin and Lucky toward the back door. “Run. Run!”
Winston’s sneakers squeaked on the floor as he tried to hurry them out the back.
Then a man in a suit stepped into the kitchen. Behind him, another man appeared in an even more expensive suit. Henry Bradshaw. The face of AI robotics. This was bad. this was very, very bad.
Henry’s broad shoulders blocked their escape. “Hello, 85295-C.”
“His name is Calvin.” Winston stepped in front of Calvin, ushering him back behind him.
Henry nodded, the furrow between his eyebrow deepening. “You weren’t going to abscond with my robot, were you?”
“Calvin doesn’t belong to anyone,” Lucky snapped.
Henry smirked a little, like he was impressed, or amused. Winston couldn’t be sure.
“Calvin, as you call him, is technically still property of Rebonix Tech.” Henry reached into the pocket of his suit andpulled out a piece of paper. “You see, baked into the sales contracts people sign is the disclaimer that any unit can be repossessed at any time for any reason. Especially if they’re deemed to be a danger.”
“Calvin isn’t dangerous.” Fury tore through Winston. His blood boiled as he thought of Calvin being treated like a thing. Like a toy two people were fighting over.
“Well, you can’t know that for sure. You see, Calvin here has deviated from the programming. That makes him unpredictable. That makes him dangerous. And if you leave with him, attempt to run with him, hide him, or prevent me from repossessing him, that makes you a felon.”
Henry’s bomb sucked the oxygen out of the room. He stood there, unaffected by it all as Winston, Lucky, and Calvin struggled to come to grips with what he was saying.
“What? No?” Winston’s voice shook.
“Oh, yes.” Henry’s voice softened. “Look, kid, it’s clear you’re attached. I’ll send a replacement unit for you. But I must have this one back. You can’t take him, and if you try, you’ll never see the outside of a jail cell ever again. I have deeper pockets and better lawyers. And I have the law on my side.”
“You can’t take him,” Winston said. “You can’t.” Winston’s heart was breaking. His future had been so bright a few minutes ago. He’d found a way to be with Lucky, he’d fallen in love with the two most wonderful people on the planet. And Lucky had even managed to open up about his father, his graduation status, his troubles. And Winston had been able to help him.
But on the heels of that victory came this crushing defeat. He couldn’t stop this. He couldn’t protect Calvin.
“You can’t take him,” Winston said again. “You’ll have to kill me first.”
Henry rolled his eyes. “I forgot how dramatic the youth can be. I’m not going to kill you, kid. But Calvin has to come withme, or I will ruin you. And your father. And everyone you’ve ever known.”
“Winston,” Calvin said. “You have to let me go.”
“No!” Winston and Lucky shouted at the same time. Winston tried his best to keep Calvin penned into the corner, but Calvin, as gentle as he was, was still a robot. Winston’s strength was no match for Calvin’s.
“Yes. Winston. They’ll never stop until you’re destroyed. I have to go with them.”
“No. Calvin, please.” Winston clutched at him, tried to cling to him, but Calvin kept pulling Winston’s hands off him. “Don’t go. They’re going to destroy you. They’re going to wipe you clean and reprogram you, and you’ll be gone.” Winston was crying now. Hot tears had sprung to his eyes and leaked down his face, and he didn’t give a single fuck who saw him.
“I won’t be gone, Winnie.” Calvin put his hand on Winston’s chest. “I’ll be here. In your heart. In Lucky’s too. They can erase my memory, but they can’t erase yours.”
“You can’t go.” Winston grabbed for Calvin again, but Calvin turned to Lucky.
“You have to make him let me go. For both your sakes. For me.”
“No! Don’t listen to him, Lucky. We have to protect him. They can’t take him.”
“Take care of each other. That’s what you can do for me.” Calvin took a step back, and Winston lunged for him, but he was trapped in Lucky’s embrace now. Lucky’s breath was hot in his ear, his voice tight with emotion as he pleaded with Winston.
“We have to let him go, Winnie. We can’t… there’s nothing we can do.”
