cinder || dnf

chapter fifteen

Dream had to download a map of the palace's research wing to find his way to the exit. His nerves were on edge, with the prince, with Drista, with everything. He felt like an imposter roaming the slick white halls with his head bent, avoiding eye contact with the scientists and white-plated androids. Even if he really was a volunteer now. A valuable one.

He passed a waiting room- complete with two netscreens and three cushioned chairs- and froze, his gaze catching on the window.

The view.

The city.

From ground level, New Beijing was a mess- too many buildings crammed into too little space, the streets untended, power lines and clotheslines strung across every alley, intruding vines scurrying up every concrete wall.

But from here, atop the cliff and three stories up, the city was beautiful. The sun was high, and its light sang off of glass skyscrapers and gold-tinted roofs. Dream could see the constant movement of huge netscreens and flashing hovers as they darted between the buildings. From here, the city hummed with life- but without all the techno-chatter.

Dream sought out the cluster of slender blue glass and chrome buildings that stood sentry over the market square, then tried to trace the roads north, searching for the Phoenix Tower apartments, but they were tucked behind too much city and too many shadows.

His awe slipped away.

He had to go back. Back to the apartment. Back to his prison.

He had to fix George's android. He had to protect Patches, who wouldn't last a week before Adri got the idea in her head to dismantle her for scrap metal, or worse- replace her 'faulty' personality chip. She'd been complaining about the android being too opinionated since the day Dream had come to live with her.

Besides, he had nowhere else to go. Until Dr. Za was able to figure out how to deposit the payment into Dream's account without Adri finding out, he had no money and no hover, and his only human friend was a prisoner herself in the quarantines.

He balled his fists.

He had to go back. But he wouldn't stay long. Adri had made it quite clear that she saw Dream as worthless, a burden. She'd had no qualms dismissing him when she found a lucrative means to do it, a way that could keep her free of guilt because, after all, they needed to find an antidote. Drista needed an antidote.

And maybe he'd been right to do it. Maybe it was Dream's duty as a cyborg to sacrifice himself so all the normal humans could be cured. Maybe it did make sense to use the ones who had already been tampered with. But Dream knew he would never forgive Adri for it. The woman was supposed to be the one to protect him, to help him. If Adri and Pearl were his only family left, he would be better off alone.

He had to get away. And he knew just how he was going to do it.

~~~

The look on Adri's face when Dream entered the apartment almost made the whole ghastly ordeal worthwhile.

She'd been sitting on the sofa, reading on her portscreen. Pearl was at the far end of the room, playing a holographic board game in which the game pieces were modeled after the girls' favorite celebrities- including three Prince George lookalikes. It had long been her and Drista's favorite, but Pearl was now battling strangers over the net and looked both bored and miserable about it. When Dream walked in, both Pearl and Adri gaped at him, and a miniature version of the prince fell onto his virtual opponent's long sword. Pearl paused the game too late.

"Dream," said Adri, setting her portscreen on a side table. "How are you-?"

"They ran some tests and decided I wasn't what they wanted. So they sent me back." Dream pulled up a tight-lipped smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll still recognize your noble sacrifice. Maybe they'll send you a thank you comm."