Conduit - Season 2

Ch. 3

Leader of the androids. Fuck me. Had I struck gold? Ezekiel tucked a strand of hair behind his eat. He nodded as I remained silent, but what was I supposed to say? I couldn't just ask him about Daniel's weaknesses, for the location of the android base; all of that would come with time I hope.

I grinned and moved closer. "So, why'd you agree to join us?"

"I'm tired of fighting," he said.

"But that's what we're doing," Katherine piped in, hugging her clipboard against her chest. I looked at her as she dipped her head and her high bun teetered to the side. Could I scowl? It wasn't acceptable but really didn't need her to be a part of this conversation. She was only in this room with us out of principle; she served no purpose to our cause.

I moved in close to her and whispered, "Could you give us a minute?"

Katherine looked at me. "Are you kicking me out?"

Yes. Grinning, I gently bumped her shoulder. "Come on, you're never around for the deeper stuff. You sign the paperwork and submit it to the city. And," I faced her, "you run to the basements if the riots get bad."

She sidestepped, looking up into my eyes. "There hasn't been a riot in weeks—"

My brows shot up. "You know it's only been two months since Daniel decided to incite war—"

"And," Katherine lifted her hand, shutting me up, "I think I need to know what happens inside of my building."

"You do, rightfully so." I forced a smile, then I motioned to Reggie and Ezekiel behind me. "When we have information to give you, we will."

"Will you?" She balanced her weight on one foot. "I took you almost a month to let me down here."

Okay, we were bickering; that was what our work relationship became. I understood her purpose and what she needed to do, but she didn't. I didn't want to keep her in the dark but the last two riots ended with buildings burning, countless deaths, and people injured in the streets. As much as I hated her company and what it did to my life, it'd be wrong to not protect her.

"If you must know," Ezekiel came closer, "there will be another riot soon. I am here to help Elijah fight back before it begins."

I sharply turned around and looked at him. My blood ran cold. Instinctively, my computers scanned him. Surging with electricity, internal core temperature rising; Ezekiel wasn't lying.

I gulped and looked at Reggie who shrugged slightly and scratched his head. "I told Vicky and Frank he'll be great," he said to me. His eyes flashed blue. "We need him."

This was what I was fighting towards, right? A way to disrupt Daniel's plans, to create a connecting bridge for stability. The fights were fresh, the blood was still warm. If we nipped this in the bud now, we could restore this planet, we could slow the ticking clock. Maybe I could grow old here. Everyone could.

Smirking, I looked back at Katherine. "Is that enough information?"

She passed a finger over her brow and sighed. She looked down at her clipboard before tossing it on the table beside us. "Ten of the new 800s are off the belt. Prepare them if you need to."

When she turned without saying anything else, I looked back at Reggie and Ezekiel and nodded. "What's the plan?"

***

Frank huffed as he closed the medicine cabinet and pressed his forehead against it. With the door shut behind us, all I heard was the quiet echoes of the working technicians in the Bridge outside the bathroom. And Frank's heavy breathing.