Android

27

Above us the weak light of the rundown motel room cast an eerie shadow across our faces as we all sat around the table staring at each other. All of them were dirty, tired, and looking unforgiving as I sipped on the glass of water I had grabbed from the sink. After Mars and Neptune found me in the parking lot, we regrouped with the others who were a little way away and Neptune checked us into a dingy motel. I wasn't sure how long they planned on us staying here, but I figured we were going to spend the night at least. I wasn't even sure about that though, because no one had revealed anything that remotely resembled a plan yet.

Badly I wanted to ask them about Pluto, Mac or my family but everyone seemed a little on edge and I wanted to discuss the topic when they were in a better mood. So instead I sipped on my water while I felt the weight of the necklace the lady had given me on my chest. I hadn't told them about it, I was scared to. I already hadn't been sure who I could trust, but after her warning I really didn't know.

I also couldn't help but wonder about what she meant about Titan being closer than I thought and his many faces. Did she mean he was good at tracking? Or that we had a spy? Perhaps she was referring to how smart he was, therefore making it easier to outsmart us. As for the many faces, I had no idea what she meant.

Finally, after what felt forever of silence and mechanic eyes on me, Neptune spoke. "I know we all dread the answer to this question, but it must be asked. What happened to Pluto?" Swallowing thickly, I tried to block out the gut-wrenching memory of Pluto's cries of pain as I went down in the elevator.

"When the Tinkers got in the house, they shot him in the hallway. We tried to both escape through the training room, but he was too heavy for me to carry, so he told me to go on," I said slowly, trying not to go into detail so I could stay emotionally sound.

"Did you see them kill him?" Mars asked, his usually calm voice tight. Shaking my head slowly, I put my cup down.

"No, I didn't, he might still be alive. I just know he didn't make it out of the house with me." Quietly, the four of them shared glances, before Neptune shook her head.

"Knowing Titan, we have to assume he's dead. We can't waste our limited resources trying to find him. We need to find a way to hide until the Minds contact us with another safe house for Abigail. Hopefully this time Titan will have a harder time finding-" I quickly interjected.

"So, your saying, even if he was alive, we wouldn't even discuss trying to rescue him?" I asked, my soft-spoken question coming out much harsher then intended. A little caught off guard by my comment, Neptune was silent for a moment before shaking her head.

"No, we can't risk you getting caught. Our mission is to keep you alive and away from Titan, and that's already hard enough with the soldiers we got. If staying ahead of him means sacrificing a man or two along the way, then so be it. It's one life versus many," She said, and I felt a glare appear on my face.

"Like my siblings?" I asked, this time intending for my words to come out cruel.

"We didn't sacrifice them Abigail, they were caught in the cross fire and we had to make a choice," Neptune explained, keeping her voice calm.

"That sure sounds like sacrifice to me." Mercury muttered just loud enough for all of us to hear. At the sound of that Neptune glared at her.

"We have to do what we have to do Mercury, and that's that. We need to follow orders," She said, but I wasn't going to take her remark as a closing statement.

"No, we don't need to follow anything unless we chose to. My family are alive and maybe Pluto, but a rescue mission for them is a waste of resources? How is that fair to them?" I asked, standing up.