Chapter six.

[Murder suspect]

I was on the run, like a criminal. My hair was wet from the light rain that had chosen this opportunity to rain on my parade, not that it was.

I was officially a criminal, I'd gotten used to seeing my face on tv displays all over the city, and when I asked 001 if we could meet face to face she flat-out refused. She'd led me to an unused warehouse, that seemed older than most of the buildings in the area, On top of that she hacked my neuro-link so I couldn't go online or use money and on top of even that my retina display seemed to be on the fritz.

I couldn't use the train because that required money. She had explained earlier,

"It'd leave a trail," she'd said then without offering much in regards of detail "I have I go," she stated and "just stay here you'll be safe."

And just like that she went.

I still had no idea what this augmented reality thing she had told me about was or what my situation had become. Well i didn't need much help to figure out that... unless I was able to prove my innocence I was probably gonna go to prison for a crime I didn't commit, or worse.

Something I didn't want to think about.

I looked around the warehouse that she'd led me to. It was mostly unused and dirty. While I was getting hungry. I was still having a hard time believing it was ginger but it was her voice on tv.

It was her...

But she couldn't, she didn't really do that, did she? She couldn't kill anybody, she didn't.

That girl, couldn't have... Couldn't have done something so horrible.

I mean, what she did to me was one thing but, murder?

The politician's face flash into my mind.

It's my fault isn't it?

It's because I yelled at her, even though she apologized.

"Ahh!" I fumed and stood, there's no use thinking about it. I looked around, it was dark but from what I could make out it seemed like a small-time research facility of some kind. Robot parts were all over the place and a few in operable defect androids, you know... One of the older models you know, the ones that don't quite look human.

In the back were three really big machines, covered with a large white cotton synthetic cloths.

I used my neuro-link to check out what they were but I got an error message.

I walked behind one of them and tried lifting the cloth so I could see but tethers had been strung to the edge of the cloth and pulled tightly down to prevent it from coming loose.

I gave up, I was interested sure but not to the point where I'd undo something I probably couldn't redo myself. Then from the corner of my eye I noticed something aroused my curiosity.

A wet umbrella...

Was someone else here?

The thought struck me, why didn't I check before? Or ask 001 if she knew if anyone was here before she went.

I swallowed hard.

"He-hello?" I called "is someone here?"

No answer.

I tried again a little louder this time, "hello?"

Suddenly the doors to the ware house burst inwards in splinters and men armed with guns rushed in.

-Crap!- I thought. -why the hell is this happening to me?-

"We know you're behind that r1-8 mech." One of them declared.

My breathing was heavy, -what am I going to do?-

What happened next was what shocked me the most.

The men had gone quiet and the sound of high heels echoed from the building's concrete floor.

And then

"Jake sweetie, why are you in our hide out?"

I was now barely managing my panic... That voice, I know that voice....

Ginger.

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