Conduit - Season 2

Ch. 10

That excitement, the thrill of planning our counterattack, grew with the coming days; until it faded. Everything was in motion. Parts arrived for new androids; scattered delivered but the pieces arrived. I hadn't expected it to come so fast. I was ready to get started, building, crafting, and constructing our newest 800 series—then Katherine sent an email.

"Requests for communications have been initiated. The local station has permitted us to use their separate studio untouched by the fire. You can address your concerns with the city today. Broadcast the warning about Daniel's planned attack."

For a millisecond, no, microsecond, I thought Katherine was completely on my side. I guess I still had to do things on my own.

Victoria handed me a cup of coffee. I accepted it but it didn't change my scowl from having read that email—three times. She sighed as she folded her arms over her chest. "Something's changed, hasn't it?" she asked.

I sipped my drink. A perfect blend of cream and sugar balanced the caffeine. Holding my cup close, I sighed into it and took in the center. My computers noted a spike in my mood.

"Well?" Victoria tapped her foot.

I swiveled around in my chair, looking at everyone working within the Bridge. The employees and androids were blended. Half of them sorted through documents on their tables. The rest pulled tools, mechanical parts, and metal skeletal pieces from the boxes that arrived this morning. I smiled at their ability to work in unison, but I also knew I wouldn't have that problem with my team. We had the same goals.

I sipped coffee again. "On top of asking Katherine for the parts to build more machines, I asked her to release a warning to everyone in the city about Daniel's plans."

"His plans of attack?" She blinked.

I nodded, sucked my teeth, and stood from my seat. With my coffee still in hand, I walked into the small crowd of working employees. I kept Victoria's attention the entire way. "She released permissions," I said, "and granted me access to distribute them."

"You?" Victoria scoffed as she walked over to the desk she normally used. It was in the center, where android hexagons used to be. The others thought of her location as a 'queen bee,' positioned in the middle of everyone, able to distribute tasks with efficiency.

I hadn't thought of it that way; Reggie and I put her desk and computer there when we rebranded the floor. It was just the area with the most space and she had a clear cut to every surrounding station. It made sense to put her there.

"Don't tell me it's at the same station down the street," she grumbled.

I laughed and nodded, drinking from my cup again. "Same spot. I guess one of the studio rooms was untouched by the fire, probably the only spot in the area with the working equipment."

"Seriously?" She lifted the papers in her hands. Old school, but it always had a place in my heart. A light passed over her emerald eyes as she saved the information from the papers she read. "As big as this city is, she means to tell us there aren't any more stations."

"I don't think she's saying that." I finished my coffee and tossed it in a waste beside me. "It's a reminder that nothing's the same." I shrugged. "This city is big by name but nothing else, not anymore. Resources are scarce. Too many citizens promote death. And hey, let's not forget Daniel's androids."

"That isn't just here," she sighed, "that's everywhere."

"Exactly." I walked over to her and touched her arm. "And I was given the task to fix it all. So, if it means using the same, and only functioning station in this city, then so be it. I'll spread the word."