"Perhaps the time has come for us to consider that androids are a new form of intelligent life. One thing's for certain, these events in Detroit, have changed the world forever."
After the events of 2038, freedom for all androids was granted. The wo...
Our steps echoed as we walked through the dim tunnel. The glow from the holo-light, and from Connor's LED, cast shadows across the walls. Through the echoing tunnel, our words seemed louder than we wanted, so we remained silent. Instead, I simply held Connor's hand, not only to reassure him, but myself as well.
Eventually, sunlight began to stream into the tunnel, and we approached the exit. As we got closer to the sunlight, I noticed the tunnel we had been walking in, and the odd metal beams that lay across the ground in a strange pattern.
"What is this place?" I whispered to Connor.
"My interface tells me that this used to be the subway station in Ferndale."
"Subway?"
"Yes... it used to be a common method of transport."
I gaped in surprise, my mind working to try and understand how people would be able to use those odd metal beams as a method of transport. My thoughts were interrupted however, as I heard footsteps from up ahead.
I watched nervously as a man stepped out from the shadows. To my utter surprise, it was Jerry.
"Thanks for coming all this way," Kara said, and Jerry reached up to grab the hovering light, disabled it, and put it in his shirt pocket.
"It's no trouble at all Kara," He replied, looking between Kara and Alice, then to us. "You have become quite the talk of the HRP," He continued, looking at me. "The others are excited to meet you."
He began walking back the way he came, and the rest of our group trailed behind him. I leaned closer to Connor, whispering, "How did Jerry get here so fast?"
"He's an android, an EM400 to be exact," He replied softly, "They are all androids. It seems they share a collective consciousness."
I was becoming less and less surprised to hear of androids around me. I wondered if there was anyone I knew who was human anymore.
Even though it was light enough to see where I placed each step, I still clung on to Connor's hand. His presence felt comforting, and even though I was stepping into the unknown, at least I knew him.
'But you don't really know him...' A little voice inside me warned, 'He's an android, like the others. Even Kara told you that he may not be trustworthy...'
"What's wrong?" Connor asked, analyzing my face. I shook my head in response.
"Nothing..."
Connor continued to give me a quizzical look, but he did not push the subject. We continued walking through this place he called 'Ferndale'. As we moved slowly through, I could understand why the place had such a name.
Perhaps this place had once been much like the cities; now it was covered with plant life of every kind. Beyond ferns were various vines, thorny brambles, flowers, shrubbery, even trees, all growing from broken windows, old vehicles, even between the strange metal beams that Connor called a 'subway'.
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