Rehash

Twenty

I woke up groggy and with my arms chained to one of the heavy cabinets in the lab. After a single pulling attempt, I already realised it wasn't going to budge. 

Ava looked up from the computer once she heard me rattle the metal chains she'd tied me up with. 

"Congratulations, you're alive for now," she said, while I continued struggling against my constraints despite knowing it was futile. "Zed found a use for you after all. Though, he prefers to be called Spectre model Z-3293 now."

A figure stepped out of the shadows in my periphery vision. He must've been there all along, but standing so still, blending into his environments, that I hadn't noticed him.

It was Zed, except, it wasn't Zed. 

A shudder went down my spine, leaving a cold numb feeling in its wake. There was no easy smile, not a hint of light in Zed's blue eyes. He was only plastic now. The merciless super soldier Ava wanted to fight on her side, and not the kind, surprisingly goofy android she'd claimed had been in love with me.

"Zed!" I tried, regardless.

The piece of plastic didn't even respond to me. 

"We should leave soon," he said frighteningly monotonous, facing Ava. "Daytime, with a hostage."

I wasn't a super soldier, but I didn't need to be to understand Zed's angle. If Ava's plan still involved ordering Zed to raid Lenora's vault, then daytime with a hostage made sense. It would put the military in a difficult position, having to protect a citizen and stopping Zed at the same time. 

As a matter of fact, if the festival had not been cancelled, there would be many citizens to protect on Lenora's grounds. A brute force fight on campus would be ugly. Incredibly ugly.

"Then, it's time, I will make the preparations for this base," Ava spoke, before glancing at me. "Gag him."

Zed turned to the cabinets while Ava walked out of the room.

"No, wait! Fuck!" I swore as I pulled on the chains that restrained me as hard as I could. "Do you even know who I am?" 

Zed didn't respond as he took some military spray adhesive meant to close wounds, but potent enough to gag someone, out of the cabinet. 

"My name is Camilo Rey!" I stubbornly continued. "Look me up. I'm a high risk hostage. I'm known as a pro-android fanatic and I turned on the military by going with you to this lab; they'll shoot me on sight!" 

Finally, I got a small reaction from Zed. A blue light, indicating he was scanning, flickered in his eyes. Barely noticeable, since it was gone in a second. He never stopped moving. 

I turned my head away and wriggled as Zed attempted to spray my mouth shut, but ultimately his vice grip on my head forced me to give in — he was much stronger than I was and I feared he'd break my skull if he squeezed any harder. My head still throbbed even after he'd sprayed my mouth shut and released his vice grip on my head. 

My goal had been achieved, however. I'd made Zed look up information about me, or so it had seemed. That had been what made him fall for me in the first place, I could only hope he'd feel for me again after seeing my information and scanning more and more. It was my only hope, actually.

So far, though? No signs that Zed the super soldier felt any kind of way towards me. 

Ava returned to the main lab, armed to the teeth. She handed Zed two laser pistols, some grenades, and a survival knife, keeping the other set of similar items to herself. I glared at Ava, but like Zed, she paid me no attention.