“I don’t know, but I can tell you what’s most likely.” Gokiburi followed a few steps behind me. “The collar he wears doubles as a control device. I know he can hack it, but that’s in its normal working mode. If someone flipped a switch, that collar likely cut off his wireless connection and sent a pulse through his body, disconnecting his core from everything else. He’s a mind trapped inside armor he can’t control.”
I shuddered, hugging myself. Tears gathered in my eyes, and I swallowed them impatiently, clearing my throat.
“All right. She said she’ll let me say goodbye. Is that likely? Will I see him?”
Gokiburi thought for a moment. “I’ve compiled Reina’s profile with the information available to me. I believe she has low self-esteem, a constant need to prove herself, and takes every slight personally. She will want to gloat and see you suffer for every perceived insult. My assessment is that she will let you see Dean and wipe his core on your eyes to crush you.”
My belly roiled with nausea when I imagined watching Dean be murdered while I was helpless to stop it. I forced myself past it.
“That’s good. It means she’ll wait for me to arrive. So what we need to figure out is how to free Dean once I’m there. Gokiburi, I want you to come up with a plan that saves him. My survival is optional.”
The robot watched me impassively, then nodded. “Done. I’ll prepare a disruptor device that you’ll have to clip onto his collar. It will revert control to Dean, helping him free himself. Your survival will depend on what he does when that happens.”
I shook my head. “They will search me.”
“We’ll hide it somewhere they won’t look.”
Cold chills crawled down my back when Gokiburi strode away to her work station, but I didn’t ask her what she meant. Wherever she needed me to stuff that disruptor, I’d do it.
Motori pulled me toward the water tank, where she made me drink two cups before I couldn’t take anymore. My nausea got worse, and I was afraid I’d hurl.
I was going to die. There was no question about it. But—maybe that was preferable to living and facing the consequences of all my choices and mistakes. That thought settled my stomach. I could save Dean, atone for my sins, and never once have to face the angry crowd of my disappointed followers.
More importantly, I wouldn’t have to face a life without Dean.
“Sit down.”
Gokiburi grabbed me by the hand and sat me on an overturned bucket by her work table. She undid my braid, combed my hair through with her fingers, and braided it again, then pinned it up on my nape. Hard plastic touched my scalp as she slid in the final pin.
“This is the disruptor. Feel it with your hands.”
I did. It was hidden in the mass of my hair but easy to find. Gokiburi had me practice taking it out while pretending to scratch my head. It was small enough to hide in my palm.
“It shouldn’t trip any alarms since it’s mostly plastic, but I’ll give you a metal decoy disguised as a belt buckle just in case. They’ll expect you to bring something, and once they discover it, they shouldn’t suspect you have anything else on you.”
I fingered the disruptor in my hair. “This seems awfully flimsy. And too simple.”
Gokiburi nodded. “It’s simple but not easy. You will have to convince Reina to let you touch him. Inside that building, she’ll control everything, especially since no employees are there at this hour. You are likely to fail.”
“Oh, will you stop it already?” Motori asked, dropping into a crouch by my side. “Sera, I hate to say this, but is there any chance that you might, you know, stay back? Maybe—call the police, tell them Zenkyoza stole your robot… Or…”
She broke off, knowing there was no one to contact for help. I patted her furry hand and stood up.
“All right. Should I take the train or will you give me a lift?”
Motori glanced at Isamu, who stood by Gokiburi’s side. He shrugged. “I’ll call you a taxi. We’ll follow on wings in case you need help after you get out. Gokiburi’s calculations are wrong half the time, just so you know. Her pessimistic bias skews the data.”
“No, it does not,” Gokiburi said pleasantly.
I shrugged, looking at all three in turns. The silence stretched. I had an hour and a half to the deadline Reina set, but it would take me a long time to get there. “Call that taxi. Goodbye, you guys. Thank you for everything.”
That ride was the longest in my life. I bit my nails until my fingers bled. I charged my phone. I even tried to talk to the automatic driver module, but it was boring and didn’t manage to distract me. Gokiburi’s words replayed in my memory, filling me with hope.
Your survival will depend on what he does.
Dean loved me, he said so himself. If only I gave him a fighting chance, he’d save me.
When the taxi stopped in front of the main entrance to Zenkyoza HQ, I almost fell to my knees getting out of the car, my legs wobbled so much. It was night, the sky lit with faint purple streaks in the west. My teeth chattered. I climbed the stairs and stood in front of the main entrance. The doors swung silently open.
