Simon was seeing red through his functional right eye.
He walked up to the door and entered like normal, not wanting to draw any of the shoppers down the street into the commotion.
“There you are,” Paul drawled as he opened the bakery door. “Came for her just like I said he would, didn’t he.” Paul let out a sour laugh to the other men at his side. “Can’t believe I didn’t see what you were before.” He swaggered a step closer. “Too pretty to be anything but a robot.”
Simon tilted his head as he stepped fully inside and shut the door behind him. Three other men surrounded Paul, all with their guns drawn and pointed at him. His words were clipped and precise, “Yes, I’m here. I believe you have someone I’m looking for?”
Paul took another step forward, the three men hanging behind. “You can say that. Give yourself over now and I’ll let you see her again before we get you sorted out.”
“I’m afraid that’s the wrong answer.” The corners of Simon’s lips lifted in a predatory smile.
“That’s the only one I got. Sorry for you, robot.” Paul pointed his gun at Simon’s hands. “Put that gun down. You’re outnumbered.”
Simon huffed out a dark chuckle as he raised the pistol and pointed it directly at Paul’s heart. He tilted his head and regarded the humans in front of him. “And you’ve underestimated me.”
After his words there came one, and then two, gunshots from the men at Paul’s side. The bullets ripped through Simon's arm and midsection, causing error codes to go off in his vision, but the damage overall was minimal. A smirk came across his lips.As if that could stop me.The wiring that was damaged could be easily repaired later. Bullets were tiny, and even if they hit his battery pack, he had internal reserves from eating real food lately.
Paul’s eyes widened as he saw that the bullets barely made him pause. His face paled as Simon lunged for him. Paul punched out, his fist grazing Simon’s chin, but he quickly pulled back when he hit the metal. The hit barely registered on Simon’s sensors.
Simon punched back, hard, splitting Paul’s lip before grabbing his arm and toppling him to the floor. He easily could have hit him harder, caved in his whole head, but then Paul wouldn’t be able to talk. Wouldn’t be able to tell him where Nora was.
Paul let out a shriek of pain, flailing as he tried to get out of Simon’s grasp.
Simon twisted the man’s arm up and put his own knee in the small of his back. “Tell me where Nora is. Now.”
Paul’s lip was bleeding from the hit, coating his mouth in blood. “Like I’d tell you.” He yelled to the men lining the wall, “Turn him freaking off already, what are you waiting for? Shoot! Get him off me!”
Another gunshot sounded and Simon felt a hit on his back. He looked up, eyes wild, to identify which man was responsible.Wrong move.Lifting his hand, he shot back, the bullet going through the man’s heart with precision.
Paul’s friend toppled over as blood flowed. The one standing next to him jumped back from the falling body. “Screw this plan, Paul. I’m out of here.”
Paul took advantage of Simon’s distraction as his head turned, tracking the man’s exit, and lunged forward, pushing Simon back. He leaned his weight on Simon with a snarl. “Take you down myself.”
Simon easily pushed Paul off his chest, grabbed him by the throat, and brought him back down to the floor as another bullet whipped at him from behind.
And another. Simon turned and shot the remaining man with one hand, the other still gripped over Paul’s throat. Not even looking as the man collapsed, he turned back to Paul and snarled. “Tell me. Now. Where is Nora?”
Paul gasped for air, blood sputtering around his words. “Your bitch is bleeding out.”
Bleeding?Fury coated Simon’s mind as he pushed the gun into Paul’s chest and pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang through his processors, his system automatically muting it and filtering it out. He stood, walking away from Paul as the light faded from his eyes.
Simon's hands shook as he pocketed the gun and looked around the bakery.No more attackers?His sensors didn’t pick up any other heat signals in the room. He called out, “Nora?” and then connected internally to the drone.“She did not leave, correct?”
“As far as we can tell, yes.”
Simon stepped over Paul’s still twitching body. “Nora? Where are you?”
Chapter forty-eight
Nora
Nora heard the conflict outside the back room. The muted tones and argument floated to her, causing Anna scramble to sit next to her, back against the concrete wall as they both stared at the locked door. Her leg bled profusely as she struggled to sit up, head dizzy from the blood loss.What’s happening? Simon?
Gunshots rang out, loud in the tiny bakery, making her move her hand away from her bloodied leg to cover her ears in alarm and duck her head.Oh no.And then silence reigned as she slowly removed her hands from her ears. Her heart pounded in the ringing silence that followed.
“Nora?” came Simon’s voice, desperate sounding, from the other room. “Where are you?”
Her ears rang from the gunshot noise.Simon?
