"Well, did you?"

"What?"

"Kill the President."

Vera glanced sideways at him, expression guarded.

"Of course not,"

"But you're not sure. If what I'm telling you is true, and you're afraid that it is, then you are the robot that started The War."

"That's ridiculous," but her voice had no grit in it now as she looked away. "Killing Howard would only make my life harder."

"If you weren't a robot, but as an android...you would turn to the one person who could sort out the confusion, the conflicting programs."

"Lewis." Swallowing, trying to remain calm even as his words sank in, Vera shifted in her seat. "You think Lewis knew what had happened, that he was a part of it?"

"Don't you?"

"Lewis!" Pounding on the thick steel door, her clenched fist leaving indentations in the steel, Vera glanced over her shoulder, fearful of pursuit. "Lewis, let me in!"

The door clicked then swung open and lunging inside, Vera slammed it closed again before leaning against it, gasping.

"What...Vera...what are you doing here? Why didn't you wait for me?"

"He's dead, Lewis! Howard's dead!" Frantic, panicked, she rushed to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders, quaking. "What am I going to do?"

"You killed him?"

"No! That is- I don't know what happened! We were arguing, he threatened me, he hit me, and then...I just don't know. The last thing I knew I was looking down at him lying on the floor. He was dead."

"Okay," pushing her away, Lewis gently led her to a chair, his expression a bewildered mix of fear and anxiety. "We need to think this through, and not panic."

"We need the android, Lewis!" Grabbing his wrist, she didn't realize the pressure of her fingers, or the tight hiss of pain he uttered. "If it's ready, let it go back there and deal with it!"

"Vera..."

"Just tell her, Lewis." Another voice came from behind him, and they both looked up. She stood there, staring steadily, her eyes cool. "Tell her the truth."

Vera got up, looking between the two.

"What is she talking about, Lewis? The truth about what?"

"Vera,"

"No, Lewis," the other woman approached, lips firm. "Don't call her that. I'm Vera. She's a machine."

"What...?" Horror flooded her features as the frightened woman backed away. "That's not true. Tell her that's not true!"

"It is." Quietly, his features grave, Lewis nodded, spreading his hands. "I'm sorry, but you're not Vera Wagner. You're an android...the most sophisticated, sleek, humanoid robot ever created. A masterpiece."

"That's not possible-"

"When you woke up on the table," he gestured to the steel form. "The imprint of Vera had just finished uploading into your core matrix. Your function was to replace Vera at the White House."

"No," shaking her head, eyes swirling blue and brown, she sidestepped toward the phone. "Androids know their purpose, know their programming. They're not human, and they know it! If I were an android, I would know it!"

"I can't explain that," his smile was luminous, excited despite the gravity of the situation. "It's a leap I never expected. Your core programming is finely tuned, so intricate, so sensitive...it's a breakthrough that will revolutionize the robotics industry!"

"Lewis!" They both snapped at him, but it was the human woman who continued. "That is beside the point! If Howard is dead, they'll be combing the city looking for the android. It can't stay here!"

"Can't stay," the echo class finally seemed to realize Lewis would not help her, but had somehow had a hand in her present predicament. "I can't go back. They'll convict me of murder."

"You are a murderer," Vera flared coldly. "Whatever punishment they hand out, it will close the matter permanently."

"Vera,"

"Isn't that why you built it, Lewis, so that we could be together? What does it matter if it's destroyed along the way? It's a robot, and you can build a thousand more just like it."

Something jolted through delicately wired programming at hearing that, her vision blinking rapidly between high definition two dimensional and thermal imaging. Lewis saw her heightened agitation and turned white, backing away. Vera half-turned then screamed as slim, powerful fingers banded like clamps around her throat. The shriek cut off sharply, Vera Wagner's body sagging then going limp as it crumpled to the floor. Pulsing, electric eyes lifted, meeting Lewis's.

"All threats will be neutralized. Vera must be protected, "

"Easy," he murmured thickly, half petrified, half mesmerized by the android. "It's alright."

Slowly, in nearly feral silence, she stalked toward him, her head held at an odd, mechanical angle.

"Vera...stop now." The use of the designation seemed to penetrate the malfunctioning android's programming, and she paused, staring steadily at him. "Listen to me now. Everything is alright. Confirm."

"Unable to comply."

"Vera, confirm classification and designation," he said softly, edging cautiously nearer. "Authorization Lewis Dwighthall."

"Echo Class series five, personal designation, personal designation...Vera Wagner."

"That's correct. You are safe here. No harm will come to you. Confirm."

"I am in a safe location, under no threat of danger."

"Good. That's good." Breathing a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxed as he glanced uneasily at the motionless body on the lab floor. It had all happened so fast. "I'm going to approach. You will not react. Confirm."

"Confirmed."

Moving to stand in front of her, Lewis reached up to cup her face, thumbs caressing her cheeks, eyes roving her features. It was Vera that stared back at him, but yet, not Vera.

"You are perfection," he whispered, fingers gliding behind her ears. "No one would ever have known you weren't human."

"Lewis?" Glowing unnaturally bright, her eyes suddenly turned brown as she met his gaze. "What's happening?"

"You're going to sleep now...just for a little while."

"I'm frightened,"

"No, don't be. Everything is alright." Leaning in, he pressed his lips to hers, feeling them soften and part in invitation. Unexpected, it caught him off guard.

The logical side of him said this was a dangerous road to go down, but the scientist wanted to push the bounds, to experience for himself the extent of her abilities. It was the realization that if he indulged sexually with the series five, there would be no time left to save her that stopped him. Security forces from the White House would follow her trail, their intention to take her away. Reluctant, promising himself he would satisfy his curiosity soon, Lewis pulled away. Before she could question him, his fingers found the small, tender depressions behind her ears and pushed in.

The android stiffened and shut down, her eyes going blank, then black before closing. Knowing there was little time, Lewis hurried to set the stage. Leaving Vera's body for the authorities, he knew they would think they had their killer. Yet, her murder would lead to questions. Placing a container of liquid over a heated plate, he ran to the android and lifted her into his arms, running for the door. Outside, racing to his vehicle, he heard the soft pop of the initial explosion, then the laboratory erupted into a flaming inferno. Jerking open the passenger door, he eased the echo inside and strapped her in before closing the door and running to the other side.

Barely had he put the car in gear and pulled from the parking lot before he heard the shrill cry of sirens coming. Forcing himself to stay calm, to drive slowly, he headed out of city central, driving as quickly as he dared into the blackness of the night. Many hours later, he pulled into a gated drive, punching in a personal code that swung the iron fencing open. No one knew he held a space here. Switching off the lights, he drove into the back of the lot, pulling in front of a large unit, turning off the car. Reaching over, his fingertip found a tiny depression behind her ear and pushed in. She instantly reactivated.

"Lewis...?"

"It's alright. We're here."

Blinking, she sat up, looking around in confusion.

"Where?"

"Somewhere no one will think to look for a while. Come on."

Smiling at her, he got out, hurrying around to help her from the car. Unlocking the unit door, Lewis ushered her inside, enjoying the curious, half-frightened look on her face. Part of him couldn't really believe this was an android. Already, the reality of Vera's death was fading as he looked at what could have been her twin.

"What are we doing here?" She asked softly, turning to look at him.

"This unit has been in my mothers family for generations. You're going to hide for a few days while I figure out what the next step should be."

"I'm frightened."

"It's alright." Putting his arms around her, Lewis drew her into a tight embrace. When she turned her lips to his, he willingly responded, indulging the curiosity that had plagued him earlier. In all respects, she was exquisitely humanoid, and he was driven to explore her responses by getting more and more provocatively creative. A wooden pallet served its purpose, giving him a canvass to discover his creation. They could not prolong the encounter as long as he would have wished, but Lewis assured himself this would be the first of many such interludes.

"Magnificent,"

A blush tinted her cheeks as she gazed up at him.

"Lewis,"

"What?"

"You've been so commanding, so...passionate. I never knew this side of you existed."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Vera,"

"Are we safe now? From here, we can go wherever we want. Right?"

"Exactly, and we will. I promise."

Satisfied, smug, Lewis Dwighthall allowed himself a silent moment of triumph. Echo Five was too precious to be allowed to waste hidden here, and now she was all his. Their copulation had confirmed his place in her current programming. Vera would never insult or degrade him ever again. Standing up, he drew her to his side, kissing her lips.

"Get dressed. I need you to wait here for a little while. I'll be back with a few things to make it comfortable for a few days."

"You're leaving me alone?" Pulling her skirt and blouse on, she looked at him anxiously. "What if someone comes?"

"It'll be fine."

"Lewis-"

"Trust me." Catching her cheek, he stared into her eyes. "It will be fine."

Compliance showed in her eyes, all doubt fading away. Her smile was warm, trusting.

"Alright."

Telling himself what he was about to do was right, that it was justified, necessary even, his finger found the spot behind her ear. Pushing only one while she was functioning would trigger a default reaction to reset her programming, wiping all memory to factory settings and prompting a complete reboot and imprint. Anything extra had to be verbally added at the same time. Bringing up the Vera subroutine would be an action only his voice authorization could accomplish. Gazing into her eyes, he pressed the trigger point.

"Save subroutine Vera Wagner. Reset to default programming mode, complete memory wipe of the last twenty-four hours. Maintain basic data storage and matrix, authorization Lewis Dwighthall. Confirm."

"Programming will reset, subroutine Vera Wagner saved." Her voice had become monotone, mechanical. Half-smiling, pleased with himself, Lewis kissed her cheek.

"Voice authorization Lewis Dwighthall. Initiate total shutdown and reboot."

"Initiating."

When she sagged slightly, he caught her, carrying the slack android to a stack of boxes, gently putting her behind them, out of sight. Making sure the echo class was balanced, he backed away, feeling giddy. It had worked! Not only did he have the Vera he really wanted, he also had the crowning success of an android the world had never seen before! A bright future was ahead, he was certain, after he gave his new Vera a carefully edited version of the last twenty four hours. Whistling, he left the unit, locking the door behind him.

Vision came into focus as the echo class' programming booted up, ready for imprinting. There was no one there, the room dark. With no instructions to guide her, no input to act upon, she stood motionless, quiet. Outside, there was a sudden grate of boots on gravel, a harsh sound, raised voices.

"...all your money, now!"

"I don't have any!" a man's voice protested.

"We saw you pay the keeper with a stack of credits, man, don't lie to us!"

"That was all I had!" Urgent, his voice full of panic, the man tried to convince them.

"Then open up your unit! Let's see what's so valuable!"

"No! I won't let you!" There was a loud scuffle of sound, then a muffled bang, followed by another.

"He's dead," more whispers. "What're we gonna do with a stiff?"

"Grab him and come on! We'll toss him in the quarry. It's five hundred feet deep. No one will ever find him."

"What about the unit?"

"No good now. Someone will have heard the gunshots and come nosing around."

Sounds faded, leaving the android alone in the silence, waiting. Hours passed and night retreated, letting in the faintest sliver of light into the unit beneath the door. It gradually dimmed, returning the space to shadow. This was repeated over and over, days, weeks, months, years, and still, the echo class waited, her duty to remain motionless until given imprinting and commands. Gradually, her internal power source began to fade, systems shutting down one by one to conserve energy, until at last, leaving her a lifeless shell. Silent, still, the decades passed by unnoticed as dust coated everything beneath a layer of time.