The only sound between Dr. Kayode and me is the scuff of our feet on the rungs of the metal ladder that leads down into the city's sewer system. I make no effort to speak, too busy relishing the feel of the bumpy, rusted metal under my hands. I never appreciated the sensory input the pads of my fingers provided until it was gone. With the metal exposed, I could only feel what my eyes could have told me—the presence or absence of something large, like a chunk missing out of the stone wall. But now, I feel every little minute divot and pockmark of the metal, and for a moment, it overwhelms me.

"What's the matter?"

I look up at Ayo's question, realizing that I've paused in my descent. One of her feet dangles above my head, ready to take the next step down once I begin moving again.

"Sorry. Nothing. I'm not used to having real fingers." I let out a small breath and continue downwards, hand over hand until we reach the bottom.

"A sewer," Ayo comments, her expensive loafers making a rather plebeian splat as she steps off the ladder beside me and clicks a flashlight to life. "Original."

It's a silly, off-the-cuff comment, but it sends my doubts fluttering back up my throat again. For a moment, I'm certain I've made a huge mistake. She works with Sven—and whether or not they trust each other, he at least trusts her enough to hand me off to her for repairs. What if he's waiting to pick me up when we get back? I'd be leading us all into his hands, including Davis.

She's right about one thing, though: I'm running out of choices. I don't even know if Davis is still alive. His time speeds closer with every hesitation in my steps, so I push on. My hands drag at the damp walls, accumulating black grit and grime, but I don't care. I speed up, until we come to the fork where the sewer splits off into a service tunnel that eventually empties into the subway system.

The wet squish of our shoes turns to skittering gravel as we step out onto the railroad tracks, and I reach over to place my hand over the beam of Ayo's light. She fights me for a moment, but I yank it away and flick it off.

"We stay dark from here on," I whisper.

"But—"

"I'm trusting you with a dozen lives," I cut her off. "The least you can do is trust me on this."

That shuts her up, and I continue dragging my hand along the wall in peace. When the wall beneath my fingers vanishes abruptly, I fumble in the darkness for Ayo's arm and pull her off the main track. My steps slow, treading as lightly as possible. Even the tiniest whisper of gravel shifting underfoot echoes in the cavernous tunnel.

As the orange glow of flames ahead begins to lick the walls, I pull to a stop. "Wait here," I whisper, then lift my hands away from my sides as I step around the corner and into their view.

"Whoever you are, don't move!"

I recognize Maven's voice the second the fire makes my shadow fall behind me instead of in eerie, faded shapes along the walls.

I halt, gravel sliding under my feet as I raise my hands higher. "It's me!"

For a moment, they only stare with narrowed eyes, various lopsided pieces of track clutched in their hands as makeshift weapons. Looking back at them, I realize how woefully unprepared we were, living down here like rats and praying that no one ever happened upon us. What would we have done? Ripped flaming kindling out of the fire and expected it to match their guns?

A silhouette detaches itself from the rest, rushing from the back of the scraggly group, stumbling toward me. Even with the backlight of the fire throwing his features into shadow, I recognize Davis.

"Ronnie," he gasps.

Before he can cross the threshold between them and me, Maven throws her hand out and bellows, "STOP!"

I wince as Davis obeys, but his gaze never strays from my face.

"It's okay," I venture, keeping my voice low as Maven shuffled forward. She stares down at me from the platform, and I have to crane my neck to meet her eyes.

"It's Ronnie," Davis insists from behind her. I hear the edge of laughter in his voice, but it's the kind of burbling, manic giggle that comes from incredulity and delirium.

"Ronnie," Maven says with vicious emphasis, "knows better than to come back down here."

I take a deep breath. I know that looking away is just the sign of weakness she's watching for, so I maintain eye contact. "I'm here to help."

"Are you alone?"

I lick my lips and sigh, my shoulders sagging. "No."

In a flurry of movement, they rearrange themselves, tightening their formation. Davis lingers outside of their circle, hovering with indecision.

As if on cue, Ayo slips out of her hiding spot, emerging from the darkness of the tunnel to stand behind me. I throw her a glance over my shoulder and then turn back to the androids, my mouth tightening.

"This is Dr. Kayode. She wants to help us." I try to keep the waver out of my voice, reminding myself of something Maven said months ago: Darwin is the only one of us capable of killing. Even if they attack, they'll only maim.

"Why should we trust you?" Maven spits, her lifting her chin.

"I studied cybernetics at MIT," Ayo begins.

"Not you," Maven interrupts, her eyes flicking over my shoulder for a split second before returning to me. "Why should we trust you?"

My mouth pops open, and a disbelieving breath slips past my lips. "I'm one of you!"

She just watches, stone still, her eyes flickering along with the flames behind her. "Then why do you always run to them?"

This time, she indicates not Ayo, but Davis. Something hot rushes from my stomach straight to my head, taking control in a dizzying cacophony of red. I only recognize the emotion from the dreams I've had of Darwin.

Rage.

I plant my newly-unblemished hand on the platform, using it to spring up in one swift movement. I straighten slowly, and when I reach my full height, I close the distance between us to a few inches.

"Who got you out of SynCo?"

"Darwin," she answers, her eyebrows twitching upward as if daring me to disagree. "We answer to him. No one else, and especially not you."

My nostrils flare as my heart takes off in angry protest. For someone who thinks androids and humans should stick to their respective species, she has a talent for othering one of her own.

"You think I have no clue what Darwin wants?" I hiss. "I've seen his thoughts, I've felt his emotions. Do you want to turn this into a competition of who knows him better?"

Her hand shoots out, closing around my throat with crushing strength. She leans forward, her jaw clenched, and whispers in my ear. "You want to know a fun fact? After Darwin, they started making us weaker. And weaker. And weaker." Her fingers dig into my windpipe, and I grab at them, but they won't budge. "Until"—a soft breath of laughter tickles my ear—"they got it right."

Davis scrambles forward, his hands grappling at both of us, trying to pull me toward him and push Maven away. She only renews her grip, shoving him off with her other hand. My pulse pounds against the pressure of her fingers, and the world spins in chaotic bits of noise.

"Just because you're Sven's idea of perfect doesn't mean you're better," she hisses.

"STOP IT!"

All three of us—Maven, Davis, and I—cease our scuffle. Ayo stands in the ditch of the tracks, both hands wrapped around the butt of a gun aimed straight at us. Maven's fingers uncurl from my throat reluctantly, loosening one by one until I'm free.

I resist the urge to massage the lingering ghost of her touch away and round on Ayo. "What the hell? You brought a gun?"

"Clearly, it was necessary." She clambers up onto the platform, keeping her aim steady.

"Put it away," I command.

Maven lets out a short bark of laughter. "We listen to them, not the other way around," she sneers. "Don't you know?"

With a click, Ayo releases the gun, flipping it back into its holster under her lab coat. I raise my eyebrows at Maven, trying not to give into the trembling urge to retaliate. She's not infallible. No one made her queen of anything. She's just as prejudiced against the humans as she claims they are against us.

With the immediate danger at bay, my eyes wander to Davis again. He hangs back, looking torn between jumping into the situation and letting me handle it.

"Come with us," Ayo says suddenly.

Maven snorts.

"You're not going to survive forever down here."

"And what?" Maven snaps. "We'll live long, happy lives as your lab rats?"

"Better than sewer rats," Ayo returns. Her voice, in contrast to Maven's, remains level. "But no. Not lab rats. More like...adoptive children."

"I'm nobody's child." Maven turns away, throwing a scorching glance over her shoulder at Ayo. "If you're going to force us to come, just do it."

"Why would I force you?"

Ayo tilts her head, and my eyes flick from her to Maven and finally to Davis, where they linger. He stares back, a question etched into the gaunt angles of his face, and I vow not to leave without him this time.

Ayo shatters our moment with a bold proclamation. "I already know you're going to come with us."

"And why would we do that?" Maven snarls, whirling back around and lowering her center of gravity like a cat readying itself to pounce. Anyone else would back away, or at least avert their eyes, but Ayo holds her ground. No one looks away from the standoff, too fascinated by the tension that thickens the air.

Ayo lifts her chin, her eyes narrowing into satisfied slits. "I can fix Darwin."