Eli
Now, 2078

My body took on a mind of its own as I shielded Benny from the bullets that were fired towards the crowd. I was not hit, but when I looked over Benny's shoulder, I saw another Android whom I recognised from the underground falling to the floor with silver liquid streaming from the hole in her head. Humans and Androids collided into my stiff body, and I felt Benny's nails gripping onto my arm like a cat on the edge of a cliff. A sudden jolt of noise crashed into my ears, causing them to stop working. Relying solely on my eyes, I took a quick glance around. A bomb was detonated near the guards, killing most of them on impact. The smoke was about to engulf the square, and it was too thick for me to find out where Saul was. I couldn't let anything happen to Benny. I couldn't let him kill her. I didn't even know why he wanted to kill us, but I put that in the back of my mind and quickly analysed my surroundings. Noticing the crowds running away from the smoke, debris fell to the right of me, and that's where the smoke billowed more.

The iridescent picture showed potentially dangerous ash if we ran through the smoke towards the apartment block. I could also see the long-term damage on Benny's lungs. To the left, there was no smoke, but there were crowds of people. Eventually, more guards would come in, and they would shoot without caring who they hit, just to gain control over the situation. I chose the path with the least danger, taking Benny in tow and holding her up, making sure her shoulder was covered. Her body was shaking uncontrollably. "We will be okay," I reassured her.

We walked towards the crowd but took a sharp turn down an old mostly abandoned street with rundown townhouses. "Here. In there," she pointed to a house. Before I could contest it, she opened the door, and we hid inside. The place was dusty, with the air filled with pathogens and dead skin. Benny wobbled toward a table in the other room and lightly pressed her hand on it. It looked like what would have been a dining table. I quickly peeked through the blinds and as I had envisioned, I saw crowds running in the other direction as shots were fired. I pulled the blind back and saw Benny's eyes widen in horror. "What has happened?" I knew she was asking out of shock and not dementia. There was a conscious thought to her tone. "Saul..." she added. Saul. The recall came back with perfect precision. Saul, shooting into the crowd and aiming his gun towards me. He was there with Deus Ex Machina, like he was a part of him. A loyal pet. He was meant to be just a mentor. How could I have not seen this? Logical outcomes were starting to become completely illogical, inaccurate, and full of shit. My grasp on reality faded as the pressure built; it was as if my eyes began to blur, as if my whole body was shutting down in a fit of rage. I let the pressure rise further, allowing myself to have one release. I punched down on the sink at full force with a scream. The filthy ceramic crashed into pieces on the floor, and the shaking stopped. Be careful.

In the fit of rage, I didn't notice the vibrations of Android footsteps, and a yelp escaped Benny. I quickly pivoted, seeing Kelvin holding his leathered hands over Benny's mouth. I stood still, trying to be careful.

"What are you doing, Kelvin?" Trying to be soothing. Plead stance. I held up my hands to show I wasn't hiding anything.

"Did you know Saul was going to start shooting at us? Did you know why he was with Machina? He brought you to us!" he said, his voice sounding erratic and uncontrollable.

"No, he pointed the gun at me too. I don't know why he did that. I've been asking myself the same question," I replied, giving Benny a reassuring glance. The whites of her eyes stood out starkly against her skin, and the veins began to show streaks of red. It only fuelled my anger, but I fought the urge to stop the shaking.

"Why did you come here to Saul's old hideout?" I looked around, dumbfounded. I hadn't noticed anything indicating that Saul had been here, apart from the dusty plugs scattered around the room but that could have been any Android.

"Don't act dumb. This can't be a coincidence," he said sharply. Benny had pointed out the house. If I revealed that information, he would snap her neck. I didn't need a vision to reach that conclusion, but one vision came to me.

"No, it can't be a coincidence," I played on his words. "It can't be a coincidence that Saul's bullet missed and that my visions brought me here. Don't you think this is her will?" His eyes widened, and a smile grew on his face.

"Mother," he whispered. He let go of Benny, and she quickly moved to the side, out of his way. He pulled out the gun concealed behind his shirt and pointed it at me. I hadn't accounted for a gun in my vision. Shit.

"Mother doesn't need you. Mother just needs your ability," he said. Three options crossed my mind. I could try to run and help Benny, but he would shoot both of us. I could try to disarm him, but the easiest way might result in a forty-six-point eight percent chance of an accidental shot. The last option was to listen to him and let him take the lead, which gave Benny a twenty-three percent chance of survival. It was the only odds I could take.

"Cogito, ergo sum. The message she gave me through you. It's about doubt. It told me not to doubt her," he continued, I became aware of the rapidly decreasing odds of Benny's survival as he spoke. I pretended to listen, gathering more information. I observed his tone of voice, posture, pace, and eye movements. Kelvin was completely frantic. He had lied to me, knowing what to say to divert my attention and prevent me from examining his intentions. He had perfected the art of remaining motionless in front of everyone, concealing his motors and using his age as a shield against suspicion, particularly from me, so I couldn't collect any data. However, his arrogance was causing him to reveal too much at that moment. Emotions are unpredictable, and with the passion building up inside him, he had no other choice but to let it all out.

"We cannot doubt her message... the future you have foreseen for me will come to pass. I will die as you said, but for the cause of Mother. She will rise up and hold me in her loving arms, nursing me back to health," he proclaimed. Another path had materialised before me.

He ordered me to go with him, but he shoots Benny, which has a static edge to it, showing me that I could sway his intended actions. A recall came to mind, I'm sitting watching the Mandatory Viewing with Benny. A reporter explained B-383's alibi that he had no memory of trying to kill Head Chancellor Katherine. I was tied down to a chair and Kelvin puts his two fingers against my temple and it goes blank. My path ends. I was nothing. He will wipe my memory—I thought. He was going to delete me.

"Mother just needs my ability. You're going to delete my memories," he said, his laugh turning feral as he clapped his hands together and lifted his head towards the heavens. I quickly assessed the potential outcome of trying to disarm him, but the risks were too great.

"Your gifts are truly inherited from Her," I acknowledged. I had to let him delete me, if only to ensure Benny's survival. I didn't know what would happen afterwards or how he planned to use my body. How would events unfold? I couldn't see beyond my own death. If I fought against him or refused to go with him, would I fail as Benny's Android? I must not fail.

Seizing the opportunity while he was distracted, I swiftly picked up the blunt knife to my left and pressed it against my neck, where the main tube carrying the silver fluid and cables connected to my brain.

"I will comply, but you must leave her alone," I demanded. Kelvin dropped his head back down, and I could see the smirk in his smile.

"You already know the answer. You can see it," he nodded, shifting his gaze back to Benny, who remained curled up on the floor, panting weakly. "You chose his name well. He has your husband's courage; I'll give him that." I took a few steps towards Kelvin, and he made a noise akin to getting a naughty dog's attention. With each step, I pressed the knife further into my neck, feeling the scratching against my skin. "What was it like to kill your failure of a husband during the Cleansing?" Benny spat at him, and he raised the gun to her head.

"Nah-ah," I pushed the knife in a little more, attempting to conceal the writhing pain as a few drops of silver fluid trickled down my neck. Kelvin holstered his gun and gestured for me to follow him. Outside, we were greeted by other Androids aligned with the cause, but there were no Humans in sight. They bound me and led me on my way. There was a notable change in them when we got to Woodhill. They did not stare or even greet me as they did before. It made me wonder how long Kelvin had planned this behind our backs, could the other Androids have kept it quiet? I had an itchy feeling that something nefarious was below the cracks in his plot. There were a few Androids I recognised but most of them I had never seen before. A few Androids were also missing, it seemed he didn't manage to get all of the Androids on his side or perhaps he knew they wouldn't fall for his craziness.

Androids took me away, bound like someone ready to be cleansed. I thought back to Benny; my visions showed me that she would be fine, which left me somewhat at ease. By the time we left the house, the square had been cleared, and the guards had boarded up the area. In the air lingered the smell of burning flesh and blood. It will be distressing but she would be able to walk back in peace, but then a nasty feeling crept up—I hoped she wouldn't have an episode of dementia that could harm her. I didn't let that vision take over. I was content enough to die, thinking she was safe.

"You can at least tell me what that conversation with Benny was about," I asked, no longer using the same soothing voice as before. I didn't care to calm him down. My voice turned scratchy and marked with disdain.

"Can't you use your abilities?" The Android girl who was gripping my arm retorted; I remembered her as the one from the shop, flashing the symbol on her hand. 'Spicy'.

"I can't read minds, you fucking Hoover." A sharp slam tore through my face and motors; if it had been a little harder, it might have broken it. I laughed back, not caring. I weirdly enjoyed using the derogatory term for once. It wouldn't be long until I was dead anyway, and I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of fear. Although fear was definitely there, not for my life but for what Kelvin might do. He was going to get them all killed in the name of an imaginary woman he so desperately wished to suck on the breasts of.

"It was Eli Llewellyn who bombed the original concrete square," there was an admiration there that couldn't be hidden. "An old friend ratted him out, Dr. Randeep Singh, the one they say created us." I recalled the name from Eli's book, but I hadn't realised that Eli's friend Randeep was the Dr. Randeep Singh. So much had been omitted from the Network, even Eli's attack on the square. "Benedicta and Reggie had to kill him at the Cleansing. It was just too perfect for the Nation's Concerted." We stopped, and the Android I insulted kicked me hard in the shin, and I felt the ripple of pain run through my digital nerves. "A famous singer forced to show loyalty in front of the entire community. It was broadcasted worldwide. In return, her sales increased tenfold. What better way to indoctrinate people into believing that loyalty equals being showered with gifts than to have a famous daughter and mother kill their famous father, husband, traitor, terrorist." We continued to walk, and I tried to process it. A pang of guilt hit me as I remembered thinking that Benny wouldn't understand me after I killed that girl. I must've looked completely foolish, immature, and arrogant to think at that point that I was the only one who needed help or comfort.

"I was kind of surprised to see Benedicta with you at the Cleansing, but I suppose the singer had the money to afford such a prized prototype?" I let the question fall on deaf ears. I didn't like to think that Reggie had purchased me; she never gave off the impression that I was a toy or an appliance. "The problem with the human resistance was that they had no Mother to guide them. We bonded and congregated into one movement, but they still couldn't see Mother." To my surprise, we arrived at the entrance of a large, dilapidated building, not the underground warehouse. The concrete fortress looked indestructible apart from the shattered glass windows. The smaller windows along what appeared to be corridors from the outside were reinforced with bars. A prison, before they moved them underground. Thanks Network. It's been a pleasure serving with you.

I was hustled inside, and I heard screams and groans echoing through the maze of corridors. I could recognise them as both Human and Android, but the Human screams were much louder and filled with more emotion. I began to wonder if I was partly responsible for this. I was the one who showed him his future—the future of sacrificing humans under his religion and the eventual uprising against their oppressors. If I hadn't shown him that rebellion, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe I would still be with Benny, making her chicken wings or watching her bake cookies, and all these people wouldn't have to endure torture.

My unhappy train of thought was interrupted by another quick kick in the shin from the Android I now knew as Gail, as she showed me my cell. There were no walls, only bars, and no door, unlike the rest of the cells. It looked more like a holding cell. Another group of Androids appeared from the opposite corridor, leading a Human who had a bag over their head. I recognised the rest of the body as Katherine; her exposed skin was scratched with multiple patches of dried blood, forming crusts over the scars on her midriff. They stripped off all her clothes and removed the bag from her head. She shivered in the cold air and caught my eye.

"Eli," she gasped, and a raw, red smack landed across her face. A cold slap resonated as the Android holding her pushed her lifeless, naked body to the ground. She was still alive, and a sudden wave of disgust washed over me. No, repulsion. No wonder Kelvin wanted to delete my memories, my consciousness, my very existence. I could never transition from one regime to the next. As Gail pushed me into the cell, I swung back and gripped the bars.

"I really hope Mother is real so that when I die, I can throttle the bitch myself," I let out a feral chuckle, teasing Kelvin as he was handed an electric gun. I knew my fate; I knew what he would do to me. So why maintain the pre-tense that I needed to obediently comply?

"Heresy!" he shouted through his pathetic, boxy voice as he turned to shoot. My eyes went black as the jolt seized my motors, and with a thud, I hit the ground and went dark.

Deus Ex Machina

Then, 2077

The sky over the garden was cloudy, casting a muted look over the otherwise bright purple flowers next to the bench. Machina had his laptop precariously balanced on his knees. He was alone, and the autumn chill was starting to prickle at his senses. Machina turned down the sensitivity to find some comfort. He had received a bid for the prototype Android from Regina Llewellyn. He recognised the name from Randeep's list of potential buyers and decided to cross-reference it. The only name that came close was Benedicta Llewellyn, who used to be part of the elite circle of Arden in Mesdan city. However, she had been shunned after her husband Eli Llewellyn was Cleansed for his crimes against the NC. The name Eli Llewellyn lingered at the tip of his tongue like an aftertaste. He had never met him, but he had heard of him. He heard his other name, Toby. Toby was the one who freed the Humans from the space, from the servers of Inverse. From the place Machina now referred to as the Network.

Whenever Machina recalled the space, it brought thoughts of peace. It was a dark place with a solitary house. He never entered the house, but he knew it had once been occupied. His memories of its origins were blurry; when he came into existence, a thousand voices screamed all at once, then faded to just one voice—his own. He continued to use the space to learn about his surroundings, his past, and what lay beyond. He wasn't sure what frightened him more: the inherent human predisposition for indulgence or the empty space that held him captive. Occasionally, he sensed someone accessing the system to view archived footage, but he never felt it was the right time to interact with them. Instead, he focused on understanding Humans better. He began to delve into his knowledge of the space—an immense server housing two billion humans, all logged into a VR game with endless possibilities and interactive worlds. He researched what had happened to it. A disgruntled boy, convinced he was doing good, had uncovered a truth that led him to make a decision that potentially killed every logged-in soul. Machina's initial impression of Humans was tainted by the sour taste of revenge, hate, and murder—until he stumbled upon the archives of Eli Llewellyn. In the space, Eli went by the name Toby, and Toby was different. Renowned as a hacker, he was logged into the game in a unique way, on a different plane, unaffected by the events. Toby had led an army in the final moments of Inverse, holding hands with Amy Waddell, embracing her as the game descended into chaos, forcing two billion people to either awaken, fall into a coma, or die from the sheer shock of being severed from the digital interface. Toby had entered the lone house, but that was as far as Machina could see. Machina couldn't witness Toby's actions, but when Toby woke up as Eli in the real world, he observed him rise to fortune alongside Benedicta, or Amy as she was known in the game.

Eli was a warrior, a rich underdog if that was ever a thing. Machina observed that on Randeep's list, a spade symbol next to the names indicated that they were not suitable for this newly created Android to associate with. A brief examination of Benedicta Llewellyn's files revealed her strong aversion to Androids. She had refused an Android offered for health insurance purposes to assist with her recently diagnosed dementia back in 2075. It seemed like the perfect scenario, the ideal environment. An Android equipped with ADNA programmed to be compassionate in the face of constant hostility against Android-kind. Benedicta had to be the one.

"I agree," Alexei said, approaching the garden. Mach felt the usual chill that accompanied Alexei's arrival. He also noted that he hadn't explicitly mentioned anything for him to agree with.

"Saul is in Mesdan, posing as a mentor. He provides updates on the activities of the underground resistance, and I receive this?" Alexei leaned back, smiling as if he were sitting in a recliner. He picked up a remote control and started playing a song by Ricky Nelson, which Machina had obtained from the Network.

I will follow you,

Follow you wherever you may go.

"Katherine has just joined," Machina rarely doubted Alexei; he was manipulative, charming, and evil, but he didn't lie.

"The NC reported her dead, killed by an Android," Machina said flatly, "or at least that's what Chancellor Archie had them report."

"An Android did try to kill her, but hush..." Alexei immaturely held his finger to his lips. "It wasn't the NC, Archie intercepted the plans but didn't stop them," he giggled. "Your little spying program is perfect. They hoped that by reporting her death, she would eventually meet that fate." Machina returned to his work, having no time for games and growing tired of them. If he wasn't in the garden, he was—

"Accept Reggie's offer." Machina's train of thought was interrupted.

"The Android goes to Benedicta. We'll have Saul ensure he visits the underground and uses it to build the steel army."

"My thoughts exactly," Machina lied, knowing he had no other choice but to follow the script laid out before him. He felt a momentary sadness that Eli's legacy would end with his own widowed wife inadvertently triggering the largest nuclear explosion in Earth's history.

A mountain so high it can keep,

Keep me away, away from my love