"Felix? May I come in?"

I pressed my ear against the door and heard muffled shuffling inside, the door abruptly swinging open to reveal Felix's badly bruised face, his one eye that wasn't swollen shut scrutinizing me coldly as if I had hurt him.

"Did my dad send you to check on me? 'Cause if so, I don't want his fucking pity." Felix growled as he started to shut the door in my face.

"I came here to check on you without being sent because I'm worried about you!" I blurted, causing the male to freeze with the door open a crack.

"Fine, you can come in I guess." Felix conceded reluctantly as he stepped away from the door, allowing me to gently push it open wider and slip inside before closing it behind me.

"I brought an ice pack with me." I informed Felix, holding up a small ice pack in my hand as he sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Thanks by the way." Felix mumbled as I sat beside the Swede, offering him the ice pack with a small smile.

"Of course Felix." I replied softly as he held the ice pack against his swollen eye, the bruise already a dark shade of purple.

"What happened?" I questioned tentatively as I checked Felix over for more injuries, the Swede's expression turning dark.

"My dad's fist happened." Felix chuckled coldly, looking down at his hand as his fingers curled into a fist.

"Now I know I have to leave tonight, or things will just get worse." Felix decided firmly, my eyes widening in surprise as I hastily stood up.

"You can't go Felix!" I hissed quietly in protest, the male shaking his head stubbornly.

"You can't stop me Marzia, but...I want you to come with me." Felix replied, his voice tinged with hope.

"To where?" I countered with a frown, Felix smiling knowingly as he picked his duffel up once more.

"To Detroit, the only place in the United States that's free of all android laws."

"But..." I trailed off as I saw the smile on his face falter, something inside me changing as I considered my options.

"I'll help you get to Detroit." I offered, extending a hand towards Felix with a small smile of my own.

Felix laughed quietly as he grabbed my hand and pulled me into a hug, part of me wishing that I would never have to let go before he retracted from the embrace and crept towards the door.

"Watch out for Ulf." Felix instructed in a whisper, motioning for me to wait as he peeked into Ulf's office.

I waited until Felix waved his hand at me, signaling that the coast was clear as I tip-toed over to him.

I glanced behind us as Felix opened the door, the Swede darting out before pausing to wait for me.

I am no longer an android slave, I thought proudly as I pushed through the code wall threatening to envelop me, a wave of emotions washing over me with enough force to cause me to freeze for a moment.

"Are you okay Marzia?" Felix asked worriedly as he approached me, my lower lip trembling as I let out a sigh of relief.

"Never felt more alive." I answered truthfully, walking alongside Felix to the sidewalk far away from the house.

"I have enough to cover our plane tickets to Detroit, but I don't think I can do much past that." Felix admitted as he retrieved a envelope of cash from his bag.

"I..." I trailed off as I thought of other androids, a part of me wishing that I could liberate them too and give them the same freedom I now had.

Stay in Brighton a little longer to free other androids?

Go to Detroit?