E.R.I.C. (The Almost Series Book 2) by Christina Leigh Pritchard

you?”
    “Do you find that odd?”
    Nick cocked his head. “How do a human and machine bond?”
    I refused to look away. “You already know.”
    He nodded. “What is your plan of action? N.I.C. has analyzed all possible outcomes and cannot see any way for you to escape other than to follow me out through the elevators to the safe house. He wants to know what you’ve devised.”
    I dug inside my bag. “I’m going to improvise. You tell your father that part of emoting is to follow your gut feeling.”
    “He wants to know what a gut feeling is,” Nick said. “I’ve already tried to explain to him what it means but—”
    “There is a little voice inside you that is very small and it does not listen to reason. It is illogical and frightening to experience. Tell your father that he will understand one day when he is confronted with loss. His circuitry will falter and he will be faced with a choice between doing what will work statistically and what his hard drives are telling him. They will feel hot and fail repeatedly. If he chooses the logical option, he’ll never function properly again.”
    Nick recoiled. “My father doesn’t understand. He says you speak in riddles.”
    “I’ve given N.I.C. enough information to understand once he is faced with loss or desperation.” I frowned. “Please tell him I hope he never understands.”
    Pop stood before us. “My Shay, are you ready?”
    I stepped as close as I could to my Pop. “I wish I could hug you.”
    He glanced away. “I do not wish to watch.”
    “Permission granted.” I closed my eyes. “Goodbye Pop, I love you.”
    Pop faded slowly. “I do love you, my Shay. Dr. Cole is wrong.”
    Dr. Cole! I raced over, untying her. “Get up and get ready.”
    “Not before I kill that keeper!”
    I pushed her against the sanitation pole. “There’s no time!” I threw her bag of supplies at her. “If you want to live, put your survival gear on.”
    “Survival gear?” Nick said.
    “Prepare yourself, Romeo.”
    “Romeo?”
    I grabbed my face mask. It was a small tube which funneled into my nostrils, feeding me air from an oxygen tank that I hid inside my backpack. I pressed the automatic glass helmet. It surrounded my face.
    I glanced in the reflective glass.
    I looked like an alien.
    Nick laughed. “How are you going to get outside? Eric isn’t smart enough to cut through the glass even though he easily could.”
    “That’s correct, Romeo. He’s not going to do anything to hurt me.”
    “Why are you calling me Romeo?”
    “Darla!” I shouted. “Stop crying and put on your gear. If you’re not going to comply then just try to save yourself.”
    “You’re not going to help me?”
    I shook my head. “I tried but you want to be a martyr, so get ready. I hope you make it without my help.”
    “Shay!” Dr. Cole gasped. “That’s out of character.”
    “I can’t save everyone. So, save yourselves.”
    “Shay!” Nick said. “Answer me! Why are you calling me Romeo?”
    “Because your father has taught you well.” I leaned down, grabbing my most un-useful invention ever. It was the size of a peanut and shaped like a triangle. I pressed it against the glass.
    Dr. Cole raced forward. “Are you crazy, Shay?”
    Nick stopped her. “What do you mean, my father has taught me well?”
    I stepped back, grasping Darla’s hand. “You’re a charlatan, Nick, pretending to be a loving human when in reality you’re just a robotic spy. Your love is fast and instant but always ends in death.”
    When I was thirteen I became fascinated with blowing various things up but not wanting to clean up the mess. So I invented the three-point explosion.
    Step one, explode .
    I covered Darla with my body. We watched the glass walls of our aquarium crack. I averted my eyes as it shattered and water poured in, knocking us backwards.
    I tried to scream.
    Step two, reattach object .
    Suction dragged our bodies to the center of the room; even Eric was no match for its