considering her age, she couldn’t know what he was. To Nick, that was the biggest problem: what had the biobot been designed for? They ran the gamut from nursery maids to assassins, and considering what he just witnessed, this one hadn’t been built to care for babies. Nick needed to find out what their relationship was. She had obediently left when the biobot asked her to retrieve his pack.
The biobot turned to look at him, his face gave nothing away as he waited. Nick twitched a nod of assent and moved closer to the boy. He flinched when the biobot flicked open a knife, but the blade only cut rope. Nick got a careful grip on the boy, William. He smelled awful, vomit and blood and urine. The bindings fell away, and he gently lowered William to the floor. The boy needed medical care. “We'll need to make a stretcher. I think White Bluffs has a doctor.”
“No. Too close to the train station,” the biobot said.
Nick frowned, not sure why that was a problem. Lily climbed in the window, dragging a heavy pack behind her. It thumped down the brick pile scattering broken bits and rusty red fragments. The biobot took it from her, lifting it easily. He knew they didn’t really have super-strength, but this one looked especially strong.
“The stations are monitored. Until we know why the children are hunted, and by whom, we must remain out of sight.” The biobot pulled out a bottle of water and a scrap of toweling.
“You don't know who these guys are?” Nick asked. He was starting to worry about which side he had inadvertently joined. But surely the one not torturing children was the right one.
“No.” He wet the cloth and started wiping away the blood on William’s face.
“Why are you here?”
The biobot stopped. He turned his full attention to Nick for the first time. Nick felt his hackles rise as those pale blue eyes drilled into him. Then they turned away, and he felt sweat run down his back.
“Lily, can you go get the guns I took from the men?”
Nick watched the child skip off on her errand. He shivered. Collect the weapons from the dead men, little girl. This was all kinds of wrong. When he looked back, the pale eyes were measuring him again.
“I am a finder. Lily hired me to find her brother.”
“ Hired you?” Nick shook his head. That wasn’t at all what he’d expected. Then the words sank in and a hot anger rushed through him. “What was your fee?” The biobot didn't react to the accusation, just looked him over before turning back to caring for William.
“How could I take anything from a child who had lost all? She was alone.” He nodded at William. “This is her only family. I work for whom I choose.”
Lily skipped back in to drop an armful of guns at the biobot's side. He picked up the one Nick had admired and handed it to him.
Nick's head spun. Too many oddities to put together, but the injured boy had to be the first priority. “I'm Nick.” The pale eyes flicked over to him. “You got a plan?”
“Can you drive?”
“You have a car?”
The biobot gestured to the bodies. “Theirs.”
Despite the circumstance, Nick found himself grinning. A car. He hadn't even see a car in months, much less driven one. That thought followed the usual track and dumped him into gloomy reality. Did anyone still make cars? Were there enough hands left to run the assembly plants? And that made him turn back and look at the dead men lying in the dirt. Five less humans in the world.
“Would you want their kind to procreate?”
The hair stood up on Nick’s neck. “Are you really reading my mind?” A flicker of those pale eyes again. He thought he detected just a hint of amusement in them.
“You think loudly.”
Nick ignored the possible implications there and turned his attention to William. The biobot had washed away enough dirt to see the damage more clearly. It made him sick to see this kind of injuries on someone so young. Although in the world as it was these days, adolescent might
The biobot turned to look at him, his face gave nothing away as he waited. Nick twitched a nod of assent and moved closer to the boy. He flinched when the biobot flicked open a knife, but the blade only cut rope. Nick got a careful grip on the boy, William. He smelled awful, vomit and blood and urine. The bindings fell away, and he gently lowered William to the floor. The boy needed medical care. “We'll need to make a stretcher. I think White Bluffs has a doctor.”
“No. Too close to the train station,” the biobot said.
Nick frowned, not sure why that was a problem. Lily climbed in the window, dragging a heavy pack behind her. It thumped down the brick pile scattering broken bits and rusty red fragments. The biobot took it from her, lifting it easily. He knew they didn’t really have super-strength, but this one looked especially strong.
“The stations are monitored. Until we know why the children are hunted, and by whom, we must remain out of sight.” The biobot pulled out a bottle of water and a scrap of toweling.
“You don't know who these guys are?” Nick asked. He was starting to worry about which side he had inadvertently joined. But surely the one not torturing children was the right one.
“No.” He wet the cloth and started wiping away the blood on William’s face.
“Why are you here?”
The biobot stopped. He turned his full attention to Nick for the first time. Nick felt his hackles rise as those pale blue eyes drilled into him. Then they turned away, and he felt sweat run down his back.
“Lily, can you go get the guns I took from the men?”
Nick watched the child skip off on her errand. He shivered. Collect the weapons from the dead men, little girl. This was all kinds of wrong. When he looked back, the pale eyes were measuring him again.
“I am a finder. Lily hired me to find her brother.”
“ Hired you?” Nick shook his head. That wasn’t at all what he’d expected. Then the words sank in and a hot anger rushed through him. “What was your fee?” The biobot didn't react to the accusation, just looked him over before turning back to caring for William.
“How could I take anything from a child who had lost all? She was alone.” He nodded at William. “This is her only family. I work for whom I choose.”
Lily skipped back in to drop an armful of guns at the biobot's side. He picked up the one Nick had admired and handed it to him.
Nick's head spun. Too many oddities to put together, but the injured boy had to be the first priority. “I'm Nick.” The pale eyes flicked over to him. “You got a plan?”
“Can you drive?”
“You have a car?”
The biobot gestured to the bodies. “Theirs.”
Despite the circumstance, Nick found himself grinning. A car. He hadn't even see a car in months, much less driven one. That thought followed the usual track and dumped him into gloomy reality. Did anyone still make cars? Were there enough hands left to run the assembly plants? And that made him turn back and look at the dead men lying in the dirt. Five less humans in the world.
“Would you want their kind to procreate?”
The hair stood up on Nick’s neck. “Are you really reading my mind?” A flicker of those pale eyes again. He thought he detected just a hint of amusement in them.
“You think loudly.”
Nick ignored the possible implications there and turned his attention to William. The biobot had washed away enough dirt to see the damage more clearly. It made him sick to see this kind of injuries on someone so young. Although in the world as it was these days, adolescent might
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