reaching for a dish at the dinner table, and
broke her gun hand. He kicked the weapon away from her when it fell to the floor.
A robot with a different programming wouldn’t have wavered from her directive. But instead of going after the gun, Felisa went after Al, the perceived protector of her target. They fell to
the floor, Felisa straddling Al’s torso and punching him in the face.
The door was wide open but they couldn’t run away. If they tried, Felisa would stop hitting Al and just come after them. Lester knew this as well, so he pushed Max and Lillian into his
room and locked the door.
“Should we call SentryServ?” Lillian said.
“Fuck,” Lester said. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Start erasing files,” Max said, and dialed the hotline.
“No!” Lester said. “Al can handle it.”
The robots were still exchanging blows, the force making the walls vibrate. Lillian could feel the door trembling beneath her hands.
“Jesus, Lester,” she said. “You didn’t make a Cleaner, you made a
personal bodyguard.”
“I know,” Lester said. “Proudest moment ever. Too bad I’ll get the lethal injection if anyone ever found out.”
Max urged him. “Lester, Sentry’s probably on their way. And you have neighbors. Start backing up and erase files from your disks. If you called this in, it would look less suspicious
than if we ran away.”
“But Al—”
“We’ll tell them he came with the murderous robot! But you need to call this in before somebody else—”
Lester sat in front of his computer. “Okay,” he said. “Okay, okay. Give me the damn phone.”
“You’re willing to let your name appear in their database?” Lillian said, when Max handed Lester her own cell phone.
Max shook her head. “Prepaid. Cheap SIM. I can just throw it out after—”
“Hello?” Lester said. “Can you hear me? That robot assassin they showed on the news is in my house, and where are the fucking Sentries posted outside my building when you need
them?”
The noise stopped. Lester rattled off his address as they slowly stepped out of his room.
“Hurry up!” Lester said. His face fell after he ended the call. “I hope they don’t hurry up.”
Al had cracks on his cheek and jaw, and his upper right arm was ripped open, but he was still standing.
Felisa was on the floor, facedown, felled by a chop to the back of the neck.
“I managed to cut her central link to her Mother Program,” Al explained.
“How did you know how to do that?” Max asked.
“I taught him,” Lester said.
“You taught a robot how to disable other robots?
Jesus.”
“We need to get out of here, guys,” Lillian said.
“There’s a way out back, Max knows,” Lester said. “Go with them Al, no need for Sentry to see you. You’re protecting them now.”
“Yes,” Al said.
“And bring this thing,” Max said, pointing at the floor.
“Wait, you’re taking Girl X?” said Lester. “What proof will I show Sentry?”
“Take photos,” Max said. “Tell them she went away. I’m not handing this robot to them.”
Al lifted her and set her by the wall. Click, click, click. Then they bundled up Felisa in a blanket, and Al carried her over his shoulder like a dead body.
They slipped out before Sentry came.
27
Jamie picked them up behind the building while what looked like the rest of the Sagrada Familia population converged in front with the media vans. After Al dumped Felisa into the trunk and
settled in the backseat with the two girls, Jamie immediately launched into a declaration of possible escape plans.
“The Philippines only has extradition treaties with ten countries. Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Micronesia, Switzerland, Thailand, and the United States. We can
go anywhere outside of those ten countries. Brazil! We can go to Brazil! We don’t need a visa to get to Brazil. I might finally land me a decent boyfriend. By the way, who’s this
guy?”
“Good day, sir,” Al said.
broke her gun hand. He kicked the weapon away from her when it fell to the floor.
A robot with a different programming wouldn’t have wavered from her directive. But instead of going after the gun, Felisa went after Al, the perceived protector of her target. They fell to
the floor, Felisa straddling Al’s torso and punching him in the face.
The door was wide open but they couldn’t run away. If they tried, Felisa would stop hitting Al and just come after them. Lester knew this as well, so he pushed Max and Lillian into his
room and locked the door.
“Should we call SentryServ?” Lillian said.
“Fuck,” Lester said. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Start erasing files,” Max said, and dialed the hotline.
“No!” Lester said. “Al can handle it.”
The robots were still exchanging blows, the force making the walls vibrate. Lillian could feel the door trembling beneath her hands.
“Jesus, Lester,” she said. “You didn’t make a Cleaner, you made a
personal bodyguard.”
“I know,” Lester said. “Proudest moment ever. Too bad I’ll get the lethal injection if anyone ever found out.”
Max urged him. “Lester, Sentry’s probably on their way. And you have neighbors. Start backing up and erase files from your disks. If you called this in, it would look less suspicious
than if we ran away.”
“But Al—”
“We’ll tell them he came with the murderous robot! But you need to call this in before somebody else—”
Lester sat in front of his computer. “Okay,” he said. “Okay, okay. Give me the damn phone.”
“You’re willing to let your name appear in their database?” Lillian said, when Max handed Lester her own cell phone.
Max shook her head. “Prepaid. Cheap SIM. I can just throw it out after—”
“Hello?” Lester said. “Can you hear me? That robot assassin they showed on the news is in my house, and where are the fucking Sentries posted outside my building when you need
them?”
The noise stopped. Lester rattled off his address as they slowly stepped out of his room.
“Hurry up!” Lester said. His face fell after he ended the call. “I hope they don’t hurry up.”
Al had cracks on his cheek and jaw, and his upper right arm was ripped open, but he was still standing.
Felisa was on the floor, facedown, felled by a chop to the back of the neck.
“I managed to cut her central link to her Mother Program,” Al explained.
“How did you know how to do that?” Max asked.
“I taught him,” Lester said.
“You taught a robot how to disable other robots?
Jesus.”
“We need to get out of here, guys,” Lillian said.
“There’s a way out back, Max knows,” Lester said. “Go with them Al, no need for Sentry to see you. You’re protecting them now.”
“Yes,” Al said.
“And bring this thing,” Max said, pointing at the floor.
“Wait, you’re taking Girl X?” said Lester. “What proof will I show Sentry?”
“Take photos,” Max said. “Tell them she went away. I’m not handing this robot to them.”
Al lifted her and set her by the wall. Click, click, click. Then they bundled up Felisa in a blanket, and Al carried her over his shoulder like a dead body.
They slipped out before Sentry came.
27
Jamie picked them up behind the building while what looked like the rest of the Sagrada Familia population converged in front with the media vans. After Al dumped Felisa into the trunk and
settled in the backseat with the two girls, Jamie immediately launched into a declaration of possible escape plans.
“The Philippines only has extradition treaties with ten countries. Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Micronesia, Switzerland, Thailand, and the United States. We can
go anywhere outside of those ten countries. Brazil! We can go to Brazil! We don’t need a visa to get to Brazil. I might finally land me a decent boyfriend. By the way, who’s this
guy?”
“Good day, sir,” Al said.
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