"Where has she gotten to?" T1N asked himself. He had been trying to keep his distance, remaining hidden at all times. This girl had just suffered through an extremely stressful situation and was still adjusting to a new reality. The city of Eidolon had done nothing to welcome her. The android knew that humans needed a while to adjust at times like this. Also, appearing out of nowhere was sure to achieve nothing more than scaring her further.
He activated the lights of his eyes again and a beam cut through the darkness. There was no trace of the girl.
T1N then heard the sound of breaking glass, not far from where he stood. He headed towards it, turning on his lights again, examining the hovercars around him and scattering the shadows with his light. Someone or something was hiding behind one of those vehicles. Was it the girl?
Before he could say a word, a pair of headlights pointed straight at him burst into light, leaving his visual sensors useless. He heard the hum of a pulse engine and a sudden acceleration…
//Running SN—69374529C3957.rom
"I'm waiting for you," he heard Bella say from the kitchen.
Bella. Her name was Bella.
T1N got up from the rocking chair, left the porch, and went into the house. There were paper lanterns hanging from the roof that danced in the wind and illuminated the way to the kitchen door.
As he put his hand on the doorknob, a shout made him jump. He threw the door open and found Bella with her back to him. She turned towards him and he saw how she nursed her left hand. It was covered in blood with an ugly gash crossing the wrist. On the ground was a knife in a crimson puddle.
"Bella!" T1N ran forward and wrapped her in his metal arms.
"Don't worry. I just nicked myself."
But the colour of her face was fading. T1N performed a body scan. Her temperature was plummeting.
"Bella, just hold on! I'm calling an ambulance…"
Bella fell to her knees and the android crouched beside her. Her skin turned stiff and grey.
"Run, my dear android! I'm… I'm waiting for you."
"What are you saying?"
"You have to go…" Deep wrinkles like cracks in parched ground furrowed her forehead, her neck, and her hands. "You have to go to the Novus System. I need you. Come to Eidolon."
The woman's eyes evaporated in a wisp of smoke. Only empty sockets remained.
"Bellaaaa!" he screamed, but Bella wasn't there. She had turned to dust in his arms. The only thing left was a knife in a puddle of blood and ash.
/
The hovercar ran T1N over before he had time to react. The bumper caught him in the waist, bending him double. His head slammed into the windshield, breaking the glass into a thousand pieces. His body continued rolling over the roof of the car until it hit the ground a few metres behind it.
He tried to move but his recovery systems stopped him.
*Assessing damage.*
>Systems: OPERATIONAL
>Structural Damage: NEGLIGIBLE
He heard the car door opening and steps coming closer.
*Scan complete. Restoring motor function.*
T1N raised his head and saw a girl with chestnut hair that hung about her pale, gaunt face. She was dressed in a filthy Hermes jumpsuit. She studied him with wide eyes, a mixture of fear and surprise.
"I suppose you aren't one of those bugs?"