Free Silicon Man by William Massa Page B

consequences.
    Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
    Cole dipped into the staircase. His first instinct was to head to the floor below, but he was greeted there by the muffled trample of boots on stairs. His only other option was to make a run for the roof. He took three steps at a time as he hurtled up flight after flight. The shouts receded a bit, the overseers unable to maintain his superhuman pace.  
    Cole had put on quite a show. But now what? How did it work? Was the Network even watching? Would he blow the mission if he just took off? On the other hand, he couldn’t stay after what happened. Who knew what the overseers would do to him? Cole had no intention of finding out.
    Cole arrived at the doorway that led to the roof. He had almost made it through the exit when…
    An overseer appeared in the doorframe, baton up and alive with sizzling electricity. The man’s face was already burned into Cole’s memory. It was the overseer who spat in his face the day he arrived at the construction site.  
    “How far you think you're going to get with a tracking device in your head?” the bully inquired.  
    To Cole’s surprise, there was no animosity in the man’s face. In fact, the man lowered his baton. His voice had changed and was now compassionate. “Tune in to the AI-TAC emergency channel. You'll receive instructions on what to do next.”
    Understanding edged into Cole’s expression. The overseer was part of the Underground Network. Talk about the perfect cover. He must be what the network referred to as a “router.” The man’s role was to direct runaways to the nearest access port.
    For a second, Cole remembered Janson’s earlier words. The Underground had eyes and ears everywhere. Fifteen minutes ago, Cole had questioned what he was doing here. But proof of the organization’s pervasiveness blew all his doubts away. It reminded him how important this mission was.
    Playing his part, Cole asked, ”Why are you helping me?”
    “You think... therefore you are.” The overseer risked a quick smile. “Now zap me!”
    Cole hesitated.
    “Hurry. They can’t find out I let you go.”
    Cole snatched the energy baton and gave his accomplice a jolt. He collapsed and gasped for air.  
    “Sorry.”  
    Cole meant it.  
    He burst into motion, weaving around the downed overseer to pass through the door. An instant later he stood on the roof, wind tousling his hair and all of Los Angeles unfolding before him.  
    His eyes ticked back and forth, seeking a way out of his predicament. He spotted the nearby arm of a moving crane. The steel cable was in the middle of hoisting a giant support beam into the air. Cole had no time to explore other options. The overseers had caught up with him. They stormed the roof, batons ready and eyes blazing with fury. Eager for payback.
    Cole made a break for the crane’s steel cable, sprinting full bore to the edge of the roof. He hurled himself over the ledge in one flying leap.
    His body cut through the air, hands coming up with one chance to achieve a life-saving grip. Cole snatched the cable and shot downward, sliding fast. Human hands would be shredded in seconds by the friction…
    but… Cole wasn't human any longer.
    He glided down several stories and landed on the steel beam at the end of the cable. He ran along the beam and launched himself into the air again. Cole plummeted the last twenty feet and landed hard, his android legs absorbing the shock of the impact with no damage done.
    He had no time to catch his bearings, eyes landing on an incoming dump truck. The truck bore down on him, engine roar filling the air, tires spitting gravel. Cole jumped aside and the vehicle blew past him.  
    More shouts grew audible in the near distance.  
    More overseers were getting organized and picking up the chase.  
    Cole kept moving.
    He dashed across the construction site, navigating a maze of steel beams and construction materials. He leapt over cement blocks and steel