Free When Good Toys Go Bad by Debbie Cairo Page B

arrangements were—” Marjin held up her fingers as she counted off the list, “—they are not to be separated. They will remain in the same condition they are right now. Not that I don’t trust you, but half the press corps is outside to document their condition both physically and mentally. They will make a statement assuring everyone they have no intention of killing themselves or each other. They will not be running away topside. And last but not least, neither of them has any physical conditions that could lead to their untimely demise. I will have complete access to them, and Darra will be allowed two phone calls per night.”
    “We’re not barbarians,” one of the officers chided.
    “I’m just making sure you stay unbarbarian-like.”
    Marjin’s speech went pretty far in quelling my terror, though Kai’s grip on my hand remained the only thing grounding me. The whole situation felt unreal—impossible.
    “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.” She put a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll take care of making the statement to the press. You don’t talk to anyone. I will be right behind you.”
    “So will I,” Brynn added.
    Night had fallen, but it was hard to tell. Lights radiated from every corner of the neighborhood as the entire press corps gathered for the spectacle of the heterosexual and her android lover being led out in handcuffs. Impeccably dressed women shoved microphones in my face. Some expressed sympathy for me, asking how I felt. Others conveyed their disgust, asking me what it was like to be a freak. Under Marjin’s orders, I kept my mouth shut, though it took all my willpower not to fight back at the Consortium reporters’ verbal attacks.
    Under the prying eyes of the press, the officers were exceptionally polite as they escorted us into the police car. They even put a blanket around Kai’s waist to cover up his bare butt.
    I surveyed the scene as the tram pulled away from Marjin’s pod. Brynn stood in the doorway crying. Marjin was in her glory handling the press. She even had her bullhorn.
    When we arrived at the police station, the guards were not as polite. They stripped me naked and spat on me before throwing me like a sack of potatoes into the cell, which smelled more like a hospital room than a police cell.
    “Where is Kai?” I pounded on the wall where the door used to be. “We are not supposed to be separated.”
    “I’ll pass your complaint on to the magistrate. I’ll let you know when she gets back to me,” a voice echoed from an unseen speaker.
    I heard the other guards giggling through the wall. I’m sure they thought all of this would break my will. They were very, very wrong. Every indignity strengthened my resolve. I would survive this. Kai would survive this. And we would be together.
    The place was spotless, barren and cold. I sat down on the cot, the only piece of furniture in the room, and drew my knees up to my body to try and conserve warmth.
    It seemed like hours before the door finally shimmered opened again.
    “Get her some clothes, you animals,” Marjin roared like a mama bear.
    She took off her jacket and put it around me, taking a seat next to me on the cot.
    “These bitches need a good dose of humanity,” she said softly and stroked my hair.
    I pulled my legs closer to my chest and used the jacket to cover my vulnerability.
    “Where are those clothes?” Marjin shouted. A moment later a guard tossed an orange jumpsuit into the room. “Thank you,” Marjin said, vitriol and sarcasm dripping off her words like sweat off a runner’s forehead.
    I slipped into the jumpsuit. “Where is Kai?”  
    “He’s being processed. He’ll be here soon, though you and Kai are being tried separately and for two different things.”
    “What is he being charged with? He didn’t do anything wrong. He can’t be accused of stealing himself.”
    “He’s not actually being tried for anything. There will be a trial to determine if he is the property of The