Free The Android Chronicles Book One: The Android Defense by Marling Sloan

trousers.
    “Alright, we’re all here?”
he said. “I’m not going to bother turning on the television, but
I’m sure you’ve all heard Adventis’s name splashed across all the
news channels today. Granted, it’s not for a very good reason, but
any kind of publicity is good publicity, right? So why not take
advantage of this moment and make it into dollar signs? I’ve
decided that we’re going to move the launch of our android lines up
to next week.”
    “Next week!” Lina
said.
    “Yes,” Damian said. “Let’s
strike while the iron’s hot. For every person screaming in the
streets about how we’re greedy, job-stealing bastards, there’s
another tech-obsessed geek who’s clamoring to get his hands on our
androids. We’re right in the middle of a clash between the old
generation and the new generation, the modern and the outdated.
There won’t be a better time to launch the androids.”
    Carlie looked a little bit
satisfied by Lina’s look of alarm.
    “That’s a lot of work we’ll
have to do by next week,” Joe said. “We still haven’t got the Super
Soldiers up to par, and there’s a bunch of other tweaks we’re still
hammering out for the other lines.”
    “Get it done,” Damian said.
“We can hold off on the Super Soldiers, but I definitely want the
other lines ready to launch first. Carlie’s already booked the
Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard for the launch ceremony. Sci
Fi’s going to broadcast it, and we’ve already got promises for
appearances by Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Aerosmith, and
Ashton Kutcher.”
    “Well, then,” Lina
said.
    “The ceremony’s going to be
huge, loud, and it’s going to blow these protestors out of the
water. I want the androids in top-tier, mint condition, ready to go
out to consumers the day after the ceremony. I want one model from
each line present at the ceremony, for display.”
    The tone of his voice
invited no arguments.
    “Alright, then, you got it,
Damian,” Ledia said. “We’ll start banging it out, around the
clock.”
    “That’s what I want to
hear,” Damian said. “I’m holding each one of you personally
accountable for what I see at the ceremony. Meeting’s over. Get
back to work.”
    All of the attendants except
for Carlie and Luke got up and left the room. Carlie glanced at
Luke and then looked down at her iPad.
    “You won’t be able to be at
the ceremony, Luke,” Damian said, with an apology in his voice.
“There will be tons of cops there. They’ll spot you in an instant.
I’ll lend you the use of my office for that day. You can watch
everything from my television screen.”
    “Of course,” Luke
said.
    “You did a good job with the
upgrades for the androids,” Damian said. “If it pays off, you’ll
get rewarded, Luke. Trust me. Oh, I nearly forgot. I’ve got an
extra ticket for the Lakers game tonight. Want to go with me and
Carlie? They’re private box seats.”
    “Oh, come,” Carlie said
immediately.
    “I don’t know a lot about
human sports,” Luke said. “At these kinds of events, there’s a lot
of yelling and screaming involved. Right?”
    “Yeah, but you don’t need to
yell and scream,” Damian said. “Unless you feel like it. Game
starts at seven, and we’ll leave the office at six in my
limo.”
    Carlie looked
jubilant.

Chapter 22.
    Malibu P.D. was strangely
deserted when Mandelie arrived at it. Evidently there had been a
gruesome murder in the Los Angeles area and most of the cops had
left the station in force to investigate it.
    She walked a little
nervously up to the front reception desk, where a bored-looking
dispatcher stared up at her.
    “Um, can I help
you?”
    “I’m looking for Detective
Stroud,” Mandelie said, remembering the police officer’s name. “Or
Detective Grimes.”
    “Stroud’s out on a call,”
the dispatcher said. “Grimes is here, I think. What’s your name so
I can tell him?”
    “I’m Mandelie Miles,”
Mandelie said. “He’s one of the