There was nothing. Then there was sound and light.

    "She's awake," someone said.

    "Beginning diagnostics," another person said.

    "Motion control is good."

    "Lets see if she'll stand. Can you get up for us?" The girl they were talking to and about was able to pull herself up and off of the table. The technicians continued to run more tedious tests on the girl. "How do you feel?" they asked after a while.

    "Diagnostics completed," the girl responded. "I feel... fine."

    "That's good, that's good. Now let's see if we can find you some nice clothes." The girl was given a red shirt and an orange vest. She was also given a pair of red pants as well. She looked at herself in the mirror. Right eye red, left eye blue. Hair white, and styled a bit juvenile.

    "Where is he?" she asked, which surprised the technicians as this wasn't part of the boot-up routine.

    "What?" the female technician asked.

    "Where is he?" the girl asked glaring at her.

    "What's the problem, now?" a technician asked.

    "Oh, just some coding issues," another technician said. "Let me troubleshoot."

    "Diagnostics have been completed. There are no coding issues," the girl said.

    "Then who is 'he'?" the first technician asked.

    "My brother."

    "I thought we didn't code this kind of intel-awareness."

    "Exactly," the second technician said. "We didn't."

    "Then what's wrong?"

    "Nothing is wrong. I want my brother," the girl said. "Where is he?" When the technicians couldn't provide a sufficient answer, the girl suddenly attacked. She landed a blow on the first tech, sending him into the concrete wall on the other side of the room, killing him. The girl continued her attack on the technicians and quickly is arrived to the point where there wasn't another human in sight. "Where is he?!" she unleashed a prolonged yell, destroying machinery and exploding glass. She ran out of the room, down a long, white hallway. There were explosions behind her as she ran, jumping over machinery and sliding under fallen beams. She ran, gathering self-intelligence, self-awareness, self-ability, sense. Unaware, that one technician was still alive.

    "Go... Red," the dying man said. "Get Blue and get... away from here." Those were his final words before he was engulfed in an explosion.

    The girl was running toward a room that she vaguely knew that her brother was there. She kicked the door down. "Brother!" she called out. A boy her age came running out of the flames. He had a blue jacket and jeans. His hair was black and spiked. Right eye blue, left eye red.

    "Red, you're alive. Good," he said.

    "We have to get out of here."

    "Let's go." They ran out of the room, followed by more explosions. They made their way up stairs and into another hallway where blast doors were closing at the other end. Sprinting for their very existence, they barely made it through. The doors locking behind them with a loud click. "They'll be after us."

    "Who?" Red asked.

    "The people we were created to work for. The American Central Intelligence Agency."

2: 0.2

    Red and Blue, as they were appropriately named, for the clothes they would wear, ran out of the building and they ran into the heart of the city. Downtown Washington D.C. They made it to Chinatown where Blue was able to hot-wire a car and they drove off. He drove until the left the state of Maryland.

    "Luckily, the C.I.A. hasn't caught us," Blue commented, "else we would be deactivated, or destroyed."

    "Brother, what should we do?" Red asked.

    "We should keep driving to get as far away from here as possible. Maybe leave the United States for good."

    "But what if we're caught?"

    "I cannot speculate. We'll just have to find a way to blend in until we can formulate a plan."

    Mean while, in the White House...

    "You idiots!" the president yelled. "I cannot have my country's taxpayers money running around wreaking havoc!"

    "I'm sorry sir, they just became aware... and escaped," the other man said.

    "You had better do something before I have your ass on my wall!"

    "Y-Yes Mr. President," the man said before he ran out of the Oval Office. He ran back toward the parking lot where he frantically drove back to the C.I.A. headquarters. He ran back inside and headed back to what remained of the android and government robotics department.

    "Watson," his supervisor, an older man, said as he ran back into the room, "what's the order from the President?"

    "He said to do something, or he'll have my ass on his wall," Watson said.

    "Hm." The man thought for a few moments. He then picked up the phone on his desk. "What's the status on the third?"

    "The third one is nearing the completion of construction," a woman's voice said from the other end.

    "When can you have it ready?"

    "Two weeks tops, sir."

    "I'm going to have to have that down to five days. No later."

    "Yes sir," the woman hesitated.

    Down in the robotics lab, a group of technicians watched as robotic arms built what they were programmed to build. An android. Half human, half machine, all government controlled. Suddenly, the body sat up, its eyes glowing an eerie green.

    "What's it doing up?!" one man asked.

    "Who started the programming?!" another asked.

    "There isn't any programming!" a woman said, looking up from a computer screen.

    "It's the mind of the kid we used," the head tech said. "He's become aware. Awake."

    "What... are you doing... to me?" the half-built boy asked in a strained, accented voice. He held his one arm out forward, toward the techs, who had backed away out of fear. "Please... help me." Then, the older man from before came into the room.

    "Father, don't get too close to it!" the woman from the phone said to him. "We don't know what it could do!"

    "He can't do anything!" He looked back at the boy, reaching up for him, tears below his green eyes. "He isn't complete yet."

    "Please... help me," the boy begged. "Please."

    "Just hold on. I can take away the pain for now. When you are finished, you are going to have to do something for me. Can you do it?"

    "Please... I'll do... anything."

    "Good. Just let the robots do their work, and you'll feel better." The man put his hand on the boy's forehead and he slowly pushed him back down onto the table. "Just stay calm. It'll be over soon."

3: 0.3

    Red and Blue continued to run. They had made it to North Carolina by the time their stolen car died.

    "I guess we'll have to continue on foot from here," Blue said.

    "It would appear so," Red said. They walked along the road for a few miles. Red had her hands on the back of her head, in a bored fashion. "How much longer are we going to have to walk until we reach the next town?" she complained.

    "It could be a while," Blue said indifferently.

    "I don't have a while!" Red cried, "I'm hungry!" She dropped to her knees.

    "Is your personality module faulty?" Blue asked her with surprise in his voice, "you seem to be changing moods."

    "I'm hungry! Hello!"

    "Can you continue?"

    "What, complaining or walking?"

    "Walking... preferably," Blue muttered.

    "Hell no!"

    "Swearing. You are faulty."

    "Am not!"

    "There is no use in denying."

    "I am not faulty, you selfish bastard! How are you even my brother?"

    "I am simply not faulty," Blue stated with a nonchalant shrug. Red could have sworn that she saw the smallest of grins on Blue's face.

    "I'll make you faulty!" she yelled, getting up and swinging her fist at him. Blue dodged her punch and Red fell forward, onto the ground, landing with a rather loud thud. "Ow!" she cried. She huffed in defeat as Blue leaned over her. Her attention was then caught by a light in the distance. It was a sign. A large, bright yellow shell. A gas station. "Blue look!" she said with a big grin. "There's a service station up ahead!"

    "So there would be," Blue said with mock surprise.

    "Sounds like someone's attitude computer is fluctuating," Red said wryly. She stood up and took off like a rocket toward the illuminated shell. Blue sighed and followed. Red ran into the gas station, marveling at the wide variety of food that was available. By the time Blue walked through the doors, Red was gorging herself on honey buns and hot dogs. Then the store clerk walked over to her.

    "You got money for that, girl?"

    "Money?" Red asked innocently.

    "Aw, shit!" the man complained, bringing his hand to his face. "God, why this?"

    "What's the problem?"

    "How could you not know what money is?!"

    "Sir," Blue said calmly, holding out a few $100 bills, "I do apologize for my sister. She's been rather hungry for a while and it's made her delusional."

    "I'll give you delusional!" Red yelled. Blue stopped her and he gave the man the money.

    "Will this cover us?"

    "Yeah, I guess," the man said, putting one of the bills in his pocket.

    "Good, I'll be having a burger if you have any."

    "Just help yourself. But she's had enough." Red was about to tear open another honey bun, but Blue swiped it from her hands.

    "Hey!" she exclaimed.

    "You heard the man," Blue said in a scolding manner. "I think you've had enough food for now." Blue went over to the self-serve oven and he pulled out a wrapped burger. He ate that and the honey bun he took from Red. Red watched in horror as Blue ate her honey bun.

    "No!" she cried dramatically. Blue had to hold her back with one hand as he held the treat with his other. "C'mon Blue, give it back!" Blue couldn't help but laugh.

4: 0.4

    Red and Blue continued on walking after their dinner. The clerk said that the next town was a few miles up the road. Shortly after they left the service station, a middle-aged couple pulled over in their truck and offered them a ride into town. Now Red and Blue were sitting in the back of a truck as they were heading toward the small town.

    "It's nice helping out some lost kids," the woman said to her husband in the cab of the pickup. "You were right."

    "Aren't I always?" the man asked back with a laugh.

    "Wait, shush!" she said as she turned up the radio.

    "-and the United States Government has declared a state of emergency for all of the eastern states, as two terrorists remain at large and on the run."

    "Terrorists?" the man asked.

    "Shush!" the woman said.

    "The terrorists have been described as a teen-aged boy with black hair and a teen-aged, white-haired girl. The boy was last seen wearing a blue jacket and the girl was last seen wearing a red jacket. It is also said that their English may sound strange..." the woman turned down the radio as she looked at her husband with a fearful expression. She pointed to the back of the truck and he looked at their passengers through the rearview mirror.

    "It must be them," he muttered.

    "What will we do?" she asked as they arrived in town.

    "Just stay calm."

    "We're harboring terrorists! Do you know what that means?!" she whispered harshly. A knock on the back window made them jump. It was Blue.

    "Just drop us off at the gas station," he said. The man smiled and nodded.

    "What are you doing?!"

    "Staying calm," the man answered as he pulled the truck into the store's parking lot. Red and Blue jumped out of the truck.

    "Thank you, sir," Blue said to the man.

    "Yeah, thanks," Red sided.

    "Not a problem," the man said, hiding the fear inside him. The man rolled his window back up and he drove off.

    "Well, shall we get a move on?" Blue asked Red. She nodded in response and they walked down the street.

    "So how are we going to get another car?" Red asked.

    "I'm not sure. I guess we might just have to take another one."

    "Once we make it to the west, what would we do? Go to Alaska? Catch a flight to Japan? C'mon Blue, what's the plan?"

    "I don't know, I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

    "Man, you never think ahead."

    "Shut up!" he snapped, causing Red to cringe, "besides, haven't you heard that you never focus on the destination, but more on the journey?"

    "Hm," Red huffed in spite anger, "and you call me faulty."

    "Right now, I'm focused on getting out of here. The government declared us terrorists over all national radio and television signals earlier."

    "What?!" Red asked in shock. "Terrorists?! What the Hell?!"

    "I know. We may have to change our appearance before we show up in the next town."

    "How are we going to do that?" Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of an engine. They turned around and saw a semi-truck headed their way.

    "Get down!" Blue said, jumping over the guard rail. Red did as well, but she slipped and fell down the steep hillside. "Red!" Red rolled and tumbled down the hill before coming to a rough stop in a shallow creek, face-down in the cold water. Blue hurried down to the creek to help her, only to find her unconscious and bleeding from several wounds.

5: 0.5

    Blue held Red's unconscious body close to him as he followed the creek until he came across a trail. Judging by the state of his sister, he would have to get her some help. He sighed and began to tread down the path. It flowed through the surrounding forests for a while before he came across a ranch. He walked up to the house and he knocked on the door, holding onto Red. There was no answer, so he walked over to the barn. He noticed the door was open and he carefully slid the large door on its slides and he was amazed to find that inside was a machine shop. Tools, bits of various electronics, and computer screens everywhere. He cleared a counter top and lay Red down on it. The bleeding had stopped as her regenerating skin had sealed back over the cuts and bruises.

    "All thanks to the C.I.A.," Blue said to himself. He removed her soaking wet shirt and dried her off the best he could. That's when he noticed that she was suffering a fever. They were never given immunity to disease. He then heard a tiny gasp behind him. He turned and looked into the eyes of a young girl, who was surprised to see a stranger in her fathers shop. She turned and ran back toward the house. "Shit," Blue swore. He left Red on the counter and he stepped outside to find a man holding a kitchen knife pointed at his chest.

    "Who are you?" the man demanded. He studied Blue's clothes. "Aren't you that kid the government's looking for?"

    "Sir please, my sister needs help," Blue begged, "she's hurt and now she's sick."

    "Mari, get inside," the man said to his young daughter.

    "But Daddy-" the little girl cried.

    "Marigold, now!" She cried out and ran inside the house.

    "Sir, we're not dangerous," Blue said, "please, you have to believe me!"

    "If the government wants you, then the government gets you!"

    "The government created us!" Red yelled. Blue and the man looked over to see her leaning on the open door. Her face was pale and sickly. She brought her hand to her forehead and she groaned, falling onto her knees.

    "Red!" Blue cried, running over to her, holding onto her shoulders. Red shivered, freezing. He felt her forehead. It was burning. "Red, you feel hot."

    "Th-then w-why a-am I f-freezing?" she groaned shakily.

    "She's soaking wet!" a woman said. She looked a bit like the little girl.

    "Joan, stay away from them!" the man said.

    "Can't you see she needs help?" She hurried over to Red and she gingerly took her inside the house. Blue began to follow, but the man took his arm.

    "Hey!" Blue cried.

    "Stay away from my wife and my daughter," he said, before he hit him, knocking him out. Inside the house, Joan was busy getting Red's clothes off and wrapping her in warm towels. After Red was completely dried off, Joan lay her down under some warm blankets on a bed. Red slowly opened her eyes and looked up at her.

    "Thank you," she said softly, but Joan shushed her.

    "You're really sick dear, just don't say anything and take it easy for a while." Red gave her a small nod and fell asleep. Joan smiled and stroked Red's hair. She then walked out of the room.

    "Is she gonna be okay Mommy?" Marigold asked.

    "She'll be fine after a day or two, so you'll just have to let her rest."

    "Okay."

6: 0.6

    A couple days later, Joan walked into the room where Red was staying. Red woke and looked over at her. "How are you feeling today, Red?" Joan asked. Red smiled and sat up.

    "I'm feeling much better today, Joan," Red said. "That medicine you gave me really helped. How's Blue?"

    "He and Dean are probably in the garage," Joan answered, referring to the barn.

    "Oh, they're finally getting along?"

    "Yeah, I really had to smack some sense into Dean, but you really should have seen his face when Blue told him that you two were robots."

    "Androids really."

    "Well, you know what I'm talking about." Joan gave Red her clothes back. "I had these washed and dried, so they're all fresh for you."

    "Thanks." Joan nodded and left while Red redressed herself. She walked into the kitchen where Joan and Marigold were busy preparing the table for lunch.

    "Hey, Red," Marigold said. "You feeling better?"

    "Yeah Marigold, I am today. What are you cooking for lunch?"

    "Mama and I are making sandwiches."

    "Mari, why don't you get Dad and Blue from the garage and tell them lunch is ready?"

    "Okay!" Marigold hopped off the chair she was standing on and she pushed it back to its place at the table and she ran to the front door. "Daddy! Blue! Mommy says lunch is ready!"

    "Okay!" Blue responded.

    "We're coming," Dean said. "You go on ahead," he said to Blue, "I'll catch up." Blue walked out of the garage and onto the front porch.

    "Is Red up?" he asked Marigold.

    "Uh-huh," she answered. "She's helping Mama set up the table.

    "We could use your help too, Mari!" Joan said from the kitchen. Marigold ran back to the kitchen where Red was looking through the fridge while Joan was carrying a platter of different sandwiches toward the table.

    "Pour Marigold some milk, would you Red?" Joan asked, "It should-" Joan was cut off by the small sound of glass breaking. Red looked up and to her utter horror Joan fell forward onto the ground, eyes wide, and didn't stir. Blood seeping from a single gunshot wound in her back.

    "Joan!" Red screamed.

    "Mommy?" Marigold asked, tears forming in her eyes.

    "Red, what is-" Blue asked, storming into the kitchen. He gasped when he saw Joan dead on the floor, and the bullet hole in the window. He then turned around, and hurried to the front door in realization as Dean was walking from the garage to the house. "Dean get down!"

    "What?" Dean asked, but then Blue heard the sound of a silenced gunshot and there was a small explosion of blood as Dean went wide-eyed and collapsed, dead before he hit the grass. Blue slammed the front door shut and locked it. He went back to the kitchen, staying low and away from the windows.

    "What is it?" Red asked, holding her hand over Marigold's eyes as she cried.

    "Government snipers."

    "What's going on!?" Marigold cried. "Where's Daddy!?"

    "Marigold, calm down," Red said to the crying girl.

    "Where's Daddy?!"

    "Is he dead too?"

    "Yeah," Blue answered. Marigold cried even more.

    "God, what's with them?" Red raged. "Why'd they kill them?"

    "Probably to blame it on us."

    "That's so friggin' stupid!"

    "I know."

    "What are we going to do about Marigold?" Marigold's crying died down and she wrenched Reds hand off of her eyes.

    "What are going to do to me?" she asked, the sadness and fear in her voice.

    "It's very likely that if they find you, they'll kill you too," Blue said. Marigold gasped and her eyes widened in fear. "The only way to protect you is to take you with us."

    "Oh... okay."

    "They can't kill us so-"

    "Wrong!" a voice said as a window exploded. They shielded their eyes from the flying glass and when they looked up, they all stared into a pair of ice-cold emerald green eyes that were behind a pair of black glasses on the fair face of a teen boy about Red and Blue's age. His hair was a wavy, dirty blond and his jacket was orange. Red and Blue could tell that this boy was like them, only he seemed different. Not only his accented voice, but just the way his demeanor seemed compared to theirs. Marigold was crying fearfully. This boy had kicked the window in and was now coming after them. Blue stood up.

    "What are you?" he asked this strange boy.

    "You're Blue," the boy said. He then looked down at Red and Marigold. "You must be Red."

    "What do you want?" Red asked.

    "I'm taking you back home." Blue ran forward and punched the boy. The boy reeled back, but maintained his balance. He then cracked his neck and brought his head back to its proper position. "My word, you really do pack a punch."

    "What the-? What the Hell are you?" Blue demanded.

    "I am Project Soto. Your replacement."

7: 0.7

    "Red," Blue said to her. "Get Marigold to the truck in the garage. I'll hold him off." Red nodded and picked up Marigold.

    "Hold onto me tight," she said to the little girl. Marigold whimpered in fear and clutched onto Red as she ran out of the house, narrowly dodging a few bullets. Blue looked at Soto.

    "You really want to kill us?" he asked him.

    "Oh no," Soto said, "I'm merely going to subdue you and bring you back, so you can be "killed" then, We are just machines, remember?"

    "We are not. We're human, too."

    "Were human."

    "Besides, you really want to listen to them? They just want to control you. You'll have to do what they want. No freedom. No life."

    "We were created to watch over America from the inside."

    "Well, it's gonna be pretty hard with that shitty accent of yours." Blue ran forward, surprising Soto, and landing a punch to his face, sending him reeling onto the ground. He then got behind him and with a quick pull, broke Soto's neck. Soto fell limp onto the floor, the eerie green glow gone from his eyes. Blue smirked with satisfaction and ran out to the truck. He jumped in and threw it in drive before speeding off the property. There was a couple shots that hit the back of the truck, but Blue didn't dare slow down until they were well away from the area.

    Much later, the sun was setting and the orange glow of sunlight was gradually being replaced with the gloomy darkness of night. Marigold sat in the middle seat between Blue and Red, staring at a locket that had a picture of her and her parents in it, all with the warm smile of family on their faces.

    "So what now?" Red asked, breaking the silence.

    "Well, for one thing, we may have to change our outfits. They're a dead giveaway," Blue said.

    "Yeah." Red noticed that Marigold had started to cry. "Maybe we should just get away from here." She hugged Marigold and tried to sooth her. The poor girl had to watch as her parents were killed right in front of her.

    "Dean noticed that our coding controls our appearance," Blue stated, "so if we can gain access to a computer, I can tap into our programming and change our appearance."

    "What do you mean by that?" Red asked him.

    "It'll only be able to change our eye and hair color, but when it starts to work, then I think that will be enough cover for us." Red looked at herself in the vanity mirror on the sun visor.

    "We do look pretty obvious with our red and blue eyes."

    "Exactly. I think, for a start, you should shave half of your head." Red gasped and put her hands on the top of her head.

    "No! I'm not ruining my perfectly good hair!"

    "Hey, it was just a suggestion."

    "Yeah, and a freaking stupid one."

    "Red," Marigold spoke up.

    "What is it, Mari?"

    "I gotta pee." 

    "Now?" Blue groaned disdainfully.

    "Blue, stop!" Red scolded, giving Blue a punch to the shoulder. Marigold groaned, wiggling her legs. Blue sighed and pulled into the service station up the road. Marigold jumped out of the truck and she ran inside.

    "You know, she could be a target as well. They'll say that we have her hostage and killed her parents."

    "I know, and that's what worries me." They were hidden by the darkness and Blue noticed a police car pull in next to them. He slowly reached up and switched the interior light to "off" to make sure that when Marigold opened the door, it would stay dark. When Marigold did come back, she jumped in and it stayed dark. Blue backed the truck up and he pulled back onto the highway, heading west.

8: 0.8

    Blue drove until he found an abandoned trailer park. He parked the truck next to a trailer house that appeared to be in the best condition, and he shut off the ignition. They all climbed out and stretched.

    "Is this where we're sleeping?" Marigold asked, eyeing down the old trailer. "Doesn't look very clean."

    "I'm sorry, Mari," Red said, "but since people see us as dangerous, we can't go out in public."

    "Yeah, we'll have to live where ever we can," Blue said. He forced the trailer door open to find a lot of old furniture. Much to their surprise, they found an old map of the U.S. and they decided to figure a travel plan, as they figured that they should be able hopefully be able to fully disappear by the time they reached the west coast.

    "We should avoid any major city," Red said to Blue as they drew out their plan on the map as Marigold held the flashlight.

    "Yeah," he traced his finger along some highways. "Kansas shouldn't be too hard to sneak through, only trouble is that if we're found, there isn't many places to hide."

    "Obviously. Well, where are we-?"   

    "Some old trailer park here in Kentucky. We should head north, maybe through Indiana, Illinois and Iowa."

    "Oh, okay. Yeah, we should do that."

    "We can then take Interstate 90 through South Dakota, taking some bypass roads if we need to..."

    "Yes, definitely."

    "Down through Wyoming, but having to avoid Yellowstone National Park, as many tourists will be there. We'll have to go down and around the bottom end into Idaho."

    "Oh, I see, and then follow over into Oregon and down through California."

    "Are we going to Mexico like all the other criminals?" Marigold chimed in. Red laughed.

    "No Mari, we are not going to Mexico."

    "Thank goodness." Blue retraced their planned route a few times.

    "Alright," he said, "I think we have ourselves a plan." Marigold then yawned.

    "I'm tired."

    "I think we all are," Red agreed.

    "You two get some sleep. I'll keep watch." He stepped outside to cover the pickup with an old tarp.

    Back in D.C.

    The techs were working frantically, fixing Soto and replacing a few parts inside his neck and face. The older man, watching over the work, was sure that when he found Red and Blue,  Soto would strike back with vengeance. He had lost one fight, but that was one too many. Soto had to win their next confrontation.

    "How was the first outing, father?" the woman from before asked the old man.

    "He lost. But he'll win next time."

    "Can you be sure?" There was a bit of an uncomfortable pause between them.

    "Yes." The woman turned around, hiding her unsure expression. "Jasmine..."

    "Yes, sir?" she asked, turning back around.

    "He will win." Jasmine, still unsure, sighed silently before briskly walking out of the room. She headed down to the operating room where they were rebuilding Soto. They were just finishing when she arrived and when a tech reactivated him, Soto sat right up with a start. All the workers stepped back at his sudden movement and Soto saw an opportunity, before he leapt off the bed and had his hand around Jasmine's throat.

    "Where are they?" he demanded. Jasmine gasped and choked before she could mutter an answer.

    "We're tracking them right now!" she said, gasping between words, clutching at his wrist. A tech ran to the computers and he initiated an override code and Soto let go of her neck, succumbing to their complete control of him. Jasmine was on her knees, coughing as she caught her breath. She looked up to the overlooking windows of her father's office, only to see him staring down at her with disappointment in his eyes. He then turned away and Jasmine began to cry, as a man came to her, helping her stand and he led her to the medical bay.

9: 0.9

    Red woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside. She then sat up, remembering that they should probably get a move on. She woke Marigold and Blue, who had fallen asleep on his watch, so Red drove the truck. Blue was still asleep in the truck as she drove until they had to stop for gas. Blue then sat up and yawned.

    "What now?" he asked.

    "We need gas," Red answered.

    "Shit," he muttered. Red covered Marigold's ears.

    "Hey! Don't swear in front of her!"

    "What'd he say?" Marigold asked, removing Reds hands.

    "Nothing!" Red told her.

    "I still have some money," Blue said. He remembered not to mention Marigolds parents. He didn't want to bring up any painful memories. He filled the tank and stepped inside to pay for it. Luckily, no one was at the station and the lady working the counter didn't recognize him. "That'll be enough to get us halfway through Illinois." He then took over driving. They drove for a while before stopping for lunch and Red was able to rip-off a store for some extra clothes. Blue was angry at her for stealing them, but Marigold liked the white dress with little red hearts that Red had given her. They then filled up with more gas and continued on before making it through Iowa. They parked the truck in a dark thicket. They had placed a mattress in the back and once they covered it with the tarp after placing a couple of metal poles to create a tent-like shape on the bed.

    The next morning, they got up to another day of driving, starting with Red. They drove through South Dakota, filling up on more gas just before they crossed the state line into Wyoming. They drove through Wyoming and by the end of the day they had to pull into an empty camp on the south side of Yellowstone Park. Blue kept watch for any park rangers. Shortly after midnight, Red had to use a restroom that was about a quarter-mile down the trail, but when she came back, she took over watch. When dawn came, she had to walk Marigold to the same restroom and Blue was ready when they came back. They drove into Idaho and since there was no way they could avoid Boise, they took the chance and drove through it, blending in. Luckily, they made it through and into Oregon without any trouble.

    Blue took the highway 95 exit and they drove south toward Nevada. They drove until they had to fill up again and then Blue realized something.

    "Red," he called her over to look at the map. Marigold followed her, curious.

    "What is it?"

    "If we keep going, we'll have to go through Reno."

    "I say we risk it."

    "Yeah, I mean we've come this far," Marigold said optimistically. "I think we'll be okay."

    "Alright. Let's do it." They drove down the long, lonely Interstate 80, filling up at the last possible point before they entered the city limits of Reno.

10: 1.0

    They drove through Reno as if they were just passing by, being extra careful not to look too suspicious. Not stopping and making sure not to stay too long, after what seemed like an eternity, they finally saw the sign that read "Leaving Reno, come back soon!" Never have any of them been more relieved to see a sign. Blue continued down the road outside Reno at a steady pace.

    "So when we head south down California, where are we going to go?" Red asked, breaking some of the unbearable silence.

    "I'm not sure," Blue answered. "Mari, what do you think we should do?"

    "Hey, I'm just a kid," Marigold gave him. "What would I know?"

    "Yeah, I guess your right."

    "Blue, she was just joking!" Red scolded.

    "What? I had to say something." The drove on until they hit north and saw a sign that welcomed them to Oregon, but they then headed south and into California.

    "California baby," Red enthused, "land of dreams!"

    "Hah! Broken dreams."

    "Oh, shut up, Blue."

    "Hey, maybe we can go to Hollywood and become movie starts," Marigold said. "I think it'll be fun!"

    "Yeah, just jump into a television studio and announce to everyone that we're not terrorists," Blue said. "Sounds like loads of fun."

    "Don't be so negative," Red said. "Besides, we're still a day away from southern Cali."

    "We could get there faster."

    "No, the last thing we need is to draw attention to ourselves."

    "Well obviously."

    "Just shut up and drive." They drove on until it was late into the night. Red was struggling to keep her eyes open and Marigold was already fast asleep laying her head in Reds lap. Even Blue was beginning to feel the fatigue. "Blue!" Blue gasped and swerved back onto the road. "Blue maybe we should stop for the night."

    "Yeah," he agreed, rubbing his eyes. He parked the truck by this old shed on the side of the road. Too tired, he didn't even bother setting up the tent in the back of the truck and he simply leaned his head back and fell asleep.

    The next morning, Blue awoke to the bright sunlight. Red and Marigold were already looking at him.

    "Come on, let's go!" Red stated. Blue rubbed his hand down his face and sighed.

    "Alright, we're hitting the road," he said. He started the truck and he drove onto the road. None of them were prepared for what would happen next. All Blue saw in the rearview mirror was the black SUV. One second it wasn't there, the next it was. The truck shot forward and spun around as the black SUV slammed into the back of it. Red and Marigold screamed as the truck lifted up on the back end and was spun around before rolling over into the ditch. Lying in the dirt and debris, bleeding, the three of them were in pain.

    "B...Blue?" Red asked. "Are you okay?"

    "I'm fine," he groaned. Marigold was in Reds bruised arms, crying.

    "What happened?"

    "We were hit by an SUV."

   "More specifically, my SUV," the heard Soto's voice outside the wreckage. Blue watched as the boy from the last encounter walked over and bent down, looking into the overturned pickup cab. "I was going 110 miles an hour. It astounds me that you are all still alive." Blue heard the sound of armed soldiers surrounding the truck. Soto grabbed the door and he tore it off without any effort, and tossed it aside. "Pull them out and restrain them." The soldiers grabbed Blue and dragged him over to the group of SUV's. They went for Red and Marigold next.

    "No!" Red resisted. "Let go of her! She's hurt!" Red did her best to fight back as a man took Marigold and put the injured child in chains. The same fate soon met Red as she was cuffed as well. Soto walked over to her, an evil smirk on his face.

    "You though you could get away, but I always get my target."

    "You're a sick monster!"

    "Am I? I didn't murder that poor girl's parents, now did I?" Without another word, he hit her in the temple, knocking her out, for what would be a long time.

11: 1.1

    Red awoke to the sounds of some distant voices. She lay on the floor in a cage, her arms chained behind her. She managed to pull herself up and look over, seeing Blue still unconscious, but confined the same way, on the other side of the room.

    "Blue?" she asked, barely finding her voice, only to receive a massive electric shock, knocking her back to the ground in excruciating pain.

    "I ask that you remain silent," a man in a white coat said. "so, we have a little device to ensure that happens." He was referring to the shock collar that was placed around her neck. She pulled herself back up, the scent of her slightly burnt skin filling the air. The door on the other side of the room opened with a whoosh and Soto strode in, his arrogance quite noticeable. He stepped right over to her cage and he bent his knees, to look her in the eyes. Red watched as the arrogance in his expression was replaced with remorse.

    "This is where they keep you?" he asked quietly. "A little harsh if you ask me." Red though for a moment that he was actually feeling something for her, like he was actually sympathizing for her. "But, I am not in control of how they treat you." He noticed the shock collar around her neck. "Really? What do they punish you for?" Red shook her head, looking away. "Come on, you can tell me." She shook her head again. "Red, tell me."

    "I-" she was interrupted by the shock kicking in. Soto looked down at her, as she lay on the ground catching her breath, some of her clothes smoldering.

    "I see. Red... come here." Red looked up and he offered his hand through the cage bars. Red was hesitant, but she pulled herself up again and she moved toward him. He grabbed the collar and crushed part of it, breaking and disabling it.

    "Where's Marigold?" she asked, her voice scratchy and broken.

    "The little girl? She's fine. She's just in a cell in another wing."

    "What are you going to do to us?"

    "I'm not going to do anything. It's them that you'll have to be worried about."

    "Stop talking to them, Soto," the head of the project said as he walked into the room, the older man from earlier. Jasmine, the woman in the white coat, his daughter, walked along side him. "There is no use in befriending them. They'll be taken apart and rebuilt, absolutely error-free. Under our full control."

    "But we're human too!" Red yelled.

    "Why is your collar disabled?" The man looked at Soto as he stood up and walked over to him. The man delivered a quick slap to Sotos cheek, sending him reeling to the side, his face red. "Never go behind my back again, son." Red noticed how guilty Soto looked.

    "Yes sir," he said.

    "Let's go." They walked out of the room. Soto barely hesitated on the way out, stopping only for the briefest of moments before he stepped out of the room. Tears fell down Red's cheek as what she thought would be her last hope of survival, walked out of the room.

12: 1.2

    Red was knocked out shortly after Soto left the room. She later woke in another room, strapped to a table. She could barely move her head as she looked over and saw Blue lying on another table, just a few feet away. She wanted to call out for him, only her mouth was gagged and she couldn't. Some technicians in white coats were walking around, preparing for what appeared to be some sort of surgical procedure. Red could only imagine what they were going to do to her and her brother. Unable to do anything, she gave up and began to cry, as she stared into the white light above her. Apparently it was best just to wait for the inevitable end. She just hoped it would come quick.

    "Are we ready to begin?" Red heard the old man ask.

    "Yes sir," it was Jasmine's voice. Red's vision was enveloped by figures of darkness, standing in front of the light. Tools of utter destruction in their hands. They all suddenly turned to the sounds of an apparent struggle. Red wanted to see, but her head was strapped down.

    "What's going on?!" the man demanded.

    "You're not going to kill them." It was Soto's voice. Red cried with relief that he was going to save them. She heard some silenced gunshots and bodies hitting the floor. Soto came over and cut the bonds holding her down, freeing her mouth first. "You alright?"

    "Yeah," Red coughed, "I'm fine."

    "Behind you." Red shot up to a sitting position before she turned and grabbed a tech by their head and slamming it into the table, knocking the person out. She then freed her legs.

    "Get Blue!" Soto nodded and set to work, freeing Blue while Red grabbed a gun and started to shoot some armed guards. It wasn't long before Blue had a gun of his own and then there wasn't any one left in the room. The man came into the room, his own gun drawn. Soto saw a wounded Jasmine, crawling toward him, and he grabbed her and held his gun to her head.

    "Let us out, or your daughter dies," Soto said to the man.

    "Killing her wouldn't do any of us any good," the man said. "She's of no value. Not to me, or you." Jasmine gasped, heartbroken.

    "F-Father?" she asked. "Please... help me."

    "Go ahead and kill her Soto. I just might let you live."

    "Don't listen to him, please!" Jasmine begged her captor.

    "You were more of a success than she ever was! You were like a son to me! She's worth nothing! Dispose of her. I don't care! And join me at my side. Come to your father." Soto's rage built up to the breaking point. His green eyes showed the face of penultimate rage. The man gasped as Soto dropped Jasmine and stepped toward him. The man fired his gun. Everyone gasped as the bullet simply fell off Sotos jacket. "B-B-But h-how?" the old man blubbered in fear, falling to the ground as he scooted away from an approaching Soto.

    "You created me to be unkillable," Soto said, an utterly devious grin building on his face. "Big mistake." The old man was crying in fear. "You've brought your own demise upon yourself." Soto lifted his gun and fired one round, right between the eyes. "Red was right, old fool. We're human too."

13: 1.3

    Jasmine looked up, to see the body of the man she used to call Father, lying on its back, blood seeping onto the floor from a single gunshot wound in the head. "You may have killed that asshole of a father," she said, "but I still have my orders." She swiped the gun from Soto's hand and pointed it at him.

    "What are you doing?!" Red cried out, pointing her gun at her, but Jasmine shot the weapon out of her hand with uncanny aim. Soto walked toward Jasmine.

    "Don't you dare!" she yelled, firing the weapon until the empty bullet clip fell onto the ground. She looked at him in wide-eyed fear. Soto grabbed her shirt collar and held her against the wall.

    "You're lucky I didn't kill you," he said, "But I'm going to say this again. We are human too. Why can you not understand this? You created us to be weapons. To be your pawns in war. You were Frankenstein. We were the monster."

    "We aren't monsters!" Red defended, clearly offended.

    "Shut up! I was making a bloody metaphor!" Soto yelled back. He sighed and looked back at Jasmine. "I hope you can understand. We don't want to be your pawns in your game. We will never be. If I so much as hear that similar projects like this are started... I will return and kill you." Jasmine gasped. "It would be best... never to do this again." Soto let go of her and she fell to the floor. Blood from her wounded shoulder creating a large, red streak on the wall.

    "It won't matter," she said, her voice becoming weak, "I'm dead anyway." She gave them a dying smile. "Lynne," she said, looking at Red. Red gasped as she knew that what Jasmine was saying her real name. She looked at Blue. "Tyler." She then looked back at Soto. "Leaf... I'm sorry. Please... forgive me." With a sigh, she exhaled her last breath, as her eyes glazed over, an expression of finality on her face. Red, or Lynne rather, couldn't help but cry. Leaf took his hand and he gently closed Jasmines eyes.

    "Thank you for understanding. Come on," he said, "let's leave this Hell." They walked out of the room. As they went by the holding cells, they heard a small voice call out.

    "Hello?" It sounded familiar.

    "Marigold?" Lynne said. She ran to the source of the voice, and sure enough, it was Marigold. Covered in bandages, but still handcuffed, she was in a cell and was crying tears of joy when they came.

    "Red!" she cried joyfully.

    "Actually, that's not my real name."

    "Well, what is your real name?"

    "I'm Lynne, and this my brother... Tyler."

    "I knew those were your real names."

    "Yeah, sure you did," Tyler said playfully, ruffling Marigold's hair. She gasped when she saw Leaf.

    "It's him! What's he doing here?! He killed my Mommy and Daddy!"

    "Mari," Lynne said, "it was Leaf who saved us. He fought back for us. If it wasn't for him... we would have died."

    "Marigold, was it?" Leaf asked, bending down to her level, "I'm so sorry. I was just following orders. But it was the soldiers with the guns who shot your parents. I'm sorry your parents died, and I know that I'll never be able to live with myself." Marigold saw the sadness and remorse in his eyes. "I understand if you hate me and never want to see me again." Marigold thought for a moment before she began to cry as well. She ran forward and hugged him. Leaf gasped at what she was doing. "What...?"

    "You said it wasn't your fault," Marigold said. "I believe you. It wasn't your fault."

14: 1.4

    The four of them packed into an SUV and they left the C.I.A. building once again. Leaf stopped by the White House on their way out of D.C. He told them to wait while he had some business to take care of. Leaf walked down the hallway toward the oval office, where the President was.

    "Why won't anyone answer?!" the President demanded to himself. He hung up the phone in disgust. That's when the door flew open, revealing Leaf. "What the Hell?! You?! What are you doing here?!" Leaf moved quickly and knocked out all of the guards before the President could pull out his gun. Leaf grabbed it from the man's hand and had it pointed at his forehead.

    "No more android projects," Leaf demanded simply. The man nodded several times.

    "Yeah, yeah, sure whatever you want! Just please don't kill me! I have a meeting with the Prime Minister tomorrow!"

    "You know, Mr. President... we want to be free."

    "I understand, really I do! Please don't kill me!"

    "Then why start this project, especially without telling the public?"

    "Come on, we have to keep some military secrets!"

    "I never understand Americans. Whatever, the point is... I won't kill you. So we are not terrorists. Got it?" The man nodded several times again. "We're not terrorists. We're just human, too." Without another word, Leaf gave him a nice smile and he politely handed his gun back. He waved a nice good-bye and he shut the doors behind him. The President thought to himself before standing back up.

    "We're... just human..." He awoke the guards and told the press to retract his statement about Lynne and Tyler being terrorists. A few days later, he still sat at his desk repeating those same words to himself. "We're just human... we're just human."