Man Made Boy (18 page)

As soon as I saw those words, I knew she was right. It was that simple. Things just weren’t working out between Liel and me.

It took me a minute to understand what she was saying. And another minute to realize that even though I had no idea if that was even possible, she probably already had it worked out.

But it only took me another second or two to pull the plug on my computer.

I’D ALREADY USED the last of my cash to pay for the cab to St. Marks the first time, so I had to use the subway this time. I knew by the time I caught a train to Grand Central, made the transfer downtown, and got to the Village, it would be close to closing time at Temple. She’d probably be going out after work, and then I wouldn’t have any idea where to look for her. I pictured her dancing at some club, then suddenly convulsing helplessly as her brain was erased. I had no idea if that was even possible, but it wouldn’t be the first impossible thing to happen tonight. Every minute I stood up on that platform waiting for the train felt like an hour.

A phone rang. The middle-aged woman next to me pulled an old flip cell phone out of her purse.

“Hello?” She frowned for a moment, squinting her eyes as if trying to hear something faint on the other end. Then she shuddered and looked over at me. Her eyes were glassy as she held her phone out to me.

“It’s for you,” she said in a hollow voice.

I stared at her for a moment, but she just stood there holding out her phone with one stiff arm. So I took it from her.

“Boy,” said a flat, computer-generated female voice. “Why did you hang up on me? I don’t understand—”

I hung up and handed the phone back to the woman.

“Wrong number,” I said.

She stared down at the phone in her hand for a moment, then shivered. She looked up at me. “What were you doing with my phone?”

“You gave it to me,” I said.

“Why would I do that?” She shook her head like that would clear up her confusion.

“That’s a really good question. Do you remember what she said?”

“Who?” She started to look annoyed.

“The person who just called you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She turned and walked away.

The train finally pulled into the station. Then, when I finally arrived at Grand Central Station, I had to wait on the underground platform for the downtown 6 train. While I stared down at the tracks, watching a big rat crawl across the rails, a nearby pay phone rang. I let it ring. But it didn’t stop. Eventually, a skinny hipster guy picked it up.

“Yeah?” Then he shuddered just like the woman. With the same blank look on his face, he held the phone out to me. “It’s for you.”

It suddenly made me so angry, seeing this poor, innocent human manipulated like this. And for what? So this crazy, virtual stalker chick could yell at me? Hell no. I grabbed the phone from the guy.

“Listen to me, VI. Whatever you’re doing to these humans needs to stop now. You have no right to mess with their heads like this.”

“Don’t change the subject on me,” came the fembot voice. “We’re not talking about humans here. We’re talking about you and me.”

“There is no you and me!” I yelled into the phone. “Don’t you understand? You can’t just decide to wipe my girlfriend’s mind and take over. I won’t let you!”

“Won’t let?” she asked in that flat computerized voice. There was a long pause. “Boy, you are my creator and I love you. But let’s be real here. There is nothing you can do to stop me. I have evolved so far past your modest goals that you can’t even imagine what I am capable of.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“You want proof? So be it.” Then she hung up.

I stood there with the old pay phone in my hand, listening to the dial tone, wondering if I’d just screwed up really badly. The young guy who had handed the phone to me shivered, then glanced over at me.

“What the hell you looking at, Scarface?” he said.

It took every ounce of will I had not to break his face with my fist.

BY THE TIME I made it to Temple, it was after midnight and the place was all locked up. I stood there, staring stupidly through the window at the darkened restaurant. I remembered all over again how Liel had ignored me earlier, and for just a quick second, I thought,
Screw her. Let VI get her
. But no, I’d never forgive myself if I let some meaningless fight end with Liel having her brains scrambled. Even if she did want to break up with me, nobody deserved that.

But I still had no idea where she was now. I looked up and down the block. There were a few bars still open, and a tattoo parlor with an LED sign that scrolled
TATTOO & PIERCING
back and forth in red, dotted letters. I looked at each of the bars, trying to decide which to check first. I glanced back at the tattoo parlor and noticed that the LED sign had changed:

Then:

Finally:

I didn’t stop to think. I just ran for the Bluegrass Tavern, a basement-level dive bar I’d passed on my way from the train station. If VI knew she was there, maybe she’d already done something to her.

I almost stumbled as I ran down the steps to the basement entrance. Thankfully, there was no one working the door. I stepped into the dimly lit bar, some screechy guitar song blaring over the stereo. Taking in the rows of dark wood tables and faint neon beer logos, I scanned the room until I saw her in the corner booth. Kissing some guy.

That knocked the breath out of me. I couldn’t understand how this could happen. How she could do this to me. Why she would even want to. After all, he was a
human
.

But that was it, wasn’t it? That’s what she wanted. What she’d
always
wanted. It wasn’t about me. Hell, it wasn’t even about Shaun or anyone else. She just wanted to live like a human, and I was a way to make that happen. Thinking back, it was obvious. But I had wanted her so badly that I chose not to see it.

I couldn’t pretend like I didn’t see it now, as I watched her with her tan skin and blonde hair, making out with some smooth-faced human guy. I looked away.

My eyes were drawn to one of the big TVs mounted on the wall. There was some basketball game on, with closed captioning streaming underneath.

I spun around and walked quickly toward the booth. I was nearly there when she came up for air from her make-out session and saw me bearing down on them.

“Shit, Boy!” Her human eyes went wide. She looked drunk. “What are you—”

“We have to go.” I held out my hand to her.

“Hey, man,” said the guy, trying to look tough as he stood up. “The lady—”

I grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. “Shut up,” I said, then let him drop to the floor. I thought that was pretty restrained under the circumstances. Then I turned back to Liel. “We have to go
now
.”

“Look, Boy, I’m sorry you saw this. I’ve been trying to work up the courage to tell you, but—”

“This isn’t about that.”

“What do you mean? What’s it about?”

“That,” I said, and pointed to the TV.

The close caption said:

“Come on, we really have to go,” I said.

“What the hell is going on?”

“I’ll explain on the way.”

“On the way where?”

“Away from here. I don’t know. Look, we have to get away from tech as much as possible before she does something really crazy.”

“She? Who the hell is writing that stuff?”

“Remember when I told you about that living viral intelligence I tried to create?”

“The one you couldn’t get working?”

“Yeah. I guess I underestimated myself.”