Programmed Love

Chapter Five: Suspicion Leads to Betrayal

"Oh, Valencia, you're just in time for supper!" Genni greeted me as I stepped into the smallish room. 

    The walk from the bathroom to the room Hanna and I landed in didn't last as long as it did to get to the bathroom. After the meeting with Renée, I had quickened my pace and arrived in the room sooner than expected. Although on the return journey, I couldn't shake the feeling of being observed. I wasn't able to determine whether I preferred the company of other humans, or being alone. 

     "You got lucky. Charlie was about ready to serve the food without you," Genni continued from her seated spot on her knees on the cement floor. 

     "Yeah. Then I would have went looking for your sorry a*s," Charlie said, walking through another door with a tray of steaming food balanced on her forearm. Her natural glare skimmed over me before landing on a metal table that had been pushed into a corner. 

    "Language, Charlie! We have a child in our midst!" Genni said with wide-eyes, almost as if she couldn't believe the profanity that had slipped from the harsher womans lips. 

    "Do you think I give a damn about what that girl hears? She's lucky enough that we decided to take her in. If my way of speaking bothers her, she can find herself dealing with robots instead," Charlie replied with a swagger in her walk. I hadn't realised it before, but Charlie was quite short. Without her own boots, she couldn't have been taller than 5 foot.

    "It's really okay, Genni. I used to hear worse at my tribe. It doesn't bother me," Hanna piped in, most likely hoping to stop the fight before it started. 

    Genni's eyes softened as she looked back to Hanna who was seated on a small, wooden stool with an uncomfortable looking cushion at the table. This caused a curious look to settle on my features, because four chairs were seated at the table, yet Genni had chosen to sit on the cement floor. 

   "See? It doesn't bother her anyways. Now, Valencia, come and have a seat. Don't just stand there and wait for the food to go cold. I'm sure you haven't had a hot meal for a while based on the looks of you," Charlie pointed out. Flashing a quick smile towards Charlie, I stepped around the lean form of Genni and towards the table. 

    Choosing to sit as close to Hanna as possible, I pulled out the foldable metal chair beside her and settled myself into it. A series of numbers and letters filled the top part of the chair, most likely the product number. Unlike Hanna's stool, there was no cushion to attempt to make my own seat comfortable. 

    "Good, now you wait there while I go fetch Renée," Charlie stated as she placed the tray down on the table with a 'thunk' as she wandered off and out of the room. 

    "So who's Renée?" Hanna's childish voice asked after Charlie had walked away. 

    "She's the one who allowed Charlie and I to take up refuge in this shelter. We don't know how long she's been here, and we don't ask. She was nice enough to let us stay, and that's all that matters. She's not much of a talker, but she provides us with food, water, and small comforts. Most of the time she's holed up in her room. That's the only place we aren't allowed in. Charlie threw a fit at first about it, and she's still ticked, but she got over it. You shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say," Genni's voice rang out. A small 'oh' was heard in reply from Hanna. 

   It answered a few of my questions as well, but my curiosity had not yet been fully quenched. I'd have to learn more later. The smell of the hot food had made my mouth begin to water. A few moments later, my stomach agreed. Trying to take my mind off the food before me, I motioned for Genni to join us. 

   "Oh, I don't sit at tables with everyone else..." Genni trailed off, the joy in her eyes slightly lessening.

   "Why not, Gen-Gen? I want you to sit by me!" Hanna whined. She was definitely still a child in many ways. 

   "Well, back at my tribe, the girls weren't treated as equals..." The pinkette stopped again. Her amber eyes seeming to glaze over in memory. 

    "Well that's not fair! Everyone should be treated the same! But why does that make you not wanna sit with us?" Hanna questioned again. Her young mind wasn't fully comprehending what Genni was saying, but I could only soften my gaze in pity and understanding at the kind pinkette who chose to remain on the floor. 

    "The girls weren't allowed to sit at tables, or even in the little huts. They were shooed outside, after they made the meals of course, and that was where the men left their scraps for us to eat," Genni said with a downcast gaze. 

   "Well there aren't any boysies here to worry about, Gen-Gen. You can sit with us!" Hanna continued. A small smile was sent towards the greenette as Genni gave a little shake of her head. 

   "I guess I'm just still living in the past, little one. I suppose no harm could come by me sitting beside you," replied Genni as she brought herself to her feet and began moving towards the seat beside Hanna. 

   A creaking noise was heard as Charlie returned, but this time accompanied by the redhead I had run into in the hall. 

   "Well, I can't say I'm not surprised. I've never gotten Genni to sit at a table with me by her own free will the entire time we've been together. Why the sudden change?" Charlie questioned while moving further into the room. 

   "I've been living in the past, Charlie. Maybe it's time for me to move on," Genni replied in a hushed tone. I was less focused on the conversation when Hanna joined in, for Renée had caught my attention once more. Her footfalls seemed forced, yet light. The way her hair gleamed in the light seemed dull. Her fingers moved in a continuous flexing motion, almost as if she was nervous. She seemed there, yet...not. 

   "Anyways, this is Renée, pipsqueak. It seems as though you've already met her though, Valencia. Don't expect her to engage in much conversation. She's awful shy," Charlie said, boredly glancing over the table. 

   "'Ello, little one. What might your name be?" Renée's accent made an appearance once again. 

   "My name's Hanna! You look really pretty, miss!" Hanna said with a happy gleam in her pale eyes. She was apparently a people person, since she was raised around a whole tribe. 

    "Why, thank you, Hanna. So, what's on the menu, Charlie?" Renée inquired with a soft smile. Her attitude seemed suspicious, and I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched when I turned my gaze to the tray of food. 

   "I was able to scrounge some tomato soup, and a bit of bread that I was able to toast. I even put a bit of cheese on the bread. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sounded tasty at the moment," Charlie stated, taking a seat beside Genni. Renée simply nodded before walking through the doorway that Charlie brought the food through. 

   "She seems nice," Hanna absentmindedly said. The wheels started turning in my head once more. What was it that made her so off? Maybe I was just over-analyzing the facts. Being mute had heightened my sense of observation since I couldn't ask for answers, but that wasn't always a good thing. 

   "She is. Definitely nicer than I could ever be, considering that now four people have invaded her home seeking refuge. We're basically her guard dogs so no one else holes up here," explained Charlie. She finally removed the paper-boy looking hat from her head, fully revealing her short, thick hair. 

    Along with the hat, her outfit consisted of a button-up, medium-green poncho, with a cream colored T-shirt beneath it. Along with the translucent, light brown skirt, a darker brown skirt ended mid-thigh beneath it. She was walking around shoeless at the moment, and the diamond ring on her finger gleamed brightly in the light. 

   Debating on whether to signify my suspicions of Renée or not, I decided against it. Everyone else seemed perfectly fine with her, so even if I disagreed, they'd most likely tell Renée and that might cause issues down the road. Another thing that prohibited me from 'voicing' my opinion was that Renée herself had just entered the room with bowls and eating utensils, and I didn't want us having any more issues with each other. 

    While she whizzed around the table, speedily putting everyone's bowls down, as well as a spoon and napkin, she started speaking again. 

    "Alors, qui est cette jeune fille, Charlie?" Renée questioned, her sweet voice dripping with suspicion. My eyes immediately darted towards the redhead. It was obvious that she was only using French so Hanna and I couldn't understand her. She didn't even appear to be hiding it. 

     "Selon Hanna, son nom est Valencia," Charlie responded. Narrowing my eyes even further, I shot a glance towards Charlie. I didn't want this Renée person knowing my name. 

    "Et son nom de famille?" Renée asked, one perfect eyebrow arched above an abnormally green eye. 

    "Don't you think it's a bit rude to be talking about her when she can't understand?"Genni spoke up. Renée shot a glare towards Genni before looking back to Charlie. 

    "Hanna never told us her last name. What's her last name, Hanna?" Charlie questioned. Hanna seemed to take notice of the tension in the room as all eyes settled on her. 

     "I-I don't know. She never told me," Hanna quickly said. It was obvious that all the attention was frightening her. 

    "Listen here, little mademoiselle, we mean you no harm. We just want to know who your companion is," Renée tried reassuring her. Hanna sent a worried look at me, to which I faintly shook my head. 

    "I'm telling the truth. She never told me her last name. All she said was that her name is Valencia, and that her parents died while on the run from a tribe," Hanna explained. A sudden sense of relief washed over me as I was grateful for not telling her the full truth. She would have spilled that as well. The poor girl was too young to understand the full meaning behind the situation. 

   "You're scaring her, Renée. She obviously knows nothing else. Let's just eat," Genni pleaded. Her eyes showed that she was obviously getting stressed. 

    "Alright, putain. We'll eat, but don't forget who's the one who puts a roof over your head, gives you clean water, and warm meals," Renée threatened. So much for 'shy'. I don't even think Charlie nor Genni had ever seen this side of the girl before. 

    "Don't call her that," Charlie said with a dark aura suddenly surrounding her. 

    "Excuse me, Charlotte?" Renée asked, a look of shock evident on her flawless face. 

    "I told you to not call her that. It wasn't her fault that she was used for that in her tribe. Show her some respect," Charlie spat out. All I could do was sit and watch what was happening. It seemed that Hanna and I's presence was taking a toll on them. We would have to leave sooner than expected. Glancing at Genni, a few tears seemed to prick her amber eyes. 

     "What's happening, Valencia?" Hanna whispered into my ear. Wrapping one arm around her shoulder in attempt to comfort her, I reached beneath the table towards my bag. Pulling it towards me, I started to stand. 

    "Sit back down, Valencia. You're not going anywhere. We still need to eat, and the food is probably cold by now," Charlie ordered. Turning my head downwards, I reclined once again into the chair. Genni seemed to have stopped her tears as she stood up. Renée had decided to close her mouth for the moment and proceeded to sit at the head of the table. 

    "How much soup do you want, Hanna?" Charlie asked, holding a ladle above the bowl containing the tomato soup. 

     "Just enough," Hanna said, her eyes big as saucers. It was obvious that she was hungry. A small laugh left Genni's lips as she replied with an 'okay' and ladled enough soup into Hanna's bowl to nearly fill it. Later placing two triangles of grilled cheese in front of her, it hardly took a second glance at me before she picked up her spoon and began shoveling the soup into her mouth. 

   "And for you?" Genni asked, but I was too entranced with watching Hanna eat to notice her talking to me. Hanna was like a little sister that I never had, and Charlie couldn't hide that small look of longing when she glanced over Hanna. It was almost motherly, yet it was covered by the hard outer covering she tried building around herself. 

    "Don't drool too much, you wouldn't want it getting in your bowl," Genni said with a light-hearted chuckle that snapped me out of my trance. Sending her a smile, I motioned that I wanted a little bit, and she proceeded to ladle as much into my bowl as she had with Hanna. Putting two triangles in front of my as well, she moved onto Charlie, then Renée, and lastly, herself. I had only just placed a spoonful of soup onto my tongue before I heard a small whine come from my bag. 

   "What's that?" Renée questioned. 

   "It's only Valencia's pizzly bear, Orson," Hanna responded, happily gorging herself with food. 

    Moving my chair back, I picked up my bag and placed it onto my lap. Unzipping the top, I picked Orson out of it before placing my bag back onto the ground and replacing its spot with Orson. Placing half a triangle of grilled cheese in front of his wet nose, he greedily bit it out of my palm while I smiled down at him. 

    "Where'd she find him?" Charlie inquired. 

   "I don't really know. She didn't tell me that either," Hanna said. 

    'Oh great, now they'll be even more suspicious of me than they already are,' I thought to myself. This was my first human contact in years, and it was already ending poorly. 

    "Can you please just keep him away from me?" Genni asked in a frightened voice. It seemed as though it was something more than just being allergic to animals. 

   "Why is it that you're allergic to animals, Gen-Gen?" Hanna questioned. 

    "Well...I'm not really allergic to them, it's just-"

    "She's had a bad experience with animals, Hanna. It's scarred her," Charlie finished. 

     "What happened?" Hanna continued. She must not understand that sometimes, people don't like elaborating on bad memories. 

     "Back in my tribe... If we disobeyed... They locked us in a cage with feral animals and just hoped that we were alive in the morning... I have a few marks even. Would you like me to show you?" Genni ended. 

     "Yes, please," the greenette said with wide, childlike eyes. Removing the glove from her left arm, the pinkette showed to us an arm littered with bite marks and scratches so deep, her arm appeared mangled. I'd seen worse, and apparently so had Hanna. I expected her to gag, but I guess ten years living in a cannibalistic tribe must have numbed her senses to gory images. 

    "Yeah, it's pretty bad. But what can you do? It doesn't hurt anymore, they're only scars," Genni continued.

    "Genni, some of us are trying to eat. So if you don't mind covering that back up...?" Charlie asked in more of a demanding way. Turning her gaze to her arm, she pulled the glove back up, hiding away her past. 

    "Well, I'm done eating. I'll be in my room if anyone needs me," Renée said, standing up and excusing herself. Her long, skinny jean covered legs walked away, while her long hair swayed behind her with every step. Her walking still seemed unnatural. 

    "I guess I'll clean up then," Genni said, standing up as well and placing all the dishes onto the metal tray before balancing it onto her forearm and moving away as well. 

   "I'll show you two where you'll be sleeping then, and take the bear with you, too. I don't want him running all around all night. I like my sleep," Charlie said in a semi-joking way. It was clear that she was trying to clear up some of the leftover tension. Smiling at her, I placed Orson into my bag, and slung it over my shoulder. Holding my hand out to Hanna, she accepted it and followed behind me. 

    Charlie led the way out the door into the cement hallway, and we soon stopped at a darker colored door with a lock on the handle. Opening it up for us, she switched on the light and illuminated the small room. Two twin beds rested on the far wall on the ground, each with their own blanket and pillow. A small, dark blue vanity table with white stars on it held up a mirror, with drawers most likely used for beauty tools. The light above us cast a yellow glow around the room, and it was a single bulb encased by an upside-down lampshade. 

   "It's perfect!" Hanna exclaimed, running towards a bed and jumping onto it. 

    "I'm glad you think so. Just sleep in, and don't wake the whole place up," Charlie said, still with a lighthearted tone. I think Hanna was starting to wear off on her. Almost immediately, Hanna jumped right back up and rushed towards Charlie, engulfing her in a hug. 

    "Thank you, Charlie!" Hanna called out, her voice muffled by Charlie's poncho. 

     "Your welcome, Lilli- I mean, Hanna," Charlie said. Charlie returned the child's hug, running one hand through Hanna's pastel green hair. Placing a kiss on her forehead, she released her arms from the girl and moved away, sending a nod my way before closing the door. 

    "Goodnight, Valencia!" Hanna said before returning back to her bed. Smiling at her before making a shooing motion, I walked over to my own bed and placed my bag down before unzipping it to allow Orson to go free. Moving back to the light switch, I blew Hanna a kiss before shutting the lights off. Remembering the route to take to get to my bed, I carefully stepped across the room in my boots before settling down beside Orson, shutting my eyes while a faint 'click' could be heard coming from the door. 

                                                                              •         •         •

   'Click'

   'Clack'

   'Click'

   'Clack'

   Soft footsteps awoke me from a dreamless sleep. Attempting to look around the room, I was met with darkness. Taking in deep breaths, I made an effort to calm my racing heart. Orson's small snores continued to aid me in that attempt. Clutching my bag, I grabbed for the key. Finding it in its proper place, I let out a sigh of relief. 

    The noises behind the door continued. Locating my pistol and knife in a pocket, I slid the nozzle of the pistol into my waistband, and gripped the knife in my left hand. I quietly got off the bed, a few springs creaking causing me to hold my breath. Tiptoeing towards the door, I placed my ear at the keyhole. The noises started getting louder, and soft murmurs could be heard. 

    "Are you sure she's the one?" A gruff voice spoke. 

     "Would I lie to the master?" A familiar French accent questioned. 

     "No, Madame. I was simply asking if you knew for certain she was the one," the gruff voice replied. It had to be a robot. 

     "She's obviously the unknown, i***t! Get a look at her yourself!" Renée said in a whispered yell. 

     "I think I just might..." The gruff voice spoke again. Listening carefully, I decided which way the footsteps were coming from and glanced my eyes to that direction. The edge of my vision picked up a metallic glow that caused me to throw myself back and against the wall. 

    's**t, s**t, shit... Think, Val, think! We can't get caught, not now, not ever!' I thought to myself as my heart picked up again. Glancing towards the keyhole again, I gripped the handle of my pistol and c****d it, placing the knife in my waistband as a replacement. 

    A blue glow lit up the room, as a robotic eye filled the keyhole. Silencing my breathing, a blue gridded scanner went from the top of the room to the bottom. Luckily, I seemed to be in a blind spot. 

    "There's no one here, Renée! Master is not going to be very happy with you!" The gruff voice spoke, a loud banging noise sounding from outside the room. 

     "What are you trying to do? Choke me? Why not just let me open the door and find her myself?" Renée's sly voice spoke. 

     "Why don't I just unplug you right now and find the person myself?" The robot spoke. 

      "You do that and the master will unplug you faster than you can say 'Oops', " Renée replied. 

      "I'm higher up than you, filth," the gruff voice said. 

     "And I'm one of the master's most perfect creations. Which do you think he cares more for?" I could practically hear the smirk in her words. And with this, my suspicions were confirmed. Renée isn't human, she's simply a robot made to look and act just like one. 

     A sharp 'thud' was heard. I could only assume it was the sound of the rougher robot dropping Renée. At this point, I had very few options. Hanna was safe in the terms of the robot looking for her, and so was Orson. It was me they wanted. If I caused enough noise, it could alert Genni and Charlie. And if I'm lucky, which I have been as of late, Charlie will have that handy rifle of hers. 

   Three more tentative steps towards the door, two mechanical whirs, one soft 'click' of the door unlocking, and no time remaining. I brought my arm up, pretending as though the g*n was a mere extension. The door slowly, painfully slowly, creaked open, and Renée's green eyes shone around the room. 

    'Just a few more seconds...' I told myself. My trigger finger slowly crept back. Renée stepped in. Light shone in the room. The other robot walked through the threshold. Taking very careful aim at the unknown robot, my eyes widened... It was an Arena robot... One of the robots who take humans away to fight to their death. 

     I guess that's why I missed. It shocked me. The bullet pierced the metal, yet it missed the Achilles heel I was aiming for. Falling to the ground, the robot was shocked. Renée turned her head towards me. 

     "It is her. I told you, did I not?" Renée questioned, slyly moving closer to me. I tried to not panic, I didn't want to miss again. 

      "I didn't expect the unknown to look like...this," the other robot said. Ignoring his words, I aimed for one of Renée's glowing eyes. Firing off another shot, she laughed. It hit its mark, yet she didn't deactivate. 

     "I'm not like the others, 'Unknown'. I don't have weaknesses. I'm perfect," she said, outreaching her arms to me.

     "Don't worry though. We aren't going to kill you. We want to take you somewhere special! You'll love it! Not many humans get the honor of meeting the master!" Renée exclaimed, excitement filling her remaining eye. The other robot got to its feet. Arms trembling against my will, I took aim for the other eye. 

     "It's no use, Unknown. Just give up," the other robot said. Narrowing my eyes, I shot at Renée's last eye. Now blinded, she stumbled. Her senses were still extremely heightened, but now her trusted sight was gone. 

      "AH! You treacherous girl! Get her, Gilligan!" Renée shrieked. Adrenaline pumping through my veins, I reacted with a fight or flight response. Snatching up my bag, I shot one bullet off towards the other robot before shoving the g*n into my waistband, and running towards Orson who had started to whimper. Grabbing him, I clutched the shivering bear to my chest, and ran. I could only hope Hanna got out safe. 

      Running through the twisting halls, I attempted to gather my bearings. I had to find an exit, and soon. The ache in my back had intensified from the running, and I was about to hurt it more. Shoving Orson into the back pack, I zipped it and continued running. The robots' yells could be heard from behind me, but they weren't firing any shots yet. 

     "VALENCIA! WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Charlie yelled, rifle in hand. Frantically pointing behind me, I made shooting motions, grabbed my g*n, and more closely demonstrated. 

    "I don't trust you, but I'm gonna get you out of this. I don't want to let them get you, there's something special about you. GENNI! TAKE THE GIRL AND GET HER OUT OF HERE! I'll hold them off, and you're gonna run. And for the love of god, DON'T DIE!" Charlie exclaimed. That was sure one hell of a pep talk. 

     Quicker than my mind could process, Genni was grabbing my hand and dragging me. Gunshots could be heard from behind as I could only hope Charlie was doing some damage. 

    "I'll get you out of here, Valencia! I promise," Genni called out in front of me. Orson was growling behind my head, but I couldn't pay him much attention. Too much was going on around me. 

     We eventually got to a staircase. Skipping steps all the way up, we got to a heavily locked, metal door. Genni was struggling to open it, it was clear to tell. She wasn't built for strength. Moving her out of the way, I pulled the deadlock back with all my strength, and even then I could feel it straining my muscles. At the last second, I could feel it giving. The lock must not have been moved for at least five years. Rust was crumbling away as Genni attempted to help me. 

    "YOU CAN'T GET AWAY, UNKNOWN!" Renée called up the stairs. Quickened footfalls could be heard coming up the steps causing me to strain even more to open the door. Finally giving away, Genni and I shoved the door open only to be met with a bright light that blinded us. 

    "Run, Valencia! Go!" Genni called, pushing me forward. My legs worked before my sight came back, and I was already sprinting through the rubble. Nearly tripping several times, my eyes finally adjusted. Looking forward, I realised what the light was, and it wasn't sunlight. 

.

.

.

    It was a group of robotic eyes watching me. Some held handcuffs, others held guns, nets, tasers, and a line of slaves behind them. 

    "You've been surrounded, Unknown. Stop resisting and you'll be treated well. I assure you," the lead robot called out through a megaphone. The world started spinning as I struggled to remain conscious. Shaking my head, I glanced to the left, then the right, and realised it spoke the truth. They were everywhere. 

     "Drop your weapons, and we'll take you away safely. If you fail to compromise with our wishes, well, we can't promise you'll be in one piece," a smirk could be detected in those words. Taking my g*n out, I made it seem like I was surrendering, but I couldn't go down without a fight. 

     Aiming at the megaphone, I shot straight for the middle, successfully hitting my mark and disabling the robot. 

    "You've chosen the hard way," a different voice said. It sounded human, and without that robotic buzz. Curiously tilting my head, the robots began closing in. Panic swept through my as guns pointed at me from all sides, nets were poised at the ready, tasers were being held towards my throat, and in the distance behind me, in the reflection of their metallic armor, I saw the figures of Charlie, Genni, and Hanna being d**g away. From that angle, I couldn't tell if they were dead or simply unconscious. 

    'I failed you,' was my last thought before a net was thrown over me, multiple tasers shocked me, and my consciousness was lost. 

    "She'll do rather nicely in the Arena, brother. I thank you."