“It does not matter.” Gilbert walks past me. The rain has drenched him from head to toe. Dew slides down the shine of his dark grey exterior, yet, neither of those things seem to affect him in the slightest, whilst I am over here, shivering like a lost lamb from the cold. “That bar: La Brume…” He holds out a hand for me to take—one I refuse, as I help myself up alone. “Simply put—you cannot go back in there.”

“Sure.” I cross my arms and roll my eyes. The wig on my head is soaked. I regret not taking it off earlier. It’s going to be a pain in the ass to make it look good again. Washing fake hair is the last way I wanted to spend my free time. “I’m totally going to believe an Android that followed me without my permission—you’re not suspicious at all!” Also, I’m sure he’s lying. Why would he investigate against his own kind? It makes no sense. This sounds like a ploy for him to get me to trust him.

“I am sorry if I have upset you.”

“You still did it, though.”

He holds up a finger before his chest. “Yes, but—” Gilbert pauses. He lowers his voice. “That man was going to hurt you.”

I shrug. “Dude, worse-case scenario we would have banged.”

Gilbert’s eyes widen in fear. “Yes!” He blurts, as he waves his arms around a frantic manner. I fail to understand what’s so bad about sex to him, but at this point, I’d rather not ask. “You would have died!”

Another moan slips out from the apartment above us. I laugh. “Dude, what? Not really, no. That’s not what I’m into.” He parts lips to speak again, however I cut him off, and turn around, back toward the road that leads to La Brume. “Anyway, if you don’t have anything better to say, leave me alone, stop stalking me, and go find someone else to bother. I don’t want to see you again.”

“That man will shoot you! He has a gun in his pocket. He was about to take it out. That is why I acted the way I did, I—”

His words make me freeze. I trace my steps and take a deep breath. “And I’m supposed to believe that because...?” I ask.

He stares at me for a moment. Then, his eyes do that thing again, where they become shrouded in numbers and strange, intricate patterns and codes.

Gilbert zones out for a moment, until the life returns to him and he says, “I learned about you being Rogue Zero by analyzing the contents of your backpack. However, if you would like further proof: You currently have a small dagger hidden in your boot. There is one in your belt, as well—it is covered by your jacket. It has also come to my attention that you have a compartment hidden within your black gloves that contains two blades. Sir, if you still do not trust me, I am entirely willing to give you other details, but I believe it would be in both our best interests if we left it at this.”

Wait—

Seriously?

I don’t know whether to feel violated, stunned, or both, but now… damn it, it would be stupid of me to ignore his warning since no one—not even my old gang—knows about my gloves. “Okay, fine.” I take a step back, and shit, it’s really cold out here, I wish I could go back inside just for the warmth, I’d rather not catch a cold. “I get it.” I wave Gilbert off. “Don’t tell me anymore, please.”

He beams and clasps his hands together. “Truly?”

“Yes, you idiot.” My eyebrow twitches. “Why the hell do you look so happy?”

Thunder illuminates the sky as rain continues to crash down on us. The moans we’d been hearing above head are swallowed by the sounds of nature rebelling in the deep night. “I was unsure if you would ever be willing listen to me.”

“Stop making it sound like I trust you,” I snap.

“You don’t?” he asks.

His question is a difficult one to answer. Do I? Probably not. He’s still an Android, that part hasn’t changed—there’s no telling what he’ll do in the future, or when he’ll decide to turn on me. But… I could use him, and exploit what’s hiding in that system of his by hacking into his database, once he trusts me, to find Fletcher. I smirk. I’m sure this Android’s seen many interesting places and people. “Maybe a little more than before,” is my answer. And when he offers to help me find the man I’m looking for again, this time, I’ve no choice but to agree.

“Okay,” I tell him. “Lead the way.”