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“My little sister. Alexi. I have custody of her now. No other blood relations. At least, not that I know of. You?”
“No siblings. But in our tribe, we were all family, in a way. I had plenty of boys my age that I grew up with. Many of them I feel are my brothers.”
We headed back for the stairs. “I feel that way about my partner, Jordan. He’s like a brother to me.”
“Real family can come in unexpected packages.”
I thought of Dennis and Mariah. “That’s very true.”
We reached the top of the stairs and Ethan unceremoniously dumped his weapons onto his desk. He had brought up plenty of ammo, and he began loading them. I set the guns he’d handed to me down beside him.
“Why do you have all projectile guns?”
He lifted a single handgun. “This one is a laser. When I was old enough to use firearms, I learned how to shoot using a projectile gun. They were cheaper than laser guns. I don’t mind using a laser, but I’ve always been more comfortable with a projectile.”
“Lucky for me, I am proficient with both.” I grabbed the rifle and started loading it.
We worked in comfortable silence. It took a while to get everything prepped. Ethan took the rifle and one handgun down to the cockpit. I followed, more curious than anything. He handed them to Andy. “Here. Just in case.”
Ethan left the cockpit again, and I blinked at him, surprised by his actions. “You’re giving the android guns? Can he even use them? Doesn’t that go against his programming?”
“No.” Ethan returned to the desk, palmed the last gun, and tucked it into his belt. “Andy is programmed not to kill, but to protect human life. I am his owner, for lack of a better term. He is programmed to protect me from danger. He is programmed with a specific set of moral and ethical commands. He is not permitted to injure any humans, but he can point a gun at them and threaten them. You can’t tell from a first glance that he’s an android.”
“Maybe not the first, but certainly by the third you can. Androids are just so…unnatural. They look like humans but aren’t. They talk differently, they walk differently, they even sit differently.”
Ethan paused to give me an assessing look. “When it comes down to the moment when we need him to back us up, I’d rather him have it than try to threaten them with nothing. Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t, but it definitely won’t work if we don’t try.”
He had a point. I shut my mouth and nodded. I was in no position to argue about whether we should trust an android or not. I took my now loaded and ready-to-use gun and tucked it into my belt. The knives went in various pockets and locations on my body.
Ethan finished arming himself as well and pulled out his tablet again. “We have a little time before it will be safe to leave. We need a plan. When I go get the sensors, it’s going to be a race against time. If your captors found shelter nearby, they’ll find us immediately once they start looking.”
I frowned at him and placed my hands on my hips. “Whenyougo out there? Don’t you meanwe?”
His eyes swept me up and down. It wasn’t a lewd look; it was evaluating. But it made my stomach flutter all the same. “Are you feeling well enough to head out there?”
The obvious concern in his voice touched me, but I hated the idea that he might think I was weak. Too weak to protect myself, too weak to help. I was not weak, and even if I was, I wouldn’t let anyone else know that. Staying strong was key to surviving.
“I feel much better.”
“It will be dangerous out there. The terrain is not pleasant and obviously the storm will still be a problem.”
“Understood. I can handle it.”
Ethan nodded. “Okay. We’d better get prepped.”
I blinked. “You’re giving in that easily?” I thought I would need to convince him. I thought he would insist that, because I was a woman, I wouldn’t be able to help him out there.
He shrugged. “Truthfully, I could use the help. The sensors aren’t exactly light, and we’ll have a lot of ground to cover. It’s an open and exposed place. Having someone watching my back would be nice.”
“Most people I know aren’t as logical as you.”
That caused him to laugh. “I haven’t always been logical. I’ve worked very hard at it. Took some college classes.” He smirked. I wondered if he was joking about that last part, but before I could comment, he changed subjects. “Let’s get you some gear for out there.”
‘Gear’ consisted of goggles, another bandana, and a GPS, which he clipped onto my belt. “Don’t lose that. If we get separated or anything happens, this is your best shot at finding the ship again.”
I fiddled with the small device. “This is how you got us back last night, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s specially made to be unaffected by the electromagnetic field. The flashing icon is you, and the solid dot is the beacon on the ship. I’m assuming you are proficient at navigation?”
