The Cello
Chapter 15

Finally.

A9’s mismatched fingers left the handle of her cart to touch the glass of the one way mirror. She could see him, but he couldn’t see her. The boy sat on the minimal bench with his face to the ground. He was slowly running his metal thumb back and forth on his fleshy palm. Her heart hurt in the strange non-physical way -- the way she had become used to whenever she imagined all the terrible things that might have happened to him.

He looked so small and simple in the grey concrete cell, but yet to her he was everything. Everything she knew, everything she wanted, everything she thought about. He had brought her to life. It was he that chose to save her from the horrible never-ending dullness. And oh, how she hoped she would have a million years to explore this bright new world with him!

She glanced down the long hall of cells to be sure they were alone. There were no guards to this prison. The series of airlock doors were enough. What could -- or rather what would a brain dead piece of flesh and metal do against ID coded doors and cement walls? Her prox key had opened them easily enough, but it would let only one living thing through for each key -- no more. The invisible laser fields would prevent it, just as the ones in their units did. She felt a little sickened at the prospect of getting E7 out safely. Perhaps she would be made to steal another key for him.

She sighed and leaned her head against the glass. Her breath left a cloud of moisture that quickly faded in the bottom of her vision. Why was her heart beating so unusually fast?