It took a full week for me to earn Douglas' trust, but I was sure he would give it to me eventually. Along with his trust, I was included in on his plans. Peace had mapped out ideas to either hack the Province's mainframe or break into one of their facilities, but the two weren't as easy as it sounded. Still, I was up for it and agreed to help him in any way I could. But my promise fell flat when he'd made his request:

"We'll need Roger."

No one knew that Roger and I hadn't spoken for days. I'd spent my mornings with Erica, observing the computers and files she controlled. My evenings were spent tailing Matthews, though it bothered him to hell and back. By the time I fell asleep, the static had faded away, and my dreams were pictureless and boring.

At first, I didn't mind his absence because I was angry, confused, and needed time to think. Yet, when the next weekend fell into the late evening, I realized I'd started to miss him. It was hard talking to someone endlessly for months, only to have them ghost you without notice.

As I laid in the new bed Douglas had given me, I pulled the black sheets under my chin in thought. Though, my thoughts weren't silent. "I know you're there," I whispered, staring out the window beside me. "And I wished you'd just talk to me."

There was no response from Roger's end, just static. I took in a long breath before I dropped down on my shoulder to fully face the window. The stars were appearing in the sky one at a time, like someone powered on their light switch. "You can't ignore me forever."

"I believe I can."

Honestly, I hadn't expected him to respond, but the fact that he did made me smile. I wondered if it had to do with the night sky. Distrust and uncertainty, I'd made him a promise to always be his eyes; I couldn't go back on my word.

"You can't," I muttered after a moment. "You're in my head."

"Trust me, I can," he hissed. "And I have if you haven't noticed. Don't forget you've ignored me just fine."

He had a right to be upset. Just as I had a right to second guess his actions. "Well, you started it." I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling instead.

"I did." I heard him rustle around wherever he was. "With good reason."

Outside the window, the air blew against the domes huddled together to beat the cold. I felt a gentle gust slip through a crack within the gap. Rubbing my arm, I reminded myself winter was nearly over. And perhaps, the takeover would be too.

"What reason?" I closed one eye. "You said you'd never leave me alone."

The light from my watch drew my gaze. Roger's face covered its screen. Lifting my wrist, I looked at his frown and wondered what went through his mind. "I'm in your goddamn head, Clara. I can't leave you alone."

Well, shit, I wasn't expecting that. I returned his frown just as he gave it to me—deep in sorrow, torn in pain. I couldn't believe that was the response I got. We spent months talking to each other, getting to know one another. And yet...

I sat up and tapped my watch's screen. "Are you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Am I what, Clara?"

"Are you really in my head? Or are you somewhere else?"

Roger drew back slightly, giving me a clear view of the white space that surrounded him. I told myself when I'd started to listen to Douglas that I wouldn't allow him to pull me back in, but I couldn't get over the look in his eyes. The glow was bright with emotion, his face pink in frustration.

He growled and ran his fingers through his hair; he shook his head. "You can't be serious," he muttered under his breath.

"I am," I whispered. "I know you can leave, wander off and explore. But... you're more than just data, right? You're more than just a Code?"

I'd always known there were numbers in his eyes, but this was the first time I really saw them. The number—4963—turned white as they slid over the blue iris. His gaze remained frozen as he looked at my face. It took him a minute to blink, a second to break our silence with a grunt of his own, but when he did, I watched his hands slide over his face.

He let out a nervous sigh. "You're listening to them, aren't you?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"I am," I admitted, swallowing my nerves. "I believe them."

"I didn't say you couldn't believe, Clara. But..." he paused and tugged at the collar of his shirt. "Do you have to call me that?"

I blinked, confused. Call him what? As if he knew my silent question, he answered it. "Say that I'm a Code."

My jaw dropped slightly. I hadn't realized I did, but I learned that's what he was. VFs were Codes—data saved under numbers and stored within the Province's main computer. What else would I call him? The term 'virtual friend' was a lie, so why not identify the truth? Why couldn't he admit it?

"That's what you are," I said after a minute passed. "You're a Code."

Roger slowly shook his head and looked away from me just as the knob to my door begun to turn. He crooked his head slightly as though he watched it; he took in a long slow breath. Together, he and I watched the light flood into my room from the hall outside. Douglas' boot came in right after. I opened my mouth to greet him politely, but Roger spoke first... only to me.

"You don't know what I am, Clara," his voice echoed in my ear.

A chill ran through my spine as I felt the emotion in each word, dripping off the sounds as though they were tears falling from his eyes. Though I heard it, saw it, he did a good job pretending to seem unbothered. When Douglas approached the bed, he sported a big smile on my watch's screen for the Peace leader to see. "Evening, sir," he said.

"Evening," Douglas smiled at us both. "Have the two of you discussed what it is I need?"

Biting my lip, I remembered I hadn't mentioned it at all. I meant to tell Roger, but there wasn't an open chance; the second we'd started to talk only turned into... I'm not sure what it was. An argument?

"We have—"

What?

"—and I don't mind."

Blinking rapidly, I let out a squeak as I forced my smile. Roger had listened in on the conversations and clearly made this decision on his own. Without me.

"Wonderful!" Douglas cheered, clapping his hands. "I'll head back to the conference room and tell everyone. Can you hack into the Province and retrieve original blueprints? If so, this will make our plan all the better. Not to mention—"

"You'll get into the Province, I swear." Roger cut off his excited spiel, causing both him and I to let out a quiet uh.

"But first, we'll have to go over my requests."

♦

I was never one to enjoy being left in the dark. Who would? Considering the circumstances, living within the shadows without knowledge was the only way to exist. Yet, with Peace letting me inside the truths, I could finally feel the sun.

I never thought Roger would be the one to take that light away.

Douglas agreed to listen to whatever terms Roger had planned out, but he didn't seem happy about it. We walked into the conference room with everyone, seated ourselves in empty seats, and waited.

Curious eyes scanned the room; some looked over at me. Those were the eyes that questioned me, thinking that I'd be the one to say his requests. Little did they know I had no clue what they were. Roger was just as much a mystery to me as he was to them.

"Clara?" Roger's voice quietly echoed in my ear as I stared down at my fingertips. I'd picked at them so much the polish was nearly gone; bits of pink still rimmed the edges. I admit, I continued to dig at them, to distract myself, but the color wouldn't go away.

"Clara, your heartbeat."

I took in a deep, slow breath as I turned my watch the other way to avoid his bright light.

"Why is your temperature rising?"

Because I'm angry, I thought, closing my eyes.

The murmurs started around the room. Some were mad, annoyed, others merely prying at the person beside them for answers. Matthews sat one chair over and I'd been around him enough to know his huff and puff, and irritated growl. It made me uneasy.

"You're ignoring me." Roger's voice was accompanied by a warmth far too familiar. It reminded me of my dreams. The ones where Roger held me, touched me, and told me he would try. What had he said the last time? I'm going to make this right.

How could he if he kept me out of the loop?

"Clara..."

It was more than just his secrecy that bugged me. It was the reality. His existence. Peace said they were machines designed to live and breathe as we do, but I knew there was more to it. There had to be. Because when he spoke to me, looked at me, a change happened in my heart. A spark would erupt and vibrate in my chest; my skin would tingle in ways I hadn't felt in a while.

That doesn't happen with machines. I wasn't... I couldn't feel that way about a machine.

"Could you relax for me?" he said as the screens around the room turned on with white snow.

No, I thought, looking over at Matthews to avert my thoughts, I want you to leave me alone.

"I can't because I need you to look at me." His whisper made my eyes shoot up and look at the screen. He had already appeared, smug as ever; as if he hadn't just spoken to me in a tender voice. To the group around me, he looked ready to hop into battle. To me? He looked like a liar.

I felt my cheeks burning.

"Hey." Matthews leaned over the empty chair between us and tapped my shoulder three times. "Are you good? Your face is hot."

I glanced over at him as Douglas stood up from his seat and approached the screens. He reached up to enhance the brightness on the center display in order to make Roger clearer for everyone.

"What's wrong?" Erica sat to my left and her weak smile drew in my gaze. I gave it back, just as faint, as she spoke again. "Did Mr. Error do something?"

Mr. Error, the name given to Roger by everyone in Peace. No one could find his source or detect his original code. He seemed made up of broken and encrypted files. An error.

Hearing the name normally made me snicker under my breath. But with him up above on the many monitors, wasn't the time. My emotions wouldn't allow it.

She patted my hand before turning her attention back towards Douglas and Roger. "It's okay, hun," she said, nodding once. "Just remember, humans protect humans. Machines do us no good in this world."

No longer in my ear, I heard Roger's voice from the speakers alone. He cleared his throat first, Douglas doing the same right after. Then he let his eyes slide over the heads of everyone in the room. "You need my help, don't you?" he asked everyone.

Many heads nodded. Douglas was the one to say, "Yes."

"I'll let you pitch your idea first." Roger folded his arms and his image blurred for a moment. "What do you need me to do exactly?"

On the table before us were blueprints, but nothing current. Most were printed on old, white paper; others were sketches done with pencil and ink pen. Anything accurate was more than likely saved to a hard drive they couldn't hack.

Douglas' eyes did a slow pan as he turned and faced the room. He touched a white sheet in front of him. "Provincial Hall," he said, looking down at the many lines that connected. "Have you seen it?"

"Possibly," Roger shrugged.

The Peace leader cleared his throat. "All right. Humor me and say you have—"

"Sure, go for it." Roger rolled his head around his shoulders.

"Are you able to locate Hank?"

I blinked because I wasn't sure how much of the plans Roger had overheard the past few days. Hank... Hank Polk was the main developer and initial creator of the Assistant Program. I was surprised when I'd learned that all VFs were created in New Chicago, but with it being one of the few large cities left over after the war, it made sense. Polk would have needed the space and funds to start such a program; this city did it for him.

And since he was apparently still here, Roger was the key. No one could get into Provincial Hall—physically. Roger didn't need doors.

"I could try," Roger said, looking up at his own ceiling, "but I've never seen him before."

"Oh?" Douglas turned slightly. "How? He created you."

"Created?" As though a switch was flipped, Roger's grinning face dipped into a frown. He crossed his arms in front of him as Douglas stepped away from the screens; his eyes scanned everyone in the room.

Douglas hadn't said anything wrong. At least, it seemed like he hadn't.

Roger cleared his throat. "Honestly, no, never saw him." He leaned his shoulders forward, the muscles on his arms tensing with silent rage. "Just went into Hall, straight to the center, then right out the front door."

"Front door?" Matthews slapped his hand on his knee before letting his head fall back. "Hear 'em? Says it like he's a ghost... misting through walls and shit."

Roger cocked a brow and let his tongue trail over his teeth. "That's pretty accurate, Matthews. Misting and shit."

Erica snorted, rolling her eyes. "Makes me wonder if that's what you really are."

"What?" Matthew looked over at her and lifted his eyebrows in curiosity. "You think he's a ghost?"

"No." Erica sucked her teeth as she met Roger's cold stare. "Shit."

I'd known for days she hadn't cared for Roger at all; his free will was an anomaly. Everything he said, did—every move he made—reminded her of his purpose in our world; to control.

Ignoring the Peace members in the room, Douglas cleared his throat again, giving Roger his full attention. "Honestly, I don't care how you get in or out, but I need it done. By morning, I would need an accurate and detailed plan of Hall's entire layout. With that, I need Hank's exact location. I'd give you and Clara time to talk it over, but unfortunately, Provincial citizens have been under control for far too long. They need to be freed."

"Freed." Roger's voice strained as he repeated the word. "They have been trapped for too long, haven't they?"

I didn't expect Douglas to inch back, cower, but he did. I saw it in his stance; his foot accidentally hit the chair behind him as he grunted and looked away. Roger, on the other hand, looked angrier with each passing second.

"For too long," Douglas muttered under his breath.

With a huff, Roger rolled his eyes. "Figures."

The room went silent. Within the still air, I swore I heard everyone's heartbeats, anxiously waiting for what he'd say next. Me, leaned forward on my seat. I waited, too. I needed to know what was going on.

"I'll do it," Roger said after a minute. He ran both hands through his hair before letting his fingers slide over his face. His voice was muffled against his hands. "But here are my terms—"

His terms. My eyes went wide as I listened to him explain his rules. He'd do as Douglas asked, mist and shit through Provincial Hall. He'd navigate every turn, every hall, every elevator and swinging door until he found Hank and his exact location. After, he'd document the entire trip on a file directly uploaded into Erica's computer.

But he'd only do it... if they located Xerses and brought him to safety.

"A Host?" Matthews' head fell back. "He wants us to bring a Host back here?"

"I do," Roger said without hesitation. "You, and you." He nodded at Douglas. "And whoever else you have at your arsenal will go out into the streets and find him. You will not harm him; you will ensure his safety. Once I am certain of this, I'll do as you ask."

The room erupted with objections and curses. Matthews' move had been so sudden, his chair fell back and slid a good foot behind me. Me? I blinked away the tears in my eyes. He'd remembered his promise. That light in Roger I thought I'd lost returned, nearly blinding me. When his eyes met mine, I sucked in a breath and didn't look away.

Silently, in my head, I thought, Thank you.

His smile said You're welcome.

"Quiet!" Douglas' hands shot up above his head as he turned to look at everyone. The second all voices dropped to quiet whispers, he covered his mouth, took in a breath, and said, "We're doing it. Matthews, get ready."

Matthews, still in disbelief, shook his head andturned on the ball of his feet. I heard him say, "Whatever, man," but his shockcouldn't stop my smile. What could?