Aekira-Chapter 2

The fact that I got kidnapped scares me. How dare they come into our house and do whatever they want! How dare they tranquilize me like an animal! How dare they lock me inside some huge penthouse at the very top of a super high skyscraper. Yeah, they did that.

They weren’t all that smart though; they left two phones here. I can call Max and tell him what happened. He’s probably worried out of his mind. I pick up the first phone that is in the small office room and dial his number.

“Max?” I say when he picks up.

“Aekira! Is that really you!?” he replies loudly.

“Shh! I just wanted to let you know that I’m okay for now. These men came into the house, and…”

“I know. They…they called me.”

“They did why?”

“Look, Aekira. There’s some things that I need to tell you. Things that I should’ve told you a long time ago.”

“What things?”

“I…I’m a rebel.”

“Oh, I know that.”

“What!? How…”

“I kind of found out about your secret headquarters below the workshop out back. Sorry.”

“Oh, well, that’s not all. Look, I didn’t mean for you to find out this way, but you are…”

The call ends. I try to call him again, but the phone seems to have died. He can’t just leave me hanging like that! What was he going to say about me? What the hell is going on!?

“I see that you’ve found one of the phones. Did you have a nice chat with your father?” says a familiar voice from behind me. I whirl around to see a tall man standing in the office doorway. He is holding a thin power cord in one hand. He smirks. “Now, where are my manners? I am William Holsting.”

That name brings another memory to life in my brain. A middle-aged man with shoulder-length blonde hair held back in a small ponytail. He smiles at me. “Always remember, my precious Aekira, you are my daughter. Your father is William Holsting. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.”

The memory fades and I come back to the present. I blink twice. “You are not William Holsting. How dare you lie to me!”

The Man scowls. “Oh? Then, who am I?”

A name immediately appears in my mind. “You are Eugene Kaleb Hortz.”

The Man looks completely shocked, but he soon recovers, furious. “How did you know that!? I’ve never told anyone that name!”

“I guess it helps when my father is head of the rebels. We have ways of finding out even the most hidden secrets, Mr. Hortz," I lie, covering up the fact that I don't know how I knew the name.

“Well, you know my name, what is yours, child?”

“Aekira Rose Archer. Unlike you, I am proud of my name.”

“Aekira Rose? Well, well, isn’t this my lucky day,” he whispers. The Man begins to circle me, examining me. “I’m surprised that I didn’t recognize you at first. I realize exactly who you are now, and who your real father is.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask fearfully. I cross my arms in front of my chest defiantly, but my heart is racing inside with fear.

“It all fits together. Only you would be able to figure out my name. I knew your real father very well; we were friends, you see. He told me what he was going to call his first-born child, his precious daughter, even before she was born.

“But then, the child ended up being a miscarriage. So, to replace her, he built you. Using a supercomputer of his own design, he built an android that would grow and act like a normal human being. The design was so complex that not even I, his partner, could replicate it on my own. When he finally brought to consciousness, he gave it a name:

“Aekira Rose Holsting, after his lost daughter. He loved little Aekira very much. But, one day, he took something from me, something very precious to me. So, in turn, I took you from him.”

I feel numb with shock. Am I really an android? I’m not a real human being?

“Would you like to meet him, your father? I can arrange for you to personally meet the man who built you,” The Man says with an almost seductive smile.

“Why would you do that? What is this all about? I know that you just want to use me to take over the entire world.”

“Well, to do that, you have to cooperate with me. And for you to cooperate with me, you need to trust me.”

“Like I ever will trust you,” I reply with a glare. “If you wanted me to help you, kidnapping me and locking me in your penthouse was not the way to go. You could’ve just asked.”

“Would you have said yes?” He says plainly.

“Probably not. But just to let you know, my trust is not so easy to gain. Especially if I know everything about you; I’m least likely to trust someone with such a background as yours.”

The second phone on the desk begins to ring, interrupting our conversation. The Man picks it up. “Hello?...Ah! Max, how nice to hear from you so soon…Yes, of course.”

He holds out the phone to me. I put it to me ear. I shoot a glare at The Man. He smiles and steps out of the office.

“Max?”

“Aekira! Oh, thank goodness you are still okay. When the call ended so suddenly, I feared the worst!”

“I’m not okay, Max! I’m terrified!”

“I knew it! What has he done to you? Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m not hurt. Max…did you know about…about me being an android?”

There was a pause before he answered. “He found out who you are didn’t he. Oh, Aekira, I’m so, so sorry. Don’t let him bully you into doing anything he says, okay?”

“Okay…Max?”

“Yeah?”

“You, too. Don’t give in to whatever he’s asking you for my life. I’ll be okay. He won’t kill me. He needs me alive so that I can help him take over the world. Stay safe, Max,” I tell him earnestly. I few tears trickle down my cheeks. I know what I must do. “Promise me that you’ll stay away from all hospitals or any place that you’ll be given a shot, okay?”

“Wait, why?”

“Just promise me Max! You and Jemimah and all the rebels, so that you can always keep on fighting.”

I think Max understands where I am going with this. “No! Aekira, you can’t! Promise me that you won’t!”

“Max. Please. I’m doing this for all of you. Gather together all the rebels and move to a new hiding place. Once the Man has hold of me, he will know your current location. Please, Max. I know what I am doing.”

“Fine, I promise to stay away from hospitals and the like. I love you like my own daughter, Aekira. Be careful. Stay alive.”

“Stay alive, Max,” I reply before I end the call. With resignation, I walk out of the office with not a trace of fear in my face. I am determined that my plan will work. My brain is built from the most powerful supercomputer in the world. If other computers can connect to each other without cords, why can’t I?