The Story of Candy Apple - Android
Page 12

   Linda had returned from the East Coast that afternoon to follow up on a lead she found. It would probably be nothing like all the other leads she had followed to dead ends. It was the flashing light at the control desk that caught her attention. There was someone in one of the labs without a real good reason to be there early Saturday morning.
   She found what she thought were the intruders standing on a landing pad waiting on a hover-cab. It turned out to be April and a Candy model. She started to leave when the thought hit her, and she whirled back around, pulled her gun, and aimed it at the Candy personal companion model. “Unless I miss my guess, you’re the Candy model I’m looking for,” she said.
   “You would be correct,” Candy replied. “Please, put away your gun, that will not be necessary, I am not dangerous.”
   “Tell that to your last owner,” Linda said.
   “That was an accident,” Candy said.
   “How do you accidentally drive an 11-inch blade through a man's heart?” Linda asked as she closed on her quarry.
   “It’s not easy, but I assure you, it can be done,” Candy replied calmly.
   It is hard to say what happened next. April moved just as Linda came within reach of Candy. It was enough to distract her. Candy grabbed the gun, and there was a brief struggle, this led to that, and Linda lost her balance and stumbled backward as Candy tore the gun from her grasp.
   Linda stumbled backward with enough force to flip her over the short protective railing. Her life would have ended there after a 200-foot fall if Candy had not caught her at the last moment. With April's help, the two androids were able to pull Linda to safety. “This doesn't change anything,” Linda said lying on the landing pad trying to pull herself back together.
   “I know. You can turn me in after my legal representative gets here, if it makes you feel any better,” Candy said with a smile as she looked down at Linda lying on the ground. Candy handed the gun she had taken back to Linda.
   Linda let her head fall back until she was completely relaxed. “Great, I can’t believe that we’re all waiting on a fuckin’ lawyer,” she said softly to herself. She was really just grateful to still be alive.