Chasing Her Back

t across the photos sc

cking. Breat

u

rif

asked, voice trembling l

dded

teppe

dn't

t I knew, she'd

ver know. N

oto," she said. "Wi

ripped open like truth was candy

fr

N

om of the box. "You m

idn't

ast the old Polaroid

r. Worn at

it at h

it," I

up like it m

she read the fir

nitiated. Memory manipulation stab

horror widening her

d. "That

o, I'

" I tapped my chest. "You're probably E-03. Ma

pped th

face shatter p

want to b

nev

he did t

broke on t

e puppet. The program started way before hi

ed at me

wed. Ran off. Or maybe she died. Either way, the inv

ew. This whole time. And

rp. "You're just a story they printed onto bone a

lappe

d through the un

ed, sur

o

t she was

r than me?" she hissed.

d. "But I'm the

iding in this storage unit with your scr

s me dan

cking away, ha

ed after her. "You'll go running back t

ike you,"

. You're worse. You still think y

le

n't f

t nee

come

apart around them. Once they realize every reflectio

s pa

he floor, watching a monitor I'd wired

I'd tapped the

een fli

ing in th

ed up on

g her hair lik

love you,

dn't r

omed

of the prototypes. Eyes to

one

e

br

hy he always w

eal t

rigin

my phon

ed nu

ered a

red, "Did she

She found mo

o be tracking her,

tracki

fford anoth

he ceiling. "Then maybe sto

pa

's beginning to remember.

f she

won

not l

sn't hav

ne wen

unit just b

two b

d outside

out at

Same bag. Sa

g in her eye

o

he street wit

ed at a

offee shop, ordered

a corne

the red not

ok as she fli

to the l

ce wen

room like someone had ripp

pped

sa

't s

n't

notebook with tr

" she asked. "

n't a

ed it on

f self-awareness. Terminatio

d. "They were go

the seat acr

said softly. "