Chapter 6

As the two go inside, Jane looks around. There are many unfinished robot parts. Some have gears turning and others are still. There are a few other metal creatures. Some are butterflies and others are small birds. There are a few body parts also made from metal, arms and legs, even some eyes.

They go up to a figure at a desk. The figure is working on another metal arm. Kia walks up to them and taps their shoulder. They're wearing a pair of goggles that seem to help magnify what they can see. The figure takes off the goggles and brown, straight hair almost fully covers a skinny, sad face. A piercing dark brown eye, set buried within it's socket, peers over at Kia and then Jane. His other eye is mechanical, acting like a shutter when he blinks. There are bags under the male's eyes. He looks fair and handsome but also young. He was wearing a white button down shirt.

Kia sets the spider on the desk. "Hi! How have you been?" She asks. The boy leans back in his chair and sighs tiredly. "Just tell me what you need." She laughs nervously before beckoning Jane over. "My friend here can't talk. Can you help her?" The boy grabs a box from under his desk and starts to look through it.

He pulls out a round object with wires hanging from the sides. It was smooth and small but very precisely made. He opens a different drawer and pulls out a scalpel. "Come here." He says while he puts them on the desk. Jane cautiously walks closer and stands in front of him. "Don't move." He says as he picks up the scalpel. She shuts her eyes tightly, waiting for the pain to reach her skin. He puts down the top of her dress down a bit, exposing her chest a bit.

He uses the scalpel to cut a hole into her skin but it doesn't bleed or hurt. Jane opens her eyes and sees the hole there. He puts the round object into the hole and connects the loose wires to her tissue. There is a small spark. Jane jumps slightly but keeps still. When he's done, the boy looks at her. "Try to say something." He says.

She takes a deep breath and tries to speak but the sound is warbled and impossible to understand. The boy starts to adjust the round object, "Try again?" She tries to speak again and every time her voice is hard to understand until it's finally correct. She opens her mouth.

"Jane." Is all she says. Tears start to fill in her eyes. She hugs the boy tightly. He looks surprised but pats her back so as to not be rude. She blinks away her tears. As Jane let go of the boy, she noticed that his arm was also made of metal. "It's...it's nice to meet you, Jane." He says softly. "I'm Sole." He closes up the hole by putting the skin back in place and there is no evidence that her skin had been cut into.

Kia walks closer. "What are you?" She asks. Jane looks at her, smiling gently. "I'm a human." Sole seems to be startled by this answer and moves away from Jane. "A human?!" He exclaims. "Are you crazy?! Why and how did you bring a human here?!" Jane looks down. "Of course he doesn't like me. No one does." She mumbles to herself.

Sole stands up and sighs. "I'm really sorry but you need to leave. Take her back to...wherever you found her." Kia holds Jane's hand. "We can't just leave her! She was alone when I found her. She doesn't belong here but we can't take her back to where she lives! We have to protect her." She says.

Sole shakes his head and grabs Jane's arm to lead her out. "She really has to go, right now. Now, get her out of her-" He's cut off by the whole house shaking. It sounds like something heavy landed on the roof. His face floods with fear as the sound of footsteps get closer. He pushes them both into a corner that's covered with large, thin curtains. There are other unfinished projects here. "Don't make a sound, no matter what. Do you understand me?" He says in a hushed but shaky voice.

They both nod obediently. The girls watch as he closes the curtains and turns to go back to his chair. Another voice fills the room. "Oh Sole? Are you here?" The voice sounds female and taunting. Kia opens the curtain just a small bit to peek through. She sees her, a woman wearing a black jacket with a hood. She has on a gas mask but it's only the bottom half. Her left hand is covered in a black substance in the form of a claw. Kia covers her own mouth so as to not scream.

Sole backs into his desk. "Dispatch...why are you here so soon?" He avoids eye contact with her. She walks closer to him. "Is my machine done?" She looks so calm, terrifyingly calm. He swallows the knot forming in his throat and takes a deep breath. "No, I just need more time." Dispatch laughs and moves closer. "I've given you more than enough time. I want it now." She says.

"I'm sorry but it's been hard. When I first started, I only had one arm and I had to make another one. Then you ripped out my eye. I wasn't able to see well so-" She grabs him by the throat and he stops talking. She looks at him dead in the eye. "You're making excuses?" She asks him. He shakes his head quickly. "No, of course not! Please, just a little more time. I promise I'll be finished by then."

Kia watches and sighs in relief as Dispatch lets Sole go. "Fine. You have three days, do you hear me? It better be done by then. I'll be back to get it." She walks back to the door. "Bye bye." She slams the door and heavy footsteps are heard again on the roof. Then, there is only silence. Sole sits on the floor, feeling sick to his stomach. Kia moves out of the corner with Jane and looks at him. "What did you do?" Her face is twisted with absolute horror. His response is quiet.

"What I had to..."