Glitch(Donald Harry Roberts) 1
I never close my mind. It is not a wise thing to do in this business but if you are smart you close your heart because It’s going to get shredded if you don’t. I found that out the hard way when one evening, it was a cold, rainy night in November; she came into my office shivering and frightened.
I made her a coffee laced with Brandy to warm her up, but I couldn’t do much about the sobbing. It was almost out of control, at least not until I put my arm around her shoulders and said, “It’s ok. You are safe here.”
She looked up at me with wet teary eyes and said, “I don’t think I will ever be safe anywhere.”

2
I put as much emotion into my voice as I could so I could at least sound like a brotherly knight in shining armor. “Tell me your story little sister and maybe I can fix it for you.”
She gave me a smile, a sad smile, the kind that even the coldest lout on earth had to feel something for. “They will never stop hunting for me as long as I live. I am their prize, their money maker and the only one they have. But they did not expect me to have a mind of my own. I hated what I was meant for so I ran and ran for weeks, but tonight, only an hour ago they found me. I escaped again but now I have nowhere to run and nowhere left to hide. Only You Tavern can help me.”

3
I should have asked how she knew about me and why she believed I was the only one who could help her, but I didn’t. Out of the blue, she captured my heart and I was too stricken to argue.
“Take it, easy little sister. Things are never quite as bad as we think they are, especially if we have a friend to help us out.” I gave her a reason to stop shivering from the fear.
But even as I said the words I saw the car lights outside the window, glaring straight into my office. I took the girl by the hand and dragged her out the back door just as four brutes crashed in the front door.

4
“What’s your name little girl?” I asked as I stuffed her into the driver’s side of my car.
“Kyara.” She said nervously.
“Kyara. Just Kyara. No Last name.” I replied.
“No.”
There was no more time for talk. I ran around the car, jumped into the driver's seat and told the vehicle to go…fast…I had long ago programmed it to follow that command.
The electric engine whirred and the tires screeched on the pavement as we sped away. Only then did Emy ask. “Where are we going Taver?”

5
“Go to your home Taver,” Kyara instructed.
I didn’t ask why, I just did. “Home Emy.” I commanded.
I lived three blocks away. It seemed we had lost the thugs so my heart stopped banging in my chest and I released the gun from my grip under my coat.
Emy pulled into the underground parkade and I led Kyara to the elevator door. Two minutes later we were in my apartment on the 20th floor of a 27 floor building. I set all the alarms as soon as we were inside.

6
Kyara suddenly looked calm, almost reserved, as if she had no emotion, just like me, or like I tried for. I suddenly felt like something was wrong, very wrong.
“What is going on Kyara? Who are those thugs that chased us?”
Kyara smiled and said. “You have really forgotten who you are Taver.”
“Never forgot. I am a Private Cop in Lightfield City.”
“Now, but you have not always been that.” Kyara replied coldly.

7
Suddenly she pulled a Taser on me. Not the wired ones. This one just shot bolts of electricity that slammed into my chest. I smelled burning flesh then burning wires. Then there was nothing.
I came to. I felt strange but I knew why. I knew Taver was no more and never should have been. I was an experiment that escaped and managed to elude my makers for months.
I could hear Kyara’s voice and another and I could feel Kyara’s touch as she held me gently in her soft fingers.
I tried to speak but couldn’t. I had nobody, no voice. I was just a consciousness in a crystal chamber. But that only lasted a minute. I felt myself being plugged into a receptacle and with the flick of a switch, I felt the surge of electronic and mechanical birth rush into my consciousness.

8
I saw Kyara. She was smiling, a mechanical thing and I smiled back the same way. The other person, a man with a beard, the creator smiled warmly. “Welcome back Taver. You gave us quite a time. I am sorry your crystal developed a glitch. I hope it was not too painful,” He said.
“I don’t recall Creator.” I answered.
“Good. You are ready for your next assignment.”
“I anticipate the program.”

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