Steel Don't Bleed

Tired of Waiting

The morning light slipped through the blinds in thin, golden slats. Iris woke with a strange clarity, a restless energy coiling in her chest. She had an idea—one she couldn’t shake—and it started with Alex.

As she swung her legs over the side of the bed, gathering herself, she headed toward the door.

She opened it and nearly collided with two figures in the hallway. Elias and Sadie were standing there, as if waiting for her. Elias’s expression was calm but attentive, while Sadie’s eyebrow was c****d, a hint of mischief tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“Well,” Sadie said, teasing, “you still think you’re a robot?”

Iris paused, blinking at her. Then, with a small, almost defiant nod, she said, “Yes.”

Sadie’s smile faltered. “Hey—no, I was just kidding.”

“I know,” Iris said quickly. Not defensive. Just honest. “But I do. And I need to talk to Dr. Mara.”

Elias straightened slightly at that.

“But first,” Iris continued, drawing a steady breath, “I think I should talk to Alex. About everything.”

The hallway went quiet. Not tense—just alert. Like the moment before something important shifted.

Sadie was the first to move. She stepped forward, bumping Iris lightly with her shoulder as she passed. “Well,” she said, easy but sincere, “let’s go then. I’m here for you—robot or not.” She smirked. “Pretty sure I’d still beat you in a fight either way.”

A breath Iris hadn’t realized she was holding slipped out of her.

Elias shook his head, but there was something steadier in his expression now as he met Iris’s eyes. “And I’m here to prove you wrong,” he said quietly. Not teasing. Certain.

Iris nodded once. That was enough.

They moved down the corridor together, the safe house already awake around them—low voices, the clink of gear, the muted hum of systems coming online. Iris walked between them, aware of every step, every sound, like her body was cataloging the moment.

Alex was in the main operations room, standing over the table with a tablet in hand, scrolling through intel. He looked up as they entered, immediately clocking the trio—and the look on Iris’s face.

“That was fast,” he said. “You okay?”

“I need to talk to you,” Iris said. Her voice didn’t waver this time. “About everything. The corridor. The dreams. The man who called me 075.”

Alex set the tablet down slowly. The room seemed to narrow, his focus sharpening. “All right,” he said. “Sit.”

Iris didn’t sit.

“I don’t want this to turn into another briefing,” she said. “I want you to hear me. Not as a report. As… me.”

That gave him pause.

Alex studied her for a long second, then nodded once. “Okay,” he said, quieter now. “Talk.”

Sadie leaned against the wall, arms crossed but eyes sharp. Elias stayed close—not crowding, just present.

Iris took a breath. Then another.

“I know I sound crazy,” she said finally. Her fingers curled at her sides, grounding herself. “But saying I’m a robot is the only thing that makes sense. The way Elias found me. The way I woke up on that beach with nothing—no fear, no panic—just… readiness.”

Alex didn’t interrupt. That alone felt like permission.

“And Dr. Mara,” Iris continued, voice steadier now that she’d started. “She said her grandfather was Black Talon. He worked on the robots during the war. If there’s anyone who might recognize something—anything—it’s her.”

Elias shifted slightly beside her, but he didn’t argue. Didn’t pull away.

“I’m not saying I know for sure,” Iris said. “I’m saying I don’t know who—or what—I am. And pretending it’s nothing isn’t working anymore.”

Alex exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand along his jaw as he studied her. Not skeptical. Careful. Measuring risk against truth.

“If you’re wrong,” he said, “this opens doors we can’t close.”

“I know,” Iris replied. “But if I’m right…”

She didn’t finish the thought. She didn’t have to.

The room was silent again, heavier now—but not dismissive.

Alex nodded once. “All right,” he said. “We loop in Dr. Mara. Quietly. No reports, no chatter. Just answers.”

Sadie pushed off the wall with a grin that didn’t quite mask the tension. “Well,” she said, “guess we’re officially having the weirdest morning yet.”

Iris let out a shaky breath—half relief, half fear.

“I want to go see Ashton,” she said. “If anyone knows how to reach Dr. Mara without drawing attention, it’s him. Or at least… he might know when she’s due back in the city.”

Sadie tilted her head. “You sure that’s a good idea?”

“I won’t be long,” Iris said quickly. “I’ll come straight back. I just—” She stopped, searching for the right words. “I don’t want to sit still while this keeps getting louder in my head.”

Sadie pushed off the wall immediately, stepping forward before Alex could answer. “You’re not going alone,” she said, tone leaving no room for debate. “Robot crisis or existential meltdown, rule still stands.”

Iris opened her mouth to protest, but Elias spoke first.

“Yeah,” he said simply, already moving to her side. “We’re going too.”

Alex watched the exchange, then gave a short nod. “Good. Keep it quiet. Keep it fast. And the second anything feels off, you pull back.”

“We will,” Elias said.

Sadie flashed Iris a sideways grin. “See? Built-in escort. Comes with sarcasm and backup.”

Iris felt something steady settle in her chest—not certainty, not answers, but support. She nodded once. “Okay.”

As they turned toward the exit, that restless energy sharpened into purpose. Whatever Ashton knew—whatever Dr. Mara could confirm—this was the next step.

And Iris was done standing still.