Park turned to her icily and slapped her, open-handed. The force and suddenness of the blow surprised even Park, who felt as if someone had unhinged her own arm and moved it for her. There was a stunned silence, staring; even Glenn looked vaguely surprised. Alexia’s cheek reddened in the afternoon’s golden glow.

Then she said, “You bitch!” and wound her hand back. Harry Bip made a kind of hooting noise. Park tensed, and her mind leapt through several strategies, discarding them before the next instant had even passed. She wasn’t interested in diffusion or escape. More in overpowering Alexia, incapacitating her—teaching her not to do this again. How much could she hurt her, without veering into the domain of the criminal? And would Harry intervene? Park wouldn’t win if it was two against one . . .

She had no more time to think; here came Alexia’s hand blurring through the air. Park rounded her shoulder to fend off the blow and said against her will, “Stop!”

Glenn moved suddenly. His hand clamped down on Alexia’s wrist, catching it in midair. The contact made a hollow clapping sound. Then he looked at Alexia and said quietly, “I’m sorry, but I will not permit this. You will do no harm to Grace Park.”

Alexia gave a kind of scream, a horrible sound, like a train whistle in a movie. “Get off me!” she shouted. “Don’t touch me, you fucking clunker!”

At this, Harry Bip lunged forward and swung his open hand at Glenn’s head, roaring like a bear. How absurd, Park thought blurrily as she watched him stumble forward, pinwheeling his arms to maintain balance. It was like an old cartoon, all of them standing there, trading slaps. Glenn, who had faded backward with the blow, said, “That was dangerous. If I hadn’t moved, you could have damaged your hand.”

“Glenn,” Park said, and he released Alexia’s wrist smoothly.

“I apologize,” he said to the girl, who was clutching her wrist as if it was in danger of falling off. “I am first and foremost Grace Park’s guardian. My protection protocols—”

“Help!” she was shrieking. “Help! It’s attacking us!”

Some passersby had witnessed the altercation: two businessmen and another female student. Park saw that they were hurrying over. Whether they knew Glenn was an android, she didn’t know—perhaps all they’d seen was two young couples squabbling. But no, she thought. If they thought that, they wouldn’t bother interfering. She could see in the whiteness around their lips that they thought they knew what was going on. Rogue android, they were thinking. It’s finally happening. We’ve known it all along.

The riots never really went away, Park thought.

“We need to go,” she said to Glenn. She touched his sleeve.