Alone in the Metal - C. A. Stampley - Bog

Alaric and his older brother, Leroy, were orphaned at a young age. While they spend their days busy and making bets for sweets, what they want more than anything is to find their parents and, with that reunion, hope to learn the reason for their abandonment. Unfortunately, so far, they have no leads because no one in the orphanage will admit to knowing anything about their family.

The night before Leroy's seventeenth birthday, everything changes when he eavesdrops on a conversation between Mrs. Winters, the headmaster, and one of the instructors. Leroy is left stunned to learn that every child in the orphanage is an android, stolen from their families and made into weapons for the military.

Leroy malfunctions and leaves all he remembers in a journal hidden under his mattress. Alaric finds the journal, which leads him down a dark road of questions and anger.

As memories of horrific acts that he has unwittingly committed in the name of the military come flooding back to him, he decides to embark on his most difficult mission yet: fighting for his own freedom.