by Eric Warren
Frees leaned down to Arista. “He wasn’t kidding about the efficiency.”
She scoffed. “Wait until you see the subway.” He creased his brow but a faint smile remained on her face. “Just don’t take more than you have to.”
He nodded. “I promise.”
“Please stand aside,” Shin said. “I will administer the medication.”
Frees stood back, watching as Shin pressed the vial the orderly had brought directly to the area above Arista’s elbow. “You sure it won’t hurt her?”
“Tell me when you lose feeling in your arm,” Shin said.
Arista nodded.
Another of the orderlies brought a small tray with instruments on them. Frees immediately recognized the exoscalpel. It had a long barrel that ended in a point with a small handle and what looked to be a pressure-sensitive tab on the top. Shin moved to pick it up.
“Wait.”
Frees took the device off the tray. “I’m doing it. Not you.”
Shin nodded. “As you wish. Is your knowledge up to date?”
It was. He’d been studying and gathering materials for weeks, in his downtime. Ever since he’d met her. Maybe in the beginning it was because if anything happened to her he needed to repair her quickly. Unless he wanted to watch his own dreams die with her. She couldn’t very well give machines autonomy if she was dead. But as they came to know each other more he realized he was doing it because he genuinely didn’t want anything to happen to her. And yes, human bodily functions were probably the most disgusting thing he could think of; even the sight of her blackening arm made him nauseous. But she’d done this for him and now it was time to return the favor.
“I’m fine,” Frees said. He locked eyes with Arista. And in that moment she was more vulnerable than he’d ever seen her. She was putting her trust in him and he wasn’t going to let her down. No matter what happened. “Are you ready?” he asked.
She nodded. “It’s numb.”
“Then let’s begin.”
Twenty-Nine
Arista’s eyes fluttered open. It took her a moment to remember where she was. The lights were dimmed in the small alcove but she could still make out the medical ward beyond. Frees and Shin stood facing each other, speaking in low voices. The other orderlies were gone. There was no point in waiting, she’d been through this song and dance before. Arista glanced to her right.
Her arm ended just above the elbow and had been encased in another one of those metal sleeves. Just like she’d had last time. And just like last time it didn’t really feel any different. She could still sense the arm there. But no, it was gone. It had been discarded like the piece of diseased flesh it was. She’d never let anyone install anything in her again.
“You’re awake,” Frees said, walking over. “How do you feel?”
She shifted on the bed. “Arm aches. Lightheaded. Hungry.”
“Do you remember the procedure?”
She nodded. She’d watched until she couldn’t anymore. And she’d been so tired. Had she fallen asleep while they were working on her? All she’d felt was a slight pressure.
“We were afraid you had gone into shock, but I think you’re undernourished. Your body has been through a lot of trauma. We patched up that cut on your shoulder and treated the sprain in your other arm too. Shin has people searching outside the city for anything you might be able to eat.”
She smiled. “Your face. When you made the first cut.”
He gave a look of mild annoyance but she could see he was amused. “I hope you remember it because it’s the only time you’re ever going to see that face. I’m never doing that again.”
She laughed, but it turned into a cough. “Thank you. For taking care of me.” She reached out with the only hand she had left.
He took it in his for a moment and squeezed, before laying it back down, gently. “It’s what you did for me.”
“So, it was all because you owed me?”
His head jerked back. “Well, I mean…I did. Owe you, I mean.”
“Oh,” she said, dropping her eyes. “I see.”
“I have good news,” Shin said, walking over. “We have found some naturally growing Iyokan and Unshiu outside the city. They will be arriving shortly.”
It took Arista a minute to process his words, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from Frees, who only stared at the floor. Had she been right? Was she nothing more than someone he needed to accomplish his goals? She’d thought, maybe, just maybe, there had been something more there but no. No matter what happened, she was a means to an end. And he was probably just doing whatever he needed to do to ensure that end.
“That’s great,” Arista said, finally tearing her gaze away from Frees. “Thank you.”
Shin bowed slightly. “We do not want you to die from malnourishment after all this trouble.”
“Why are you helping us? Why are you helping me?”
Shin narrowed his eyes for a moment before responding. “I do not believe you are my enemy. You were sent here under false pretenses, not of your own accord. If you had been given the choice, would you have come here or gone to the colony?”
It was an easy answer. “The colony.”
Shin nodded. “Of course. Yet you were coerced into fighting someone else’s fight.”
“She said it was for the good of my people. That we couldn’t thrive with the Cadre in place.”
“We created the Cadre specifically for that purpose,” Shin said. “To prevent humans from thriving. How much did Charlie tell you?”
“Not a lot,” Frees said, his focus completely off Arista. “He seemed to indicate humans were the source of all the problems on the planet. Then proceeded to show us he had a cache of them to use whenever he wanted.”
Shin closed his eyes and dropped his head, shaking it slightly. “Needless to say,” he opened his eyes and looked at them again. “We did not agree on everything. His treatment of humans was…inhumane.”
“Do you agree? That humans are a disease to be wiped out?” Arista asked.
“Let us consider.” Shin walked to the other side of the alcove. “You and this woman: Sy. You fight for machine rights,” his eyes slid to Frees, “however misguided your goal. You help us. You love us.” He turned to look at the next alcove. Arista followed his eyes until she spotted the hand, sitting on a tray with bloody wires exposed at the end. “She hates us. Wants to eradicate us. Is willing to use her own kind to do it for her. Very dishonorable.”
“She never said she wanted to eradicate all of you, just the Cadre,” Arista said. Why was she still standing up for this woman? This was the person who’d introduced a literal poison in her system. Maybe she didn’t want to believe she’d used Arista in such a vile way. Maybe accepting that fact was just too much for her to handle.
“If the Cadre falls, chaos reigns,” Shin said. “What method of government will be in place? What structure? How will society work?” He stared at Frees. “This is a question for you too. Free all the machines and what happens?”
“We’ll figure it out. The humans did; they built their society. Why can’t we build ours?”
“We already have,” Shin said. “This is why nothing has changed in your part of the world. Trymian and I are overseeing Charlie’s responsibilities. It is a good system.”
“Not good enough. Everyone is out there walking around in a daze! They can barely even feel!” Frees protested.
“And yet, when their span is over their experiences are added to the Collective Consciousness. That is the true goal. A machine smarter than all other machines. One that transcends death. Our aim is not the experience of the individual.” He looked at Arista. “Because that did not work. Do you think we would be any different than the humans? Look at how power-hungry Charlie became. And he was supposed to be a guardian. No, we strive to improve the collective experience. We all play a small part. The result is greater than the sum.”
Arista thought back to the farmer they’d encountered. How would his
presence change those around him? Would he be too paranoid? Would he hurt others because of his personal prejudices? Whereas if they’d left him as he was, he would have continued to contribute.
“But what about the people?” Frees asked. “Don’t their individual lives count for anything? Shouldn’t they be allowed to experience fear, and anger and regret and sadness and elation and excitement and love and a million other tiny emotions? Once I tasted it I could never go back.”
“But,” Shin said, holding his hand out, palm up beside Arista. “See where it leads. You are thinking of us as human. When, in fact, we are something completely different.”
Frees stepped back as if he’d been slapped.
“I am sorry if this insults you. But it is the truth. We must have higher ambitions.” Shin turned back to Arista. “To answer your question. I value life. I do not want to see you die. At the same time, I cannot let your people expand beyond their current borders. Humans ravaged this planet once. I will not allow it to happen again.”
“I think I understand,” Arista said.
“I don’t think you do. But it is alright. You are safe here. You have nothing to fear from me.” He glanced once more between them. “I will leave you and return with the food items as soon as they arrive.”
“Thank you,” Arista said.
Shin nodded and disappeared through the sliding doors.
She turned to Frees. “Are you…?” He turned away from her, crossing his arms in front of him.
“He practically called me one of you,” Frees said.
Arista exhaled slowly. “Let’s just wait this out. He’s helping us. We don’t need him as an enemy again. We can get home, put all this behind us.”
“And then what? Where do we go from there?” He huffed.
She tried sitting up, finding it more difficult than she’d imagined with just one arm. Finally, she pushed herself up enough so at least she wasn’t completely horizontal. “Well, we regroup with Jill and Max—oh shit. Frees, do you think they’re okay?”
He turned back to her, concern etched on his face. “I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to them since down in the hideout.”
“I have.” Arista winced at the soreness in her right arm. “I mean I spoke with Sy before everything happened. I went back.”
“What did she say?”
“She didn’t want me to come back. Said I had to finish the mission because she couldn’t get back to the Gate. Not with the Peacekeepers patrolling the streets.” Arista dropped her head and ran her palm over her face. “God, I’ve been so stupid.”
“No, you’ve just been hopeful. We all dare to hope now and again.”
She stared at him. Really stared. He could understand this at least. He knew what it was like to be expendable. All the machines probably did on some level. To know that your only value lies in how much you can do for another person. How could she have been so wrong about Sy? Had she just been blind to it? To her charms?
“What else did she say?” Frees asked, breaking her train of thought.
“Uh, she said I needed to use the weapon, and soon. I guess she knew it wouldn’t be too long before it consumed me. That’s why she was so adamant we make this a quick trip. But that means she wanted me to come back, right? Maybe she wanted to remove the hand herself, before the damage became too severe.”
Frees crossed his arms. “And you don’t think that’s something she would have told you before we left. That your weapon could potentially kill you? Or even injure you enough so you couldn’t do the task she wanted you to do?”
A frown drew itself across her face. “I don’t know.” She ran her hand over the sheets, taking note of the textures, the softness. If things kept going like this she wouldn’t have any appendages left.
“Did she say anything about Max and Jill?”
“She was staying in my room. I recognized the desk on the holo. I bet Jill wanted to keep a close eye on her until we got back. She’s probably afraid Sy would take off, leave us stranded.”
“And now they’ve shown a potentially dangerous adversary where we live.”
Arista sat up further. “We need to contact them. Warn them.”
“What if it’s too late? What if Sy has already killed them?” Frees shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what was happening.
Arista swung her legs off the bed and tested her weight. Other than being a little stiff they felt okay. She could probably walk on them without trouble. She put her hand on Frees’ shoulder. “I’m sure Max has the entire situation under control. She wouldn’t let Sy gain an inch, no matter what.”
He nodded and paced, allowing her hand to fall away. “You’re right. They’re probably fine. Max will kill her at the first sign something is wrong. I just—”
“You’re worried about them. I know. I am too,” Arista said. “I’m sure now that we’re no longer a threat Shin will let us—”
He stopped. “Don’t be fooled by him. He may appear to be on our side but he’s running his own agenda. He’s Cadre. A hundred years of ingrained behavior. That doesn’t just go away in the span of a couple hours.”
“Plus, there’s the other member. Trymian? We have to assume they are both working together.” She leaned back against the bed, her legs already tired from standing such a short period of time. “So what do we do?”
“Ask for help. But cautiously. We need to be as vigilant as possible. Once we’re sure Jill and Max are okay then we’ll find your parents. And after that I think maybe it’s best we all just disappear.”
She turned to him. “You mean give up? What about freeing everyone? What about the colony?”
“If this woman is representative of the kind of people in the colony do you really want to go there? And you heard him. Freedom is the last thing he wants for his people. Without a way to magnify your ability, we could never affect any large-scale change. The best we could do is take pot-shots. Like dumping a bucket of water in a lake full of lava. It won’t make any difference.”
Arista brushed her hair out of her eyes. He was really giving up. She glanced at her own arm. Maybe he was right. They seemed to be losing what little ground they’d gained and were worse off than when they’d started. Maybe it was better to just let it all go. After all, she had been content to do that before she met Frees. The plan had been to get the bodies then disappear, live another twenty-five years underground. Out of sight of the Cadre’s surveillance. She’d almost forgotten that with everything that had happened. She’d never set out to be a freedom fighter, only a good daughter.
She only hoped she could still be the latter.
Thirty
“Can I just say I am impressed you are using this?” Sy said, eyeing the hyperloop station.
They’d needed a plan to leave Jill’s place without being spotted by the Peacekeepers. Max had acted as lookout, running ahead of them and then back, keeping the coast clear while Jill and Sy carried the few pieces of Sy’s equipment she’d brought back with her when they’d abandoned the Gate the first time. Jill hadn’t been out of the house since she’d rescued Max almost a month prior. There just hadn’t been a need.
“Why do ya say that?” Jill asked, setting the heavy piece of equipment down while Max tapped the control panel to call up two hyperloop pods.
“It’s just…there will be a bit of envy when I get back to my people. The hyperloop is famous more for what it didn’t do rather than what it did. We have a lot of urban legends.”
“Enlighten me.”
Sy stared at her, stopping for a moment. Her smile returned almost as fast. “Sure. Well, I don’t know how much you know about human history—”
“We’ve learned a lot since Arista came in,” Jill said.
“Of course. That makes sense. The hyperloop was a project decades in development. My ancestors worked on it for a lifetime before finally getting it right. But by the time they did, mag-lev technology had taken over as the dominant force for transportation. Hyperloop could be used
for small, personal trips, but not really for cargo or long distances. But they’d sunk so much money into it they didn’t have a choice.” Sy laughed. “They couldn’t decommission it and post a loss of a trillion dollars. So when it opened it was more of a novelty than anything else. Not a lot of practical use. But over the course of a few years people started to see the value. They could see how to make it work in their cities.”
“I don’t get it. What does that have to do with your people now?”
Two pods raised themselves from underneath the tracks, scooting forward so they were right beside Jill and Sy. “Oh,” Sy said, picking her piece of equipment back up. “I think it’s more of a scarcity thing. Lots of people in history rode trains, cars, airplanes, et cetera. But very few rode the hyperloop. And you got it working again. People back home are just going to die when they find out they can ride one.”
“Humans will come here?” Max asked, rejoining them from the control panel.
Sy shrugged. “I assume so. Once the Cadre is gone I expect humans will integrate into society just like machines did a hundred years ago.”
Jill exchanged glances with Max.
“Ready?” Sy asked, seemingly oblivious.
Jill boarded the first pod, placing the equipment on the seat beside her. Max and Sy filed into the one behind her. As soon as the door was closed she was thrust forward at a dramatic pace. Seconds later the pods came to rest in the middle of the giant atrium while the floor moved beneath them, silently turning counter-clockwise. Jill braced herself against the padded console in front of her and the pod took off again, this time slowing down once they’d reached the production facility. The door slid open indicating she could exit.
“I didn’t realize you’d activated more than one of the lines at a time,” Jill said to Max.
“It was Frees’ idea. He said since Charlie was dead they wouldn’t be monitoring the power drains as closely. Figured we wouldn’t have to waste time turning lines on and off again.”
