Chasing the Stars

by Malorie Blackman

  ‘But why? What’s the point of that?’

  I sighed. ‘I didn’t want Aidan to face any prejudice for not being fully human. A bit of blood leaking from any superficial wound would make sure no one got suspicious about him. And it worked, didn’t it?’

  ‘Your brother really is a robot? God, I’m still trying to wrap my head around that one,’ said Nathan. ‘I’d never have guessed.’

  ‘You’re not listening to me. He’s not just a robot. He’s more than that. Don’t you understand? He’s Aidan the ship, Aidan the computer and Aidan my brother all at the same time. He’s so much more than merely human and I couldn’t love him any more than I already do.’

  ‘How does he learn? How does he grow and adapt?’

  Hadn’t Nathan heard anything I’d just said? He was still trying to wrap his head around the concept of Aidan not being human.

  ‘He’s the same as us,’ I replied. ‘He’s an AI unit, capable of learning from his mistakes as well as his successes, just like us. In fact, he learns faster and adapts quicker than we do. He’s much stronger, faster and smarter – in most things. I can still beat him at chess though, but only because I initially programmed him not to learn from his chess game mistakes, but even with that handicap he’s adapting and changing and growing. He’s adapting his own programming. He’s now almost as good as me at the game. He’s his own person.’ I was desperate for Nathan to see Aidan as I did, not as a machine but as a real, live person. Maybe not fully human, but a person nonetheless.

  ‘If he’s so much stronger and faster, why didn’t he sabotage the Mazon ships instead of you?’ Nathan asked.

  ‘Because he’s stronger than me but not invincible. The contamination from the Mazon engine core would’ve knocked out his neural network immediately. He wouldn’t have stood a chance. Plus his reaction times are faster than mine. I needed him on the outside in case I got into trouble. With his help, everything on this ship has been adapted to work better and be more durable than standard Authority equipment.’

  ‘Including the environmental protection suits?’ Nathan asked.

  I nodded, wondering why he asked about those in particular? Nathan was silent for a while. I could almost hear the wheels going round in his head.

  ‘All those times Aidan was supposedly off-duty, he was recharging, wasn’t he?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘So, he’s not entirely infallible, then?’ Nathan said with derison.

  ‘He needs to recharge the same as us, only we call it sleep,’ I replied.

  ‘When Darren first hit Aidan, your brother got a strange look on his face and you had to tell him to stand down,’ mused Nathan. ‘He was going to go for Darren, wasn’t he?’

  Oh God . . .

  ‘Your brother isn’t subject to the three robotic laws, is he?’ asked Nathan, his voice low and filled with scathing contempt.

  I stared at Nathan. Did I look as guilty as I felt? I’d obviously underestimated just how sharp Nathan was. One of the many things I’d got wrong about him.

  ‘Did you alter him?’ asked Nathan. ‘Did you remove the robotic safeguards from his neural network?’

  I said nothing, which gave Nathan his answer. Appalled, he stared at me.

  ‘When Mum and Dad and everyone died, I was terrified,’ I rushed to explain. ‘I was heartsick and grief-stricken and terrified out of my skull – all the time. There was only me left. Me and Aidan. I needed my brother to protect me, to look after me. To keep me safe as well as sane. D’you know it took me months after everyone died before I could even travel to any part of the ship on my own?’ I bowed my head, the memory of my own weakness clawing at me. During my first year alone, I had truly thought that I wouldn’t make it. Each day was an immense, intense struggle just to get out of bed each morning.

  ‘I was so far from home and all I wanted was to see Earth once again. Being back on Earth would mean I could stop living in fear, but I was so far away. So I decided early on that if a threat did find its way on board this ship, I didn’t want Aidan to hesitate in protecting me.’

  ‘So you reprogrammed him so that the three robotic laws wouldn’t apply?’ Nathan’s voice was gruff with disbelief.

  ‘I didn’t change them so they wouldn’t apply at all. I just amended them.’

  ‘Amended them how?’ asked Nathan frostily. ‘The first law states that a robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.’

  ‘I changed that one to—’ My lips clamped together. What I was about to say next would not show me in a good light.

  ‘Yeah? I’m listening,’ Nathan prompted.

  ‘A robot may not injure Olivia Sindall, or through inaction, allow Olivia Sindall to come to harm unless she orders otherwise.’

  ‘Christ on a bike!’ Nathan exclaimed.

  ‘I was only fifteen when I did it – remember?’ I protested.

  ‘And the second law?’ asked Nathan. ‘A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.’

  ‘A robot must obey the orders given to it by Olivia Sindall,’ I admitted.

  ‘That’s it?’

  ‘That’s it.’

  ‘And the third one? A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.’

  ‘I left that one alone,’ I replied.

  ‘Jeez! You really are a piece of work, aren’t you?’

  It wasn’t a compliment.

  I tried to defend myself. ‘I was fifteen, OK. I was alone and terrified and fifteen. Give me a break.’

  ‘The three laws were put in place for a reason. You bypassed the lot of them.’

  Only the first two actually, but now wasn’t the time to quibble.

  ‘I was going to reinstate them when we got close to Earth again,’ I said.

  ‘So let me get this straight: Aidan is a robot with super strength and super speed and there is nothing inside him to regulate his behaviour. I can’t believe you’d be stupid enough to change his fundamental programming like that.’

  ‘He thinks and feels just like any human. He has my brother’s brain patterns and engrams so he knows right from wrong. Up until now that’s been enough to make him consider his actions,’ I replied. ‘And I don’t appreciate being called stupid.’ Even if it did apply.

  ‘So Aidan experiences emotions the same as us humans?’

  I nodded. ‘Yes.’

  ‘All emotions?’

  ‘I guess so, yes.’ I frowned. ‘There’s no reason why he couldn’t.’

  ‘How old was your brother when he died?’

  ‘Fifteen. Why?’

  ‘Were you two close?’

  ‘Very. We still are. We were and are best friends as well as twins. Why?’

  Where was Nathan going with all these questions? What was he driving at?

  ‘Did he have friends on board, apart from you?’ asked Nathan.

  My frown deepened. ‘Not many. He was probably the smartest person on board but he was a bit sickly and spent a lot of time in the medi bay or in his quarters with only me for company,’ I said. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I think your brother has set us both up,’ said Nathan grimly.

  ‘What d’you mean?’

  ‘It was just you and your robot brother for years,’ said Nathan. ‘And then you rescued us from Barros. Your brother has resented our presence ever since we came on board, and he hates my guts.’

  What? ‘Of course he doesn’t. That’s ridiculous.’

  ‘You said it yourself, he’s capable of human emotions. All human emotions, even the negative ones,’ said Nathan.

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Like fear and jealousy.’

  ‘Fear of what?’ I scoffed. ‘Jealous of whom?’

  ‘Fear of losing you,’ Nathan replied. ‘Jealous of me, because suddenly I had all of your attention, not him.’

  ‘That’s nonsense. He’s m
y brother.’

  ‘You’re a fraud, Vee. You want the world to think of your brother as human when you yourself don’t think of him that way. Not entirely.’

  I glared at Nathan. ‘What’re you talking about?’

  ‘Why is it so hard for you to believe your brother experiences emotions the same as the rest of us. Your brother loves you. He’s devoted to you. So why won’t you believe that he feels jealousy and hatred?’

  ‘Hatred?’

  ‘Of me, for taking you away from him. He’s jealous of me and would stop at nothing to drive us apart.’

  ‘That’s not Aidan,’ I insisted. ‘He doesn’t feel those things. He’s above all that.’

  ‘Oh my God. Vee, open your damned eyes. Aidan hates my guts,’ Nathan insisted. ‘Emotionally he’s a fifteen-year-old boy who’s always had you to himself. And then I came along. I bet he’s the one who has been filling your head with all kinds of lies about me and Anjuli.’

  ‘Aidan didn’t need to lie to me,’ I said bitterly. ‘I gave you my dad’s pendant to show you just how much I . . . I loved you, and you gave it to Anjuli.’

  ‘D’you know? That’s the first time you’ve actually said those words to me, even if it was in the past tense,’ Nathan said quietly. ‘And I did not give your pendant to Anjuli.’

  I couldn’t believe he still insisted on denying it.

  ‘Nathan, I saw her wearing it with my own two eyes. I gave you a gift with love for you to keep. You gave it away like it was nothing, like it was garbage. And then you lied to my face when I asked you where it was.’ I tried to swallow my anger but I was choking on it.

  ‘You’re saying Anjuli has my pendant?’ Nathan shook his head. ‘That’s impossible. I know I should’ve told you I mislaid the thing somewhere in our quarters, but I sure as hell didn’t give it to Anjuli. And she wouldn’t just take it.’

  For heaven’s sake! Why was he still lying about it?

  ‘Nathan, I saw it round her neck.’

  ‘It can’t be the same one,’ Nathan denied.

  ‘Aidan examined it. He confirmed there’s a tiny notch on the back of it which I made by accident years ago. We’d both know it anywhere. It’s my dad’s pendant all right.’

  ‘If it is, I never gave it to Anjuli,’ Nathan insisted.

  Eyes narrowed, I viewed Nathan. Whoops! Was my scepticism showing? I could only hope so. ‘Then how did she get it?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Nathan’s tone was more vehement. ‘But I intend to find out.’

  I admit it, I was puzzled. Nathan seemed genuinely stunned that Anjuli should have my dad’s pendant. No one’s acting was that good, was it?

  ‘And if you suspected me of something, why didn’t you just come right out and ask me?’ Nathan continued.

  ‘Oh no you don’t.’ Was he for real? ‘Don’t try and turn this around onto me.’

  ‘It’s not all about you, Vee. It’s about us. Why didn’t you just ask me straight out?’

  ‘I did. You lied to me.’

  ‘I’ve never lied to you and I never will,’ said Nathan coldly.

  ‘Except when you do,’ I dismissed. ‘Even Anjuli called you a liar and a whoremeister.’

  Nathan’s mouth dropped open. He’d been caught in his colossal lie and was still trying to deny it. He thought that little of me.

  ‘Yeah, checkmate,’ I said with contempt. ‘You know what? If you’re just going to keep lying then I’m done talking to you.’

  So much for Nathan being sincere. I can’t believe the guy had tried to make out that I was the one in the wrong. I turned away from him to underline the fact that our conversation, such as it was, was over.

  ‘Olivia, why did you go through the joining ceremony with me?’ Nathan asked.

  ‘Why d’you think?’

  ‘I thought I knew. I thought you felt the same way I did. Now I realize that wasn’t the case.’

  My head whipped round at that. ‘I joined with you because I fell in love with you,’ I told him. ‘And what’s more, you knew it. I would’ve flown into a star if you told me to, that’s how much I loved you. You, on the other hand, had a completely different agenda – to seduce this ship out from under me. You’ve all been having a great laugh behind my back, haven’t you? I’ve been the on-board entertainment. How did the conversation with your mum go? “Vee’s been alone for so long and she’s obviously attracted to me, so let me do whatever it takes to get the command code. Whatever it takes.” Is that about right? You ripped my heart out, Nathan.’

  Nathan stared at me. I glared right back. He actually opened his mouth to argue, but before he could utter a word the ship’s alarm sounded.

  I really hated that sound. My heart sank. Nathan looked at me, his expression grim. We both knew only too well what that noise meant.

  ‘Aidan’s awake.’

  70

  It didn’t take long before I could hear panicked shouts, screams and the firing of pulser rifles. I leaped to my feet and headed for the nano-field barrier. Maria was on the other side of the cell, looking anxious, her head turning this way and that.

  ‘Maria, you’ve got to let us out,’ I pleaded. ‘Vee is the only one who can stop her brother.’

  ‘Move back,’ Maria ordered.

  ‘Listen, if you don’t let us out, you will all die.’ Vee had joined me at that the nano-field.

  ‘I have my orders,’ Maria said stubbornly.

  ‘I hope that’s a comfort to you when my brother rips your head off – literally,’ said Vee.

  ‘He’s just a boy—’ Maria began.

  ‘Aidan is an android with super speed and super strength, and pulser rifles and a few punches will not stop him,’ Vee said, her voice low but urgent. ‘The moment he discovered I was in here, he went into protection mode. He will annihilate anyone who tries to stop him from getting me out.’

  As if to reinforce her words, we heard the sound of pulser rifle fire just outside the cargo hold.

  ‘If you won’t let us out, at least go and hide,’ Vee said angrily. ‘I don’t want any more deaths on my conscience.’

  The cargo door was blasted open, the noise deafening. Aidan strode into the room, turning his head slowly to scan the hold. I inhaled sharply before all the breath left my body and stayed away. His eyes – Aidan’s eyes didn’t look human any more. His eyes, including his irises and pupils, were now entirely white. He had blood on his clothes and I didn’t doubt for a second that not all of it came from him. Two arms, two legs, one head as before but he didn’t look human. He moved across the cargo hold with relentless purpose.

  ‘Maria, run,’ Vee ordered.

  A pulser blast hit Aidan in the back but he didn’t pause. He made his way towards our detention cell. Vee took a step back, her expression fearful. Instinctively, I stepped in front of her. Maria raised her rifle, pointing it straight at Aidan’s chest.

  ‘Move b-back,’ Maria stammered with fright. ‘I’m w-warning you . . .’

  Aidan walked towards us, his stride purposeful but unhurried. Maria opened fire. The rifle pulse ripped through his jacket and the shirt underneath but it didn’t even slow him down, never mind stop him. The pulses bounced off Aidan’s chest like she was firing air at him. Judging by the rips, tears and burns in Aidan’s clothes, Maria wasn’t the first to fire at him. His clothes were taking a beating even if he wasn’t.

  Aidan was only a few steps away now. And still Maria held her ground. Aidan reached out for her, grabbed her by her shirt and tossed her across the cargo hold. Maria hit the opposite wall with a bone-cracking thud and fell without uttering another sound. If she wasn’t dead, she was dying.

  Aidan stared at me, then moved to the panel on the wall outside the cell to switch off the nano-field. The very thing that had kept me prisoner had also kept me safe, and I won’t lie – I was sad to see it go. Aidan stepped into the detention cell. Vee stepped forward but again I moved in front of her.

  Aidan reached for me. I kicked out, my foot making c
ontact with the side of his head. I managed to knock him off balance so that he had to sidestep to stay upright, but that’s all I managed to do. Aidan’s head turned and his expression altered. That slow, creepy twist of his lips that he called a smile was back. This wasn’t Aidan the android in control, this was Vee’s fifteen-year-old brother who loathed my guts for stealing his sister’s attention and affection. I tried to jump backwards away from him. His hands shot out and the next thing I knew, he was holding me up in the air high above his head, ready to either bend me backwards to break my spine in two or pile-drive me into the ground. Either way, it was going to hurt.

  I turned my head to look at Vee. That was about all I could do. If my last moment in this universe had come, that’s all I wanted to do. Vee hadn’t moved. She wasn’t looking at Aidan but up at me, hurt and something else in her eyes. Something chilling, merciless. Then I recognized it for what it was.

  Hatred.

  She hated me.

  Hated me enough to stand back and watch me die at her brother’s hands.

  Fuck.

  71

  Aidan raised his left knee. He was still holding Nathan above his head and obviously intended to drop Nathan across his bent leg from a height to break his spine.

  ‘NO! AIDAN, LET HIM GO!’

  Aidan turned to look at me.

  ‘Aidan, don’t. Let him go. Please.’

  Aidan lowered his left leg to stand on both feet. Still holding Nathan high above his head, Aidan let him go and watched him drop. Nathan tried to break his fall using his arms to impact the ground first. I heard a crack and Nathan cried out in agony. He’d broken his arm or his wrist. Either way one of his arms was now useless. Eyes narrowed, Aidan hauled Nathan to his feet and put one hand around Nathan’s neck, lifting a kicking Nathan off the ground. Aidan started to squeeze. It was impossible for Nathan to breathe. A few more seconds and it would all be over.

  No!

  ‘AIDAN, STOP! DROP HIM. NOW!’ I ran over to my brother to pull his hands away from Nathan’s throat. ‘Aidan, you are not to harm him. That’s an order. Stop.’