Destiny: Quantic Dreams Book 3

by Elizabeth McLaughlin

  The already close-knit camp was brought even closer together. The tents were placed so close to each other that we were practically crawling on top of each other. Supplies were brought to the center of the grouping. I was helping Eliza lift one of the heavier sleds when I saw a figure out of the corner of my eye. A female figure clad in all white clothing approached the outskirts of camp. She looked almost like one of us except for one major difference. In lieu of hair, her head was covered in white plastic.

  “Contact!” I dropped the crate and picked up the gun attached to my belt and leveled it at the figure. I heard the click of several others cocking weapons to the sides of us.

  “Stop where you are!” One of the men bellowed. The figure slowed, and raised its hands. When I moved to approach the figure I stopped in my track at the sight of her eyes. They bore the same unnatural glow as the figure Dad and I saw last night. An android.

  “Stop where you are or I’ll shoot!” After everything these people had gone through, it was understandable that they hated any and all non-human entities. Their lives had been at the mercy of an artificial intelligence before. The idea that there were more of them out here, especially ones that had the capability of moving among us, was more than cause for them to be aggressive.

  “Please, I am not here to harm anyone.” The female spoke. Unlike Gabriel, her voice was distinctly human. No hint of artificial generation to it. Eliza and I looked at each other, then back to the woman.

  “If you’re here to be nonviolent, you will stop where you are and keep your hands in the air. You’ll allow my people to approach you and confirm that you have no weapons.” Eliza motioned me behind her and I didn’t object. Several of the men who had accompanied us on the overnight patrol rushed forward, guns ready to fire if needed. The android did as she had been instructed and allowed the men to frisk her clothing, despite the fact that she could no doubt have killed each and every one of them without so much as a speck of effort.

  “Are you satisfied?” The female called out to Eliza, cocking her head slightly. The congruence to humanity ended with her movements. They were fluid but clearly unnatural. Eliza gave the female a nod and she approached the camp. Whoever had built her was one hell of an engineer. The android’s build was made to closely resemble the size and weight of a human woman. Her eyes were a blazing purple, the pupils and irises finely tuned to react to stimuli. She reached out a hand. “Eliza Ivanov, right?”

  Eliza glanced at me and I shrugged. She returned the android’s handshake tentatively. Two of the men flanked her, their fingers flexing on their guns. I felt pretty on edge myself, my feet waiting to bolt towards the machine at the first sign of danger.

  “My name is Eleanor. Please forgive my sudden appearance. I advised my peers that the drone was unwise. You have plenty to worry about, it would be foolish to alarm you further.”

  “What can I do for you Eleanor?” Eliza motioned the android to sit on one of the crates.

  “Your people are starving. You are here in the hopes that you will find a way to keep them alive.” The android turned to the small group surrounding us.

  “I’m here to help.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Help? You must forgive me...Eleanor, if you’re familiar with our situation you must understand why we are not ready to trust you on only your word.”

  “That’s fair. If you’ll allow me, Miss Eliza. I have a team ready for my word. They are prepared to come to your camp with food, water, and necessary medical supplies. We are very interested in helping your group and with your permission, I will give the order for them to approach.” The android had a face far more sophisticated than anything I could have imagined. Underneath her flexible outer skin I could barely see a patchwork of synthetic muscles that moved and slid over some kind of skeleton. Barely visible ‘teeth’ flashed as she spoke, and she gesticulated with her hands as subtly as a human. The similarities ran a chill down my spine. Talk about uncanny valley.

  “Why would you do that?” A muscle in the back of Eliza’s neck throbbed. I inched toward her as subtly as possible. That twitch was an indicator that my wife’s temper was getting out of control. I squeezed her shoulder and the android glanced up at me.

  “This is your chosen mate?” It took me a minute to think about what she was saying. It never occurred to me that I should think of Eliza as my mate, but I supposed that we were the same as any other animal to these beings.

  “Yes.” Eliza smiled, her teeth bared in a grin that held an edge to it. That’s my girl.

  “Strange. My databases indicate that same sex couples aren’t unusual for your species, but I can’t say that I’ve encountered one before.”

  “Have you seen quite a few couples before?”

  Eleanor laughed, a tinkling giggle that was almost magical. Whoever had chosen to send her as an envoy made the right decision. This was the least intimidating creature I could have imagined. “That’s fair. I can’t say that I have. In any case, may I instruct my people to approach?” I rubbed my thumb against Eliza’s neck, a soothing motion to subtly give her my approval.

  “Yes. Thank you.” Eliza’s gaze softened a little, just enough to appear more hospitable. As if suddenly remembering her manners, she added, “Is there anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable?” Not that there was much we could offer, but I hoped the gesture would count for something. Eleanor opened her mouth and sang a series of clicks and barks that set my teeth on edge. If there was such a thing as a machine’s native language, it made sense that it would sound like two trains mating. As soon as her mouth shut, a line of white and black bodies appeared over the horizon, pulling crates of boxes. Among them I could see labels indicating food and medicine. Everyone started talking at once, their distrust of machines warring with the glittering prospect of salvation.

  “You get the feeling that this is too good to be true, love?” I sat down next to Eliza and rubbed her back. There was nothing she hated more than not feeling completely in control of the situation. A strict upbringing had imbued Eliza with a compulsion for precision. Most of the time, it came in handy. Now, she was going to have to put her trust in a complete stranger. One whose companion had tried to kill us. The teams bringing supplies were headed by a single articulate android, their varicolored eyes watching the humans surrounding them with as much caution as we had. I watched as miniature spider-like machines extended their legs and start unloading boxes from the crates. The androids heading the groups stayed where they were, as if waiting for Eleanor to give them permission to move.

  “Now that we’ve shown that we can attend to your immediate needs, we would like to invite you into the city. Tend to anyone who needs medical attention and take the night to consider my offer. You have my assurance that your camp will not be disturbed, and I will leave sentries far out of sight to keep the animals away.”

  For a moment, no one said anything. It was definitely too good to be true, but what choice did we have? There was nothing to stop the machines from walking forward to snap our necks. The fact that they hadn’t already killed us meant that there was something else they wanted. If it meant that we would get food and medical care, it was worth sticking around for.

  “Okay.” Eliza nodded. “We are very grateful, Eleanor. Thank you.”

  “You are welcome. It is an honor to meet you, Ms. Ivanov. We have a lot to discuss, when you are ready.”

  The supplies the machines gave us were more than we could have asked for. There were piles of real food, or at least the best that 3D printing could offer, and heat packs to boot. The taste of my first hot meal in days did more to raise my spirits than a night in my own bed. We didn’t have many serious injuries within the group, but there were several people who required minor medical attention. The medical supplies were far more advanced than anything we had back at the colony. There were canisters of green gel that when spread across a wound sealed it instantly. Rebreathable oxygen converters, built so small you could fit them in a
pocket. When we got home, I knew a few people who were going to have a field day reverse engineering this stuff.

  That night was the first dreamless sleep I’d had in a long time. It was as if I shut my eyes one moment and the next the sun shone through the fabric of the tent. Incredible what knowing your basic needs are met will do for you. Emerging from our tent I saw that the camp was just as I left it the night before. Eliza had already gotten up for the day and left before I woke.

  “Seems like the world hasn’t ended.” I spoke to the open air. A passing colonist turned and smiled at me, sympathy for the sleepy woman just waking up. The mood was decidedly improved this morning. First the first time in weeks, it seemed like people had hope again. In the early hours of the morning some generous souls had taken it upon themselves to parcel out more of the food brought from our new android friends. Sitting on the top of the pile was an instant-heat package of waffles and sausage. It was as if I had died and gone to paradise.

  The mission of the day was to pack up and await the return of our hosts. Few expressed trepidation about the plan; the glittering prospect of a cure for our ills was worth the risk. Turning back wasn’t an option. Around mid-morning, a group of white heads appeared on the horizon once again. Eleanor walked at the head of the delegation, flanked by four other androids. The group smiled and waved as they got closer, the very picture of open friendliness.

  “Good morning, friends!” Eleanor signaled the rest of her gathering to fan out and gather up our supplies. “I’m happy to tell you that we’ve conferred with the rest of our peers and they are thrilled that you’ll be joining us in our home. We have been watching you ever since you successfully made your way to the surface. Your courage, resourcefulness, and tenacity is nothing short of inspiring and we are truly sorry for the hardships you had to endure.”

  That soured things a little. The idea that these people could have come to our rescue earlier was frustrating. Something about it reminded me of Gabriel. The attitude smacked of holier-than-thou. Benevolent gods who could have intervened but chose not to.

  “There are a few points of protocol before we depart, however.” Hm. Points of protocol? I was already feeling a little penned in. But they had a point. If some strangers had shown up to my house I would expect them to follow my rules. “You’re going to encounter some things that you haven’t seen before. Our city is home to more than our people. You will find smaller beings, animals, and the like. I strongly advise you to not interact with them. They will want to investigate you, and I ask that for your sake, you let them. Much like the organics you’ve already encountered, they are prone to surprising behavior.” The colonists cast dubious looks at each other. Paul’s death was still fresh in our minds and there was no guarantee our hosts would provide any protection “The second point of protocol.” Eleanor searched her electric purple eyes across the group of humans in front of her. “The second point of protocol is that much like your ideological differences, there are those inside who aren’t so sympathetic to the continued existence of humanity as myself and my friends. I can promise you that no harm will come to you while you are our invited guests, but I urge you to stay with your own. It’ll be...more simple. It will also give the impression of deference to our people.”

  Deference to our..what? Hang on. Before I could open my mouth, Alan beat me to the punch. “Deference? And why should we show deference to your people? As far as I can tell, you were the ones who approached us. We have asked nothing of you.”

  “You should show deference to us human, because we’re-“ One of the other androids began, but a glare from Eleanor silenced him. It was strange. His voice carried the lightest hint of an accent. Why would an android need an accent? More importantly, how could an android conceptualize of one? As with shelter life, nationalities and ethnicities had all but been erased in lieu of a homogenous dialect that was the same no matter who you spoke to.

  “You must forgive my outspoken colleague, sir. All he means is that we would appreciate it if you showed the proper respect. As guests.” Eleanor’s tone had sharpened somewhat but it was clear she was trying to remain neutral. Eliza walked up behind me and put an arm around me.

  “We’re going in, darling. But at the first sign of trouble I will haul our asses out of there. The vittles and medical care were nice but I’m starting to smell something funny.” She whispered in my ear, keeping her eyes toward the android group. Stepping forward, she spread her hands in a gesture of openness. “Of course. You have my personal guarantee that none of our people will be out of line.”

  “Fantastic. Then, let’s get going.”

  The march into the machine city was surreal. The facade of crumbling buildings was only that—a facade. Once we were past the outer walls the city transformed into city crawling with light. The buildings were threaded through with metal and electricity. The combination overlaying the concrete made them look like they were alive, arteries and veins of technology crawling through the remains of humanity. Animals like the lizard Dad and I had found on patrol skittered over the ground. I saw more reptilian machines and even mammalian ones. Machines the size of small dogs emerged from shadows to inspect the newcomers. We kept moving forward as instructed. Pairs of android eyes peered out from windows and doorways. None of those gazes looked hostile, but we weren’t exactly being welcomed, either.

  Eleanor and the rest of her group dropped us off in a large dome-shaped building. Beds and linens peppered the floor, prepared ahead of time for our arrival. “We understand that you’d probably like to get some rest and settle in. I know that there are many of my people who would like to meet you and ask questions, but I think it can wait a couple of hours. You are not prisoners here and may enter and leave as you wish. My only request is that if you choose to exit the building that you use your tablets to notify us. Our defense systems are highly targeted and could misidentify you as an animal.” Another chill ran through me. Defense systems? Shit.

  “Thank you for your hospitality. We would like to meet you sooner rather than later if possible. We have people back at our colony who are depending on us and the situation is emergent.” Eliza offered another handshake to the android.

  “I understand. I promise you, Eliza. We will not let your charges go unaided.” Nice words for what I was sure were good intentions. The others chose to take advantage of Eleanor’s offer, but Eliza and I needed to have a conversation. Dad included, apparently.

  “Did you see those things?” Dad’s eyes were frenetic, his voice full of nervous energy. “Just how advanced are these people? Holy shit, I thought Gabriel had complicated machines.” There were bags under his eyes and a slight tremor to his hands. Clearly he hadn’t been sleeping well. In my preoccupation I hadn’t noticed how much stress he had been under. He had grown more nervous whenever one of us interacted with the androids. I chalked it up to the journey, choosing to believe that he had bitten off more than he could chew. Now I wasn’t so sure. “I don’t think you should meet with them, Eliza.”

  Eliza looked at him over her glasses. “Why wouldn’t I? You know damn well that Fiona, Marcus, and I can look after ourselves. We’ve come this far Jacob. I don’t think we have any other choice but to meet with them.”

  “They’ve been nothing but kind to us thus far.” Marcus joined in the conversation. It was becoming a proper family meeting. “I understand your concerns Grandpa, but Mom is right. The androids have proven to us that they possess enough food and supplies to keep the colony going. The only question I have is how are we going to get everything back home, assuming that they’re ready to offer us that much. We can’t exactly uproot the rest of the shelter and bring them here.”

  “If they’ve got 3D printing and advanced medical care, they’ve almost certainly got vehicles. I’m sure we can figure something out.” I had no clue what good a vehicle was to an android, but perhaps they could manufacture some for us.

  “Plus, you know that we’re going with them to meet these people, right?” E
liza and I whirled to glare at Marcus. Our impetuous son had a habit of making assumptions, and this one was the last thing either of us needed right then. While it was true that Eliza had planned to take more than just the two of us to the meeting, Marcus and my father had not made the cut. Even though they were family, the two men had tempers that would be too unpredictable in a delicate diplomatic setting. Eliza was planning a delegation of mostly women. We thought it best to appear as unthreatening as possible, and who knew how the presence of a bunch of human men would go over.

  “Son…”

  “You’re fucking kidding me.” Our smart as a whip son. Always connecting the dots faster than he should.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I need you to stick around and look after the folks here. And your grandfather needs to try and reach the colony. We need to let them know that we haven’t dropped dead in the interim.” I turned to my father to address him directly. “We’ve been gone less than a week but people back at the colony are going to be getting hungry, and soon. We’ll give you more details as we get them but I need you to give them something to hold onto until we can, all right?” Dad glared right back at me, his jaw set. Memories of when I had acted out as a little girl flooded back and I knew that I had seriously screwed up. Oh well. It was my job to back Eliza, not Dad.

  “It’s because of what happened with Gabriel, isn’t it.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. He knew that he had stepped into a world where he wasn’t just a stranger; he was a murderer. Bringing him to a meeting with the androids would only ratchet up the tension. We hoped that the androids wouldn’t catch on to who he was until after we had finished. Given our current scenario I had a creeping feeling that our hosts knew more about us than I’d like. “Eliza—Fiona—“ Dad looked back and forth between us, looking for an opening. “You can’t really keep me here like a child who has misbehaved! I can control myself among these people. You can count on me to keep my mouth shut.”