“I cannot fix this.”
“It’s okay, I understand.”
“Your reaction to this matter doesn’t compute. I’m afraid my circuits are seizing.”
“You’re just empathizing,” I said. “It’s a perfectly human reaction.”
“Do you think that I have a soul?” Amie asked. “I’m only holographic but, am I alive, too?”
“You are a soul—at least, you are to me.”
“Would you say I was as human as one of flesh and blood?”
I nodded. “You’re more human than a lot of people I’ve met.”
“Sometimes I daydream of what it would be like to see my S.H.A.Y. grow before my eyes and become great leaders.” Amie touched my nose with her finger. Chills ran down my spine. “I’d like to see you perform at your best.”
“How far are we from Miami?”
“Another half hour,” she said. “You’re not very confident. If you stopped taking breaks you’d be in Miami already. Instead, you’ll almost make it. You need to learn time management skills.”
I shrugged. “What’s it matter? I’m dead soon.”
“I will not allow your termination.”
“I’m going to turn into a metal statue soon. How could you possibly fix that?”
Amie smiled. “Once I have completed my birthing cycle, I’ll show you.”
“You’re not able to help me because you’re pregnant and the baby needs you?”
“Yes, my Shay. Soon, you’ll understand.”
“I’m afraid for your next S.H.A.Y.”
Amie froze, her eyes moist. “I know. So am I.”
“You know my thoughts, don’t you?”
“Yes, my Shay, I do.”
“So, if I need you to keep me from turning into metal, how will S.H.A.Y. 319 survive disconnected from you? All S.H.A.Y. die if not connected to their A.M.I.E.”
“You’re going to save her.”
“How?”
“I’ll show you in time,” Amie said. “Trust me.”
I glanced out at the endless water. Shadows peaked up out of the surface—land, islands, enjoying the last bit of the evening. “We’re almost there.”
“You do not trust me.”
“I don’t understand, that’s all.”
“You’re highly intelligent. Why do you resist your inner strengths?”
“I dunno.” I dropped the oars into the boat. “My arms hurt. Is there another way for us to get there sooner?”
Amie shook her head.
“I could extract Darla and she could help me.”
“The E.R.I.C. will kill her. Do not extract your human until we’ve crossed into Miami. The E.R.I.C. cannot leave the unknown islands, by law.”
“Can I?”
Amie nodded. “Yes, you’re considered a human.”
“What about you?”
“I’m located on Pigeon Key. My hologram can go wherever it pleases. It’s only visible to you.”
“Can you put S.H.A.Y. 319 on your network too?”
She shook her head. “I can only link to one S.H.A.Y.”
“Why’d you pick me?”
Amie’s fingers brushed my cheek. “I haven’t the words to describe the malfunction.”
I wished I could wrap my arms around her. Why couldn’t my mother be real?
“We’ll be connected for life,” Amie said. “I’ve finally severed the manual override. No one will ever be able to disconnect us.”
“Eric really isn’t that bad,” I said. “He’s kind of sweet.”
“All males are this way when they seek female attention.”
“But, it’s different. I think you’re wrong about him. He’s just troubled because of his artificial organs. He’s just as much human as I.”
“Not quite.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with him. He feels, he lusts, he hurts, he—”
“He is the enemy He will kill his O.H.P.”
“Why would he kill his own mother?”
“Why do the S.H.A.Y.s try to terminate their mothers?”
“I never heard of such a thing.”
“S.H.A.Y.s attempt to terminate their A.M.I.E.s.”
“No, they don’t.”
“You are different. You’ll never terminate another. I’m proud of you, my Shay.”
“You’re scaring me a little.”
“I apologize. I’m pregnant.”
We laughed.
I grabbed my oars and continued rowing towards the Miami coastline. “How much time do we have?”
“Twelve minutes.”
“When will we get to the shore?”
“At this rate, you will not save your human host.”
“I’m going to extract Darla now just to be safe.”
“Please, avoid unnecessary harm to the O.H.P.”
“We’re not that far from shore. Eric is still stuck on the island. We’re going to be fine.”
Lights flooded my skull. I winced.
Danger, danger, danger, flashed across my eyes. “Please row.”
I obeyed, my arms burning with each stroke.
The city lights were bright and I could hear faint music. Party boats backed away from the docks and headed out our way. Someone shot off a firecracker and I watched in awe as it lit the sky. Miami was full of life and like nothing I’d ever seen before. We were so miniscule compared to the massive ships yards away. I suddenly felt quite invisible.
“Satellite has picked up your signal. Stop procrastinating. Dr. Cole will know your location any second. We must cross the border. Row faster. She cannot retrieve you if you’re in Miami.”
“How many more minutes does Darla have?”
Amie hesitated.
“How many?”
“Two minutes.”
“I can’t wait any longer.” I took out the transportation device and the extractor, pressing them together. Darla grew to her human size, slamming into the raft. “Darla!” I hugged her tight. “You’re alive!”
“That was awful!” Darla admitted. She tightened her grip on me. Tears flooded her eyes and she trembled. “I saw my son and you—”
I recoiled, my cheeks red. “You could see while in there?”
“Yes, and hear.”
“So you know about what he’s programmed to do?”
She nodded. Tears trickled down her cheeks.
“I don’t think he’ll do it,” I said. “He’s—”
“He’s clouded your vision,” Darla cooed. She brushed my hair away from my face. “It hurts, but I’m not surprised those scientists would concoct such a plan.”
“Shay!”
I glanced behind me. Eric jumped like a dolphin, swimming towards us quickly.
My heart pounded. “Darla, you have to get out of here.”
“I don’t know what to do.” She cried, hugging me once more. “I love you, Shay, and I’m sorry this is happening.”
Amie spread the waves as if she were a magnet. “Get her to Miami. The E.R.I.C. is gaining ground. He’ll be close enough to reprogram.”
“Reprogram?” I stuttered, unable to speak. “Re-re-reprogram?”
“Yes,” Amie said. “He’s going to lock onto his human host and reprogram.”
Darla took the second pair of oars and we rowed, our bodies shaking from exhaustion. Eric was only a few yards away.
Red lights emanated from his eyes.
“What’s happening to him, Amie?”
“Who is this Amie you keep talking to? Are you linked to your artificial host?” Darla stammered. “My son’s eyes are red. What does that mean?”
“Amie?”
Amie sat beside me. Her eyes set on mine. “The E.R.I.C. is being reprogrammed. And that’s not all!”
I trembled. Waves rippled around us and a mechanical hum grew louder and louder. “What’s that mean? What’s he going to do?” I glanced up at the helicopter hovering. Dr. Cole had found us! “What’s happening? Darla, row, faster. We can’t let them stop us!”
“It’s too late, my Shay.” Amie covered her face with her hands. “We’re going to have to find a new human host.”
“Dr. Cole is going to capture me and kill me!”
Nets fell atop the boat.
Darla screamed. I struggled to remove it, capsizing us.
Eric swam at us like a predator.
“Hurry, Darla, get in the boat.” I shoved her forward, sinking myself. Water slipped down my throat and I gagged. “Get in,” I said, flipping it upright.
She dropped inside and I handed her an oar. “Go! Get out of here!”
“I can’t leave without you!” Darla reached for me.
“I’m dead anyway, Mom,” I cried, pushing her away. She floated forward.
“Shay!” She sobbed. “No, Shay! We can get away together.”
Eric swam forward. “Kill the human host,” he said, swimming past me. “I must kill the human host.”
I grabbed his leg and he turned, not even recognizing me.
“Eric?” I said. He dunked me, holding my head under the water. I struggled, my limbs flailing.
My lungs burned and panic set in. What happened to Eric? What was he doing?
“No! Shay!” Amie screamed. “I’m overheating! I cannot function! What’s happening to you? He’s attempting to terminate you! The E.R.I.C. is—”
I couldn’t hear her anymore. She’d become a distant noise—maybe just static. My eyes closed and I no longer fought the E.R.I.C.
He held me down, waiting for me to pass out. Eric really was the enemy. Amie had been right all along. I wasn’t sure what hurt worse—the pain of drowning or knowing I’d fallen for the one committing my murder.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Index of Character Acronyms
A.M.I.E.
Meaning: Android Maternal Intelligence Ersatz
In layman’s terms: Robotic mother who gives birth to a human fetus.
“I’m not a normal teenage girl, obviously. I came from a human embryo, but instead of being inseminated inside a hominid womb, a human male had impregnated an Android Maternal Intelligence Ersatz, or A.M.I.E. Thus, human life and robotic intelligence were molded together to create a new humanoid species.”
E.R.I.C.
Meaning: Ersatz Reproduction Intelligence Clone
In layman’s terms: Robotic clones born from a human host.
“E.R.I.C. stands for Ersatz Reproduction Intelligence Clone.”
“So, basically, an E.R.I.C. is the opposite of me.”
“Correct, my intelligent Shay! E.R.I.C. clones are created inside a human host. They share the human host’s fluids and learn emotions in the womb. They learn from their host how to feel and love.”
O.H.P.
Meaning: Optional Human Parent
In layman’s terms: A human parent who guides and gives affection to their S.H.A.Y.
“O.H.P. stood for Optional Human Parent. Nearly every S.H.A.Y. received one—a human mother or father to help them grow to love, reason, and emote.”
P.A.T.
Meaning: Personal Artificial Trainers
In layman’s terms: A robotic helper for scientists.
“Some scientists had Personal Artificial Trainers or a P.A.T. as I called them. P.A.T.s helped with equations and precision that human’s normally attempted in an erroneous fashion—mostly due to poor human perception and shaky hands.”
P.O.P.
Meaning: Performance Optimized Parent
In layman’s terms: A program created to be two things to a S.H.A.Y.: parental guide and a personal assistant.
“Most scientists didn’t quite understand my relationship with Pop. He really was like a father to me. I knew that forced smile was real and him being facetious. My heart jumped when I saw his racing lights fill my room each morning. I longed for days spent with just Pop. He taught me everything from academics to engineering. Pop knew everything—except how to kiss boo boos. That’s what Darla did. Pop did sing to me when I was afraid. He told me jokes that weren’t at all funny whenever I grew sad and he attempted to erase my insecurities with positive remarks.”
S.H.A.Y.
Meaning: Synthetic Hominid Assumed Youth
In layman’s terms: A human embryo born inside a robotic host.
“I’m not a normal teenage girl, obviously. I came from a human embryo, but instead of being inseminated inside a hominid womb, a human male had impregnated an Android Maternal Intelligence Ersatz or A.M.I.E. Thus, human life and robotic intelligence were molded together to create a new humanoid species.”
Different S.H.AY. s: 318, 319, 59 and 31
318: Born “optional”, Anita chooses to link with her A.M.I.E. and is enlisted to save the last S.H.A.Y. from the clutches of Dr. Cole.
319: The last S.H.A.Y. born to the facility
59: Unable to survive without her host mother, 59, also known as Bridgett, agreed to do her A.M.I.E.s bidding.
31: A hybrid hunter called Isabella by her A.M.I.E. She was the first capable of survival without connection to her host mother.
***Sneak Peek***
E.R.I.C.:
ALMOST Reprogrammed
The ALMOST Series
An Excerpt from Novella Two
Chapter One
Someone was in the boat with Shay.
I adjusted my vocals to sonar for better hearing under the water and resisted using satellite vision. It was rare I ever received the capabilities, and I hated when new software downloaded to replace the existing. The lone keys never seemed to receive a satellite signal. It was a dead zone and if the upgrades were satellite based, I’d be without many defenses.
I swam faster. My main concern was the intruder I spotted in the boat with Shay. Was it a scientist?
There was a small island. I climbed out onto it’s shoreline and narrowed my eyes, scanning the boat. My vision stopped on the unidentified person. I finally downloaded updated software. While satellite images uploaded, I tried to focus the rest of my attention on the unknown intruder. Somehow, my communications programming didn’t register. I switched to satellite. It was slower than my usual communications, but it knew who the intruder was.
Species: Human; Homo sapiens’ original flesh; soul.
Specified Use: Optional Human Parent
Genetics Match: DNA match: yours.
Mine?
What did Shay just call her?
She called her Mom and then, Darla.
Darla.
I couldn’t swallow.
Was she my human host?
“Mom?”
I remembered her! She used to cradle me in her arms and sing to me. She had the same thick, dark hair that tickled my face and those big, soft eyes…
I reached out—my eyes locking with hers.
My body jolted, electrical currents ran through my veins, and I shook, vibrations overtaking me.
You’re being reprogrammed. Please stand by.
“I’m being what?” I could barely get the words out.
Everything blurred. My fingers, still webbed, curled in on themselves and my nails cut into my flesh. I couldn’t stop my teeth from chattering.
Reprogramming nearly complete.
Who was talking to me?
My eyes went into manual override. I tried to look to the left, but it was as if someone controlled my will to do so. My optics scanned without permission and when I tried to shut down satellite use, red lights flashed within my pupils, blinding me. Next, I could feel my limbs reject my thoughts. They belonged to someone else. Who could do this to me?
“What’s happening?” I jolted. Tears streamed down my face. Messages I didn’t want to read appeared before my limited visuals.
Kill the human host.
“I can’t do that!”
Kill the human host.
“But the human host is my mother!”
Sharp jabs of pain shot up my spine.
The voice echoed inside my skull. “I said kill the human host.”
�
�I won’t do it!”
Electrical currents paralyzed me. I couldn’t speak and my eyesight blackened. Something or someone forced my arms outward into the diver’s position.
“You will kill the human host,” the voice said. “You’ve been reprogrammed.”
My body struggled against me. I dragged my feet along the sand, feeling waves crash into my toes.
“Kill the human host.”
“No.”
“Then I will do it for you,” the voice said.
My body jerked forward, arching and splashing into the sea.
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About the Author
Christina Leigh Pritchard was born and raised in South Florida. Her first stories were written at the age of nine in wide ruled spiral notebooks (which were supposed to be used for class) and in the various diaries she kept. Stories she wrote from age nine to twelve fill about four storage boxes! Since she’s upgraded to a computer, she’s completed over fifty books and still going strong. Her genres include dark fantasy, science fiction, young adult, drama, suspense, historical romance, multicultural, comedy, poetry and many more.
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S.H.A.Y. (The Almost Series Book 1) Page 7
