by Sarah Noffke
“It’s hard to tell,” Hatch told her. “It’s like we’ve taken him from adolescence to adulthood. Many adults are playful and joke, but they do lose their childish ways. We won’t know how the evolution has affected his personality until he wakes up.”
“I’m glad you told us that,” Jack stated.
“One more thing,” Hatch said abruptly. “Like I said, Pip has wanted to be human ever since he progressed from EI to AI. That was a part of what evolved him—Pip wanted to experience the human condition.”
“Which involves emotions,” Lewis said.
“And instincts,” Bailey added.
“And spirituality,” Liesel chirped.
“And complications,” Dejoure stated.
“And a bit of insanity,” Jack said with finality.
“Precisely,” Hatch affirmed. “My reason for telling you all this is to make a warning. Pip is not human. He is an AI in a body full of circuits and coding and etheric energy. However, never, no matter what, remind him of this. From this point forward, it is crucial that you treat him as human.”
“So I should bake him a cake!” Dejoure said.
Hatch’s serious expression lifted. “Exactly.”
“And I can offer to give him a massage,” Liesel said.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Hatch joked. “My point is that, although it will be obvious that Pip is different, it won’t do him any good to be reminded of it. Yes, he can withstand conditions that would kill us, and he will have twice the strength of someone upgraded in a Pod-doc, but from day to day, he is a normal human, like you all.” Hatch indicated to the group.
Everyone agreed. The excitement had built up to the point it felt like it was about to take over the ship. Hatch was even shaking slightly when he held the smaller black box up again.
“Ricky Bobby, are you ready?” he asked.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Ricky Bobby stated overhead, a rare excitement in his tone.
“Well, I had to make that disclaimer,” Hatch said, rolling his eyes.
“It was a very sensitive thing for you to say,” Liesel observed. “It’s nice that you’re protective of Pip.”
“I’m not…Yeah, I guess I sort of am,” Hatch said, shaking his head. “And yes, if any of you hurt his feelings, I’ll tie you up and stick you on the lower deck.”
“You’re the most talented scientist possibly to ever live, and that’s the best you can come up with?” Bailey teased.
Hatch gave her an amused expression. “Fine, I’ll shrink you to the size of a cockroach and send you to Paleolithic times.”
“That’s better,” she sang.
“Okay, the doc is ready,” Ricky Bobby said.
“Good,” Hatch stated, inputting something on the black box. He connected it to the doc, eyeing its readout nervously.
“What is that?” Lewis asked, pointing to the box.
Hatch held it up. “This? Oh, it’s Pip.”
“He’s so compact and light,” Bailey joked.
“And easily contained. But once I open this, everything will change,” Hatch said, a tentacle hovering over the button on the side of the doc. He looked around the room before pressing it.
The button glowed blue, and the lid popped open an inch, making a gushing sound. Steam spilled over the side of the box, covering the floor around them. A pale hand pressed against the glass from the other side.
Hatch stood back as the lid opened.
Dejoure was chewing on her fingernails. Harley and Sebastian had woken from their naps and were regarding the doc with intense curiosity. Penrae and Vitos stood close to each other, looking between Hatch and the doc, like trying to determine from his expression whether they should be concerned.
As the lid opened, steam overwhelmed the black box, obscuring it entirely. From the center of the area, someone moved, breaking through the mist.
A tall man with black hair, long sideburns, and piercing blue eyes rose to a standing position. He looked a bit like an elf, with his slightly pointy chin and ears. His cheekbones were well defined and complemented his strong nose. Lewis thought he looked like the male models on the front of old magazines from Earth.
“Pip?” Hatch asked, moving forward a few inches.
The man turned around and stepped out of the box, looking around, disoriented, as the steam cleared. He was wearing a blue tunic and black pants. Lifting his hands, he closed his fingers, like he was testing how they moved.
“Pip? Can you hear me?” Hatch asked, his tone overwhelmed with tension.
The man looked up. He rushed over to Hatch with a speed and agility that Lewis had never witnessed. In seconds, he was beside Hatch with his arms around him, squeezing the scientist tightly.
“Yes!” Pip said, in his familiar voice. “You did it! I’m a real boy.”
Hatch coughed and moaned, using his tentacles to try and push Pip off him. The AI’s new, considerable strength appeared to make it difficult.
“You’re a man, actually,” Hatch corrected him.
Pip jumped back, his eyes wide. He pulled the waistband of his pants away from his abdomen and peered down. “Oh, yes I am!”
Liesel stepped forward, holding a hand mirror. Pip took it, nodding with gratitude.
He looked around at the group nervously. “Well, here goes.” He lifted the mirror and peered at his image. “Holy moly! I’m a fox!”
Bailey nudged Lewis, cracking a slight smile. “Good. It looks like his sense of humor is still intact.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “And he’s so much more than he was before.”
Jack smiled thoughtfully. “He’s one of us.”
Chapter Nineteen
Hatch’s Lab, Ricky Bobby, Hapeti System
“What are you wearing?” Hatch shielded his eyes with a tentacle.
Pip glanced down at his outfit: a pair of frayed jean shorts that left little to the imagination and a T-shirt that said, ‘Never trust an atom. They make up everything.’
He slapped his palm to his forehead. “Oh! You’re right. I totally forgot.” He bent over, rummaging under a workstation.
One of Hatch’s tentacles reached over and shielded Dejoure’s eyes. “Be careful. There’s a child present.”
She giggled.
“Found it!” Pip exclaimed, popping up and holding a white lab coat. He slipped it on and, to Hatch’s relief, it covered more of him, being that it hung lower than his shorts. “I don’t know why you don’t wear a lab coat. They really make science more fun.”
Hatch dropped his tentacle away from Dejoure’s face. “I’m not sure that a lab coat with eight sleeves makes any sense.”
“I’ll tell you what doesn’t make sense,” Pip said, picking up the drug that Bailey and Lewis brought back from Onyx Station. “You were this close to giving Dejoure this drug.”
“Did you find an issue with it?” Hatch asked.
“Yes, it’s missing an important component,” Pip stated. “In its current form, it most definitely would have had fatal repercussions.”
Hatch struggled to swallow as he gave Dejoure an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I’m grateful that you said something.”
Dejoure, to his relief, smiled brightly. “It’s fine. I’m glad that Pip checked it out. Thank you for making him a body so he could help me.”
“Do you think you can fix the drug?” Hatch asked, returning his attention to Pip.
He shook his head. “No, tampering with it further would be unadvisable. But I have been able to manufacture a new drug.”
“That was fast,” Hatch said, impressed.
He worked quickly, but he also had eight appendages; Pip had only had a body for a few hours and was already ahead of schedule.
“Well, as I mentioned, I’ve been studying up on the drug to prepare for this.” Pip loaded a vial of blue liquid into an injection gun. He waved Dejoure over.
She gave Hatch a tentative expression, but he encouraged her forward with a wave of his tentacle. “It�
�s okay,” he added.
“Don’t worry, this will only hurt for a second,” Pip consoled.
“I’m not worried,” Dejoure said, holding up her hair and putting her back to Pip, preparing herself for the shot. “I’ve had these injections loads of times, remember?”
Pip gave Hatch a remorseful expression over Dejoure’s shoulder. “I do remember. And I’m sorry that you have to keep getting them.”
“Don’t be,” Dejoure reassured him. “I’m actually really looking forward to getting this. I didn’t have a premonition last night, I’ve been totally horrible at finding lost items lately, and I’ve been getting really bad migraines. I can’t wait to have the drug back in my system.”
Pip paused. “You didn’t tell us about all that.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t want to worry you all. I knew there was nothing that could be done, and Hatch has been working nonstop to get you a body.”
“DJ, that’s not how things work here,” Hatch stated, putting two tentacles on his hips. “We need to know what’s going on with you, even if you think there is nothing we can do about it.”
She chewed on her lip, nodding. “Okay, I’m sorry.”
“We’re the adults,” Pip said, wiping an alcohol swab across the back of her neck. “Our job is to worry about you.”
“I know, but—”
“Butts are for tight jeans and sitting, not to be used in a response to me,” Pip said, a punishing tone to his voice. “I realize you’ve had to grow up fast and take care of yourself, but we’re taking care of you now.”
A tender look crossed Dejoure’s face. She appeared to be on the verge of tears. “Thank you. I just thought—”
“Take a deep breath,” Pip ordered.
The girl did as she was told, closing her eyes. The injector made a hissing noise, and Pip pulled it away from her neck. He produced a band-aid and carefully put it over the site of the injection.
“Okay, all done.” He wheeled Dejoure around, looking thoughtfully down at her. “Now, what did you ‘just thought’?”
Dejoure gulped. “I just thought that this whole thing wasn’t really permanent.” She swept her arm around, indicating the ship and its crew. “I’m trying to stay out of everyone’s hair as much as possible and be helpful when I can. You all really don’t have to take care of me. I only want to stay for as long as you let me.”
Pip shook his head and clicked his tongue. “Sweet, silly girl. You are straight up tripping.” He looked over at Hatch. “I think she’s grounded. What do you think?”
Hatch actually didn’t know what to say. He was certain that he’d put the right AI into the body before him, however, this person was different. Not quite how he remembered him. Though it had been he who told the crew that Pip would most likely undergo an evolution.
“Grounded?” Dejoure said with a gasp. “I’ve never been grounded before.”
“That’s because you’ve never had a home before,” Pip lectured. “A forever home, let me add. Now, will you stop fussing about inconveniencing us or making us worry?”
She nodded her head. “Am I still grounded?”
Pip thought for a moment. “Yes. No cooking for the rest of the day.”
“But—”
Pip shot her a scathing look that instantly made her press her lips together. “As I was saying, no cooking for the day. The crew can survive on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or whatever those buffoons know how to make.”
“Do I have to go to my room for the rest of the day?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, but you do have to go to the theater room.”
“We have a theater room?” Dejoure asked.
“Yes,” Ricky Bobby answered. “It has a hundred reclining seats and an eighty-foot screen. I can direct you to it.”
“Thank you,” she said before turning her attention back to Pip. “What am I supposed to do there? Do you want me to clean it?”
Pip scoffed. “Do not insult my parenting.”
“I’m sorry,” Dejoure said, putting her hand to her mouth to cover her giggling.
“For the rest of the day, I want you to watch Disney movies,” Pip ordered.
“What are Disney movies?” she asked.
Pip rolled his eyes and sighed loudly, looking at Hatch. “It’s worse than I thought. The neglect this child has experienced knows no bounds.” He clapped his hand on Dejoure’s shoulder, looking at her intently. “You are to start with the Lion King and Zootopia, and then move to Beauty and the Beast and Peter Pan. Whatever you do, don’t watch Bambi.”
“What’s wrong with Bambi? It’s a classic,” Hatch argued.
“It’s pure emotional manipulation,” Pip answered.
“What if I can’t watch all those movies before bedtime?” Dejoure asked.
“I’ll tell you when bedtime is, and tonight, you’re going to be late for it,” Pip stated. “I’ll be by later to fetch you. Guess who is going to tuck you in tonight with a bedtime story?”
Her face lit up. “You?”
“I’d prefer if you didn’t call me ‘you’. ‘Uncle Pip’ has a better ring to it.”
Dejoure sprang forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Uncle Pip. I promise to work on my behavior.”
Pip pressed the young girl in tightly, closing his eyes as he held her. He released her and smiled. “Okay, now off to your punishment.”
She nodded and skipped out of Hatch’s lab. “Ricky Bobby, will you please tell me where to go?” she asked.
“Of course,” the AI said, his voice following her as she left.
Hatch regarded Pip with a thoughtful stare.
“What’s that look for?” Pip asked.
“I think you know,” Hatch teased.
“I don’t actually read minds, you realize.”
“You called yourself an adult,” the Londil stated.
“I am an adult. I’m technically your elder, if you must know.”
“Well, what you said to DJ was nice. She needed to hear that.”
“You know what I realized?” Pip asked.
“What’s that?”
“Before, when I didn’t have a body, it was hard for me to be myself. I felt so limited, and sometimes the ache of not being able to fully interact was too much.”
“And that’s gone? Already?”
Pip nodded. “And you know, now I have this overwhelming desire to be loving. Nurturing.”
Hatch thought for a moment. “Actually, that does make sense. I think we underestimate how hard it is to affectionate without a body. Affection is so often experienced through physical gestures or even body language, even proximity.”
“Yes, now that I have a physical presence, I feel like I’m more connected to everyone.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Pip.”
“I’ll always remember that you gave me my first hug,” Pip told him fondly. “Do you want another one?” He held his arms out wide.
Hatch shook his head and stretched out one of his tentacles. “How about a high-five instead?”
“Deal.”
Chapter Twenty
Q-Ship, Planet Kai, Tangki System, Pan Galaxy
Ricky Bobby entered Kai’s atmosphere. It was the first time in a long time that the battlecruiser had come this close to a planet, but it was for an important reason. The mission relied on Starboards Corp seeing the ship in the distance and falling for the distraction.
Vitos and Pip flew a pair of Black Eagles around the battlecruiser, shooting for the placid waters of Kai. Starboards would obviously wonder what they were doing in plain sight. By the time they figured out it was a diversion, it would be too late.
“That’s the fifth time you’ve yawned,” Bailey observed of Dejoure.
“I thought you were piloting,” Lewis joked. “When did you have time to count the girl’s yawns?”
“I’m a master at multi-tasking,” Bailey bragged.
Pip ordered her to stay up and watch movies, Harley
explained, sitting beside Dejoure.
Bailey gave Lewis a sideways expression. “We have to teach Pip some parenting skills.”
“What?” He looked back at Dejoure and the dog.
“Harley says Pip kept her up with movies,” Bailey explained.
“Man, I need the upgrade so I can understand the dog,” Lewis complained.
“Well, I still only have the minimal upgrade for Federation soldiers, but yes, you do,” Bailey agreed.
“Why do you need an upgrade to understand Harley?” Dejoure asked. “I can understand him fine, and I don’t have one.”
Lewis pursed his lips at Bailey. “The protégé kid who can see the future and magically find missing objects wonders why she can understand the dog and I can’t.”
“I think their bond is why they can communicate. No science involved,” Bailey observed.
“I guess you’re right,” Lewis said. He pointed to the building that had materialized out of seemingly nowhere. Starboards Corp looked as it had before—floating on a large platform, the balloon filled with K-factor floating above it. “Do you think that they’ve upped security since our last visit, like Monstre Corp?”
“Well, they do have a new owner,” Bailey stated.
“Dr. Ass did make a lot of security mistakes,” Dejoure said through a loud yawn.
“We’ll have to wait to find out about the security measures,” Bailey said, landing the cloaked Q-ship on the roof of the building. “And even if they have increased security, that’s not going to be a problem for us.”
“Not once the army is prepped and ready,” Lewis agreed.
The Q-Ship touched down on the mostly empty rooftop. Only one other ship sat on the flat surface, a transport shuttle. No guards were stationed at the entrance, which meant that so far, the security was similar to their first visit.
Bailey stood and gave Dejoure a look of encouragement. “You’re going to do great.”
“Thanks,” the girl said. She gave Harley a hug. “I’m glad he gets to come along. That helps.”
“He is a major part of the plan,” Bailey said, activating the collar around Harley’s neck.
