“What else? Unless,” he chuckled, “some nutter added something -”
Her laughter sounded forced. “What an idea!” Plucking his sleeve, “Come on, Shuggy! We’ve work to do!”
He stared after her as she left the office. Never, ever had she called him Shuggy.
Julia, what have you done?
Josh’s good mood fizzled out as soon as he crossed the threshold.
He hugged Pip, gossiped with Madge’s team, exchanged pleasantries with Mandy. All the time he sensed Fisk twenty floors above. When he went into her office she was reading, or pretending to.
“Hello, Josh.” She always put his name in quotation marks. The temptation to do the same to hers was overwhelming. “You look well.”
One part of him talked about this and that. The other thought about moving out, what he would keep, what he might sell.
“Langton? Why?”
His brain caught up. “I want to be close to him.”
“You’ve spent a year with him! Why?”
How could she understand? She was old and used up. “We’ve become - intimate. He asked me to move in.”
Her voice was sharp. “What do you mean, ‘intimate’?”
“Well -” He looked at the floor.
The knuckles clutching her desk were white. “Are you lovers?”
“When you put it like that -”
She swore. An ugly, vicious word, one he’d seen chalked on lavatory walls. As she ranted flecks of spit flew from between her teeth.
“Honestly, Dr Fisk,” he said. “You should know better.”
A ringing slap, both sides of his face. He hoped it’d get the anger out of her system. Instead she ran out.
He didn’t know how long he was sitting in her office. He tried to see which conversations he could pick up, but interference got in the way. Faces appeared at the glass. He might as well be in the Aquarium.
“Get fucked.” He wasn’t sure what it meant but it had a gratifying effect. He was considering reading Fisk’s book, however boring, when Ozols came in.
“Hello, Josh. How’s tricks?”
Well, he had uncontrollable feelings for his best friend, his handler had gone berserk, his other best friend was going to be squelched –
“Situation normal.”
“Dr Sugar and I have a few things to discuss with you.”
When he tried to remember afterwards he could only recall sense impressions. A pink drink with a crisp aftertaste. Hot amber lights. Malik’s voice floating out of the darkness.
He was overheating. He wanted to scratch an itch on the back of his neck but couldn’t move. His eyes were trained on a series of images beamed onto the wall. “Concentrate,” Malik ordered.
If he split his attention, he could hear Sugar and Ozols.
“I don’t like this. It’s unethical.”
“It’s no different from wiping corrupted files.”
“If we did it to a human it’d be brainwashing.”
“Good thing you’re not.” Adrian butted in. “See it as reprogramming.”
“Will you pipe down?” Malik’s voice was so shrill the mike hissed. “Now, Josh: what do you think of girls?”
“I like them as friends.”
“How would you describe your relationship with Langton?”
“Very nice.”
“What do these pictures convey to you?”
Fisk sat in the interface, her eyes bruised with crying. This had been her haven, somewhere she could pay homage. Now it was exposed as a hollow mockery.
Langton! There weren’t words to express her disgust. Of all the people in the world, it had to be you.
It couldn’t go on. Josh might have imprinted upon him, but she was the one with the power. She crossed the floor to his memory banks. She soon found what she was looking for. Viewed from Josh’s perspective, footage of him fucking Langton. It was rough but tender, spontaneous but passionate. Listening to Josh as he sighed and climaxed, she grew damp. Watching the old monster’s reactions, you might even think - No. It wasn’t possible. Not him. He couldn’t, wouldn’t ever.
She clicked on the files and deleted them.
Revelations
Damn cravats. Whoever invented them deserved to be shot. Then again, Alfred thought, perhaps they served a purpose. The fussing focused your mind wonderfully.
It was ten days since the row with Gwyn. She stormed around with red eyes and nose, cutting her eyes away when they crossed paths. Ten days since Josh left. He’d started to worry but the previous evening he’d received a message.
“I’ve something to tell you. Can I come up?”
Alfred was through with soul searching. If they both wanted it, where was the harm? All that mattered was how to put those words, so torturous and ordinary, momentous and overused. I love you.
He rehearsed what he wanted to say. The best he’d come up with was, “I love you, I can’t live without you, and if we don’t have sex again soon I’ll explode.” It needed work.
The bike was zipping up the lane. Josh always drove as though he had a death wish. Alfred gave the cravat one last tug and went downstairs.
Be still, my heart. Don’t reek of desperation.
Who was he trying to kid?
Josh was coming towards him. Alfred went to put out a hand and thought better of it. “Where’s the chair?” the artificial asked.
“It was driving me potty.”
“Can we go for a walk?”
“Oh. Alright.”
He went to lead him down their favourite trail. Josh shook his head. “What’s this part with the wall around it?”
“It’s the Experimental Garden.”
“What, like CER?”
“Not quite. No reason why you can’t have a look.” Alfred took the house keys out of his pocket and found the one to the garden’s door, rusty from disuse.
Josh kept close behind him. When he saw the miniature dam he gasped, and walked around to see how it worked. They tried skipping stones but since Josh’s were half a brick, they sank. It was only when he turned from the game in frustration he saw the garden’s other foibles. Pumpkins the size of cottages. Flowers that tinkled in the breeze. Creepers that bloomed, shrivelled and budded as you watched. The floral clock, petals opening and closing.
“It’s amazing! Who planned it?”
“Mum mostly. It’s what my parents did: travel, find unusual plants and grow them here.”
“They were explorers too?”
“Sort of. Dad groaned when I told him what I wanted to do. He thought I’d be better off as a lawyer. ‘Young man, this is a hobby. What you need is a career.’” He grinned. “He thought Gussy would be Earl. He’d be horrified to see the mess we made of our lives.”
Josh followed him down the track, asking questions. “I wish I could make things. Humans are right to look down on us.”
“Don’t be soft.”
They reached the edge of the garden, the last plant before the gate.
“They’re roses, aren’t they? They’re blue!”
“Mum loved roses. Dad presented her with one every day of their engagement. She was hell bent on producing an officially recognised blue rose.”
Josh picked one.
“Smell it. It’s nicer than other roses, more exotic.”
He buried his nose in the flower. “I’m glad I can smell things. It cuts you off when you can’t.”
“Have you all your senses now?”
“They’re sporadic, but yes, they’re there.” He looked closely at the rose. “It’s not plain blue, look. I can see green, gold -”
“That’s why it wasn’t accepted.”
“It’s the loveliest thing I’ve seen.”
“Yes,” Alfred said softly. “It’s artificial but so beautiful.”
An answering flame had lit in his friend’s eyes. He put his hand over Josh’s, touched the small face.
“Josh -”
The flame guttered. Josh began to say something,
then, with an effort, moved away. “I’m getting married.”
Alfred laughed. It wasn’t a pleasant noise. “You’re joking.”
“I wish I was.”
“You’ve been away, how long? Ten days?” He couldn’t look at him. “Who is it? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Please don’t make this harder -”
“You’re finding it hard?” Alfred couldn’t keep still. “Hell’s teeth!”
“It’s not my choice, alright?”
“You’re not making sense.”
“They want me to get married.”
“What about -”
“There’ll be a show, they’ll pick a girl -”
“You’re letting them?”
“What can I do? They own me.”
“What do you want?”
“I don’t know.” Josh stared at the ground. “I haven’t the words.”
Alfred unlocked the gate and held it open. “Show yourself out.”
“I thought I was staying for tea -”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“Don’t act like this. It isn’t fair.”
“I don’t need you to tell me what is and isn’t fair.”
“Why are you being so mean?”
Glaring either side of a door - all too familiar. A gentle word and they’d gone from antagonists to friends. Could it work again?
“You mean the world to me. You know that. You’ve a beautiful mind and a beautiful soul. I don’t want you to throw yourself away on a little tramp who wants to be famous. If you must give yourself to somebody, let it be someone who loves you.”
“I have to.”
“Then there’s nothing left to say.” Alfred limped down the path.
Catching up with him, Josh gasped, “My dear,” and put his hand to Alfred’s face. He shook him off.
“Once you’re married, there’ll be no more of this. I can’t hold you. I can’t touch you. I certainly can’t do that to you. No sensible wife would want you near me. Go home.”
Every step away hurt. As he reached the front door, Josh cried out, “Alfred!”
He nearly went to him, but that would mean admitting defeat. When he looked out of his bedroom window he saw Josh sitting on the pillion, head in his hands.
Volte Face
The decision to marry Josh off had not been taken lightly. Following his return to CER, the leading figures holed themselves up in the boardroom. They didn’t know Pip had hacked into the cams and watched as she typed up her reports.
The first hour was spent apportioning blame. As far as Adrian was concerned, someone had been exceptionally lax.
“I don’t know what you were thinking, allowing that degenerate unrestricted access to Josh. They might’ve been doing anything!”
“It made Josh happy,” Sugar snapped.
Adrian sneered. “Noah, I know you’re attached to him, but emotions don’t come into it.” Making quotation marks with his fingers, “He can’t be ‘happy’. He can’t be ‘sad’. He just ‘is’. Thanks to your sentimentality, you’ve allowed him to be groomed by a pervert.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“I don’t see what the problem is.” Ozols might have looked like she was teasing Monty with a piece of string, but she was paying full attention. “So what if he fancies a guy? We’re modern people, aren’t we?”
Though both Sugar and Fisk had issues with this statement, Adrian answered. “It’s not the image we want to project! It’s not normal! And certainly not with that demented, violent, boozing -”
“Who instead?” Malik didn’t normally contribute unless it was to make an acid comment. Heads turned her way.
“What do you mean?” Fisk asked tonelessly.
“Love is the outcome of certain schema.” Malik ticked them off on her fingers. “Attractiveness - Langton does nothing for me, but plenty of people would spend pocket money on him. Compatibility - they obviously enjoy each other’s company. Proximity - they’ve been living together a year. Things are bound to happen.”
“Are these the technical terms, doctor?” Adrian sniped.
“Just dumbing down for my audience.”
Sienna cleared her throat. As the head of Marketing and PR, they couldn’t make decisions without her input. “Are you saying these conditions could be created with somebody else? Somebody more appropriate?”
They imagined the perfect mate for Josh. Somebody who was psychologically sound, who could be trusted not to do anything embarrassing. Somebody ignorant of robotics, who wouldn’t ask awkward questions. Somebody photogenic, who wouldn’t object to the round of engagements that was Josh’s life. Above all, somebody female and young.
“I don’t see why we can’t give this further thought.” Adrian was as transparent as a child.
Ozols looked at her colleagues in disbelief. “I don’t believe I’m hearing this. You can’t help who you fall in love with.”
Sugar returned from his inner hell. “I don’t care who he’s with, as long as it isn’t that old bugger.”
“Me too,” Fisk whispered.
“Right.” Sienna clapped her hands. “I’m going to place an announcement. There must be thousands of girls who’d jump at the chance!”
The doctors clamoured to get to the door first, as though they were implicated in something shameful. Only Adrian left with a spring in his step. Fisk went to creep upstairs, hands limp at her sides. Somebody touched her arm.
“What now?” she complained.
Malik smirked. “Are you seeing the PM or shall I?”
The question was academic: of course it would be Fisk. She doubted the Prime Minister knew who Malik was.
Fisk seethed as she prepared for the interview. She’d thought that by deleting the file she would be wiping Josh clean, freeing him from Langton’s influence. Now they were talking about marrying him to some silly little girl he hadn’t even met!
She was convinced Sugar had guessed her secret. When he wasn’t skulking like a disgraced dog, he was treating her to long, searching stares. He would never say, of course. They had worked together for twenty years but that conversation in his office was the most intimate they had shared.
She was announced at the Forum, Olive Omatayo greeting her with polite boredom. Fisk saw herself through the Prime Minister’s eyes: a wraith in a twinset.
She sat in the Yellow Room while Olive prepared the tea. The previous Prime Minister had used one of CER’s service robots; the contract was discontinued when Olive entered office. She carried the cups clumsily, setting them near the table’s edge. Fisk sipped hers and wished she hadn’t.
Olive said something she didn’t catch. “I’m sorry?”
“I’ve been following your robot’s adventures with interest. Whoever writes those articles does a sterling job.”
“Josh writes them.”
“Of course he does.” Olive drank her tea and made a face. “How can I help? I wasn’t expecting to have to deal with you people once the Session was over.”
Fisk couldn’t think how to begin, but she must. “We have - CER has - Josh needs to get married.”
The cup jolted, splashing them both with tea. “What?”
There are few things as uncomfortable as explaining an unpalatable idea to someone who doesn’t want to hear it. Fisk thought, as hadn’t been considered in the boardroom, how frivolous it sounded. Like any timid person with a superiority complex, she dreaded having to justify herself. She dared to sneak a glance at the PM and was unnerved to see she wasn’t angry or even shocked. It was the expression she wore in the Forum before she blindsided someone.
“I wish I could say this was wholly unexpected, but it isn’t. Are you determined to go through with it? Never mind it’s doomed to failure?”
“There’s no reason why -”
“In other words, you’re asking me to backtrack everything I’ve put into place over the last few months, to spare your blushes. Am I to assume that a certain someone has overstep
ped the mark?”
Fisk was too miserable to answer.
“I knew it. Don’t come whimpering to me when it goes wrong.”
Olive downed the last of the tea and pointedly picked up the speakertube. Fisk was dismissed.
“Thank you for seeing me,” she mumbled.
Olive covered the tube and said coldly, “Do what you like. If I had my way, CER wouldn’t exist.”
The news filtered down to the staff. Mandy went into mourning - you expected her to don a black armband. Tatum shared her theory about the star crossed love between Josh and Lord Langton and was told to shut up. Ravi exclaimed, “You go, my son!” and offered Josh dating tips. Since the irregular was the norm at CER, it soon passed out of mind. It didn’t affect their lives after all.
Except for Pip. She did mind. She was that rarest of birds, a promiscuous romantic. What kind of friend would she be if she didn’t help the truest love she had known? So she went up to Adrian’s office and rapped on the door.
“Don’t come in just yet!” he bleated.
She didn’t have time for this. She pushed open the door and caught Adrian in the act of arranging numerous pictures of himself on his desk.
“What can I do you for, hmm?”
Regrettably we often find ourselves working for people we can’t respect. Adrian Pinder must have been one of the most egregious examples forced upon a company. How he had attained his present post was a mystery. He had no understanding of or interest in robotics, annoyed and upset visitors, and lacked the most fundamental social skills. Just a moment’s conversation exposed him as a vain, obnoxious poseur with the warmth and intelligence of yoghurt.
“Pippa Profitt,” she said wearily. “I wanted to talk to y’ ‘bout Josh gettin’ married.”
Adrian studied her in a way he’d read was imposing. “What’s it got to do with you?”
“Josh is my friend. His welfare means a lot to me. I don’ think we should be makin’ decisions about his future without consultin’ him first.”
Adrian sat on the edge of his desk.“Ms Pratchett, we own Josh. Talking about his ‘welfare’ and ‘future’ is beside the point. We believe this is the right thing for the company’s international profile -”
Love and Robotics Page 40
