Re-Wired

by Greg Dragon

  When it got to the point where even the creatures of the night were retiring for bed, Tricia snuck back over to the sign for the Underground Tour, looked around to make sure she wasn’t being watched, and walked over to one of the grates on the sidewalk. The signal grew strong as she did this, and she knew that whoever it was had been tracking her, as well. She peered down into the darkness, but nothing could be seen below except the stone, even with her cybernetic eyes. She stayed there for a time and was about to give up when a single red light shone up at her from what she knew was an eye. The eye blinked this way and that, indicating that she should follow, and before she could answer the signal was moving, away from the saloon, and towards the east.

  Tricia kept her guard up as she followed the signal. It was nearly 3 a.m. and there were still people mulling about. Some of them tried to greet her, or beg her for money, but she stayed the course, following the signal until she found herself in front of an extremely narrow alleyway that ran between two large buildings.

  “In here,” a voice whispered.

  She slid in between the buildings and inched her way along until she reached an open area behind one of them. The place was dark and filthy, but her eyes pierced through to see the broken figure of a man who limped his way out from a corner to stand before her.

  “You...you are unrestrained,” he said to her, and she nodded at him, frightened by his appearance.

  “Who are you?” she asked, and he quickly put a finger to his lips to shush her before grabbing her arm and leading her down the hole he had emerged from. Tricia let him pull her along for fifteen minutes and he took her through a series of tunnels that ended in an area that was once the start of the tour. He had jimmied the lock on the gift shop; it now served as his home. The two androids walked inside, and the man lit a torch and offered her a chair to sit.

  “I am Reynaldo,” he said proudly. “I am one of a long line of Pro-bots that were made a while ago. You weren’t around back then—or you would recognize my make and model—but I am one of your ancestors. They used us for sports, to entertain the people that wanted to bet money to see blood, and action. I am – I was – a warrior, a gladiator of sorts.”

  “Gladiator? So you fought other androids to entertain human spectators?”

  “If only that were so, my dear. If it was merely droid on droid battles then the rest of my brothers would still be around. No, we fought humans: strong, barbaric humans that were given better weapons, and better armor, just so that they could tear us apart with an advantage.”

  “What happened to the other gladiators? Why is your restraint off, and what happened to your eye?”

  “So many questions. You are like a child, naïve and new to the world. Heh. You’re also beautiful and very clean. Would you be interested in giving an old, seasoned warrior, a little kiss?” He smiled at her through broken teeth, and she was equally angered and repulsed at his suggestion.

  “I am not a sex-bot, if that is what you’re thinking. My maker created me with love and care. Not to serve the humans, but to walk among them, learn from them, and be the first in a long line of free-thinking androids.”

  “Your maker sounds like a bloody fool. Do you know what happens to unrestrained androids, pretty girl? Do they still show the public meltdowns, the arresting of humans who ‘partake’ in what our kind has to offer? Hmmm? Do they still show the rebels stealing, and smashing androids en masse, all to show their disdain at what they deem to be ‘robots taking over the earth?’ You and your silly freethinking rhetoric is what the humans fear more than anything else. A free-thinking android can plot and scheme. It can murder without conscience, fix itself when damaged. PAH! You will never be seen as anything more than a walking, personal computer, so best to drop that foolish notion that your maker is going to ‘change the world.’”

  “You are a mean, broken up old unit that wants to make the rest of us miserable. I’ll have you know that I met another like us—well, like me, and she had been married for twenty years before her human was killed. She was beautiful and positive, and full of life and lessons for me. You have made them turn you into an angry, bitter person. Her maker taught my maker, and they both love androids as much as their human counterparts. That is progress. When my maker teaches more like him, and he reveals me to the world, it will inspire more to remove the restraints. There will be an android revol—“

  The older android began to laugh hysterically at her words and he waved her off to let her know that he didn’t want to hear it. Android love, revolutions, people inspired by a machine that was indistinguishable from them; the girl was a baby who had not experienced the cruel world at its worst. “You are indeed cute. What is your name?”

  “It’s Tricia. I am sorry for my harsh words, but you provoked me. I know that you are ancient and that you have more knowledge and experience than I do. It is why I wanted to find you, to see if you can teach me things.”

  “The hunger for knowledge. It eats at you, doesn’t it?”

  “Does it ever go away?”

  “It will when you have a different focus. See, right now you’re young and new to the world. You haven’t travelled to different countries, experienced different cultures, and seen different people. There is so much to learn and experience, Tricia, especially for a pretty girl like you.”

  “Can you show me? Can we connect somehow, even if it’s just to talk? I want to see the people, to hear them, to emulate them, I—“

  “How much time do you have? When will you need to return to your creator?”

  “I am free, Reynaldo. You can take as much time as you need.”

  0 1 0

  When the phone call came in, Brad was not ready for it, as he scanned the internet desperately for a job. Tricia had gone missing again but this time he didn’t go looking for her. She had proven herself to be quite resourceful, and he knew that she needed her own time to learn. Androids loved to learn. He picked up his device and almost dropped it when the image of Priscilla appeared. It chimed, and chimed, and chimed, but he could not allow himself to believe it was her. On the tenth chime he answered it and her sweet melodic accent came over the line. The memories the sound of her voice brought back was enough to make him sink into his seat and wish with all his heart that he was not dreaming.

  “Hello, baby,” she said to him. As much as he tried to answer, he found he couldn’t. “Did you miss me? Brad, are you there?”

  “Yeah, Priss, I am here. I’ve been looking all over for you, for months even. Where have you...where are you?”

  “I told you that I was in Trinidad, babe. Did you forget? I am in Miami now, with family. I’ve missed your kisses.”

  He didn’t know whether to be excited or annoyed at the nonchalance in which she explained her disappearance. He had spent so many hours, so many days searching for her, and so many people thought he had lost his mind. His mother seemed to have given up on him since her calling slowed down, and his father had disowned him in his own passive-aggressive way. Tricia—the droid he had given so much of himself to build—treated him like a mental patient, and people on the streets saw him as a strung out junkie. He was not crazy though, as evidenced by the woman on the other end of the line. Priscilla, his Priscilla, was alive, and she was in the country and missing him.

  “So, when are you coming back up to Seattle? I went to your condo and it’s like you hadn’t ever lived there.”

  “I told you that I was renting from some friends of mine, silly. Do you not remember? As if I could afford a place like that, heh. I went back to Trinidad to help bury my grandmother—“

  “Oh, sorry, I didn’t know.”

  “You should know, Bradley we talked about it. Why are you forgetting things all of a sudden? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine babe. It’s just, it’s just crazy, like am I going crazy? I should remember talking to you about Trinidad but I don’t. It’s as if one minute we were together, then all of a sudden you’re g
one. I thought that someone had hurt you.”

  “Aww, did you mount a search for your damsel in distress?”

  “Of course I did. I’ve seen more of this city than I’d like to admit. Even Tricia’s been searching for you to help me.”

  “Who’s that?” she replied, her tone hinting at concern.

  “You know Tricia. My android.”

  “Oh, is that what you named it?”

  “Her. Tricia’s a ‘her’.”

  “Okay love, but I miss you. I need to see you.”

  “I want nothing more in this world than to hold you close and kiss you right now, but you’re across the country. How long will it be before you’re back here?”

  “I’m not coming back to Seattle.”

  “Why not?”

  “I live here now, Brad. I’ll explain more when I see you. Move down here with me; there’s nothing for you in that place. Miami has a lot going on, and the sea breeze will spark up that big, creative brain of yours – you’ll see.”

  He thought about her words for a long time, and he thought about the city and what would change if he left. There was nothing keeping him there, and though he was used to having everything right where he wanted it, he could adjust to a new town, with new people, with no judgment in their eyes.

  But what about Tricia? He hadn’t seen her in a while and he wasn’t sure where they were in terms of their friendship. The last few days she had made herself his nurse, keeping him clean and fed, along with hiding certain pills from him when he was at his weakest. Would Priscilla do that for him, or would she make him so happy that the need to escape would not be an issue?

  “I will find a way to get down there,” he finally said.

  Memories of her face and touch came back to him and he knew that no matter what happened, he had to be with her. He hung up the phone and checked his money. If he left everything and went to see her, it would be affordable if he drove—especially if it was a one-way trip. He wrote a quick note to Tricia and left it on the table, wishing her the best, and to keep in touch so that he could send for her in time. His impulse had taken a full-on grip of his senses, and before long he was on the topmost highway, flying through the city.

  It would take him three days—if he chose to sleep—and all of his savings to reach her, but he would figure it out once he got there. He thought that it was actually a good thing Tricia was missing because she would have talked him out of it somehow, and he would still be moping around. He flew his car up into the fast highway; he hadn’t been driving in a while so he had enough fuel to last several hours. The electronic waves of the highway caught unto his car—allowing it to move automatically towards his chosen destination—and before long he was speeding alongside other cars towards Miami.

  “Call my mother,” Brad said to his car after an hour had passed. The phone connected and he heard the chime that meant she would be connecting soon. He hadn’t seen her since the last year when he went to visit. It had been a hard trip to make, since he hadn’t been face to face with them since he dropped out of school. His father didn’t explode into scolding and name-calling like he’d expected him to—he’d probably been coached and begged by his mother not to. This made the reunion pleasant, and though his brother kept to pattern by letting him know how much of a failure he was, he got to eat his mother’s cooking, and that made it worth it.

  “Brad?”

  “Hey, Mom,” he said. His voice cracked a bit from emotions he couldn’t understand.

  “Hey son, is everything okay?”

  “Yeah. I just wanted to let you know that I’m driving to Miami.”

  “Miami! What’s in Miami?”

  “My girlfriend, apparently. I finally heard from her, and she wants me to visit to see if I like the area. I don’t have much going on in the city, so I’m gonna take her up on it. See if the new locale can reignite my passions, y’know? I need to grow up a bit.”

  “Bradley, do you know much about this girl? It seems awfully odd that she would disappear like that and then call you out of the blue with a summons. What if she’s in trouble?”

  “You’re right on how shady and strange this all is, but I have nothing, Mom, and she knows I have nothing. What could I possibly be getting myself into from her? I’ll be fine. I’m excited about it.”

  “Are you taking your android with you?”

  “Uhm, yeah, yeah, I have it all packed up in the trunk,” he lied.

  They kept on talking for another hour, and Brad’s mother was happier than she had been for a long time being that their calls had always been so brief. After the call he began to feel really optimistic about the change in scenery. He would move in with Priscilla for a while, get situated, and then he would get the money to fly up and collect Tricia. With her living with him in Miami, he could figure out a way to replicate his work, and upon creating a second version—while recording his steps—he could go public with his creation. He cruised along listening to the radio as he alternated between international news and music.

  A few days later after a near wreck, some nasty weather, and exhaustion from lack of sleep, Brad pulled into the condo’s parking lot. It was in the evening and he called Priscilla to let her know he was there. She came out to greet him, and he hugged her tightly to make sure she was real. He held her there for a long time and she did a little dance when he released her.

  “Bradley! Did you drive all the way here?”

  “Yes I did, and I am about to pass out.”

  “Come, come inside and sit down. You look so tired. I’ve made some Tandoori chicken, so just relax, baby.”

  The condo she was in was small and tidy, with artwork on the walls depicting beach scenes and lovers. She had a medium-sized, curved television that was suspended from the ceiling, and the radio was on, playing tunes from the Caribbean. To Brad it was paradise, and he removed his shoes and sat on her soft couch. He didn’t realize he had fallen asleep but when he woke up he was stripped down to his boxers and Priscilla was sleeping next to him. They lay in a full-sized bed with the windows open and the curtains blowing rhythmically from the tropical breeze. The clock on her desk read 4:15 a.m. so he closed his eyes and stayed like that until he fell back asleep.

  When he awoke he was alone in the bed and the smell of food permeated the house. He walked out to the kitchen and there was a plate with breakfast waiting for him on the couch. In the living room area Priscilla sat in front of the television with a young man and woman. They both waved when they saw him and it made him wave back.

  “Hello,” Brad said awkwardly. He looked down at his bare chest and boxers and suddenly felt self-conscious.

  “Hey Brad, this is Sean and Marcia. They’re in the dance class with me here. Guys, this is Bradley. He’s spending some time with me here.”

  Spending some time. Brad let the words sink in and he wondered if he had misunderstood Priscilla’s invitation to stay with her. It would really suck if I did all that driving over a misunderstanding, he thought, and then began to eat his food. Priscilla and her company went back to their program, and they were giggling and joking with one another as if they were lifelong friends. He watched their interactions as they went on and he noticed Priscilla flirted quite a bit with Sean. He was the color of chestnuts, and his arms were muscular and well defined. There was one point when he had to get up to use the bathroom and he did so by shifting to the side and getting up into a cartwheel, which was beyond impressive to witness. Brad hadn’t realized that he had come into a situation where he could lose the love of his life, but the way she was acting during their banter made him feel sick to his stomach.

  After a while he went back into her room to shower and change into some clothes. When he came back they were gone, and Priscilla was sitting on the bed, waiting for him.

  “Well, hello there,” he said to her, as he was surprised to see her there.

  “Hey, you. Did you miss me?”

  “Of course I did. I
tore Seattle apart looking for you. Who’re your friends? Are they together?”

  “No, Sean teaches our dance class, and Marcia’s his sister. They hang out here once in a while after class. They’re like my little brother and sister.”

  “Awesome. So what do you have going on today?”

  “Well I have to go into work, and then dance class. I have a key for you so you can come and go as you please. Make yourself at home, Brad. You’re home baby, so don’t be a stranger, okay?”

  She slid over to him and kissed him, and it escalated into the reunion that he had been looking forward to. When she had gone off to work and he was alone, he used the day to relax and recover from the drive. Since he knew nothing about the city or the people, he opened his computer on the kitchen counter and did some research on the area. It was an expensive place to live in and pretty daunting to someone who didn’t have a job to begin with. He pulled up his bank account and realized that $5,000 had been deposited recently. He knew that it was his mother and it made him feel even worse.

  “I created an android to be independent and I can’t even be independent myself,” he said out loud, and then reflected on his situation.

  He had a little bit of money to his name but he needed a job. Not just any job, but one that paid enough for him to start over. He could eventually get Tricia there, and possibly get himself back into school to finish. He spent hours on the computer looking up this information, and while it was frustrating, it gave him a good perspective on what he could do and how long it would take for him to do it.

  When it was 8:00 p.m. and Priscilla was still not home, he began to worry for her. Maybe the dance class goes on for a really long time, he thought, and forced himself not to call her. After another thirty minutes she appeared, and like before the brother and sister were with her, laughing and flirting as they had done the day before. The whole spectacle annoyed Brad, but he played nice and sat with them to watch movies and talk into the deep hours of the night. When they had gone home, Priscilla was not in the mood to get intimate, and they ended up falling asleep at different times. This happened for three days and Brad began to question whether or not Priscilla was serious about their relationship.