by Rohan Healy
Miles heard the door squeak behind him, he turned quickly to see Doctor Galand drying his hands with a green wash cloth.
“Is she…” Miles couldn’t finish the sentence.
“She’ll live, she’s still under the sedative,” said Galand, “my name is John Galand, I’m sorry we didn’t have time to make proper introductions before.”
“I’m Miles Stanton, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Miles shaking Galand’s hand with both of his, while sneaking a look over the Doctor’s shoulder at Lucy sleeping on a sofa, “I can’t thank you enough for what you did!”
“It’s my job Miles, you don’t need to thank me,” said the older man smiling.
“Now, there are a few things I must ask you Miles,” said Galand turning deadly serious all of a sudden.
“Yes? What would you like to know?” replied Miles.
“Did you do this to the girl?”
“My God no! Of course not, it was done by a bandit cannibal called Carl and his gang of sick bastards. I-I took care of them and got Lucy here as quickly as possible! I could never hurt her, never!” Miles argued convincingly.
“I see. We are not like The Dustbowl here. We make an effort to retain some semblance of humanity in Humber Dam and I need to know that your relationship with this girl is…appropriate,” said the doctor looking over his glasses at Miles who was visibly taken aback, but understood Galand’s concern.
“I know it looks bad Doctor, it’s true that she’s not my daughter, and we are not related. I found her in a crashed Talos shuttle a few days ago and I just couldn’t just let her go off and try to fend for herself in The Dustbowl, it would have been certain death for her, or worse!” Galand continued to stare at Miles looking for any signs of dishonesty. “I was a father back on Carthage, I have a young son, when I found Lucy I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least try to get her to safety. I don’t know what more I can say, other than you have my word that I’d die before harming that girl.”
There was silence for a moment and then Galand’s face broke into a smile and he spoke.
“I believe you Miles, we use force when we have to here, to defend what we’ve created, but we don’t like trouble. I think you are a good man Miles. Gyaros will push a man to do some awful things, but you haven’t let it turn you bad, and for that you have my respect.”
Miles breathed a heavy sigh of relief as Galand smiled.
“Thank you Doctor. I can’t tell you how good it feels to be in the company of decent people again,” said Miles now grinning as well.
“Come, let’s go to the diner and have a chat. Lucy will be fine, the sedative will last another twelve hours and Adara will check on her from time to time.”
The two men headed down the metal steps and made their way to the eatery which was adjacent to the reception. They took their seats and ordered some food and coffee from the young waitress.
“Now Miles, there is one other thing we need to talk about,” the waitress brought a steaming pot of coffee and two cups, Galand shook two sachets of sugar, ripped the top off and tipped their contents into his empty cup before pouring in the pitch black coffee, “as I’m sure you noticed, the girl isn’t human, not completely anyway.”
“Yes, I saw the wound, I-I’ve never seen anything like it, what…what is she?” asked Miles in a low voice.
“Well I have seen something like this before, not to this extent of course, those working in robots on Carthage have certainly made some strides…”
“Wait, robotics? Are you telling me that Lucy is a…” Miles was turning pale when Galand interjected.
“Yes a robot, an android if you will,” said the doctor calmly, taking a sip of his black coffee.
“But…but she’s so real, how is this possible?!” Miles looked utterly stunned. Yes he had seen the wires but it was a different story hearing it confirmed by someone so knowledgeable on the subject.
“I don’t know Miles, as I said, I’ve never seen anything so advanced. Her A.I. programming is the most humanlike I’ve ever seen, and her physical makeup is astonishingly realistic. This is not a robot covered with a prosthetic exterior designed to mimic a person, her exterior is made from living human tissue.”
“So, she’s kind of human? She’d a real girl but with some robotic enhancements?” asked Miles desperate to find out what Lucy really was.
“Not exactly Miles. This girl was created, not born, that is for certain. But the technology behind her design is far beyond my knowledge or understanding I’m afraid. Being a doctor I was able to stabilize the biological part of her, but I have no idea what damage has been done to her artificial intelligence module or other mechanical aspects.” The breakfast arrived, the Doctor had a salad, Miles ordered toast, he had very little appetite which would not have surprised anyone given the events of the past twelve hours.
“So she’s part human, she has skin, and blood, and organs and emotions?” asked Miles as he half-heartedly buttered a piece of toast.
“Well yes, except that everything is regulated by the reactor located where her heart would be, were she a human girl. She has a power core like all robots which acts as a kind of battery, it keeps the machine running and provides the massive amount of energy required to power the billions of individual computations necessary to run her A.I. and motor functions. The reactor regulates all circulatory functions as well, if she were to lose too much blood her systems would power down. For some reason she also has the capacity to eat and excrete, cry, laugh and so on despite these having no direct benefit to her functions as a robot.”
Miles furrowed his brow in confusion, forgetting all about his half buttered toast.
“So you’re saying it’s as if she was designed to act exactly like a human…” Miles said finally.
“Precisely,” said Galand pointing his fork at Miles before stabbing it at his salad, “she doesn’t require food to run and yet she has been given an artificial stomach and digestive tract.”
“And she feels hunger too, and tiredness,” started Miles. “Look I’ve been around kids, my own as well as friends and family and little Lucy had me convinced she was just a regular girl. In some ways it wouldn’t matter what you told me about her, I’d still worry and care for her.”
“Hmm,” Galand hummed while munching on a piece of lettuce and then gulping it down, “the only organisations with the kind of brains and money to put something like that together are The Machine and The Carthage Defence Department. The only reason I can think of to create such a robot would be for infiltration, to lull people into a false sense of security, maybe for spying, maybe sabotage or assassination…”
Miles slammed the table with his hand. “Lucy is nothing of the sort,” he cried angrily, “I don’t care why she was created, she’s not on any mission, she’s lost, she’s scared and the only person who has kept her alive and safe is me.”
“Calm down Mr Stanton, please,” Miles relaxed his shoulders, “what do you know about this girl, what has she told you about her past?”
“Well that’s just the thing, she can’t remember, she doesn’t remember anything before landing on Gyaros a few days ago.”
“Aha,” said the doctor sipping his coffee, “and how do you know this memory loss isn’t part of her programming? How do you know it’s not part of some deception?” Miles was fuming, but he controlled himself.
“Listen Galand you haven’t seen what I’ve seen, you haven’t been through what I’ve been through with her. I won’t listen to you talk about her like that. I respect you and you have my thanks for saving her life, but please don’t try to turn me against her, it will be a waste of my time and yours.”
“I’m not trying to turn you against her Miles, I’m simply looking out for the people of Humber Dam. I do not doubt you, but I cannot allow an unknown and potentially dangerous machine to stay in the town. You must understand Miles. Speaking of which, has Lucy displayed any unusual or destructive behaviour?” Galand pulled a pipe from h
is top pocket and lit it. He once again looked over his spectacles at Miles, studying his face closely. Miles memory darted back in time to when Lucy attempted to strangle him on the floor of Guppy’s Gas n Grub, and then images of Carl and Madison exploding into a million pieces flashed before him. Miles gulped and looked down at his cold toast.
“No, nothing at all.”
Galand propped his glasses back up and sighed deeply, as though disappointed that Miles had not been honest with him.
“You may stay until she recovers, then you must leave,” said the doctor dryly, “that is no more than two nights including tonight, is that understood?”
Miles stood up sending his chair skidding backward.
“No, please Doctor, she needs to be taken care of by a family, by people who can give her the love and affection that every child deserves. I’m heading to New Fortune but it’s too dangerous for her, I promised I’d make her safe, please don’t force me to break that promise. Can’t she stay here, where she can be happy and safe?!” Miles’ face was red, he wasn’t angry, he was desperate. He didn’t want to believe that he had brought Lucy this far only to have to put her in harm’s way once again.
“Please sit down Miles, do not make a scene.” Miles sat, suddenly aware of the attention he was attracting. “We try to resolve everything through negotiation here, but we will use force if necessary. You and the girl will be on your way by sunrise the day after tomorrow. We cannot have dangerous robots here…”
“But…” began Miles. Realising his protests were pointless, he took a deep breath and began again.
“I’m sorry for acting the way I did. You took us in and saved Lucy’s life, you are only looking out for your people, I understand that.” Miles mustered a smile, “we will leave at dawn the day after tomorrow, we’ll pay for your hospitality and we won’t cause you any more trouble.”
“Thank you Miles,” the smile returning to Galand’s face as well, “I don’t mean to be so harsh, I’m very protective of the people of our town. While you are here you are our guests, and when you leave we will provide whatever provisions we can spare.”
The two men shook hands and finished their meals. Miles spent most of the rest of the day in room eleven. They had moved Lucy into the vacant room next door now that she had stabilized and Miles laid on the soft motel bed drifting in and out of exhausted sleep. It was the most comfortable Miles had felt in a month and the smile never left his face as he soaked up every cosy second laying there languorously in the, relatively, luxurious double bed. Adara brought food to the room at meal times and Miles ate gratefully. Despite having to leave so soon, he was determined to enjoy the hospitality as much as possible. From time to time Doctor Galand would pop his head in and check on Lucy, adjusting her drips and taking note of her vital signs. After dinner Miles took a shower. It was such a bizarre experience, it felt like a thousand years had passed since Miles washed his own body so thoroughly and felt the sting of fast moving hot water against his skin. ‘My God, I’d completely forgotten how good this feels!’ He soaped up and rinsed off five times in total, that’s what it took to scrub off the grime of Gyaros. By the time he left the shower his fingers and toes were as wrinkled as raisins, another novel sensation he’d not experienced for what felt like an eternity. Miles wrapped a towel around his waist, and using the scissors he found in the cabinet behind the bathroom mirror, he hacked away at his rugged beard, doing his best to look part way civilized.
After using his hand to wash away the dark brown trimmings that filled the sink, Miles dried himself off completely and slipped into the set of clean crisp pyjamas that Doctor Galand had kindly donated to the filthy man. The feeling of fresh clothing was indescribable, in fact he spent about five minutes sniffing and touching them, revelling in the cleanliness. Before hopping into bed for the night Miles kneeled beside the sofa bed that Lucy was lying on and softly stroked her jet black hair. Just then her eyes opened slightly.
“Pa…pa?” still slurring from the sedative, she reached out with her right hand and placed her palm on Mile’s freshly trimmed beard, “you look…better.” They smiled at each other for a moment and then Lucy’s eyes closed again, she was fast asleep. ‘I don’t care what you are, or what Galand says, I’ll do everything I can to see that you are safe Lucy.’ Miles tucked her in and made his way to the double bed in the centre of the room. He hopped in, the sheets were cool and refreshing against his body which was still hot from the shower. He made himself comfortable and quickly drifted off to sleep.
The morning sunlight crept through a crack in the blinds, and when it passed over Miles’ closed eye lids he twitched, irritated by the sudden brightness. His right eye squinted open and he quickly moved his face out of the glaring sunlight and into the shade. Remembering the events of yesterday he sat up. Lucy was there, sleeping away, recovering from her injury. Miles hopped out of bed and moved closer to Lucy. He checked her pulse and her breath. Satisfied that she was okay he used the bathroom, brushed his teeth, washed his face and replaced his pyjamas with a slightly tight, but perfectly wearable pair of jeans, a white button up shirt, and brown leather work boots all of which once belonged to the kind doctor.
Lucy was still fast asleep so he decided to let her rest. After closing the door to room number eleven Miles made his way down to the dining area which was already half full. He took a seat and ordered a full breakfast, his appetite was back to normal and if the breakfast here was anything like it was at Guppy’s he simply couldn’t resist. After all he had to leave the next morning, who knew when he would get his next good meal? The food soon arrived and Miles tucked in. After a few minutes Adara entered the restaurant and ordered a sandwich and tea at the counter. She then walked toward Miles and smiled at him.
“Do you mind if I join you?” she chirped cheerfully. Her big blue eyes sparkled in a way that Miles hadn’t seen so far on Gyaros. Her contagious happiness was a pure manifestation of what Humber Dam represented, a refuge, a sanctuary in the middle of a kind of hell.
“Of course not, please have a seat,” said Miles swallowing quickly to answer the attractive lady. Her straight blonde hair shimmered in the morning light and her clear pale skin caught Miles off guard, she reminded him a little of Hellen. His reaction to her beauty was a testament to the exclusive ugliness he’d been exposed to for the past month. He had Lucy of course, she was beautiful in her own way, but she was a child, it was different. Miles consumed the vision of Adara like one would smell a rose or eat an exquisite desert. In the midst of the panic of the day before, Miles had not noticed how attractive Adara was, but now it hit home. Not a single impure thought crossed Miles’ mind, he was simply grateful to be able to take in her beauty. The beauty was hers, he didn’t need to possess it, he was content to admire and nothing more.
“How is Lucy doing this morning?” she asked compassionately.
“She seems fine, Doctor Galand did an amazing job,” replied Miles gratefully.
“That’s good, I’m glad to hear it,” Adara’s sandwich and tea arrived thanks to the young waitress. “Thank you Stephanie,” said Adara and the waitress smiled at both of them, wishing them bon appetit.
“Doctor Galand told me about Lucy,” she continued, leaning in and lowering her voice, “she’s not human. I don’t believe she’s dangerous but if word spread it could cause panic in the town,” Adara’s cheer had vanished and was replaced by dead seriousness. “I know it’s horrible of us to ask you to simply leave so soon, but you must understand.”
“I do understand Adara, Galand made it perfectly clear. Lucy and I owe you more than we can repay already so please don’t feel bad about asking us to leave, I mean it.” Miles smiled broadly, of course he would have preferred to leave Lucy here, but it was true, he was in no position to ask more of Galand and Adara, they’d already done so much.
“We’ll give Lucy one more night and day, I’ll pay what I owe and we’ll be on our way. Thanks Adara, you’ve been such a big help.”
“No Miles, we just do what we can. We work damn hard to keep the scum of the wastelands out of here so that we can help anyone who genuinely needs it, and to keep decency and civilization alive in whatever small way we can.”
“I was wondering about that,” Miles started with a quizzical look on his slender face, “how do you defend this place? It was far too easy to get in here, just some sleepy old guy that opened the gate without hesitation! I’ll bet there are a ton of nasty people who’d literally kill to get at what you have here!”
“Haha!” Adara laughed, rocking back on her chair as Miles looked on, stunned by her reaction. “You mean old Eagle Eye Darren? He might not look it but he’s the finest shot on the wastelands! Yup, he could have taken you out before you even saw the Humber Dam gates. He’s a good judge of character as well, if he let you through that’s good enough for us.”
“But he must be eighty years old!” Miles exclaimed.
“At least! He fought in The War of Unification for Talos when he was real young, worked as a merc after the war until he was caught and sent over here. After wandering a while he wanted to make good so Doctor Galand put him to work protecting the town, that was about seventeen years ago. He also leads the town militia, his years on the battlefield give him a strategic edge you know. Yeah Darren likes to put on the old geezer act but he’s as sharp as ever, believe me,” Adara blew her tea and took a sip, “yeah when we wanna, we can sure put up a fight. These days everyone’s too scared to start anything, it ain’t worth the losses you know?” Adara finished talking and took a bite of her sandwich which looked to contain lettuce, tomato, onion and blue cheese with some kind of yellow sauce.
