by Trudi Jaye
“We need to get him out of here,” said Fee’s voice behind him.
He felt her hands holding him on his other side. The usual hum of electricity felt like an old friend rather than a disturbance. He resisted the urge to snuggle in close to her as she helped him walk down the path. He only made it a few steps before his vision went blurry, and then he felt nothing at all.
***
Fee tried to keep him standing, but it was only because Grimshaw was on the other side of her that she managed to keep him upright. He was damn heavy. “Can you help me get him back to the car?” she asked Grimshaw, who nodded.
“I’ll just pick him up. It’ll be easier that way.”
Fee looked around for the others, and gestured to David, Nolan, and Eugene when she saw them hovering to one side. “We have to get Henry to a doctor,” she said as they hurried over.
Grimshaw shook his head. “He won’t thank you for it, Fee,” he said in an undertone. “This is just magic burnout. He’ll want to head home and rest it off.”
Fee tried not to notice that Grimshaw was talking openly to her about magic. It meant he knew she’d understand what he was talking about. All she could concentrate on for the time being was getting Henry somewhere safe.
“Are you sure?” she said.
“Positive. Just take him home and let him sleep it off.”
Fee didn’t know where home was for Henry in Tampa. But she would deal with that once they were all in the car. She smiled slightly. That would be the one high point of this day. Getting to drive Henry’s car. She had a feeling people weren’t given this privilege very often.
She and the others trailed along after Grimshaw as he carried Henry out of the theme park and toward their car. He let Henry down slowly, and Fee grabbed his other side again. “Let’s put him in the back seat, so someone can hold him up, make sure he’s okay for the ride home,” said Fee.
But it wasn’t as easy as it should have been to get Henry into the car. He seemed to be all heavy arms and legs, and none of them worked as they should to get him into the back seat.
“We’ll have to just put him in the front,” said Fee in exasperation.
Grimshaw wiped sweat off his face and nodded. “He’s sure fighting getting in the back.”
Fee frowned. Henry was completely out of it. He wasn’t able to fight anything.
In the end, they got him settled into the front passenger seat. Fee slipped into the leather seat next to a sagging Henry, and hoped he’d be okay. She grabbed a sweater from her bag, and shoved it under his head.
She turned to Grimshaw. “Thanks for your help,” she said, holding out her hand.
He grinned and pushed aside the hand, grabbing her into a big hug. She didn’t know what else to do, so just hugged him back. He clapped her on the shoulder, and then turned to the others, hugging each of them, and giving them words of encouragement. They brightened under his attention, the same way they had from Henry’s. Fee shook her head. It was amazing what a bit of attention and validation could do for a person. Especially from someone they looked up to.
“I better head back. Seth was sorting it out, but he’ll want some help. Wish me luck.”
“I’m sorry our visit had to end like this,” said Fee.
“Come back anytime. I’ll get you a free pass,” said Grimshaw with a wink. He waved and then headed back to the main entrance at a run, his long legs eating up the distance.
Fee turned to the others, holding the driver’s door open as they climbed into the back. She glanced up at the sky and was surprised to see dark clouds lingering overhead. It looked like it was about to rain—just what she needed.
“This isn’t as cool from the back seat,” said Nolan.
Putting her hand on the smooth exterior of Henry’s beautifully restored Dodge Charger, Fee wondered if this was such a great idea. She’d grabbed the keys from his pocket, and she knew she had to get him somewhere comfortable where he could sleep off the magic. But Henry had seemed attached to his car. What if something happened?
Fee took a breath. She’d just have to drive slowly.
Turning the key, the motor hummed to life, sending vibrations through the car. Remembering the alterations Henry had said he’d installed in the car, she wondered if there was anything she should know. Glancing to where he was slumped sideways in the seat next to her, she hoped not.
“Do you even know how to drive a car like this?” asked David nervously.
Fee smiled into the rear vision mirror. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
Just the fact that I grew up in an agricultural cult that believed anything motorized was the work of the devil. That was all.
She’d made up for it once she left. She’d learned to not only drive a car, but also how to gut and put one back together again. She’d had a lot of catching up to do, and she’d gotten into it with gusto.
But this car was something else. She could feel the rumble of unidentifiable extra additions underneath the usual motor sounds. She smoothed her hands over the leather on the steering wheel. She had no choice but to drive his car: they needed to get him home.
Pushing her foot slowly on the accelerator, she drove out of the parking lot and turned onto the road, trying to keep her speed down. They made it to the freeway before big drops of rain started splashing onto the windshield.
Fee fumbled around, pulling on levers and pressing buttons.
“It’ll be that button on the left,” said Nolan.
“No, the lever to the right of there,” said Eugene.
Fee pressed both and found the lights and the horn before she found the wipers and set them to keeping the rain off the windshield. She held onto the steering wheel tightly with both hands, trying to keep the car in the correct lane, and at the right speed, with very little visibility. They were halfway home before the rain slowed down and then stopped, and Fee heaved a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to crash Henry’s car, especially not when he was unconscious inside it.
Now that the rain wasn’t pouring down, it didn’t take long before she got tired of the slow speed and her foot pressed a little harder on the accelerator. Without even seeming to, the car increased in speed. It was such a smooth ride that Fee had to glance down at the speedometer to make sure they were actually going faster.
She pushed on the accelerator a little more, and felt the power behind the engine’s hum. It thrummed through her whole body, making her shiver with delight. Driving this car was an experience she would never forget.
“Maybe we could drive around the block a couple of times when we get back,” suggested Eugene. “Give us all a go at the wheel?”
Fee laughed and shook her head. It was bad enough that she was driving Henry’s baby. “I think we’d better just get Henry home as soon as we can,” was all she said.
They arrived outside the Callaghan Tech building. “This is us, boys,” she said as she climbed out to let the others exit the back seat.
“Are you sure you’re going to be able to handle him?” asked Nolan once he was out of the vehicle. “We barely got him in there.”
Fee nodded. “I’ll be fine. It’s not far. I’ll get my neighbors to help me if I need to.”
“If you’re sure…?” Nolan was looking at her dubiously, but there was no way she was going to let any of them come to her apartment. She’d realized it was her only option on the way here. She had no idea where Henry was staying, and if it were some kind of magical stupor, she’d have more luck looking after him than the others.
And she would have help getting him from her internal garage up to her apartment—she just wasn’t going to tell these guys that. “Worst comes to the worst, I’ll leave him in the car,” she joked.
“Surely that wouldn’t be good for him?” said Eugene worriedly as he came to stand beside Fee and Nolan.
“I’m kidding, Eugene. I’ll get him safely tucked up in a bed, no worries.”
David climbed out last, but he didn’t add anything to the con
versation. He looked pensive, glancing back at Henry a couple of times before he came to stand next to the others on the sidewalk. It had been a long day for all of them.
“Okay then. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Nolan gave her an awkward hug, something he’d never done previously. It was weird, but Fee appreciated the effort. She hugged him back, and then gave the other two a quick embrace as well. It was something she’d never have dreamed she’d do three days ago. They’d enjoyed their day today, despite what had happened to Henry. It was going to change how they worked together from now on.
Fee climbed back into the car, waving one hand out the window as she headed off, and drove the short distance to her apartment block at a more sedate speed. She didn’t own a car, but she had a parking spot in the underground garage assigned to her apartment, so it was always there for visitors.
If she were ever to have any visitors, that is. Henry’s car was the first that had sat in her parking space since she’d moved in five years before.
He was still out cold, so Fee went to the small lock up at the front of the park, and pressed the buzzer she’d put inside. “Yes?” asked a robotic voice.
“Max, I’m home. And I need your help. Can you meet me downstairs in the parking lot?”
“Certainly, Wild Feather. At once.”
“I’ve told you not to call me that,” said Fee grumpily.
“You tell me lots of things, and I ignore most of them,” replied Max calmly.
“Just get your butt down here to help me.” Fee tried not to feel like too much of a failure as yet another of her inventions talked back at her.
***
Henry woke groggy and with a splitting headache, in the arms of a creature he couldn’t quite explain. He was being carried up a set of stairs in multiple metal arms that seemed to flow around him like an octopus. He squinted, and realized that was exactly what it was modelled after.
“Wild Feather, he is awake,” said a robotic voice.
“I’ve told you a million times, not in front of other people.”
“This is the first time I have actually been in front of another person, and you definitely haven’t told me a million times, Wild Feather. I count five times, at most.” The creature was reprimanding Fee like it was her mother. Henry shook his head trying to figure out if he was dreaming.
Henry heard Fee’s muttered reply from behind the creature, but he couldn’t see her. He tried to twist around, but found himself held too tightly in multiple grips.
“Please do not move, sir. It may cause me to lose my balance, and fall down the stairs.” The voice was polite and matter of fact, and rather musical, if he were honest.
And obviously another creation of Fee’s. Or should he call her Wild Feather? He tried to push down the desire to snigger. He’d assumed Fee was short for Phoebe or Fiona or some other name she didn’t like. Wild Feather was a whole other level.
They’d arrived at a landing with a single metal door, and Fee squeezed past her creature to unlock it. She pushed the door wide open and Henry felt like he was floating as he was carried through the door on multiple legs.
“Where shall I put the patient?” asked the voice.
“Put him in my room, Max.” She paused. “I’ll be in to see you in a second, Henry. Just let Max take care of you.”
Henry didn’t reply; he was too busy looking around at the strange and wonderful cave he’d just entered. The windows all had blackout curtains, and instead of overhead lights, fairy lights twinkled across the ceiling like stars. A couple of round globes hung down like giant planets, letting off more light. In the main room they’d entered the only furniture was a couch and a dining room table and chairs. The rest of the space was filled with computing equipment, TV screens, and other gadgetry he wanted to get a closer look at.
He shifted in the arms of his transportation.
“Please, sir, I am not as stable as I may at first appear. You will need to remain still for this situation to end successfully.”
Henry settled back, trying to remain still, and wondering what problems this amazing eight-legged creature had with balance. Maybe he could fix it.
Max lay him down on the bed, and Henry had his first full glimpse of the creature. He was well and truly designed after an octopus, with eight constantly moving legs keeping him standing upright. His head was a small computer screen with wires and metal behind it keeping him together. His body was a basic metal casing that didn’t move with the amazing agility that he could see in the legs. Henry kept staring at the limbs, which seemed to be comprised of thousands of tiny joints, giving the octo-creature the ability to move in all directions as if he really was an octopus in the sea.
“Can I get you anything, sir? I believe Wild Feather will be in momentarily.”
Henry shook his head, and then wondered if Max could understand visual cues.
“Very well, I will leave you.”
Yes, he did. Henry was enthralled. He’d never done much work with robotics before coming to Callaghan Technology, and he didn’t know how a creature like this might work. It seemed magical; and given what he knew about Fee, it probably was.
More was going on here than met the eye. And he was going to find an explanation for all of it.
CHAPTER TEN
Fee fluttered around in her kitchen, preparing a hot coffee, and then an iced tea, for Henry. She couldn’t decide which would be best for him in his current state. She didn’t actually want to talk to him face to face. She’d been working on instinct when she brought him back to her cave; and now he was here, she wished she’d never done it. It felt uncomfortable and awkward.
She felt a chittering vibration in her hair, and put one hand up to Bing, pulling him out of the nest he’d been hiding in.
“I’m going to have to wash my hair again tonight, using double the conditioner to get that knot out,” she scolded. He stood on her palm, and chittered back at her, unconcerned. She put him down on the bench, and he skittered off along the surface, skidding at the far edge, and disappearing over the edge. She grinned. He was a bit of a daredevil.
She sighed, thinking about her interaction with Bing. An outsider would think she was crazy, talking to her creations like that. She had to watch herself in front of Henry.
It was because no one else ever came to her private sanctuary. She wasn’t used to being on best behaviour here. She’d lived in the same apartment for the last five years and never had visitors. Not even a door-to-door salesman.
Now Henry was in her room, in her bed, and she was hiding in the small kitchen space, trying not to freak out.
Max emerged from the bedroom, and looked in her direction. He had sensors all over his body continually providing him with information, so he didn’t technically need to look at her to see or sense her. Fee figured he did it out of politeness, which was one of his overriding command features.
“He is waiting for you. I do believe he is very weak, and should return to a sleeping state as soon as possible. Do you wish me to carry the liquid sustenance you have provided?”
Fee shook her head. “I’ll take it.”
“There is another problem I have not ascertained?”
“No.”
“Then why are you still in the kitchen?”
Fee sighed, and picked up the tray. “No reason,” she said.
She tiptoed into her room, feeling like it didn’t belong to her any more. Henry’s presence on the bed took over the room, making it seem small and cramped.
“I made you something hot...and cold. I wasn’t sure what you might feel like.”
Henry smiled weakly. “A cold drink would be good. Do you have anything for a splitting headache?”
Fee nodded and went to the en suite, where she grabbed a couple of pills from her cabinet. She saw a glimpse of her face in the mirror. She was pale with dark smudges under her eyes. Rubbing her face, she tried to bring a little color back into her cheeks. Sighing, she went back out into her bedroom.
“T
hese should help. And I think you need to sleep. You can stay here and get some rest.”
Henry nodded and took the pills, taking them in one swallow. “I don’t want to put you out.”
Fee shook her head. “It’s fine. I have work to do anyway. Just rest.”
He seemed like he wanted to ask more questions, but Fee shook her head. “I’m not going to answer anything else until you’ve slept.” She snapped a finger and all the lights in the room went out, including the fairy lights on the ceiling. “Rest. You’ll feel better for it.”
She walked back out into the main room, closing the door to her bedroom softly behind her. She looked around her apartment for a moment, and then huffed down onto the comfy couch. What had she been thinking bringing him here? It was insane. No one was allowed here. It was the one place she could be comfortable.
She harrumphed, and then switched on her laptop, restlessly flicking through a few of her usual online forums on robotics and computing. Nothing exciting going on there except a few arguments over the best way to solve a particular software issue. Putting the computer away, she turned on her television, and flicked through a few channels, trying to find something good to watch. Over 100 stations, and there was nothing on.
She glanced at her bedroom door, wondering if he was asleep yet. Maybe she should check on him? Make sure he was all right?
“Would you like some dinner?” asked Max.
Fee jumped. “Don’t sneak up on me like that,” she said sulkily.
“I think you will find I made the same amount of noise as usual.” He paused. “Dinner?”
Fee nodded. “Sure. Maybe in a half hour? Nothing fancy, just some eggs or something.” She glanced at her room. “I’m going to check on the patient.”
“My sensors say he is sleeping.”
“Even better,” she replied.
She opened the door carefully, trying not to make any noise, and then poked her head around the edge. “Fairies,” she whispered. The fairy lights overhead came on. Now she could see a big lump in her bed. She crept into the room, stopping at the closest edge of the bed and stared down at Henry. The glow from the fairy lights radiated over his face; Fee felt like a moth drawn to a flame, unable to stop the attraction that might very well be the death of her.
