by Scott Baron
By the time Tamara had scraped the ramekin clean, the scanner had powered back on, right on schedule.
Now time for part two.
“Hey, Tamara, could you give me a hand with this? I think I’m going to finish the rest of my work back in my quarters, but with all these notes and things in my arms, I wouldn’t want to risk dropping your scanner on accident.”
“I can get that if you like,” Vince volunteered.
“Thanks, but it’s her scanner, and I know she’s as particular about her gear as I am.” Daisy gave Tamara a conspiratorial wink.
“Okay, Daisy, I’ll give you a hand.”
Daisy loaded her arms with her notes and portable tablet, then headed for the doors. The main doors. Tamara hefted the machine easily with her robotic arm and followed. The inner door cycled open, but Daisy paused.
“Crap, I forgot my tool pouch. Go on ahead, I’ll be right behind you.”
“I swear, you’d forget your head if it weren’t bolted on,” Tamara teased as she stepped into the airlock. The door cycled as Daisy retrieved her tools, sitting on the floor, exactly where she intended them to be.
Gotcha.
Chapter Sixteen
The ship was quiet as it flew through the cold vacuum of space on its path to Earth, and the men and women safe within the protective walls of the Váli were sound asleep.
Well, almost all of them.
It was many hours past dinner, and the crew had long since retired for the night, but Daisy’s mind was racing as she lay wide awake in her bunk. She looked at the clock on her wall.
1:27 am.
She needed something to take her mind off the horrible paranoia threatening to swallow her whole, but she didn’t dare fire up the neuro-stim. Not now. Not even with all twelve inhibitors fully engaged. A line had been crossed, she could feel it, and she really didn’t know what would happen if she disturbed the sleeping beast inside her, even slightly. No, she would just have to deal with the insomnia and troubling thoughts running through her brain like a storm-panicked herd of wild horses running blindly toward a cliff.
None of them, she thought, over and over. Not a single one of them is a cyborg.
The revelation was a kick in the stomach.
After dinner, once Tamara had carefully dropped off the chemical analyzer at her quarters, Daisy had pulled her tablet from under her pillow, her pulse racing. She took a moment to breathe, lowering the staccato beat. She needed a clear head to plan her next moves. She powered up the display and opened the images.
This was it. She’d managed to get both women through that door, and the results were waiting for her. Doctor McClain and Tamara’s secrets would finally be revealed.
Human.
Both of them.
But that can’t be right. I’ve quadruple-checked my numbers. Oxygen consumption, as a percentage of total air volume, is decisive. Even with that leak, the overall volume of air is slowly lessening, but the ratios are the important part.
Daisy scrolled through all of the scans she’d managed to capture of the crew, and although they had an unusually high percentage of artificial parts installed after trauma or illness, they were all undeniably human. Sure, Tamara was a bit more reinforced with sturdy replacement parts than most, and Doc McClain’s metal leg included a fully replaced pelvis, which surprised Daisy, but no, they’d all been merely patched up by that machinery, not constructed of it. Looking at their repairs, she realized the process had probably saved their lives, no less.
“Well, you’re well and proper fucked now.”
Shut up, Sarah.
“Maybe I was a cyborg. Have you thought of that?”
You weren’t a cyborg. I would have known.
“You so sure about that?”
Daisy picked up a bracelet from her desk. A slender thing, made of a few braided wires from a scrapped sanitation unit. A silly little gift from Sarah one day after they’d been forced to crawl through a particularly foul-smelling bit of the Narrows they both hoped to never revisit.
With a heavy heart, she slid it over her hand. Despite the almost non-weight of the thing, feeling it gently touching her skin was comforting.
Would I have cared if she were a cyborg?
The thought was disturbing one.
Would she have cared if I was?
“You know I’m not prejudiced,” Sarah’s voice answered. “You, on the other hand, I’m not so sure about.”
A dark, creeping thought kept forcing its way into her mind. Something she was horrified to even consider. It was all rumor, really, but what if?
There were stories of experimental AIs. Machines who were unaware of their true nature. Cyborgs who thought they were human, programmed to perceive themselves as such. She had always passed the idea off as impossible. After all, how could a machine not know it was one? But if the programming was good enough, and its perception filtered by coding, could it be possible?
Daisy swallowed hard, the knot in her stomach tightening as an unwelcome thought floated back to the surface of her worrying mind. She knew about the others, she had their scans right in front of her, but she had neglected to test the one person she took for granted as human.
Herself.
This is nuts. There’s no way… but deep down inside, the seed of doubt had been planted. If she didn’t deal with it now, that seed would quickly sprout roots and grow into a tree.
Only one way to be sure.
Daisy got up and pulled on her sweatpants and a T-shirt, then opened her doors and stepped into the hallway.
Just go. It’s better to know than not.
She clenched her jaw and started walking with a deliberate stride. As she made her way down the corridor, a flash of doubt crossed her mind. A need for comfort. She found herself pausing in front of Vince’s door, wanting desperately to talk to someone about the dilemma racing through her thoughts. She placed her hand on his door chime touchpad, then hesitated.
I’m being ridiculous. Get moving, Daisy. This is something you have to do. Stop procrastinating.
“Hello?” Vince’s voice called out through the tiny speaker. “Reggie, are you messing with me again? Helloooo?”
Shit.
Daisy stayed tight-lipped and lifted her hand from the touchpad, then quickly turned, making a beeline for the galley doors. A minute later she found herself standing outside of them, hesitant.
Go time, she thought. Just do it already.
Steeling herself, she keyed the pad beside the double doors and opened the galley’s airlock. Her sensor array was quietly waiting for her, right where she’d put it. After a moment’s further pause, she moved forward.
Daisy had only just stepped inside when she was roughly grabbed from behind, a pair of powerful arms wrapping around her.
“What the hell!”
Vince pulled her close and silenced her with a kiss as the door closed behind them.
“Vince, what are you—”
His hand slid deftly between her legs, her knees going momentarily weak at his expert touch. With his free hand, he paused the airlock cycle.
“A little privacy,” he said in a husky voice. She looked down at the bulge in his sweatpants visibly straining the material.
“Seriously, we can’t,” she said, only half believing her own words.
“Uh-huh,” he said, spinning her to face the wall as he pulled down her pants and freed himself from his own. Daisy felt her pulse spike as his hand snaked up inside her shirt, letting out a hot breath on her neck as he slid inside her from behind.
They both quivered with pleasure, then began frantically grinding against one another, the taboo, public nature of the deed arousing them even further and quickly bringing them both to a rapid climax.
“Holy hell,” Daisy managed, fine beads of sweat clinging to her brow and chest.
“You said it,” Vince replied with a happy sigh.
“What got into you? That was so hot.”
“I told you I’d make up for
the other day when we had time,” he said with a wicked grin. “Someone hit my door comms. At such a late hour, I figured it was either Reggie being a dick, or you wanting one.”
Daisy rolled her eyes. Seriously, Vince?
“When I saw you way down the corridor, I figured, hey, it’s been a couple of days, so I’ll just come to you. I heard you were upset earlier today, and I thought maybe you could use a little, um, distraction with all that’s been going on.”
“You thought right.”
“So, what, you swung by my place, then thought better of it and decided to come down here? I’d like to believe I’m a better option than a midnight snack? You know I can always think of things to do with your nighttime hours.”
“Well, I was feeling a little hungry,” she lied. “But now I’m feeling pretty exhausted, thanks to you, though a snack actually sounds really good right about now. I hope you don’t take it personally, but after that, I think I need to get a little food in me and then catch some shut-eye.”
He studied her a moment.
“Of course, whatever you need. Grab a snack and get some sleep, babe. I’ll catch up with you in the morning.”
“You not coming?”
“I’m sorry, Dave, I can’t do that,” he said in his best robotic voice.
“Dork, you know I didn’t like that movie.” She chuckled, then whacked him playfully. “Okay, go to bed, then. I mean if you’re just going to use me and toss me aside…”
“Oh, I’ll be back for more.”
“Right answer,” she said with a smile. “Okay, get moving, sexy boy. Sleep tight.” She gave him a tender kiss, then he turned to leave.
“Hey, Vince,” she said as he stepped back into the passageway. “Who told you I was upset?”
“Barry did. It was the weirdest thing. I was taking a quick catnap in engineering, and when I opened my eyes, he was just standing there, staring at me. Said he didn’t want to wake me but thought I should know something.”
“That’s pretty creepy.”
“I know, right? Anyway, you know you can always come to me if you need to talk. Or more than talk,” he said, flashing a wicked little grin.
“That’s abundantly clear. And thank you, babe. I guess I really did need the release.”
Vince gave her a final kiss, then slowly walked back to his quarters. Daisy stepped into the galley and pocketed a power bar and electrolyte pouch to take back with her. She paused and looked at the refrigeration unit. Come to think of it, she was a little hungry, thanks in no small part to her boyfriend’s efforts.
She took a few fresh strawberries from their cold bin and placed them on the counter. She then retrieved a small pot and some oatmeal from the storage compartment beside the convection heating unit. Twenty minutes later, she sat in deep contemplation, slowly eating her midnight snack straight from the pot.
“You know you should be using a bowl for that, right?”
Daisy jumped.
Where did he come from?
“I mean, I know you’ll wash it, that’s not the thing. It’s just that food tastes better when you properly plate it.” Finn gathered up the open oat container and replaced it in the storage shelf.
“I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Yeah, you were totally zoned out over there. Everything okay? I know a bowl of oatmeal, even my special oatmeal, isn’t good enough to make a woman glaze over like that. Though a fella can wish, can’t he?”
“Couldn’t sleep, is all,” she replied. “I figured I’d come down here and get a snack. I guess I wound up kinda absorbed in my own thoughts a bit.”
“Well, at least I’m not the only one who can’t sleep,” he said. “Been having weird dreams since the accident.” He tapped his metal arm with a spoon, then began placing ingredients on the counter. “I mean, I know we wiped it and did a clean reinstall, but in my dreams, it’s like the arm has a mind of its own. It wants what it wants, and the two of us are bickering over who’s going to get their way.” He tossed some thick-sliced bread on the counter, along with a container of ship-grown eggs, ship-grown milk, and ship-grown ham and cheese. He then dug up powdered sugar and oil from a storage bin.
“Finn, is it you, or is it your rogue arm that’s gotten totally confused with ingredients over there?”
“Sometimes the most unlikely of combinations make the most wonderful of meals,” he answered. “Monte Cristo sandwich. It’s a ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese sandwich, battered and fried, then sprinkled with powdered sugar. Some folks use jam or syrup, but I prefer honey and a little mustard.”
“That sounds… interesting.”
“I’ll let you try a bite. Trust me, it sounds off-putting, but it’s really quite nice.”
He began preparing his snack, but Daisy noticed something unusual. His arm was moving at normal speed. Human-slow.
“Finn, what’s up with your arm? You’re usually much faster.”
He looked at his appendage with a questioning expression.
“I’ve been trying to control it,” he began. “Make it act more like a human arm.”
“But I thought you enjoyed having a super-speedy robot arm.”
“Daisy, I’m a chef. By my very nature, I love chopping things up into little pieces at high speed. It’s something we all do regardless of whether our arms are metal or not. But the thing is, sometimes I just want to feel like a normal human, ya know?”
“Yeah, I suppose.”
“We weren’t supposed to be awake this long before arriving. It makes things a bit weird sometimes. Lonely, even. You’re lucky—you’ve got a real connection on board. That in itself will ground you. The rest of us, well, we’re all a bunch of roommates and friends, but without any benefits.” He fell silent, staring at the wall.
Finn quietly went back to preparing his meal, and didn’t speak another word until he was done.
“So what do you think?” he asked as Daisy chewed a slice of the unusual sandwich.
“Actually, quite tasty.”
“Told ya.” He had begun warming up again once he got into his cooking rhythm. They both loved Sarah in their own ways, and her loss was a common source of grief that brought them closer.
“Finn, how do you feel about all these replacement parts?”
“What do you mean?”
“In the context of humanity. Like, we have the technology to grow and repair living tissue, yet whenever someone is injured or ill, the AIs automatically go to the replacement part option. It’s like they don’t even want to try to make you normal.” She blushed. “No offense.”
“None taken.”
“Like, what’s the next step in our evolution? In theirs? Are they trying to bastardize mankind until we are as much machinery as they are? And why do humans have exposed metal, while full-on robots are covered with flesh?”
“They’re probably just trying to make us feel comfortable around them, is all. Familiar faces and all that.”
“But why cyborgs? I mean, take Barry for instance. He’s basically a sentient toaster covered in steak—”
“I think he might take issue with that description.”
“You know what I’m saying. Why not let robots be robots and people be people? Or is it that they strive to be human? Are they jealous of us?”
“I don’t know, Daisy, but I do know the AIs have humanity’s best interests at heart. You’ll just have to trust me on that.”
“I wish I could be so sure.”
A short while later, after their impromptu discussion on artificial intelligence and its role in human society, Finn finally downed the last bite of his sandwich and rinsed off his plate.
“All right, gonna go try to get a few hours of shut-eye before the breakfast rush.”
“Finn, it’s eight people.”
“Fine. The breakfast meander.”
He walked out the main doors and left Daisy alone with her thoughts, which turned back to her task at hand. The chat had been a nice distraction, and that, along wit
h her little quickie with Vince, had really helped loosen that ball of stress that had been weighing her down. Finn was right, she was lucky to have a real connection on board.
The warm feelings quickly melted away as her real task pressed back to the forefront. Daisy may have been more than momentarily distracted, but she had done what she came to do, albeit in a rather unintentional manner.
Got laid and got scanned. Not bad, Daisy. Helluva night.
She cleaned her dishes and headed back to her quarters, the anxiety that had temporarily left her once again building as she worried about who she was and what the readout would reveal. Though she felt sure she was human, all the way down to her bones, a little splinter of lingering doubt nagged her nonetheless as she walked.
It was time to find out what she really was.
Chapter Seventeen
The flashing light on the tablet pulsed in a steady rhythm. Daisy eyed it warily, torn, hoping for the best yet fearing the worst.
Naturally, it was the first thing her eyes fell on upon entering her quarters. She hesitantly picked the device up, then sat on her bunk, staring at the dark screen. It would be so easy to turn on, just a few quick taps and the answer would be there, plain to see.
Come on, she chided herself. You have to know. Whatever it says, you’re still you.
She steadied herself, then keyed in her password, the screen illuminating with new data.
Oh, it had actually powered up enough, she noted as the unexpected images flashed on the screen. Finn had inadvertently provided her with a scan of himself after their little chat. The device showed her nothing unexpected, however. She had already known he was human. At least, she had been almost certain. Now there wasn’t a doubt. One arm, and three fingers, and that was it. Finn was one of the least modified of the entire crew.
Daisy swiped his information off the screen and scrolled to the second most recent scan. The moment of truth. She only paused for a second, then forced herself to reluctantly tap the screen. What she saw both thrilled and horrified her.
Her scan showed a perfectly normal human female, not a single metal bit or replacement part on her. She was the picture of perfect human health, confirmed in glowing color on the screen in her hands.
