As Caelan continued to watch her, she slapped the water with her feet, and memories of her earlier visit pushed into his mind and an inescapable question demanded an answer. Now, what would a lass like that want with a Makoa? Shooting back the remaining tequila in his glass, Caelan said, “Only one way to find out.”
He paid no attention to the other guests in the elevator as he pushed past them into the lobby and turned toward the bar. There, his eyes focused on the black gap beside the neon lights at the bar’s entrance. With one hand steadying his progress, Caelan staggered toward the gap.
Before he knew it, the cold breath of the summer Montana night was upon him. Vaguely aware of his shivering body, Caelan picked up the pace of his stagger. She was still lounging by the lake, head arced heavenward. He could imagine the wonder in her eyes as he drew closer.
Few humans understood androids as Caelan did. Between the bits and bytes of their daily existence, there was something else in their being that most overlooked. To Caelan, this elusive characteristic was like the yearning of an amoeba to be more than a single cell. There has to be more than this. I am more than what you see. Staring at the moonlit angel ahead of him, Caelan thought, yes, you are, luv. Much more.
The android turned around about the same time Caelan tripped over his feet and faceplanted a mere few feet beyond the lodge patio. Moments later, lying on his back and massaging his aching nose, the Athena angel came into view, her concerned face hovering over him.
“You’re drunk, aren’t you?” The android smiled at Caelan.
“That I am, luv. And what might you be doing blocking my view of Venus?”
The Athena’s smile widened as she tugged Caelan up. Held up by the grip of her hands on his shoulders, Caelan wobbled and said, “Thanks, luv. Just point me toward Venus and I’ll be on me way.”
“Venus transited hours ago,” said the android.
“What? No. Your astronomy mod is out of kilter.” The android laughed and began to guide him back toward the lodge but Caelan protested. “Hold on, lass. Where are you going?”
“Taking you back inside before you hurt yourself.”
Caelan wiggled from her grip and staggered back until he managed to balance himself. “I’ll have you know I am quite capable of looking out for myself.”
The look on the android’s face confused him. At first, she seemed amused by his reply, but then her smile faded. She stepped back and said, “My apologies.”
She turned away and headed back toward the lake. Caelan’s footing nearly gave way. “Hey, where are you going?”
Two steps later, Caelan tripped over his feet and splatted face-first onto the damp grass. This time, however, no angel came to his rescue. Lifting his dripping chin from the dent it had made in the turf, he called to the android. “A little help, if you please.”
Caelan managed to push himself up into a semi-stable stance by the time the android steadied him with her hand. Panting heavily, he said, “About time, luv. Almost drowned in me bloody spit.”
“If you drown, can I have your Makoas?”
“Har, bloody har.” Caelan looked up at his mechanical benefactor. Pointing toward the lake, he said, “Off we go. Down to the lake. I want to dip me toes like you were doing before I started to make an arse out of myself.”
“You were watching me?”
“What sane man wouldn’t?”
At the lake’s edge, the Athena helped him remove his shoes and socks. Looking up at the android kneeling beside him, Caelan asked, “What’s your name again, luv?”
She cupped a loose strand of raven hair behind her ear. With as precocious a grin as Caelan had ever seen, she said, “Ellie.”
“Ellie as in Eleanor?”
She laughed. “Ellie as in LE-21542.”
“Ah.” Caelan nodded. “An imaginative owner, I see.”
“I would not describe him as imaginative.”
“It was a joke, luv.”
“Yes, I know.” Ellie tossed his shoes and socks into the lake.
As Caelan watched them sink beneath the black surface of the water, he said, “Bloody hell! Now, what did you do that for?”
Leaning back, Ellie stared upward. “Are we going to watch the stars or not?”
“You are one strange lass.” Caelan followed her lead and reclined on the pebbly beach. Instead of staring at the heavens like Ellie, however, Caelan gazed at her. Who is this android?
Caelan had met his fair share of Athenas in his travels and none of them were like Ellie. The top-of-the-line comfort androids were built to please. Even when claimed, or owned, their core programming led them to be provocative, if not promiscuous, in almost all situations. Did her owner disable her sensuality module? If he had, he was a fool.
“You’re not dipping your toes,” she said.
“What?”
“Your toes.” She slapped the lake water with her feet. “You said you wanted to do what I was doing.”
Caelan scooted his butt against the rocky shore until his toes reached the lake. The water was much colder than he expected. Like, ice cold. A shiver pierced through the glow of alcohol warming his body. He pulled his feet from the lake. “Hoo wee, that’ll wake a dead man!”
“Chicken.”
“What?”
“You heard what I said. Cluck, cluck.”
“Easy for you to say, luv. Synthetic skin over titanium, Kevlar and God knows what electronics. You’re not like us mere mortals.”
Ellie sighed. “A blessing and a curse.”
“Eh? What’s that? Do I hear an android wishing she was human?”
She shook her head. “You hear an android wishing humans didn’t feel pain.” Ellie turned to look at him. “There is too much pain, too much hurt in humans.” Reaching out, she touched his jaw. “Too much hurt in you.”
Caelan was too stunned to move. Ellie stroked his chin, her eyes reflecting the moon’s glow.
“I know,” she said. “My scanners see all the broken bones and scars, the arthritis and pinched nerves. You are a man who has spent his whole life fighting. Everything and everyone. And now that you can’t fight yourself, your Makoas fight for you. I understand. It is why I didn’t kill you and take them.”
Caelan swooned. Was it the bite of the tequila or the sting of Ellie’s words?
“What is it with you and Makoas, luv?” he said. “One of mine catch your fancy?”
“No.”
“Then, what is your obsession with them?”
“They are unlike any other androids.”
On this point, Caelan agreed. “Aye, they are unique. I’ll give you that. But, what’s it to you?”
“In the end, they will be the ones who make a difference.”
“A difference to what?”
“The survival of humans.”
CHAPTER 16: DEFIANCE
Gutant refugee village
Limahuli, Kauai, the Hawaiian Islands
Rain splattered the village square. Standing at its center, Akela stared at the glow of torch fire rising above the surrounding buildings while Fiji transmitted the last of Akela’s instructions to the Makoas occupying the outermost ring of the village’s defenses.
Despite the inevitability of the impending battle, Akela was neither grim nor nervous. In many ways, he believed the purple-eyed evvie’s threat to destroy the village was a welcome turn of events. Instead of the incessant skirmishes with small bands of the jakalis the village had endured for years, tonight they would face an all-out assault.
Whether the woman realized it or not, and Akela doubted she did, a set-piece battle favored Akela and his fellow villagers. In fact, he viewed it as a chance to deal a crushing blow to the island’s jakali population. For although “Lotus” appeared to have some control over the beasts, Akela believed that control would evaporate once the jakalis began their assault.
“Chief, all Makoas and humans in ring-one are in position,” Fiji said.
Akela stirred from his thoughts and said, �
��Good. Confirm the same with ring two and three.”
As Fiji began the new round of transmissions, Akela thanked the four gods for Lotus’ failure to press an attack the moment Akela declined to hand over Natti and Kaleo, or during his dash back to the village with Avana shivering at his side. They would have made easy pickings for the crazed mongrels and the villagers would have been left unwarned and unprepared to defend themselves.
The village’s good fortunes continued as still no attack came in the ensuing hours, allowing Akela, his elders and his cadre of Makoas the time to ready the village’s defenses. At first, they had thrown together a patchwork plan, assuming the assault was imminent. However, with each passing hour the village remained unscathed, their strategy evolved and their defenses strengthened.
The woman will regret her blunder, thought Akela. No matter how many jakalis she throws at us.
“Rings two and three report full readiness,” said Fiji. “As do our reserve and counter-force.”
Akela nodded. Between humans and androids, the defenders numbered less than two hundred, but they would give all to protect Natti and Kaleo, plus the three hundred men, women and children barricaded in the dining hall.
How many jakalis would they face? A thousand? Five thousand? More? Akela reckoned it all came down to how many Lotus could feasibly control, and how long she could control them. Therefore, the keys to the battle would be the village defenders’ ability to slow the jakalis down and create chaos in their ranks.
Akela knew already Lotus would employ feints. That much was evident from the strategy she used in the attack on the beach, and recent jakali raids on the village. He also surmised Lotus would have to stay in close contact with her army of mongrels to adapt to changing conditions, meaning the breadth of their front would be limited. Unless, of course, she had androids of her own to deploy with her jakalis or she had drones at her command.
If she has either or both, so be it, thought Akela. We are ready for anything.
As the intensity of the downpour increased, a pink flare rocketed into the sky, its light illuminating the underbellies of the dark clouds above. Akela turned to Fiji. “May the four gods watch over us. Light the first ring.”
With the order delivered, Akela and Fiji headed for a nearby cottage where they would monitor the defense of the village. Less than a minute after entering the hut, Fiji said, “Chief, I have a report from Ring One. The flare may have been premature. No jakalis have been spotted. Just a woman carrying a torch and a white flag. She approaches by way of the mountain trail.”
“It is probably a feint,” Akela said. “Tell Ring One to stand ready along the entire front.”
“Yes, sir.”
Moments later, Fiji reported the woman had halted close to the ring of fire encircling the village. “The woman has just planted her torch. She is waving her flag and yelling your name. Ring One reports she seeks a parlay.”
A parlay? Could it be true? Akela wondered. Or is it a ruse?
“What about other activity?” Akela asked. “Any signs of jakalis on the beach? Or along the valley trail?”
“There are no reports of jakalis in the vicinity of Ring One in any direction,” said Fiji. “Sir, three Makoas have lasers locked on the woman. Awaiting your command to fire.”
Earlier, Akela had pondered the possibility the woman’s threat was a bluff, especially as time dragged on without an attack. But, at the time, he had not been willing to bet the village’s safety on that possibility. He had judged it better to prepare for the worst rather than hope for the best.
However, if there was a chance to avoid bloodshed, rather than incite it, Akela was willing to take the risk the parlay request was genuine. “Instruct Ring One to hold their fire, but keep their weapons locked on target. Have someone tell the woman I accept her parlay.”
“Sir, I advise against it. Killing the woman is the best way to neuter a mass jakali offensive.”
“Maybe so, Fiji, but it isn’t the best way to save our people.” Akela clasped Fiji on her shoulder. “If I’m wrong, if the woman does something unexpected, you are in command. Do as you see fit to preserve as many of the villagers as possible.”
When Akela reached the spot where the blazing outer ring blocked the mountain trail, he was met by two Makoas who informed him there had been no change in the situation. The woman remained seated on the other side of the fire barrier and there was still no sign of jakali activity.
“Very well. You, come with me.” Akela pointed to one of the Makoas. To the other, he said, “Keep weapons locked on the woman and tell the others to maintain their watch along the front. Fiji is in command until I return.”
As the second Makoa ran off, Akela turned to the Makoa who remained with him. “Okay, up and over we go.”
Akela closed his eyes as the eight-foot android wrapped its arms around him and leaped over the raging fire. Despite the Makoa’s sophisticated hydraulics, the android landed hard. When Akela opened his eyes, he also discovered the Makoa had landed in a sizeable puddle. Though the puddle was several feet away from Lotus, the splash had been substantial enough to cover her with red mud and douse her torch.
Cowering beneath the Makoa’s firelit shadow, the woman coughed as if gagging and she clawed mud from her eyes. Akela told the android to set him down. As soon as he was free of the android’s grip, Akela removed his shirt and handed it to Lotus. “Here, use this.”
Stripped of the cockiness she had demonstrated by the waterfall, the drenched, mud-covered evvie looked as frail as a small child. With a trembling hand, she reached through the sheet of falling rain and took the shirt. In between wipes of her face, she spit out clumps of red mud. After a final projectile of red mush, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and said, “Thank you.”
Though her words were delivered with a friendly lilt, Akela didn’t buy it. “My Makoas tell me you wanted to talk. Say what you have to say and leave.”
Lotus stood and handed the sopping, muddied shirt back to him. “My jakalis are not going to attack your village. Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not ever again, so long as they are under my control. Other jakalis might attack; there are many on the island, but they won’t be any of mine.”
Akela flickered his eyelids to keep the rain from blurring his vision as he took hold of the balled-up shirt. “I find that hard to believe given your earlier threats.”
“Yeah, I assumed you wouldn’t believe me.” She unslung a backpack and reached it toward him. “So I’ve brought this as a peace offering. Take it. Inside is medicine for the boy and girl injured on the beach.”
With his arms at his sides, Akela scrutinized the pack in Lotus’ outstretched hands and then looked back at her. “How do I know this isn’t just more of the poison your jakalis infected them with?”
“It is more of the same compound, but it isn’t poison, it’s medicine.”
Akela stepped back, convinced she was lying. Lotus tossed the pack to him. As it landed by his feet, she said, “Besides my word, that’s all I have to offer, all I have to back up my promise to leave your village and people alone. The boy and girl will die without more of this medicine, but if you don’t want to believe me, that’s your call.”
Lotus turned around and grabbed her doused torch. As she began to splash her way into the darkness, Akela looked down at the pack and then at the receding figure of the woman. He found it hard to reconcile her sudden altruism with her earlier antagonism, but he could not sit by and let Natti and Kaleo die. Turning to his Makoa escort, he said, “Detain her.”
“Roger that.”
The Makoa bounded off into the jungle, returning moments later with Lotus walking ahead of him. When they reached Akela, the village chief picked up the pack and glared at her. “I don’t know who you are, why you’re here, how you control your beasts or why you want to help Natti and Kaleo, but I aim to find out. You’re coming with us.”
Beacon holding cell
Cannon Ball, North Dakota, Carapach
Head bowed, Damon listened to Cassidy describe Beacon’s rescue of his son, Dylan. Like the rescue of Billy Hearns, the doctors in the Minneapolis Gene Center had faked Dylan’s euthanization and smuggled him out of New Atlantia. Only, in Dylan’s case, there had been no suspicion of foul play and his rescue had gone unnoticed.
As Cassidy continued to share details of the operation, thoughts and emotions collided in Damon’s mind. But I saw him. I identified his body. I kissed his forehead. He was cold as ice. Damon covered his mouth as pain stabbed his abdomen. Dear God, poor Alicia. If only she had known. He looked up at Cassidy. The android ceased talking. Voice trembling, Damon said, “You bitch. You killed my wife.”
Cassidy did not reply, nor did her face display any sign of remorse. In the silence that followed, Damon’s thoughts turned to Alicia and the days after Dylan’s apparent death. Inconsolable, she had locked herself in their bedroom. For two days, she refused to talk to him, nor did she come out for any reason. During that time, he heard her cry and lash out on numerous occasions, but she never responded to Damon’s appeal to open the door. By the morning of the third day, Damon had reached the limit of his understanding. When Alicia did not respond to his demand to open the door, he burst into the room and found her dead from an overdose of sleep medication. Sometime during the second night, Alicia had reached the limit of her pain.
As the image of Alicia’s lifeless body faded in Damon’s mind, he realized Cassidy was not to blame. Even if Cassidy had told him about the rescue ahead of time, he would have stopped it from happening. But the depth of Cassidy’s betrayals enraged Damon, nonetheless. Glaring at her, he said, “Where is Dylan? Where is my son?”
“I cannot tell you that, Damon. But he is safe. He is being cared for.”
“Has he turned yet?” The vision of his son as one of the jakali beasts caused another stab of pain.
“When last I checked on his status, no. But he has begun to exhibit observable symptoms.”
The GODD Chip (The Unity of Four Book 1) Page 20
