Damnation

by Ken Barrett

  “There has to be a way we can go with you,” Keith said.

  “That won’t be for a long while,” Roxi stated. “Even if the environment cools there won’t be enough to eat, you’ll starve.”

  “What about Liam and Rose?” Denise asked.

  “I’m making plans for an upgrade,” he whispered.

  “Yeah,” Roxi replied. “The parts you asked for arrived at my lab this afternoon, and I think I know what you’re up to. I’ll keep everything hidden until you find a safe place to work.”

  “There are storage areas on levels fourteen and fifteen,” Rose said. “I don’t know what’s in them, but maybe we could empty one and set up there?”

  “That’s good,” Roxi said. “The heat and humidity will keep people away, and you’ll be able to work in peace.”

  “I’ll also need some specialized equipment,” he added.

  “Let’s talk about that later,” Roxi whispered.

  “You can change yourselves?” Alice frowned worriedly. “How could you do that? And will you still be Liam and Rose?”

  “Ah, young one,” Patrick said from the far end of the table. “Remember, they’re the Fairy Folk, the Sidhe we called ‘em in the old tongue. They were shapeshifters, and ageless. Not gods, and not men, but somethin’ in between.”

  “Yes Papa, I remember your stories,” she answered. “To have such guardians is a gift of the old gods.”

  As Patrick smiled at his daughter, Liam scanned his internal libraries for information on the Sidhe. He found the legends interesting, and because they did not elevate them into godlike creatures but instead assigned them roles as mystical friends and advisors, he decided to let their belief stand.

  “We will always protect you and be your friends.” Rose obviously was accessing the same data.

  “Such a gift,” Kelly whispered as she reached across the table to take her daughter’s hand. “The Sidhe never die or grow old.”

  Liam smiled, hoping that he and his sister could live up to Kelly’s promise.

  *****

  It was dark and silent within their windowless apartment. Denise lay with one leg thrown across his stomach and lightly snored into his ear as he stared sightlessly up at the ceiling. His mind wandered, watching over the separate processes of memory reallocation and the design modifications to his and his sister's power supplies.

  The extreme heat of the outside world had nearly killed them, so they needed to create enough energy to keep that level of damage in check. It was a difficult problem to solve, especially considering that space for their power source was limited. He contemplated other changes as well; their autonomic repair subroutines could be optimized; with the threat of being tossed outside, that seemed like a good idea. Regardless of his sister’s lack of interest in the subject, she was a gifted programmer; he would ask her to handle that portion of their upgrades.

  He also debated possible enhancements to their structure and musculature, but those would change their outward appearance; after pondering how humans might react to their new shapes and abilities, he rejected the idea. The wisest approach would be to blend in.

  The hallway outside their apartment seemed unusually busy that night. He felt the vibration of many footsteps and heard the low murmur of quiet conversations just beyond their door. Something was going on; what new calamity was about to fall on them? With a light touch, he woke Denise. “Something’s happening,” he whispered. “We should get dressed.”

  His girlfriend slipped out of bed and quickly put on her clothes. “What’s going on?”

  “Someone’s outside,” he answered cryptically as he dressed.

  “Liam, I’m scared.”

  “We’ll be ok. They might make some noise, but I don’t think anyone will try to hurt us.”

  “What about the food tray that was thrown at us tonight?”

  “That was never a threat, but an act of frustration and fear.”

  “All violence comes from fear,” she responded. “Is the door locked?”

  “Yeah, they can’t get in.” He went and double-checked the latches to be sure they were secure. Still concerned, he sat down on the floor and leaned against the door. Along with the hushed conversations, he heard sporadic hissing; he sniffed and picked up the acrid scent of paint sprayed from an aerosol can. “Graffiti,” he muttered. “They’re decorating the hallway with hate.”

  Denise switched on their bedside lamp, and stared wide-eyed at the door; her face was ashen with fear. An abrupt crash startled them both as someone violently kicked, and then continued beating on their door. Denise issued a short scream, then clamped her hands over her mouth.

  “We’re ok,” he said with as much calm certainty as possible. In truth, he didn’t know if the latches would hold if the attack continued.

  What would he do if they broke through? He would be forced to defend Denise and might hurt or maybe even kill the invaders. After that, any chance of living a peaceful life within their shelter would be lost. Commander Davis would have them all thrown out, but Denise and Keith would have no chance outside; death for them would be terrible and painful. Those weren’t good thoughts, and he vowed to do whatever was necessary to save those he cared about.

  Moments later the pounding stopped and the voices outside faded as the protestors went away. He stood up, but still kept his back pressed to the door. “They’re gone.”

  Denise rushed into his arms and he held her close. She shuddered as she wept, and he felt her tears dampen his shirt. “We’re fine now,” he whispered while resting his cheek on top of her head. “But I need to check on Rose and Keith.”

  “Are you sure it’s safe?”

  “No,” he replied honestly. “But I can deal with anything they try to do.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “Are you sure?” He would have preferred that she stayed inside, but she was aware of the risks and could make her own choices.

  “I’m scared, but yes, I’m sure.”

  He nodded and eased the door open. The hallway was empty, so he stepped outside. Bright yellow and green paint marred the dark granite walls. Most of the graffiti took the form of crudely rendered obscene drawings of strangely shaped robots with square heads having sex with humans.

  “Well, Michelangelo sure didn’t paint this.” Rose stood in the hallway beside Keith with her hands resting on her hips, slowly shaking her head disparagingly.

  Keith’s face was flushed with anger. “I’ll find out who did this.”

  “No, don’t,” Rose cautioned. “The more you push back, the more resistance there’ll be, and if the violence escalates, it will be worse for all of us.”

  *****

  The four of them moved through the cafeteria breakfast line, each filling their trays with spoonfuls of reconstituted eggs and toasted pieces of bread. The man behind the counter frowned. “Your kind don’t need to eat.”

  “We do if you want us to work,” Rose responded while turning away.

  The man seemed shocked and a bit angry. “We don’t need you,” he muttered.

  “So, I guess you’ll be carrying all those big rocks up to level one and tossing them outside?” Keith asked.

  The man behind the counter looked glum but said nothing. He stared after them as they left the line and entered the dining hall.

  Liam and Denise sat with Rose and Keith at a table in the corner, and a moment later Tiger joined them. “I heard what happened to you guys last night,” the teenager whispered urgently.

  “Yeah,” Keith replied. “I guess some folks around here don’t have enough to do.”

  “I’m worried about you guys,” Tiger said.

  Keith issued a short sigh and shook his head. “We gotta do something, but there doesn’t seem to be any good choices.”

  “Maybe everyone will calm down after a while,” Liam said.

  “Ignoring a problem won’t make it go away,” Rose responded.

  “Yeah, I know Sis.” He poked at his eggs.
/>
  “I was terrified when they were trying to break into our room,” Denise said. “I don’t understand why they hate you so much.”

  “Our partners are in danger because of us,” Rose stated. “We need to find a way to change that.”

  “How?” Liam asked.

  “Maybe you’ll be accepted someday, but until then I think we should have different living arrangements,” Denise suggested.

  Keith stared down at his plate. “And maybe do a little playacting too.”

  “What do you mean? Rose asked.

  “Listen, honey.” Keith took Rose’s hand. “This will sound kinda harsh, but remember, it’s only temporary.”

  “Ok,” Rose said cautiously.

  “I think we oughta fake a big argument, and pretend to break up.”

  “It would only be for a little while,” Denise added.

  Obviously, their partners had discussed the situation privately and made plans. Suspicion swam through Liam’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it. “Alright, so we fake a breakup, but what do we do then?”

  “We separate, just for now, until things cool down,” Keith said. “Denise and I will move to a different floor, that way people won’t see us together as much.”

  “You guys can move up to level four, near me,” Tiger said excitedly. “There’s plenty of empty apartments you guys could use.” The young man had been living alone since his parents had died, and probably craved having even a pretend family around him.

  Their plan made perfect sense on the surface, and yet worry clenched deep in his chest. Something about the scheme felt wrong. He glanced at his sister and saw his fears reflected in her haunted eyes. “Well, I guess,” he finally said.

  “When will we stage our breakup?” Rose asked.

  “We’re just pretending,” Denise assured her while glancing around the room. “There are a lot of people here right now, and the more that see us break up the better.”

  “I don’t know.” Liam frowned. “This doesn’t feel right.”

  “I should tell you about something I saw,” Tiger said. “The other day, I was in the Engineering Center, and I saw some of the maintenance guys workin’ on something.”

  “What?” Liam asked.

  “It looked like a long stick, but they could make sparks jump off one end of it,” Tiger answered.

  “A cattle prod,” Keith said. “I heard about that yesterday when you and Rose were working in the basement.”

  “Keith told me,” Denise added. “That’s when we sat down together and figured out this plan. It’s only short term though, once everything blows over, we’ll be back together again.”

  “So, they’re planning to attack us,” Liam stated.

  “Yeah,” Keith answered. “So, you can see why we’re worried.”

  “Yes.” Rose stared down at her clasped hands.

  Keith shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “I promise, this is just for a little while. After the smoke clears, we can live together again.”

  “I suppose,” Rose said. “And, I guess you’re ready to do it now.”

  “Yeah,” Keith answered. “Remember though, we’re just pretending.”

  As his sister nodded, tears flooded her eyes.

  Keith slammed his palm on the table and abruptly stood up. “I’m done with this, and YOU!” He glared at Rose with eyes wide with fury. “You’re just a damned machine! I could never love you!”

  Denise had also sprung to her feet. “There’s no soul inside you!” Her face was distorted with revulsion as she stared down at him. “How could I ever be with a thing like you? We’re done! I never want to see you again!”

  Their partners took their breakfast trays and marched across the cafeteria toward tables of packed onlookers. What they had said might have been an act, but it didn’t feel that way.

  “You guys are ok, right?” Tiger asked innocently.

  “Yeah,” Liam whispered. “Yeah, we’re fine.”

  *****

  The wheeled cart was loaded down with granite rubble, some stones were nearly a meter in diameter, while others were the size of a human torso, but the majority were smaller rocks and debris. They had found more bodies among the detritus; these were wrapped in white cloth and brought up with as much care and dignity as possible along with everything else.

  Rose pushed while he pulled the wagon up the long series of ramps that led to the vestibule on level one, where the bodies and debris would wait until the environment cooled enough for it all to be taken outside. It had been a long and hard day, but it was nearly over.

  The problem was that there was nowhere that either of them wanted to go. ‘Home’ had been transformed by their partner's absence into a silent and lonely box, where memories floated like dark clouds.

  “Hi Liam!” Tiger had suddenly appeared at the base of the ramp leading up to level three.

  “Hey there,” Liam responded as he slowed their cart to a stop. “How’re things going?” He wanted to ask about Denise and Keith but thought it best to remain silent.

  “Oh, everything’s great,” the young man replied. “Roxi says she wants to meet up with you guys tomorrow down in the basement.”

  “Really? Why?” Rose asked as she joined them at the front of the cart.

  “I dunno; she said something about some stuff you ordered.”

  “Oh, that’s good news.” It was the radioactive diamonds; Roxi would probably bring them to the shelter’s lowest level where they might find a secure place for an engineering lab.

  “How are things going with you and Alice?” Rose asked while wiping the dust and grime off her clothes.

  The young man blushed. “Oh, well, everything’s awesome!”

  His sister chuckled. “I’m glad to hear that.” She pursed her lips nervously. “How are Keith and Denise doing? I mean, has there been any trouble?”

  “Oh, they’re fine.” Tiger smiled. “They took a place that’s just a couple doors away from where I’m living. You know, me and Alice might move in together.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Rose said without much emotion.

  He had also heard the singular reference to Denise and Keith’s new apartment. A sudden emptiness filled him, air fled from his lungs and his insides turned to water. They were living together. Was that just a ruse to fool the rest of the population, or was it something more? “Yeah, that’s great,” he finally managed.

  “Are they happy?” Rose asked, then caught herself. “I mean, are Alice’s parents ok with you two living together?”

  “I think so,” Tiger responded. “Her Mom, Kelly, she says that people grow up fast in times like these.”

  “Maybe so.” Liam suddenly heard the thumping of running feet, and he turned to see what was happening. A group of men armed with long sticks sprinted toward them. “Rose! Look out! Cattle prods!”

  His sister, probably distracted by the news of her boyfriend and Denise living together, was slow to turn. She was hit by one of the men and bright electric sparks filled the air around her. Liam jumped forward and knocked two of the men away just as Rose crumpled to the floor. She was in pain, but otherwise seemed fine, her autonomic system would kick in and repair any damage caused by the electric shock.

  Behind him, Tiger cried out in agony. In a blur of motion, almost too fast for the human eye to capture, Rose sprang forward to disarm the boy’s attacker and pushed him away.

  Anger seized Liam, it was a new and unpleasant experience. He swatted the men aside, knocking them down, then with one of the cattle prods he shocked each of them until they lay twitching on the floor.

  Rose knelt beside Tiger and lifted him into her arms. “We have to get help!”

  “Are you ok?” Liam asked.

  “I’m fine,” she answered. “The shock burned Tiger though; where can we find a doctor?”

  He paused to consider. “If we call, they won’t come.”

  “We’ll go to Alice’s family then,” Rose said. “They’ll call someone.”

/>   “I’m ok.” Tiger struggled in Rose’s arms. “I can walk.”

  “Are you sure you’re ok?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m good.” The young man looked down at their attackers as they struggled to their feet. “Fuckers, you sons of bitches deserved every bit of what you got.” He glanced at Liam. “Would you guys mind walking me back home? I’m feeling kinda unsteady.”

  “You got it,” Liam said.

  Chapter 9: Homeless

  It was early morning, and only a few people were ahead of them in the cafeteria line. The rows of tables within the dining hall were sparsely populated with nightshift workers grabbing a quick meal before heading home to catch their usual daytime nap. The overhead lights were dimmed and conversations were muted. It was a good time for an android to eat breakfast.

  Liam and Rose moved along the line along with several others, then they each took a tray and stepped forward to get their food. Just as Liam reached for a ladle to take a portion of a yellow lumpy substance that was supposed to be eggs, the worker behind the counter pulled the spoon away. He frowned at the short and slightly obese man. “What’s your problem?”

  “You, that’s my problem,” the cafeteria worker answered. “Machines don’t get food here.”

  “Yeah, right. Give me the accursed spoon,” he replied, just as his sister came up behind him.

  “No,” the man said as he stepped back and held the ladle out of reach.

  “Maybe we’ll have a little meat for a change.” Rose stared at the worker, then licked her lips. “He might be a little fatty for my taste though.”

  The worker’s eyes widened, and he took another step backward. “You ain’t getting nothin’ here.”

  Liam sighed. “Ok, fine.” He stepped forward and seized the collar of the man in line ahead of him, then took his tray and handed it to his sister. “Here’s your breakfast Rose.”

  The young man protested the theft and raised his fists.

  “Please, do that.” Liam smiled. “My self-defense protocols will kick in, and I’ll rip your fuckin’ head off and shit down your neck.” He shoved the man away, then stepped forward to take a tray from the next person in line.