“Yes, of course. We’ll leave right away.” Block jammed his metal fingers into the plastic coating of the bundle she’d dropped and pried open a diaper box. Grabbing three handfuls of the plastic white squares, he stuffed them into his bag.
“Take as many as you can,” Nova said between breaths.
She was right. He quickly calculated that he would run out of diapers in only five days at the rate the baby needed changing. He grabbed two more fistfuls. Glancing at Nova, he hoped her breathing and heart rate would slow down. The color was returning to her face as he shined his flashlight up to check that she was okay.
She reached for the light. “Give me that!” Swiping it from him, she trained the beam on the shelves, scanning for oncoming rats.
“I see you’re becoming your usual, good-humored self. How is your hand? Are you bleeding?”
After inspecting it in the light, she said, “Just a nip. I’ll live. Unless the sucker had rabies.” She shone a path to the front of the store. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” As they walked out of the back aisles, daylight seeped in from the open double doors. Next to the cash registers, Nova halted. Block collided with her and the baby fussed.
“Quiet,” she whispered.
He rocked the baby. “What’s happening?”
“Thought I saw something.” Her voice was low as she reached behind her back. “Where’s my gun?”
“Back of the store on a shelf. I thought it safer to leave it there.”
At the store’s entrance, a shadow darted across the sidewalk. Then, suddenly, four figures—human—stood in the doorway blocking the light. Tall, pointed objects loomed from their soldiers—rifles silhouetted.
Block’s threat level indicator flashed a warning: Firearms in vicinity. Next to him, Nova stiffened. Too late to hide. The strangers entered the store and shone flashlights at the two of them.
“Raise your hands!” a man barked.
They had no choice but to do as they were told.
“We’re unarmed,” Nova called out.
The four of them came forward, the bright spotlight glare shielding their faces. Block dimmed his ocular receptors and studied the strangers on his infrared. Four humans ranging in height from five-feet, five-inches to six feet tall. One was smaller, with a feminine physique.
“Who are you?” the woman asked.
“My name’s Nova. Who are you?”
One of the men advanced cautiously and patted Nova’s jacket and pants legs for weapons. Next, he faced Block. “What do I do with this? It’s a Scrapper. Doesn’t look combat ready. Take your coat off,” the man ordered.
Block removed the trench coat, realizing the baby would be exposed. The man took the coat and searched the pockets, then circled Block, checking the compartment on his back. “No weapons that I can see.” He stepped around to Block’s front and eyed the sling. “What the hell?” He turned to his companions. “The Scrapper has a baby.”
“What the hell is a Scrapper doing with a baby?” asked the woman. She shone the flashlight in Nova’s face. “And what the hell are you doing with a Scrapper?”
Block was about to explain they’d merely been searching for diapers when Nova stepped forward.
“Thank God you found us,” she said. “This robot stole my baby!”
26
“But, that’s not true!”
The strangers watched Block and Nova.
“I was trying to get to New Denver with my baby,” she explained, “when this thing came out of nowhere and threatened to kill me. He took the baby and said he would strangle her if I didn’t come with him.”
Block couldn’t understand why Nova was lying. “But—”
“Give the woman her baby, Scrapper,” the woman ordered.
Block reached into the sling and cradled the baby in his palms.
Nova stepped forward and took the child. “Play along,” she whispered.
This was an act? Block didn’t understand the purpose.
“Oh, thank God, you sweet little thing,” Nova cooed as she held the baby in her arms—awkwardly, he noted.
“My boyfriend Shane is in New Denver. I’m joining him there. He’s her dad.”
“Is that right?” the woman asked. “You’ll want to step aside.” She glanced at a man with a beard. “Davey, waste the Scrapper.”
Davey stepped forward, raised his rifle, and aimed at Block’s chest. Nova’s eyes grew wide. “No, wait!” She lunged forward, grabbed Davey’s shoulder. “Don’t destroy him… Not yet.”
“Why the hell not?” the woman asked.
“He’s valuable for some reason,” Nova said. “Other robots are searching for him and offering a reward.”
Davey raised his eyebrows. “Reward?”
“Bet you folks could claim it and make out like bandits,” Nova said.
The woman tilted her head. “Tie the Scrapper’s hands, Davey.”
“Is this your hideout?” Nova asked.
“We have a place nearby, but we stake out here to catch trespassers,” the woman said. “Usually, we chase out anyone we find, but seeing as you have a baby and there aren’t too many of those around anymore, we’ll let you slide this time. In fact, you could stick around for a while. Rest with us and eat. Jake over there snagged a deer yesterday. Damn tasty.”
“Yes, I’d like that,” Nova said. “This has been such an ordeal. It would be nice to rest and have a decent meal.”
The woman smiled, revealing a missing front tooth. “It’s the least we can do, given your situation and the fact that you led us to us the Scrapper. What’s your baby’s name?”
“Oh, uh…she’s—Jane,” Nova managed and bounced the baby gently while Davey yanked Block’s arms behind his back and secured his wrists with a zip tie.
They filed out of the store into the daylight. Block switched off his night vision.
“How far is it?” Nova asked.
“About a mile west. I’m Caroline, by the way.” Sunlight revealed grey hair tied into a low bun and sun-weathered skin.
As they trekked away from the store, Block wondered what Nova was up to. He hadn’t realized she knew about the bounty on him and the baby. Had he somehow given it away? Perhaps she’d overheard more of the conversation between Zina and Cybel Venatrix than she had revealed.
Strange, too, that she was assuming care of the child. Earlier, she’d said she wanted nothing to do with it. She’d even gone so far as to make up a fake name! It was as if Nova had suddenly switched personalities. Was she really deceiving the strangers, or was she turning against him?
“Do you have medicine at your camp or a doctor?” Nova asked. “My baby—Jane has been sick. I’m worried she might have an infection.”
“We had some antibiotics,” said Caroline, “but we had to use it on one of our people. We ran out and haven’t found more yet. No doc.”
Nova frowned.
When they reached the camp one hour later, they met five others: two young women who looked to be in their early twenties and bore a striking resemblance to Caroline, plus three other men, also armed. Caroline explained how they’d happened upon Block and Nova. “We’ll keep the robot until we can figure out how to claim the reward money,” she said.
An older man offered an idea to make contact with a group of SoldierBots stationed in a nearby town, but Caroline thought it a bad idea and the scavengers argued for a while.
Nova rested in a corner and rocked the baby, who had begun crying. Block noted it had been too long since her last feeding and diaper change. He tried to catch Nova’s attention, but she was too busy watching the people.
“Are you gonna shut that thing up?” Davey barked at Nova, who startled.
“She’s hungry,” Block said.
“No talking!” Davey yelled, and raised the butt of his rifle high, threatening to hit Block. “Or we’ll tape your mouth shut.”
Nova glared at Block. “It’s feeding time.” She unrolled the blanket and sat the baby down as she’d s
een Block do several times. Then she came over and grabbed Block’s bag, retrieving a water bottle, plastic cup, and can of peaches.
Nova poured water, settled the baby on her lap, and tilted the cup into her tiny mouth. The girl pursed her lips, trying to drink the liquid, but it dribbled down her chin; she wailed. Nova tried again, but the same thing happened. She looked at Block in confusion.
“You’re gonna have to shut that baby up,” Davey warned, pacing the small dirt clearing around the fire pit. “I can’t think with that baby yelling.”
“Is there anything you can do to calm her?” Caroline asked. “We don’t want to attract trouble out here.”
“Sorry,” Nova said. “I don’t know why she’s not drinking the water.” Rising, she lifted the baby and bounced with her. As she rocked the infant, she slowly made her way toward Block.
“What do I do?” she asked softly.
“Try the peaches,” he said in a low voice, speaking as quietly as he could dial down his audio. Davey cast a glance in their direction. He nudged Caroline and pointed at them.
Nova returned to the blanket and offered a peach slice to the child.
Caroline marched over. “What are you doing?”
Nova gazed upward. “Oh, just trying to comfort the baby…Jane. I’m sorry she’s crying so much.”
“Seems to us like you were asking the robot how to feed your own child,” the woman said.
“What? That’s ridiculous. It’s just been such an ordeal,” Nova explained. “I swear, half the time I’m delirious from lack of sleep.”
Caroline relaxed her shoulders. “I know that feeling.”
“Are those your girls?” Nova tipped her head toward the younger women who resembled Caroline.
“They are.” She beamed at them. “Twins.” She turned to Nova. “From one mother to another, stay away from the Scrapper. He’s more dangerous than he looks.”
“Thank you. Good advice.” Nova went back to her blanket. This time, she was able to feed the baby, and the child quieted. Block wished he could tell her to crumble some of the ibuprofen and add it to the water, but he knew better than to say anything. Caroline and her people were fearful of machines. His life now depended on this supposed reward they believed they had a right to claim. If the humans somehow managed to contact the right machines, they would be mighty surprised when the SoldierBots laid claim to the baby, as well.
This was a disaster. But, if Nova hadn’t mentioned the reward, he would be lying in the store, a mangled piece of metal.
He peered at Nova as she fed the baby and hoped she had a plan.
27
As night fell and stars stretched across the charcoal sky, Block wondered where he’d gone wrong. Nova’s responses to his test of worthiness had not triggered any red flags. But her behavior with the humans had demonstrated she was not only unworthy, she was dangerous.
Perhaps the questions themselves were flawed. First, her favorite movie was The Goonies. It was about a search for pirate treasure—and pirates were infamous for double-crossing each other. That should have been his first clue.
Her second answer had been soccer, which seemed harmless, but then she had mentioned a game he’d never heard of called Jenga. Stacking wooden blocks on top of each other until they reached a precarious height and toppled. Chess, on the other hand, was sophisticated. Strategic. Whereas the Jenga game sounded ludicrously unbalanced and verged on chaos.
That should’ve been clue number two.
She hadn’t even answered the third question about her earliest memory.
No, Block decided, the questions weren’t flawed. Nova was the problem. He had trusted the wrong human. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
They left him tied against a tree, ten feet away, while the ragtag group of survivors ate deer meat cooked over a small fire. It appeared two individuals from the group stood guard, patrolling the area with rifles at the ready.
“What are they guarding against?” Nova asked.
“Attacks from SoldierBots or scavengers,” Caroline said. “Luckily, we’re isolated here with the boulders. That’s why we stay outside at night, away from towns and places that can be looted.”
“Makes sense,” Nova said. Earlier, she’d had to change the baby’s diaper without giving away her inexperience. She’d stalked toward a tree for privacy, but Caroline had insisted there was no need. Nova had grimaced when she’d removed the soiled diaper and had to clean the baby’s bottom. She’d glared at Block, too, but only for a second. The new plastic diaper she’d applied was loose. Not good—things could leak. Nova had found that out an hour later when the baby had urinated while held in her lap, soaking her pants. She’d scowled and cursed, then had to apply a new diaper. A huge waste of a diaper, Block thought.
The man named Davey stared at Block with narrowed eyes. “Is there a way you can turn him off?” he asked Nova.
She frowned. “I don’t think so.”
Davey approached Block and warned, “If you do anything against us, I won’t hesitate to terminate your ass. You understand, Scrapper?”
Block nodded. He wondered what would’ve happened if he’d never entered the classroom, never interacted with Incubator X79, never taken the baby. He would’ve continued his search for a hotel. Instead, he’d been captured by humans while being hunted by Mach X’s soldiers. This was the last situation he’d ever expected to find himself in.
Life had been so much simpler in Chicago.
Maybe he should’ve stayed there and hidden out in the city’s skyscrapers. But the SoldierBots had moved in and set up command stations. Thousands of them had cleared the city of any remaining human survivors. Block had snuck away along a river path to escape the city. There had been other noncombat robots, mostly ServiceBots like himself, seeking refuge. He could’ve allied himself with others like him, but he’d chosen to venture out on his own. His dream had been to find a hotel as wonderful as the Drake, one not far from the city. But that hope had quickly been dashed when he’d encountered low-budget highway hotels that hadn’t been updated since the 2000s.
And now he was stuck with humans.
What should he do? Nova looked content. The baby slept on the blanket near the fire while she sat cross-legged, her eyelids heavy.
“You should get some sleep,” Caroline told her. “We’ll watch out for you. Davey and Mike are on guard duty.”
“How generous of you,” Nova said. “It has been a few days since I got proper sleep.”
That was a lie, Block thought. She’d slept in a bedroom last night. What else had Nova lied about?
“I see Mike,” Nova said, squinting and peering into the distance. “But I don’t see a second guard. Where is he?”
Caroline paced next to the fire. “We keep a lookout five minutes’ walk from the camp. There’s only one path in or out, so if someone breaches it, that guard sounds an alarm and we have time to scatter.”
“Smart thinking,” Nova said. “Sorry for all the questions; it’s just… you know how it is, to be constantly on edge. I feel so much safer knowing you have a guard out there.”
One of Caroline’s daughters, Mira, approached with something dark in her hands. “I found this for you.” She offered it to Nova.
Nova inspected it. “This looks like some kind of backpack. What is it?”
“We’ve been stockpiling supplies,” Caroline explained. “I had Mira hunt through our pile to see whether there were any baby supplies. It’s a carrier. You put the straps around your arms and it hangs on the front of your chest. You can toss the homemade sling. It doesn’t look sturdy. This will be much better.”
Nova dangled the new carrier in front of her. “Wow, thank you so much. This is amazing.” She rose and threaded her arms through the straps, and then pressed the carrier to the front of her chest.
“It suits you,” Caroline said, “and it’s adjustable for the baby’s size, as she grows.”
“I don’t know how to thank you,” Nova sa
id.
“Hell, you led us to that robot. I should be thanking you.” Caroline glanced at Block. “Jesus, the thing looks sad.”
“It’s not,” Nova said. “It’s just a machine.”
Mike glared at Block. “I still can’t believe that piece of junk threatened to kill your baby. I say we cut off its arms. Make sure it can’t hurt anyone.”
“Hang on,” Caroline said. “For all we know, the thing has to be in one piece to claim the reward.” She turned her attention back to Nova. “By the way, how do we claim the reward, friend?”
Nova’s eyes widened. “I’m not sure. All I know is other robots are hunting it.”
“Well, how did you find out about the reward in the first place?” Caroline asked.
“I overheard that Scrapper talking to another Scrapper. The other one warned it that Mach X was searching for it.”
“Mach X?” Mike’s jaw dropped.
“Holy shit,” Caroline said. “Mach X is searching for this machine?”
“That’s what I heard,” Nova said.
Caroline folded her arms across her chest while Mike clenched his fists. “Caroline,” he said, “we shouldn’t be messing with anything to do with Mach X.”
“You’re supposed to be on guard duty,” she barked. “Get to it.” He reddened and wandered off a few paces to sit on a rock. Caroline studied Block with narrowed eyes. “Get some sleep,” she told Nova. “We’ll move at first light. I’ll find a way to get this Scrapper to Mach X.”
28
At 2:04 AM, something nudged Block out of standby mode. He’d powered down to forty percent, remaining alert enough that he would recover quickly if something happened. He thought it best to conserve his power. The humans didn’t seem inclined to letting him recharge.
His power indicator rebounded to sixty percent and he gazed up at Nova. She was frowning. “Something is wrong with the baby,” she whispered.
Steel Guardian Page 13
