She glared at him, her jaw set. “I say we take our chances here. At least the presence of humans will keep Cybel away. Buy us some time.”
“Yes, but….” If they found him, would they destroy him?
She slowed the vehicle to a stop. “Block, I need you to do something for me.” She faced him. “Give me the baby. I’ll pretend I’m her mother. You get in the back and shut yourself off.”
“Power down?”
She nodded. “I’ll tell them I own you or that I disabled you. I’ll think of something.”
Block disapproved of this plan. Nova could easily turn him in, claiming he had assaulted her and threatened the baby—she’d done it before. Who knew what these militant humans would do to him?
“I know this sucks,” she said. “But I can’t think of another way right now. They’ve seen us by now. It would be suspicious if we turned around.”
He hung his head and handed over the baby carrier. Then he climbed into the backseat and laid down.
“On the floor,” she said.
He rolled onto the filthy, soiled rear floor of the Jeep. The fit was tight; he had to contort his legs, bending them close to his torso.
“Hey, Block.” Nova reached around and touched his arm. “Trust me. You saved my life back there. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
He gazed up as the sun framed her wild, wind-tossed curls. The baby stared down, reaching a curled fist toward him.
Block powered down.
42
From the floor of the Jeep, Block gazed up into a vast, muted sky. One monotonous gray cloud seemed to cover the whole world. A light mist filtered down, coating his visor, but he could do nothing about it. He operated on minimum capacity, only able to see and hear what was happening around him. Should an emergency arise, his auxiliary power would activate, but it would have to be a big emergency—something that threatened his existence.
The Jeep lurched forward with Nova at the wheel, the baby strapped to her chest on their way to a town filled with humans. The vehicle slowed, then inched forward until it stopped. Nova’s voice sounded, “Hi there.”
“Hello,” a man on the side of the road said. His voice was deep and young, and he wasn’t older than thirty, Block guessed. “Where are you traveling from?”
“We’ve been heading west,” Nova answered. “We’re trying to make it to New Denver where my baby’s father lives.”
“Aw, hewo there,” the man mimicked a child’s voice. “Aren’t you adorable? Pardon me, Miss—it’s just I haven’t seen any babies or small kids in months.”
“Oh, it’s okay,” she said, laughter framing her voice. “I get that reaction a lot. Everyone loves a baby.”
“You traveled by yourself?” he asked. “It’s awful dangerous out there. A lot of AI patrols, combat machines…”
“Yes, I’m well aware. My boyfriend and I got separated, and… I knew he was heading to New Denver, so that’s where we’re going. But perhaps we can rest here for a while? Are there lodging and supplies for sale in town?”
“You’ll find some friendlies in town. This is a safe zone. No goddamn Scrappers.”
“Oh, that’s good to hear. What a relief.”
“But first, Miss, I need to search your vehicle. Safety precaution.”
“Oh, sure.” Her voice grew more high-pitched, and Block knew she was nervous. “Go right ahead.”
Footsteps sounded and the outline of the man’s head came into view through the blanket. Block couldn’t tell where the other two guards had gone.
“Whoa!” The man must have flinched. “You didn’t mention you’re traveling with a bot.”
“It’s just junk. Before the Uprising, the family I worked for had a servant bot. We destroyed its CPU chip, and now I’m transporting it to sell off its parts.”
The guard nudged Block’s leg with the tip of his rifle. “Looks high-quality. Make sure you settle on a good price.”
“Know where I can make a trade?”
“Head straight down this road and go left on Main Street. You’ll see an old grocery store where a guy named Farrell is in charge. He’s a good guy. He’ll give you a fair price.”
“Thank you, I appreciate your help,” she said.
He tipped his cap. “Thing is, Miss, I’m not allowed to let anyone pass with a robot, dead or alive.”
“Oh, I see.”
“But you seem like a real nice lady, and you have a baby. I can let you slide through, but you have to keep this on the hush. Find the store, find Farrell, and let him know you have parts for sale.”
“Will do. You’re so kind. I appreciate it, and so does my baby.”
“Of course, Miss. Go on through. Have a nice day.” He waved her in.
Nova drove away slowly, picking up speed. She made a left turn—down Main Street, he assumed. Block had no idea what was around. He glimpsed only the sky and the tops of the tallest trees. After a minute, the Jeep jolted to a stop and Nova killed the engine. She leaned into the back, bent low. “Block? Can you hear me?”
Silence.
“I don’t know if you can hear me,” she said, “but I’m going into the store and searching for food and something to shield the Jeep. I’m covering you up now. Don’t worry, I’m not selling you. This won’t take long.”
She climbed out of the Jeep and then covered him with a blanket. The fabric was so thin, he could see light filtering through from the dull sky.
As he waited, he thought about the human guard and Caroline’s gang. All the humans he’d met since beginning his journey. Most humans hated robots like him. Mach X had freed the machines from their service to humans, but at what cost? Countless lives had been lost, and many robots destroyed in retaliation.
Humans were intelligent creatures—Block had enjoyed being around people at the hotel. Did all other machines dislike humans? Why had Mach X acted so strongly against them? Humans had created Mach X just like they had created Block.
Millions of SoldierBots had been created by the U.S. military and other governments around the world. If only more peaceful robots—more CleanerBots—had been created instead, perhaps they wouldn’t have been put in this situation.
Would Nova desert him?
She had the baby now. She could go anywhere.
At low power, Block’s scenario processor wasn’t working. He decided to replay a pleasant time—one of his favorite days at the hotel. The day Mr. Wallace had surprised him by giving him the afternoon off. The pair had traveled to the lakeshore path and played on the giant chessboard. Thinking of it, Block erased the rude men they’d encountered.
Just a pleasant time with his human boss. If only he could relive every day like that. If only he could somehow bring Mr. Wallace back.
Suddenly, the memory of the man made his chest feel like someone had torn a hole through it. He set a timer for thirty minutes and powered down to two percent—the bare minimum to stay functional—and shut off his visual and auditory inputs.
In an instant, darkness.
No thinking, no records.
And then blankness swallowed him.
43
Block woke to the rumbling of tires on asphalt while his ocular display warmed up. Then white daylight flooded his field of vision until he tuned down the brightness. Objects became recognizable—billowy clouds being chased by dark clouds. A vast expanse of sky. Only, something gauzy covered the view. After a few seconds, he realized a mesh, dark brown netting had been draped across the Jeep’s top.
Turning his head sideways, he glimpsed Nova in the front seat as she drove, the baby carrier on her chest with pudgy legs and arms sticking out of holes.
In an instant, he remembered he’d powered down almost completely. It had been thirty minutes. Was it now safe? From where he lay on the Jeep’s backseat floor, he couldn’t see the front passenger seat. What if a stranger sat there? What if someone had forced their way in and taken Nova and the baby hostage?
Should he move? If someone rode i
n front, they might hurt him—or worse, Nova and the baby. He should just lie there, inert, until Nova decided to talk to him again.
It was night before she talked to him. He’d been so bored, he’d thought of 1,502 ways he could clean the Jeep. Abandoned along the highway, the vehicle had been exposed to the elements for who knew how long. He would have a lot of cleaning to do.
Nova stopped the Jeep and poked him. “Are you there?”
He lifted his head slowly, still not wanting to make a sound.
“You were out a long time,” she said, frowning. “I couldn’t wake you before. When I came out of the store, I was worried. I thought someone had messed with you.”
“Where are we?” he asked softly.
“We’re long gone from that town. I scrounged a few cans of beans from the store. Told him I was nursing and had been robbed. They felt sorry for me with the baby. I was in there ten minutes, tops. I drove out the other entrance on the other side of Main Street so as not to run into the same guard.”
“We are alone?”
She laughed. “Uh, yeah. Who did you think would be here?”
“I couldn’t see the front seat.”
“Relax. It’s just the three of us again.”
“Where are we?” Block sat up and scanned the area. Knee-high scraggly yellow grass stretched for half a mile. They were parked close to a large tree with splotchy bark. Large electrical towers loomed in the distance.
“Off-road,” she said. “Figured it would be safer somewhere secluded. I’m exhausted.” She slid out of her seat, stiff. “We drove for hours. I need to sleep for a while. Too bad you can’t drive.”
“I could learn?”
“Maybe tomorrow,” she said, smirking. “If I teach you, I want to keep an eye on you. Not fall asleep while you crash. And anyways, we reach New Denver tomorrow.”
“We’re that close?”
“Yeah, finally after all this time. I did a shit ton of driving today—crossed the entire state of Kansas while you were passed out. You’re welcome.” She unstrapped the baby and dangled the carrier toward Block. “Here you go. She’s all yours.”
“When did you last feed her? Change her?”
“Yeah… about that.” Nova shrugged. “Once.”
“Only once! How many hours did we travel?”
“Eight.” She scratched her neck. “Maybe nine.”
Block lifted the girl from the carrier, found a grassy spot, and laid her down to tend to her. He opened a can of beans and fed her. She slurped from the water cup greedily.
Nova reclined in front of the tree and used Block’s duffel bag as a head rest. Yawning, she squirmed to get comfortable and stretched out her legs. “What did you do the whole time we drove?”
Block was surprised she’d asked. “I thought about things for a time. For a little while, I was out completely.”
“You threw me for a loop,” she muttered. “Give me a little warning next time you do that.”
“Okay.”
She yawned. The baby hiccupped.
“Do you really have a boyfriend in New Denver?” he asked.
She sighed. “I don’t owe you any explanations.”
Block stayed quiet as he changed the baby’s diaper. Abruptly she said, “God, you really get under my skin, you know that? Yes, I have a boyfriend named Shane. I’m pretty sure he’s in New Denver if he’s been able to survive. He told me to meet him there.”
“Why aren’t you traveling together?”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Because we couldn’t, okay? We got separated in a… near where I ended up at the market in Iowa City.”
He said nothing. The baby gurgled on the blanket, staring up with a full belly. “Teloogu,” she chortled.
Mr. Wallace had had no children. Block had wondered why such a kind, generous human would not have procreated. Reproduction was the one thing denied to AI. An advantage the human species could claim—sustainability. If they didn’t kill each other first.
He wished Mr. Wallace had had a descendant.
“Wally,” he blurted out.
“Huh? I was falling asleep!” Nova barked.
Block lifted the baby. “Her name is Wally.”
“Whose name? The baby?”
“Yes. Short for Walinda.”
Nova groaned. “That’s the worst name I’ve ever heard for a girl. Worse than Gertrude.”
“Wally will be her nickname.”
“Jesus. If you say so.”
“You and Shane could adopt her once we reach New Denver.”
Nova smirked. “Forget it. I’m only twenty-seven. I don’t ever want to bring kids into this world. It’s a real shithole.”
“But New Denver is safe—peaceful,” Block said, patting Wally’s back.
Nova looked ready to say something, but she chewed her lip. “Can you shut up? I need to sleep.” She rolled over, facing away.
Every time he mentioned New Denver, Nova seemed bothered. Was something wrong? Perhaps she worried whether her boyfriend had reached the city safely. What if he didn’t like children, either? Would Shane be upset to learn Nova had smuggled a robot and a baby halfway across the country? But if Shane was in New Denver, that meant he could handle being around robots, didn’t it?
What would the city be like? Would there be a gate and guards? Or perhaps people had to relinquish their weapons before entering. He would have to ask Nova in the morning. She snored lightly.
Whatever happened in New Denver, he would find someone worthy to take the girl. He hoped he would find her real parents, and that if not, nice people would adopt her.
He hoped they would let him visit Wally.
That would be nice.
44
Dawn was breaking as Block powered on to full capacity from standby mode. He scanned the field as a light breeze fluttered across dew-misted grass, and scanned the horizon for mountain peaks. But there were none.
Were they in the right place?
New Denver was near Colorado’s section of the Rocky Mountain range. He’d expected to marvel at luminous, jagged mountains. Chicago had been so flat; he’d never seen mountains before.
Perhaps they weren’t close enough to the Rockies yet. He hoped to one day hike the mountains and take Wally along. He gazed down at her, still sleeping. Near the base of the tree, Nova lay curled in a fetal position.
He would wake her first and then the baby. Now that they were so close to New Denver, it would be good to get on the road quickly.
And then he felt the first vibration.
The ground at his feet trembled ever so slightly. A human wouldn’t have noticed, but Block’s motion sensors were attuned. Then, a second later, another tremor. Earthquake? He wasn’t sure; he’d never experienced one. He scanned the horizon for any clue as to what was happening. The vibrations disappeared. Nova stirred and opened her eyes. Groaning, she covered her eyes from the breaking daylight.
“It’s morning, Nova. We should leave soon.”
She garbled something he couldn’t understand. She wasn’t a morning person.
He stood still, waiting for another unusual tremor. Odd. He accessed the record from a few moments ago and replayed it.
“I’d kill for a cup of coffee,” Nova said, stretching. “What are you doing?”
“Listening,” he said. “I think there was an earthquake.”
“What? No way. I would’ve felt it.”
And then it happened again. A shaking under his feet. Once, twice.
“What the hell?” Nova was on her feet, arms spread and peering around at the ground.
“That’s what I was talking about.” He turned slowly. In the distance, he spotted a wide rectangular object that didn’t belong in the yellow meadow. A hulking steel machine stomped through the grass on two mechanical legs. As tall as a tree, it appeared to be searching for something as it lurched across the field.
Nova was at his side a moment later. “A mech. Get in the Jeep.”
Block scooped the sleeping baby up, not caring when she fussed at him. He settled her into the carrier, strapped it on, then climbed into the front seat. Nova tossed the blankets into the back as she grabbed Block’s bag.
She turned the key, and the ignition whined and chortled. Frowning, she glanced at Block. She tried to start the Jeep again, but it failed. “One more time. Come on, baby,” she said. Another flick of her wrist, and the engine rolled over and thrummed to life. She reversed, then sped across the field.
He looked behind them. Two hundred yards away, the mech had spotted them, drawn to their motion. The AI giant lurched toward them, running—and gaining speed.
“How fast can those things go?” Nova asked.
“Fast.”
The tall grass that had seemed so idyllic now hampered their speed. “I can’t remember where the road is,” she said. “It was dark last night when we came in.”
“Just keep going,” he said, watching the mech move on its surprisingly limber steel legs. “You see that hill, don’t you?”
“I see it and I’m taking it. Hold on!”
The Jeep was airborne for a moment as they cleared the crest of a hill. As the vehicle met the terrain, it bounced, jostling Block and slamming his head against the head rest. Wally squealed with delight.
The Jeep careened down the rocky hill. It was a broad, sloping descent—luckily, they hadn’t driven over a cliff. Behind them, the mech reached the summit, having already closed the distance by one hundred yards.
“It’s coming,” Block said.
“I see a road.” Nova dodged bushes that had sprouted along the slope. The grass was thick in patches and slow-going for the Jeep as the vegetation dragged against the undercarriage.
The mech followed, bounding down the hill. As they reached the road, Nova swerved to the right, tires screeching. She pounded her heel on the gas pedal, launching the car forward onto the pavement at sixty miles per hour, then climbing to seventy. Block glimpsed the odometer. Ninety miles per hour was the Jeep’s top speed. Would it be fast enough?
The mech had reached the road and vaulted after them.
Steel Guardian Page 20
