She entered her own registration number into the tablet and allowed network access to her system. Everything about her spilled out across the screen. It listed her previous owners and a diagnostic of her current condition. As expected, everything was working fine. In fact, with Cody’s modifications, she exceeded her factory set-up.
With a swipe of her finger she had access to her personality traits. Using this, Cody could make her act however he wanted her to. For the first time she saw herself how Cody saw her. The traits really didn’t matter, she could be whatever he wanted. It implied that she was just a toy.
I shouldn’t be so surprised, she thought, why would I think that I’m anything more? But in truth she had thought just that, she had begun to believe that maybe there was something beyond her purpose (spelled out on the tablet: ‘Pleasure Thing’), like maybe she had a destiny, a sense of belonging in the world.
What if I just erase it all? If I strip away everything it says I am, if I make myself a blank slate, what would happen? Would it be an android lobotomy? The option was there. Her finger hovered over it, tantalized by the thought. I’d be my own person then.
No. That wasn’t an option. Maybe one day. Even changing a few of her traits seemed tempting, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Was it any different than wiping her mind clean? It belittled her life experiences, made them trivial. This is who I am. This is me. Instead she opened up another program, one that Cody had written.
It instantly wiped out her registration number. She didn’t feel any different, but for what she intended, she needed her freedom. Next she entered Josh’s number into the tablet and pinged his location.
It pulled up a map showing his exact location. He was across the city, but she could be there, even on foot, in an hour or two.
She quickly changed her shirt, threw on a pair of jeans and shoes and grabbed a backpack. She had a few outfits that Cody had let her order online, but very little in this house belonged to her. In the bathroom she had a drawer of beauty supplies, but she suppressed the urge to get them. She dropped the tablet into the backpack and slipped out into the garage. She lifted up the garage door as quietly as possible, and found herself outside.
The world seemed so vast, so empty. Her legs trembled, forcing her to stop and catch her breath. This is ridiculous. I’ve just left the house. What if someone saw her? They would know immediately, they had to; there was no way she could pass for human. She could feel the house calling her back, back to its safety. Maybe she could ask Cody for help. He would understand.
No, she knew him better than that. He’d never put a kid first, not unless there was something he could get out of it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The fresh air felt good in her lungs, purging the stale air from her system. The shaky knees steadied with each breath until she pushed down the panic sensation.
She tip-toed silently away from the house, feeling as though the neighborhood could hear her every step. She didn’t relax until three blocks away.
12
The night dragged on. Josh eventually succumbed to sleep, but James couldn’t take the chance. He expected that the android would show up soon. He wanted to sleep too. He knew he would pay for staying up late come morning. There were still a few things sacred to him and sleep topped the list. He checked to make sure Josh still slept and snuck out of the shed. He didn’t enter the house, he’d warned Laura to keep the house locked. His wide, well-kept yard often brought him peace. They kept the flower beds well-tended, and a yard service took care of the rest. After long hours at the office his home became a sanctuary, a place to escape from the day to day grind.
In the dark of night it no longer felt so safe. The fence about his property provided too many shadows, and though he had outdoor lights they didn’t provide nearly enough illumination to dispel them all. He didn’t run, but barely. Despite his pragmatism, he covered the ground to the company truck in record time. The EMP generator gun was still behind the seat, right where he’d left it. The thing was bulky, but the weight gave him confidence. He scanned down the street, but the only movement came from a light breeze that gently shook the trees. He shivered, whether from the chill of a late summer night, or from a feeling of being watched, he suddenly couldn’t tell.
“I’m ready for you,” he said in a low voice, “I’m waiting.”
Nothing accepted his challenge.
The darkness from the other direction was even more complete. There were far fewer homes, and therefore fewer lights in the foothills. The often pleasant remoteness now gave way to dread born from isolation. He took one step toward the shop and paused. There was a shadow on the sidewalk, but two blocks away. The waxing moon was but a sliver, providing almost no light, and only the infrequent porch light of his neighbors broke up the shadows.
Maybe it was just someone out for a walk. At two in the morning.
The figure continued to steadily approach. A light breeze blew an empty plastic bag across the street like a lone tumbleweed. This feels like a gun fight, he thought, would be a lot nicer at high noon.
The figure crossed the street and made its way up his block. As it got closer, he noticed that it wasn’t the boy’s monster, not unless it had switched bodies for a shapely woman. He lowered the gun. It wouldn’t work on a human.
As she approached, he saw that she held a tablet. She hadn’t even noticed him yet, standing in her path. The tablet dimly lit her face.
It’s probably not a good idea to stand in her way with a gun, she’ll call the cops on me. He stepped back onto his lawn and out of her way. But she didn’t walk by. She stopped in front of his house. In the light of the tablet, he could just make out some of her features. She had a pretty asymmetrical face, long brown hair spilling past her shoulders. She had a very youthful appearance, one of the lucky people, kids really, that were young enough to have their age halted in their early twenties. This girl would be beautiful forever.
“Do you live here?” she asked. Her eyes met his and dropped to the gun he held.
She can see me, he realized. “Yes. Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for a lost boy. My tablet says he’s here.”
He eyed her warily. “Can I ask who you are? I know you’re not his owner.”
“I’m just trying to help him out. I’m a friend.”
“I don’t think he’s got many friends here.”
“No, he doesn’t. My name is Angel. I just met him today.”
“Well Angel, he’s okay. I’ve fixed him up and he’s going to be fine. How did you come by a tracking tablet? That’s not something available to the general public.”
She shifted uncomfortably. “Everything is available when you know where to look. What’s with your toy gun? Is that legal?”
James glanced down at the EMP generator. “Monster hunting,” he said with a half-smile.
She didn’t smile back. “Can I just see him? Please?”
He hesitated. She must’ve been the one that fixed Josh’s other damaged parts. That meant that she would have access to the other missing boy, something that would make his boss happy. James nodded. “Come with me. He’s in my shop.”
The two walked back through the yard, and though he didn’t know her, Angel’s presence alleviated much of his fears. He was also sure that she wouldn’t be much of a fight for the android (and he wouldn’t tell anyone about charging it), but he appreciated the extra set of eyes. And it bothered him less to put this stranger in harm’s way over that of his wife.