Chapter 18
Sera
Dean dropped his backpack, making a low, growling sound that was shocking to hear from a non-organic. I grabbed his hand on instinct.
“This doesn’t look lethal,” I whispered, eyeing the clear plastic weapon in the tanuki’s hand. “Relax.”
“Yes, relax,” said the gun-wielding tanuki in fluent Japanese that was slightly accented because of his muzzle. “And explain why you’re trespassing on our land. You have nine… eight…”
Dean jolted ahead, standing right between me and the gun. I put my hand on his forearm, hoping it would keep him from attacking our, well, attackers. We needed their help if this was their land.
“Stop and let me think,” I gritted out, cold sweat drenching my top.
“Seven… six… And you should know the charge is strong enough to fry your robot’s circuits. Five… four…”
My stomach iced over with fear for Dean. “We’re building a Trojan horse!” I exploded, helplessly trying to walk around him and cover him with my body. Dean held me back with just one arm.
The tanuki made a low sound of curiosity and stopped counting.
I sighed in relief and craned my neck around Dean to look at him.
The tanuki was maybe a head shorter than me, wearing a dark brown leather vest and leather trousers with many straps and belts on his thighs and waist. Various tools were attached to them, hanging around his hips and down his outer thighs.
The other tanuki was a bit taller and had shapely breasts pushing against her denim vest. She wore a similar setup around her hips and legs, laden with tools.
Her fur was a lighter shade of rust than his.
Each of them had a set of wide dragonfly-shaped wings attached to their backs. They vibrated gently even as the tanuki stood firmly on their feet.
“Get behind me!” Dean barked, pulling me close until I was plastered to his back and unable to move.
“Just… No! Let… Go…” I fought with his grip, both of his arms engaged to keep me just behind him. It was ludicrous.
“Funny,” the male tanuki said in a bland voice that made it clear he wasn’t amused. “Don’t you know the charge will fry you both if you hold her like that? VerdeLumen are supposed to be smart.”
“Stupid… clanker…” I hissed, trying to kick Dean, but all of my efforts were for nothing. He didn’t budge.
The tanuki whistled, and his companion laughed out loud. She had a deep, uninhibited laugh that would sound pleasant under other circumstances.
“Clanker? Really?” the male asked. “Is this some sort of degradation dynamic? He’s the brat and you tell him off? Fuck, there’s a first for everything, isn’t there, Motori?”
It sounded like it was an English-derived name. I translated it in my head. Motley.
“You like it when I threaten you with a piece of pipe,” she said, snickering. “Don’t judge.”
“Look here, clanker,” the male tanuki said. “I’m going to lower the gun but if you attack us, both you and your lady friend will be fried by those two.”
I couldn’t see him, since I was still stupidly pressed to Clanker’s back, but I spied movement to my left.
An old but evidently functional robot came out from behind a pile of rusting metal, pointing a shoddy-looking gun at us.
Its face was the classic robot one since before the companies gave their models human features.
It had a horizontal slash for a mouth, two lights for eyes, and no nose. A short antenna crowned its metal head.
Another advanced from the other side.
“Dean, we need to talk to them!” I gasped out, still trying to push his arms away. “Just… Let me go!”
His hold loosened, and I managed to slip out and around him, standing by his side and facing the two tanuki. Dean didn’t even look at me, and I elbowed him angrily. My elbow exploded with pain, and I swallowed a yelp. Right.
“We should keep them,” the female tanuki, Motori, chuckled, shaking her head. “They are fun. Like clowns that bash each other with frying pans. How long has it been since I saw a good clown show?”
“Never, since that’s an oxymoron,” the male tanuki snorted. His gun was lowered, like promised, and he watched us warily. I had no doubt he would shoot at the slightest provocation, and then Dean would shoot back, and I’d never get my Trojan horse—or robot.
“My name’s Sera Evans,” I said, a gamble that was utterly stupid if it backfired. I prayed it didn’t.
Motori’s muzzle furrowed, but the male tanuki recognized my name at once.
“The American loon who hates technology? Color me surprised.”
“I’ll color you crimson if you insult her again,” Dean said. His voice was perfectly clear and cold, and I exhaled with frustration, taking his hand.
“I deserved it. Calm down, Dean. Please. Okay, if you know me, you know I’ve worked to expose Zenkyoza for years. Well, they got tired of me and hired contract killers—or maybe sent the ones they have on retainer, I don’t know the details.”
The male exchanged a quick, loaded glance with Motori, then turned back to me. “So you came here. Why?”
“I’m tired, too,” I said, some of my tension dispersing. They weren’t running off to call the police. It was likely we had a common enemy since Dean said the company interfered with tanuki business on the landfill.
“I’ve worked very hard to bring attention to Zenkyoza’s wrongdoing.
That case with the smart nanny that ended up choking the ursa baby, because its pro-human bias was so strong?
I reported on it, even got one of the American Zenkyoza researchers on record saying they knew that could happen, and the case was still dismissed as a misuse on the parents’ part.
Zenkyoza walked away. And that baby wasn’t the only victim.
Now that I have nothing to lose, I decided to try here—where all the answers are. ”
“But not literally here,” Motori said doubtfully. “You know every robot’s core module is wiped clean before they are dumped, right? You won’t find anything.”
I shook my head. “I want to build one, stick some kind of covert uplink inside, and send it on a rampage in the city center, so it makes some noise before it gets captured.”
Motori bared her sharp, white teeth in a wide grin. “And once they take it inside, boom. You’ve got access.” She turned to her partner. “Why haven’t we thought of that?”
“Not enough paid killers on our tails,” he said with a huff. “So is that how the famous robot-hater ended up with a robot? Having to run for your life helped you reevaluate some things, like the fact stupid ideals won’t save your ass when it gets hot?”
I averted my eyes, gritting my teeth. It will get so much worse than some gentle taunting, I reminded myself. Grin and bear it.
“He was the only bodyguard I could afford, and yes, I’ve reevaluated big time. Will you help us or not?” I asked, raising my chin in defiance.
“What about him?” the male nodded toward Dean. “What’s your opinion, clanker?”
His voice was clearly derisive. I stepped forward before I realized what I was doing, my fists clenched. “Don’t call him that! His name’s Dean.”
The tanuki gave me a long, contemptuous look, and Motori laughed.
“Oh, I get it,” he said, his muzzle twisting. “Only you get to call him that.”
“I don’t mind the word,” Dean said. “And I’m with her. Why are you asking for my opinion?”
“Because you, my friend, are a ticking bomb,” the male tanuki came a step closer and pointed at Clanker’s collar. “How are you able to wear that? It should have gone off the moment you had one half-aware thought in your core.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. The tanuki knew Dean was sentient. If he told anyone, it was over. I couldn’t risk it, even if it meant abandoning my plan.
“We’re going to leave and never disturb you again. We’re sorry for trespassing. Come on,” I said, my voice hollow as I tried to pull Dean back the way we came from. He didn’t budge, eyeing the two tanuki with a neutral expression.
“So protective,” the male huffed with amusement. “Relax, I won’t report him. In fact, I’m going to introduce him to a friend. Gokiburi, come here!”
“Gokiburi? Cockroach?” I whispered, bewildered.
A large robot with a beautiful female face shimmering silver in the sunlight emerged from behind another pile of metal. This place seemed to be crawling with robots. This one was an older type, but I couldn’t place it as either Zenkyoza or VerdeLumen. I’d never seen this model.
It jogged over and stood by Motori’s side. I craned my neck. It was even taller than Clanker, its limbs long and graceful. I squinted. One hand was human-shaped with five fingers, but the other had a pair of large metal shears in place of a palm.
“Dean, Gokiburi, Gokiburi, Dean,” the tanuki said, waving his paw. “You can stop pissing your pants, Sera. We showed you ours, see? Your friend is safe here, just like she is. You can stay. We’ll never turn away a sentient robot seeking asylum.”
“Gokiburi is sentient,” I said slowly, putting it together. “Um, why the name?”
“I’m tough like a cockroach,” she said in a clear, melodic voice that sent shivers down my back. I imagined her singing opera, or maybe recording dubbing for Galadriel.
Dean watched her for a moment, then slowly stepped closer and extended his left hand.
I frowned but immediately realized it was because her right one ended in shears.
They shook, then stepped away, still looking at each other.
I understood they probably talked already through a wireless link.
My heart did a strange little jolt and twist, and I sighed, comprehending the perfection of this.
Here was my Clanker, a male awakened robot, and there was Gokiburi, a gorgeous-voiced, long-limbed female robot. They fit. Just like nature intended, I thought bitterly.
Face it, Sera. You never had a chance.
“Everyone needs friends,” Motori said, jolting me out of my sad little pity party. “He’s been all alone, hasn’t he?”
I cleared my throat. “He has an awakened mentor. Another VerdeLumen. Um, what make is she?”