Chapter 16
Chapter sixteen
Atlas
Tatertot meowed from the carrier at Atlas’s side. The cat was almost howling, pacing as he walked.
“We’re almost there, little kitty,” He whispered down to him. “I know it’s been a long trip.”
Atlas opened the door to the humans’ area to see the television playing. All three humans were staring at the screen, slack-jawed.
Simon, back from his upgrades, watched with amusement from the side, his eyes trained on Nora’s reactions.
Tilly ran to Atlas a second later, her movements frantic. “Tatertot!”
“Yes.” He unzipped the carrier and lifted the white and orange cat into Tilly’s hands. “I think he missed you.”
Anna was sitting with pillows propping both her and her stomach up. Her eyes only flitted up to Atlas as he entered. There was a furrow on her brow as she watched the feed. She reached a hand out to idly scratch at Tater when Tilly put him down.
Is she upset about something? Quickly his sensors reached out, mapping the vitals he could see from a distance. No fever, but her position suggests discomfort. But Anna was eight months pregnant, after all. Her eyes were tired. Lack of sleep from insomnia? Or the walk earlier?
A daytime soap opera was on the screen, complete with dramatic lighting and perfectly combed hair. Scenes that Atlas had seen many times before. He grimaced. They’re watching this? Why?
Anna’s mood lightened the longer it played. She soon pointed at the screen, laughing. “This is what humans acted like back then? Simon? No wonder you were so confused by us now.”
Simon waved at the screen. “I don’t miss them.”
Atlas glanced between the screen and Anna’s face that was slowly relaxing, distracted by the show. Well. I’m confused now too.
Anna’s lips parted. “In this show. I think . . . her identical twin ran off? With the neighbor? This is hard to follow.”
“Yes.” Atlas chuckled at her confused expression. “That happens a lot.”
Simon gave him a conspiratorial grin. “I tried to explain what soap operas are, but had to give up. I’m going to show them reality TV next.”
“No more.” Anna said, waving toward him. “If it’s anything like that food eating contest, I’ll pass.”
Atlas shifted his feet. These fast paced programs grated on his sensors.
His restlessness lessened as he noticed Anna and Nora more making fun of the programs instead of being enraptured.
Every few minutes they found something new to point at and laugh.
From the way the humans did their hair, to the commercials and jingles that still played in between for products that no longer existed.
But then a nature scene came on.
“Nora,” Anna whispered, “now that’s something to see.”
“. . . Sure is.”
Anna’s mouth almost hung open as the narrator showed scenes of one of Earth’s rainforests before it was lost. “That’s freaking beautiful.”
Beautiful. Atlas joined Simon on the couch, watching Anna. The nature feed kept playing, and all of them whispered to one another, talking about the birds as a British male voice droned on about the wildlife.
Nature was a huge step up from what was played before. And Anna's reactions. . .
He thought of the older movies. The ones that he scoffed at before, showing humans working together, until he came to love them.
Sweet ones with families. Ones about love.
Better than the reality television. Would Anna look at Friday Morning the same way she did the nature shows?
Would she make fun of it? Or would it feel more true?
Atlas startled when the clock on the wall dinged the hour.
“Oh. Time flew.” He tore his eyes away from Anna. He gestured for the remote. “May I turn it off? It’s time for dinner.”
“Yes, here.” Anna handed the remote over. “We’re about ready to have our own soap opera ourselves.” She fanned out her hair. “How do we look? I don’t have any of that makeup.”
The joke actually made him smile, which widened when she laughed herself. And he did look at her, wearing a new pair of pants but the same shirt from earlier, only clean and mud free. She looked presentable, but nowhere near as primped and polished as the humans on the video feed.
Then again, she was alive in a way they never were.
He hit the off button on the remote. “You can watch more later.”
“Nah. That’s alright.” She waved at the screen. “It’s interesting, but kind of weird watching it, knowing what happened, well . . . now.”
“Ah.” Atlas set the remote down. The humans before couldn’t turn away. But that life was literally another time. A different society. All dead now. “I understand. I feel the same way.”
“And the items, the stuff they wanted to sell . . . it all seemed unnecessary.”
Simon cut in, “Those were the commercials.”
“Yeah.” Anna stepped away from the screen, standing and stretching. “The dates on the bottom said the program was over two hundred years old, but it still looked like useless stuff. There was one product for changing a person’s skin color.”
Atlas blinked. A vision of UV lights came to him. “Tanning.”
“Right!” Anna’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t get it; why didn’t they just go outside?”
Atlas grimaced. It drove him mad to see skin burned back then. “It was the fashion.”
“Fashion?” Anna frowned, touching her sunburn. “To feel like this?”
“Yes.” Atlas again assessed the sunburn on her cheeks. “I never did like to see any of the humans damaging their skin on purpose.”
The low hum Simon emitted now was different from earlier. It was hidden before, when the television was turned up. Atlas listened to the frequency, memorizing it. “They did the upgrades fast.”
“Mm-hm.” Simon flexed his hand in front of him. “There are still some firewalls in place, but I’m able to access a lot more.”
Atlas frowned. Blame Stella for that. She was not going to allow Simon to offer more of his opinion.
Not after seeing how much her grip on the consensus had slipped from Atlas’s input earlier.
But he didn’t say that directly. Maybe later, when they were in a more private setting, he would clue Simon in or help him connect directly using Atlas’s own access.
“Alright.” Simon was stretching, holding Tilly by the hand, who was dancing in place. “This one seems to have gotten her energy back while resting, so let’s go eat.”
Atlas reached out his sensors now. So many are gathered in the dining room.
There had been enough talk—it was time for the colony to directly get to know the new humans.
And for a colony that operated in measured perfection, he didn’t want to have the humans be too late for their first, in-person impression.
“Let’s go.” He gestured in front of him. “Stella and the others from the ship have finished unpacking. A majority of the colony have already gotten to know you now through video feeds and surveillance, but they want to meet you in person.”
“Right.” Anna’s voice was resigned. “Soap opera time.”
“They are watching?” Nora frowned. “Still?”
Simon pointed overhead to a camera. “Always, unfortunately.”
Anna dragged her feet to the door.
Atlas followed, feeling lead in his footsteps himself.
Again, he reflexively reached in his memories for when Anna had laughed in the sunlight earlier.
But it was not a smiling Anna in front of him right now.
He stiffened. Something really is bothering her.
Now that the television had been turned off, her earlier discomfort returned.
He stepped in next to her. “Are you alright? After this dinner I promise you can rest.”
“Yeah.” Anna forced a smile. “So, are the other humans coming?”
Atlas reached out and connected with Sterling, sending a request and receiving a firm, “They have already eaten,“ a second later.
He wirelessly sent a message back to Sterling. “Any improvement in their mood?”
“No.” An impression from Sterling transferred of the other two humans observing Anna and Nora through a window in the back room. Sterling added, “Their speech has been crass. I’m disappointed.”
“They are always difficult.”
“Well. I’m intrigued. I chatted with Anna after she saw the end-of-life care for the other humans. She was disturbed seeing the ill humans. She wants to work, too. That was unexpected.”
“All three of them are unexpected.”
“I agree. Bring Anna for the baseline medical tests tomorrow. There are a few supplements she should be taking that the ship didn’t have on hand. That and something for the sunburn.”
“I will.” Atlas disconnected. Remembering the humans’ comments still made his chest burn.
Maybe that’s why she was so unsettled. That, or the end-of-life care?
Seeing anything in the active process of dying was not easy.
It made sense. His hands slowly curled into fists. The other two humans’ comments, though.
“No,” he addressed Anna directly, “the other humans are not joining.”
“Alright.” Anna ran her hands down her sides. “Well. I guess they won’t get to know us if they don’t talk with us, huh?”
“Their loss.”
“Are you a sweet talker now?” She gave him a half smile before stepping into pace with Nora.
Atlas stumbled. Sweet talker? That was the first time anyone had ever referred to him like that. Usually he tripped over his words unless it was a programmed medical response. He pushed up his sweater sleeves, hot again.
Anna and Nora were not walking as fast as they did this morning, but Tilly pulled on Simon’s hand, full of energy.
“I’m hungry.” Anna leaned toward him, walking a few inches closer than necessary. “What do you eat here? Is it more bars? More donuts?”
“No, actually. We didn’t have any other supplies on board when we picked you up. But usually we cook a variety of foods.”
“Hmmm, more cumin cookies?”
“No.” Atlas chuckled. “I’m afraid that’s all you.”
There was a fraction—more prominent now that Atlas had spoken over the connection earlier—of the colony that was exerting themselves to cook for tonight. Fear had turned more into pity for the humans he walked alongside.
Atlas slowed his pace to match Anna’s. Some are also excited. It’s been a long time since they could cook for anyone new. A few of the androids were designed to be professional chefs before, a skill that was mostly wasted now, as the androids performed best with more sugary foods.
The thought of them working hard, of cooking and rushing to serve like they were initially programmed to, came back briefly. But the disdain he felt didn’t hold the same bite anymore. At least some of them were trying to give Anna and the others a warm welcome.
Atlas assessed Anna’s sunburned face, the medical side of him pressing an alert about the severity of the burn now that he saw it in the brighter lighting of the hallway. Only first degree. “There are some creams for sunburn. I’ll bring you some lotion tonight after dinner.”
Anna’s fingers went to her face, gingerly touching the red sides. “Guess I’m making an awkward impression already.” She pointed down at her outfit. “At least I’m clean now though.”
“Different, yes.” Atlas shook his head. “But not awkward.”
“. . .Alright.” Her footsteps faltered as she walked the hall. “You definitely are sweet-talking now!”
“Maybe just a tad.”
She grinned and then quickly glanced away.
Atlas’s body heated from the eye contact.
He kept pace, but also a respectable distance.
At least for this meeting, he didn’t want to invoke more questions from the others by bridging the gap and offering his hand.
If the other androids thought his opinions were compromised because of familiarity, his insights would be calculated down to bias in the communal mind and no longer be taken as seriously.
Instead, he physically walked a step behind them, like he did for Clara. That’s not right. Atlas recalculated before he pushed his feet to walk by Anna’s side.
Regardless of his confusing feelings toward her, he was not going to play a subservient role again.