33. Chapter 33
Chapter thirty-three
Anna
It was a new day when Anna woke up. The morning light had come in through the window, illuminating all the boxes on the far wall.
And Tilly was in her room. On her bed. In her face. “Anna! You’re awake!”
“Woah, Tilly.” She rubbed her eyes. “You’re right there, aren’t you? How did you sleep?”
“Great! I slept in the hay!” Tilly bounced on the bed. “There are other androids here. Mama sent me to wake you up.”
Immediately Anna sprang up, her body sore and aching. She fumbled for the shoes at her bedside. “Other androids?”
Tilly scrambled off the bed. “Uh huh. Atlas and other ones. They brought a trailer with more things. And a lot of Zeros.”
Anna fell back, head resting again on the pillow. “They seem friendly?”
“Yeah. A lot of them were from the ship we were on. They even brought the red juice I liked.”
“Okay. Let me get up.” She looked around. “Tell Nora I’ll be right there?”
“Sure.” Tilly bounded back out the door.
Anna sat up and reached for the small bag of crackers Atlas had brought, shoving a few in her mouth.
The nausea was not as bad this morning, probably because she only ate the bland ration bars all day yesterday.
She tilted her head to listen to the birds outside.
Birds never sang like that back on Earth.
A few birds did live, but not enough to make actual melodies that sounded like they surrounded her.
She pulled herself up to peek outside the window at the pasture. No one was in sight. She let herself drop back down onto the bed. The androids must all be by the barn. She should have expected more would come today.
Sleeping in yesterday’s clothes did her appearance no favors.
Luckily, Atlas had brought some additional clothing, if not pajamas for last night.
She straightened herself out as best she could, raking her hand through her dirty hair.
That was Another thing she was going to have to figure out here.
How to wash herself and her clothing without any bathroom.
The thought made her smile. The thing is though, I get to figure it out. She’d wash with a hose and a bucket if she had to.
Her fingers hovered over the patch on her neck as she started to pull her hair in a ponytail.
Then paused. No. Nevermind. I’ll leave it down.
So far, the chip had been on her overnight and this morning, but she hadn’t noticed any difference except when she rubbed on it.
When she did that, it almost buzzed, and sent a tingle down to her feet.
She hurried outside. To the left, near the barn, stood Zero. Quite a few Zeros was right, actually. But none of the androids were Stella. And more importantly, none appeared angry.
Most of the androids were Zero’s brothers, all slicked back hair and angular bodies in matching mesh shirts.
There were a few that Anna recognized from the ship.
The android with a dark complexion that always tried her cookies was there, Fifteen, as was another long and lanky android with copper skin, Thirteen, who had thanked Tilly solemnly for every drawing she made.
And Atlas was right in front, standing with his back toward her and the warehouse. He gestured with his arm toward the pasture as Simon stood at his side with Nora and Tilly.
All eyes turned toward her as she waddled up. “Hi everyone.”
“Good morning.” Zero said, a boyish smile on his face. “I can’t say I ever thought these buildings could be used this way, but we’ve gone over the floor plans all night and I can see how it will work.”
“Oh? You’re going to help?”
“Of course!” Zero grinned.
The way he looked at her . . . he was happy to do this? Anna flushed. I didn’t know they would help. But there was no mistaking it, as all the model-Ms were fully engaged with the blueprints and already sketching on tablets.
Simon squinted. “Will changing everything be easy?”
One of the model-M androids with the number fifty-one emblazoned on the front laughed. “Not in the least, but that makes it more interesting.”
Thirteen held up the plans. “Just a lot of digging. Mostly for septic. Water and electricity are already in place.”
“This is all a big experiment!” Zero laughed. “Not only in how to fix these buildings to live in, but everything to do with you humans!” Then he tapped Atlas’s side. “Right Atlas?”
Atlas’s eyes darted to Anna. “It could be considered an experiment, yes.”
The word was wrong. Anna shrank back. Experiment? Yes, they were helping, but was it just because they found her funny? Like the animal comments Stella made the day before?
. . . Were they entertainment? Just like the television shows?
Zero made a motion, and the rest of the androids behind them took that as a signal to break rank and fan out until there was only him standing there before Atlas, Simon, and Nora.
Tilly followed Thirteen with a hammer in her hands.
But not Anna. Instead, she touched the little patch behind her head.
Because at the mention of being an experiment, she’d felt something. A buzz. Irritation. And the sun overhead was too bright for a moment. She rubbed the patch harder. It was not anger, but more irritation. Then the feeling was stolen from her, like the thought didn’t belong in her head.
What was I doing? She trailed behind while the others walked ahead, feet dragging in the dirt. Experiment. That’s what I am. Even though Zero meant well, it still rankled to hear it said so casually. And then Atlas, even if reluctantly, agreeing . . .
Immediately she stiffened. That same irritation. That same buzz returned. A sharp pinprick of pain. She frowned. What the hell? Am I not allowed to get irritated?
That thought caused an even bigger suppression. A bigger needlepoint of pain followed by a cold water sensation that poured on her, as frigid as that lake water on the first day. The farmland around her went in and out of focus. She rubbed her belly. “What the hell?”
Anna's footsteps stumbled as her mind went curiously blank, leaving her blinking in the sunlight.
What was she even thinking about? She shook so hard that she had to sit down on the Martian dirt.
Her senses came back one at a time — the brightness, the dirt under her hand, finally the sharp smell of cows.
What was left was confusion. She slunk away, back to the front of her warehouse, and sat up against the siding.
What had happened. Anger? She was angry, right?
She rubbed her belly, frowning. “Baby girl? Why was I upset?”
Then she caught a chorus of laughter from the model-Ms on the other side of the barn. They’re helping me. I’m grateful.
Her hand paused on her belly. “Oh.” She remembered, frowning. They called us an experiment. Right. I was annoyed. And she should be! That was . . . she forced the irritation back until tears rolled down her cheeks. What if Atlas sees me that way? Does he see me as an experiment too?
At the edge of her memory, she remembered him agreeing but . . . she tugged on her hair. I can’t trust anything I feel right now.
He was helping her, but what if it was for the wrong reasons? In her life, up until now, no one had ever helped her just because. In fact, Nora and Simon were the first ones to ever help her without demanding something in return.
Especially Paul . . .
She stiffened, pushing herself further back against the warehouse’s siding.
At least crying seemed allowed, as the cold water feeling stayed away.
Tears poured down her cheeks. Zero was right.
She was an experiment, wasn’t she? There was a neurochip implanted in her spine that agreed.
She knew that when taking the deal, but didn’t think it would also be a .
. . fun thing for the androids. Was she just a game to them?
Talk was coming this way. She didn’t want to be found crying outside her new house. Quickly, she walked to the pasture to sit on the log right outside her warehouse home. Questions and unease swirled in her gut. She sat, with her hands balled into fists, too afraid to feel anything else.