Chapter 45
Chapter forty-five
Anna
“Yeah!” Anna grinned down at the tablet, putting down the pencil. “Milk production is definitely up.” She slid the tablet on the counter toward Nora. “And what’s more, you can see that every cow has produced more. Not just one. They must really like us.”
“Let me see.” Nora examined the ledger.
Anna scratched Tatertot behind the ears. The cat purred and flicked his tail from side to side, his amber eyes half closed.
“Yeah it’s clear!” Nora grinned. “Take that! We can do this.”
The numbers were so satisfying. Milk production was up, way up. There was undeniable proof that they were making a difference. Anna lifted her chin. “Well. Hopefully they can see we are different now.”
There was a thumbprint of dust on the tablet where Nora touched. She wiped at it, but only made the screen dirtier. “I don’t know if they all even care. The androids on our side like us more now, but the ones that were scared and resentful . . .well, there’s no changing their minds.”
Still, warmth spread through Anna’s chest. “Let’s rub these numbers in their faces.”
“I will tonight at that dumb dinner.” Nora side-eyed Anna. “How have you been? No more memory loss?”
Anna shrugged. The headaches, even when waking up in the morning, never really went away. But that didn’t matter right now.
“I’m alright. I can make it through until the baby is here.” She sighed heavily. “Atlas made the sweetest spot for the baby yesterday. After we are done here, you gotta come see.”
“Aw, that’s cute.” Nora smiled. “Sure I will, but go back and rest now, Anna. I see how you’re hunched over.”
Anna pushed out from the desk. “I still need to clean those jugs from yesterday.”
“No,” Nora said. “Simon can work while we sleep and clean those. Even standing is wearing you out. Go lie down.”
“You’re right.” Anna slowly stood. Everything was harder when you were almost due. “I can’t even pretend. Fine, thanks, I’ll go rest.”
After a final pat to Tatertot’s chin, she left.
The sun was low in the sky as she walked back from the milking station.
Even her footsteps were sluggish, but she doggedly put one foot in front of the other on the dirt path.
And to add to her being tired, contractions had been happening all day on and off. Everything ached.
She waddled on the path, singing under her breath, “One, two, three, get out of me. Come on out, baby. Come out, out, out.” Did bouncing help induce labor? Anything?
The day was beautiful, but all she wanted to do was lay down. Well, almost everything about being outdoors was beautiful, despite the cow smell. And despite . . .
Anna frowned openly at the sky. That drone is still up there. The drones followed her all day when she was at the milking barn. Atlas had some agreement to keep the drones away from where they lived, but apparently out by the milking barn, their following was still fair game.
They were a constant hum overhead, but now in the lazy feel of the afternoon, they seemed louder. She’d walked the perimeter of the pasture today, checking the fencing and the watering, and the drone had been a constant presence. Now again it was watching her go step by step back home.
“Why are you even watching?” Anna mumbled.
She glared at it hovering, ruining the beautiful skyline.
The androids must be so bored. That had to be it.
They didn’t watch the reality television reruns, but the live action version of Anna and Nora seemed to be top entertainment.
As if her walking slowly down a dirt path could be interesting.
Whatever. Anna looked back down to the path. Just ignore them. She focused instead on putting one foot in front of the other. What would a show about us be called even? As the Human Learns? Mars Lives? She’d only watched that one night of soap operas, but she could see the patterns.
A cloud moved to the side, letting the sunshine through. Light dappled across the pasture. And then there was a bright gleam. The light bounced on the drone that hovered the closest, shining straight into her eyes.
Anna held up her hand, but light stabbed at her regardless. “Damn, that is bright. I can hardly see.”
And the glare wasn’t going away, even as she tried to move side to side. The drone hovered at just the right angle for the sun to catch her. Was it trying to keep the light in her eyes? She kept moving, trying to find an angle until . . .
Her foot stumbled over a rock. Immediately she tripped, tumbling to the ground. Pain shot up her body as she fell, hard, to her knees, barely catching herself with her hands before she slammed on her front.
“Oh no.” Anna immediately picked up her hands, cradling her stomach. “My baby. I didn’t fall on you, did I?” She felt a kick a second later, and shakily breathed out. “Is everything okay? Are you okay in there, baby girl?”
A small blood smear was left on her shirt when she pulled her hand away. She stared at her hand. I’m bleeding? Her right hand had a scrape that immediately bled again, caked in the red Martian dirt. A large cut also streaked red up the side of her right leg.
And then she looked up. The drone was still overhead, still circling, even closer than before. There was no way it was an accident how close it came now, within arm’s reach, the cameras on it’s side pointed at her, angling the sunlight. She glared at it.
Anger. Her nostrils flared. “You made me trip, didn’t you? You don’t care that I fell!”
Immediately she choked, as if plunged into cool water, making her vision zoom in and out. Only sweat was on her skin a minute later, the emotion gone. Her eyebrows squished together. What? What happened?
Slowly, it came back to her as she stared at the side of the drone hovering right above her head, sunlight pounding into her eyes. Wasn’t that higher before?
Anna blinked. Was that only a few minutes ago?
When she was walking?
Why was she on the ground now?
Anna rubbed her head. Was it a few minutes?
How long have I been out here? The place where she’d fallen on the gravel path was roughly half the distance between the milking area and home.
And her right hand ached. She held her palm out in front of her.
There was a scrape and blood running down her arm mixed with gravel. She must have fallen?
And the drone was right overhead, now almost so close she could touch it. The light glittered off its side, into her eyes. She whispered up to it. “Why are you just watching me?”
Why were they so close? Didn’t they know she fell? They were just watching her like. . . an animal.
“Why are you there?” Anna shouted. “I fe—“ She gagged. The words were cut short, cool water choking her silent. She sank back down on the path as several moments passed with her lost in delusion.
Slowly, the dirt came back into focus. She was lying flat on the ground, sprawled out, her hair and face in the mud. The sun shone so bright overhead winking in and out of her vision. She was winded. Sick to her stomach.
Why was she on the ground? She could hardly move to get up. And her hand hurt. Why?
She looked down at her palm. Blood? Her fingers were not responsive, feeling heavy and stuck in the dirt. Did I fall? Why can’t I move? There’s blood on my hand? On my leg?
Her eyes flicked up. Why was that drone right there?
The only sound she could hear was the humming of the drone as it hung directly overhead.
She shook, but her limbs were not responsive.
Finally, she was able to lift her hand, and held her fingers shakily in front of her face. Something is wrong. Why was I upset?
She pressed the communicator around her neck, fumbling for the large button. “Atlas? I think I fell. Can you come? I’m on the path to the milking area.”
Immediately he responded, “Are you okay?”
Am I? Her hands were bloody. Her leg ached. “No. I mean . . . I don’t know. I can’t remember what happened.”
His voice was tense. “Sit right there.”
Finally her body responded, and she was able to sit up. How did I fall?
The drone hovered closer, so close she could see her entire reflection on its side. Anna narrowed her eyes. It was that, wasn’t it? Why is it moving even closer? Something was wrong. Very wrong.
“Go away!” Anna shouted. But before she could yell any more, the words were robbed from her again. And she could only watch herself in the drone’s reflection as her body shook. The cool water sensation engulfed her, making her lay back down on the path, twitching.
When she came to, Atlas was at her side. “Anna?” His forehead was creased in concern. “Your hands . . . they’re bloody.”
Anna focused on his face. Atlas. What is he doing here?
Even her mouth wasn’t working. But her eyes.
She looked up at the drone. What? Did that make me fall?
It’s so close. And then again she choked on cool water.
Her hands clawed behind her head as she jerked, trying to grab at that smooth, silicone piece of technology affixed to her neck.
His voice was hushed. “Can you not move?”
“Ple—“ She pointed to her neck. His eyes and face and the world came in and out of focus. Screaming surrounded her, and Anna vaguely realized it was her own voice. And then suddenly the cold water was gone. In a rush. Instead, she gasped like she’d just come up for air.
In Atlas’s hand was the neurochip, ripped from her neck.
His voice was hushed. “Anna?”
All her muscles quivered as anger rushed in, pure and hot. Her neck buzzed. The dirt path suddenly came into focus, as well as the pain where she’d fallen. She scrambled to her knees.
Anna screamed up at the sky, her face contorted, “You fucking monsters! You made me trip! And then you watched!” She turned to Atlas.
“They zoomed in. Like it was . . . like I was a show for them or something!” She glared up at them.
“I hate them, just watching.” Rage flowed through her.
Scrambling with her bloody hands in the dirt, she grabbed at a rock.
“I hate you!” Her lips curled as she threw the rock hard, missing the drone by at least six feet. I need another one.
Atlas put his hand on her, pulling her back. “Anna. Stop.”
She shook under his hands. “What am I doing?” The rock dropped to the ground. “I couldn’t move. That chip. That chip. It was hurting me.”
The silicone patch shone in the light in Atlas’s hand. He crumpled and threw it to the ground. “It’s gone, Anna.”
Then Atlas blinked once, his handsome face intense as he stared at the sky. The drone’s battery also blinked once, and then it flew away. He turned over her hands, inspecting the palms. “I rerouted it. Here, we are close. Let me carry you the rest of the way?”
Anna glared at the drone, retreating in the sky. The anger was ebbing, and worry moved in. What just happened? And what did it mean?