Chapter 46
Chapter forty-six
Atlas
Atlas moved at a jerky pace, trying to keep his arms still as the rest of his body rejected his signals to calm down.
The drone had been sent far away, and his mind was unfocused and coated in rage.
They hurt her. And he didn’t know if the drone hovering that close was intentional or not.
But either way, it was callous. Watching Anna suffer while she was hurt on the ground.
Anna spoke softly, face pressed into his sweater. “I was so scared.”
Her heartbeat, suppressed by the chip for an entire two weeks, pounded. He felt her heartbeat the further she pressed into his chest.
“Atlas. What about the deal . . . ?”
“Screw the damn deal,” he bit out. “You couldn’t get up, Anna. I had to.”
“I know . . . I know you had to. But what does it mean?”
“I’ll ask. But regardless, anyone could see what was happening. That drone recorded everything.”
While walking, Atlas opened the link to the communal mind. “I take it everyone saw what happened?” It was hard to focus, but he sent an image of Anna from his perspective, sprawled on the ground.
Sterling and Zero immediately chimed in, letting him know he had done the right thing. The chip was clearly malfunctioning, and Anna was clearly being harmed. But it was silence, only silence, from Stella and the others.
Atlas disconnected. They can rot. The chip being harmless was inaccurate. Anyone could see Anna’s suffering. He stomped harder on the path. They watched like it was entertainment for them.
His hands started shaking. A large part of him, a very large part, wanted to rage. Wanted to somehow put a limiter in them, reminding them of the leashes they wore back when humans were in charge. Show them that they were just doing the same to Anna now, in reverse.
Rage that had lain inactive for roughly one hundred and fifty years flared. The last time he felt this was when they fought for real against the humans. Only now, his own kind was targeted as his enemy. His nostrils flared. No. I can’t. I can’t. Anna needed him soft and gentle for her right now.
Atlas pushed open the door to their house, setting her on the bed. She sat stiffly on the bed’s side, trembling lips and chin.
He cupped her cheek. “How do you feel?”
“All sorts of mixed up inside.”
He thumbed her cheek. “I bet you do.”
Next to them, he had moved almost a full pharmacy of items to the shed.
Everything from antiseptic wipes to antibiotics to materials for stitches.
There was red, Martian dirt on every part of her, ground into her clothing.
The palm of her hand had stopped bleeding, but started again as he cleaned.
“There’s really only one cut. The rest is a scrape.
Same with your knee. No stitches needed. ”
“How about the baby?” She grimaced. “Those contractions are starting again.”
“She’s well cushioned in there, and she’s still kicking up a storm.” Atlas felt her stomach delicately, then wheeled the fetal monitor closer. “Let’s check. Okay?”
As if on cue, the baby kicked. Anna let out a jagged sigh. “I screamed up at the drone so loudly. Told them I hated them. That’s. . .Not good.”
“They made you trip,” Atlas ground out. “They should not have been following you so closely.”
“It was the angle of the sun more than anything, but yeah. I fell and then I couldn’t get up. Oh gosh.” Anna put her hands over her cheeks. “After it was removed, I couldn’t . . .” Her hands trembled. “I was so, so angry.”
His movements while readying the machine weren’t exactly calm either. “You should be angry. I’m angry.”
“Yeah.” She splayed her hand across her chest. “I’m still not quite right. All of this was not right.”
“Hey now. You’re okay.” He wrapped his hand around her fingers. Under the dirt streaks, she was pale and sweaty on her brow. Her elbows were pressed in on her sides. “Let’s try eating and drinking something.”
“Okay.”
“Here.” He handed her a ration bar, pulling it apart with his fingers. Then he touched her cheek. “It’s alright, Anna. I love you.”
“Love you too,” she whispered “Are you not scared at all?”
He stepped back to the machinery. I’m terrified. Then he forced his senses to relax. “Of meeting this baby girl finally? Yes. But about the androids? No. We are logical creatures. They could see what was happening with you.”
“Oh, so they were okay with the chip being removed?”
Her eyes looked up at him, so trusting. How he wished he could take away that worry. But it would be a lie and. .
“Not exactly.” He said. “No consensus in either direction. But you’re fine.
Sterling will be the one who delivers this baby.
Zero and his brothers are all around. And everyone knows the plan is for you to come back here after the baby.
” He didn’t need to add the rest. That he would fight to make sure that happened.
And he was pretty sure Zero and the others would as well.
But Anna was back to hunching her shoulders to appear small and started rambling, “I was doing the ledger earlier. Did you know the cows are producing more now? That’s gotta count for something.”
“It does.” Atlas squeezed her hand. “The mere fact that both you and Nora are trying so hard matters.”
He finished setting up the machine, then wound the band around her, watching the start-up sequence light up the screen.
She took a bite of the ration bar. “Yeah, but I like that we have solid proof now that we’re making a difference.”
He absently nodded, fiddling with the machine settings. Then slowly he checked the readout.
Anna’s heartbeat had finally slowed. She leaned back on her seat. “Atlas? Do you think there’s other animals we could raise here?”
Distracted, he nodded again. The readout . . . He reached over to adjust the fetal monitor again around her belly.
She stirred under his hands. “Atlas?”
He frowned. The numbers on the screen didn’t change even with his adjustment. The baby kicked under his hands, into the fabric band pressed against her belly. He focused intensely. “Do you feel anything?”
“I’m still angry. Why?”
Atlas’s eyes narrowed, scanning the contraction read out. These are becoming regular. His eyes scanned the familiar contraction pattern twice. Then he looked up at Anna. “I think it’s starting.”
“Starting?” Her eyes grew wide. “Did the fall earlier hurt anything?”
“Not her, but the stress could have pushed everything along.” Everything in him tensed. “It’s time now. Do you feel anything?”
Her voice tremored. “It’s time?”
“Yes. There’s some changes, and you’re having regular contractions. Let’s get you out of these dusty clothes and get ready.”
Quickly, Anna washed and changed while Atlas connected back to Sterling again, directly and privately, letting him know they would be coming later this evening.
He didn’t want to rush, though. Everything was still early.
He took Anna back into his arms once she returned in a clean outfit, holding her as night fell and keeping his eyes on the monitor’s readout.
Everything was set up. The communal mind was not consulted. Atlas could give a damn for what they thought ever again.
The afternoon flowed into dusk, and both Nora and Simon appeared in turns to check on them.
After only a few more hours, the contractions became more regular. And then . . . a gush of water.
Anna’s face went pale. “Atlas?”
But he had already moved from behind her, picking up the bag he had packed by the door. “I’ve let Sterling and Simon know. Do you want Nora there?”
“Yeah . . . Nora and . . . you. That was my water breaking, wasn’t it? What’s the readout say?”
He smiled at her. “It says that you’re going to be a mother.”