Chapter 49 #2
But Luv had already turned her attention back to Rokk, who stood near the doorway, hovering as if unsure what to do.
Holly was fairly certain Rokk was not quite as sentient as Luv, but the bot stood there, apparently processing this new interaction, uncertain whether to address Luv or ignore her completely.
“Luv, Mr. Binn has sent Rokk back to the ship to recharge. Why don’t you let him do that?”
“Oh, of course, of course,” said Luv in her thick British accent, sounding much friendlier than she usually did. “Off you go,” she said, gesturing for Rokk to leave. “In fact, I’ll escort you there myself.”
Rokk turned his smooth, featureless head toward Mr. Binn, as if in question.
Mr. Binn waved him on. “Go ahead. We wouldn’t want you to get lost.”
Both bots left, leaving Mr. Binn, Rasker, and Holly in the room.
Mr. Binn chuckled and shook his head. “Your Homeboti is quite a character. She may be the only one left that didn’t get the patch to remove autonomy and personality.”
“Living with Luv is an adventure,” said Holly. “I don’t think I’d have her any other way, though.”
Mr. Binn nodded. “I have been adding some personality to Rokk,” he said. “Small patches, here and there, so both of us can get used to it. I find it useful to have an assistant who can keep you on track.” His eyes twinkled. “Sometimes, we all can veer off into dark waters.”
Holly sighed and nodded, remembering the six days she’d spent in her room, hiding from the station, its residents, and mostly her own feelings of failure.
And heartbreak. Fortunately, the heartbreak had not remained.
Rasker had been by her side ever since that day in the square when Cody’s treachery had been revealed.
“Well, I’ll let you get settled in,” she said.
“Let me know when you’d like a tour around the dome.
As you can see, all the guest rooms have new NuProd devices, so you can program in anything you might want to eat.
There’s also the lounge. We have drinks and food, and I’ll be baking up a fresh batch of savory pies for dinner.
” She paused at the door. “We can talk about that thing I wanted to discuss with you. Did you happen to bring the agreement?”
Mr. Binn patted his case. “It’s all in here, Ms. Greene-Moone.”
“Please, call me Holly. Everyone does.”
Mr. Binn inclined his head. “Very well, Holly. Why don’t you go ahead and call me Ferg.”
Holly had been vaguely aware of Mr. Binn’s first name, but it had never crossed her mind to use it. He did not seem like the type of person who invited familiarity. But she smiled even wider. “Very well, Ferg. I will do that.”
The day moved on.
Holly made dough in the lounge and left it to rise. She had a zig sent to the hotel, and an hour or two later, after Mr. Binn had settled in, gotten his bearings, and freshened up, she took him on a ride around the dome.
She pointed out the residential section, which had gotten a fair amount of sprucing up.
Most of the homes were still empty, but they were being refurbished.
Newer appliances and features. Fresh cladding on the exteriors.
With the rain system perfectly operational, plants and flowers bloomed lush and full in the yards.
Mish’s house was evident from the small garden she tended in her patch of soil.
They swung through the area of the pond, which Holly had also finally swum in.
She had begun work on Oliver’s cabin. Or rather, her and Rasker’s cabin.
She had cleared the vines and weeds growing around it, opened it up, and was hoping to really get inside soon, clean it out and make it a private retreat when she needed a break from the hotel.
They continued the loop, and Mr. Binn seemed particularly in awe of the forest. The tall trees moving gently in the breeze. The smell of life and growing things, out here under a dome in the middle of deep, dark space.
“It would have been an absolute horror to see all of this destroyed,” he said with reverence. They had stopped at the overlook and gotten out to sit on Sam’s bench. Behind them, the forest leaves and branches rustled. Before them was the expanse of space.
“I think losing this nature sanctuary would have been the worst part of it all,” Holly said. “You can relocate people. You don’t want to, but you can. You can’t relocate this.” She spread an arm toward the forest.
“Not easily. Although there are a few species out there who could manage it, but they are not ones regularly in contact with such unevolved species as ours.” He flashed a grin, revealing sharp little teeth.
“I want to ask you, Holly, before we return to the square. Are you certain you want to go through with this? Your plan, that is?”
Holly nodded firmly. “Absolutely. Never again should the fate of this place rest in the hands of one person. Charles almost destroyed it. Through his pain, his bitterness, his mental deterioration, whatever it was, it was almost all lost because he would not share both the burden and the gifts of this place. I never want to see that happen again.”
Mr. Binn nodded sagely. “I am representing you legally, so my opinion is irrelevant, but personally? I think you’re doing the exact right thing.”