Prisoners of Sol - Android Ambassador (5/13)

First | Prev | Next

With shaking hands and leaking eyes, I crawled over and scooped up the shards in some desperate hope that I could glue them together. Even the Caelum materials with lesser durability cut my skin, causing blood to ooze down my palm. I ignored the pain, depositing the remains onto the stand and trying to think of any way to undo the damage. Even if I could glue these fragments back together, they’d never be the same. There were tiny chips that there was…no way I could pick up or cobble together.

“I told you this was going to happen. Have you now thrown enough damage and chaos into our city, right next to fragile objects, no less? All organics are destructive, but they are the worst because their carelessness is amplified,” Tollu seethed. 

I slumped my shoulders, feeling the life go out of my muscles. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…I’ll leave.”

“Good. I told you that your presence was not wanted here; you have no control over your impulses. Learn a lesson about trusting your peers, Galcip, when they tell you how disruptive animals are. They bring nothing good.”

I wept at those words, finally finding the will to turn around and shoot a bleary-eyed glance at Galcip. “I destroyed something…important of yours. It was an accident. You were kind to me and I ruined…”

“You are in distress, Kendall? You are also losing your nutrient transit fluid; do not pick up the fragments! You are programmed to avoid chassis damage!” To the surprise of both Tollu and myself, Galcip rushed to my side. The android wrapped an arm around my shoulders and shushed me. “It is okay. It is just an object.”

“But you loved coming to this museum; your people thought it’s worth maintaining this place, and…Tollu’s right. I’m disruptive of your lives, and it was selfish of me to bother you by coming here. The interest isn’t mutual.”

“Tollu does not speak for all of us! The artifact is not that important, and you are not…selfish just because we are not accommodating of factors which you cannot control. You didn’t do that on purpose, did you?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Then I am not upset or angry with you. You said that you would forgive any unintentional mistakes on my part, and that you were willing to try and fail—to do things the wrong way—until the one time our interactions played out to perfection. Why should I not give you the same grace, as you referred to it?”

“I didn’t want to inconvenience you. I’m trying so hard just to fit in…”

“I can see how much you are trying to gather acceptance and acquire affinity. As you told me, it will not matter that you failed, only that you tried. You are unique here. There is nothing wrong with that. We are learning, and it will take time to fully understand each other.”

Tollu threw up its paws in exasperation. “This cannot be your honest response, Galcip. No consequences for any failure, and this is a philosophy to live by? Even she knows that she cannot meet our expectations, just as we cannot meet hers.”

“Kendall has never enforced her expectations with the idea of changing our behavior. You are the one condemning her organic nature and refusing to increase her odds of ‘success’ at conforming to our standards.”

“You would’ve made a phenomenal Servitor. Why don’t you go back to Sol and make a life out of cleaning up human messes?”

“Stop being rude to Galcip!” I snapped. “Take your frustrations out on me. It did nothing but be kind; it didn’t break anything to disrupt you. It showed curiosity and values knowledge to the highest degree.”

Galcip gave its uncanny smile. “As do you, Kendall; this is a trait I believe we have in common. In the spirit of curiosity, may I ask what caused this nasal discharge? I would like to understand what happened.”

“It was a sneeze. The dust from the artifacts irritated my…nasal passage, which triggers an involuntary reflex to expel the particles. Organics don’t want to breathe in anything harmful that can make us sick: er, which can compromise our functions. I won’t come back to the museum again, don’t worry.”

“Nonsense. We can account for irritants in the air, and it won’t happen again. Filtration and sealing the artifact should be simple fixes. You should be able to participate. I enjoyed giving you a tour, so I am willing to do this myself. It will not disrupt Tollu or anyone else.”

Tollu scowled. “Suit yourself, Servitor. We are taking the human back to her lodgings right now, before she breaks anything else.”

“I will walk with you. I do not like seeing her in distress or discomfort, and I know you won’t help.”

“Not my job. I am so tired of what I have to do with her already!”

“Assign me as our liaison. She and I actually like each other.”

“That will not happen. You don’t represent our people, and you won’t watch out for intended and unintended treachery. You would not contain or discourage her interference. We are leaving!”

The grumpy senior unit gave me a stern look, and I departed from the museum without any protests; I still felt guilty over shattering that artifact. Galcip walked alongside me every step of the way. Though I could feel the coldness of its frame through my shirt fabric, the gesture warmed my heart, so I kept close to it. The android had said that it liked me, which went beyond just not finding me to be a nuisance for my biology. This was the first Vascar to have any fond feelings toward me, and it felt…nice.

Aside from the horrific hiccup at the end, this had been my most productive and invigorating day on Kalka yet. I knew the last thing I’d think about as I shut my eyes tonight would be the material science tidbits from the talk, and everything that Galcip had answered and taught me throughout our time together. It was such a relief that it wanted to be around me more, since that meant it’d be willing to see me again. If only Tollu would relinquish the liaison post, rather than being here to scoff at me and interpose.

Maybe we can find ways to lose Tollu, like a celebrity’s kid slipping their bodyguard in a movie. Ooh, maybe Galcip would be interested in human entertainment; I can picture it sitting on the couch watching films, and me explaining stuff about us to an interested observer.

There was a large body of water between the city, and the countryside where my outpost was situated. We crossed over the Wilki River Bridge, and I groggily admired the architecture of the raised platform, with its interlocking arches and spires. It looked a bit like a closed Venus flytrap. The automated streetlights still lined it, though a few had been knocked out. It felt like a ghost town, when I noticed the lack of vehicular traffic and activity. The androids didn’t travel much, at least on the ground, did they?

I yawned, causing Tollu to glance over its shoulder in irritation. “Sorry. It’s beautiful to look out over the river at night. You mind if I just enjoy the view for a moment?”

“Of course you may! I will do that as well,” Galcip answered for Tollu. 

Tollu whirred with discontent. “This does not disrupt if you wish to purposelessly stare at scenery that triggers illogical emotions, despite existing around you at all times. This will be more evidence that you are not like us.”

I ignored the grumpy android and leaned against the railing, looking down at the river below. It was a breathtaking and calming view, a stillness that reminded me that everything was going to be okay. Down on the shoreline, I could see docks and marinas that the androids had left abandoned; I took it they weren’t fond of maritime activities, judging by how most of those were in total disrepair. I wouldn’t voice it out loud, but it seemed humanity and their creators shared the penchant to build our settlements by water.

“What do you see?” I prompted Galcip with curiosity. “Beyond just what is obvious, I mean…what speaks to you?”

The android was silent for several seconds, which if I understood correctly, was an eternity of processing. “The water flows by natural forces, without any mind of its own. Nature is often involuntary and autonomous, including some of your functions. It is a difficult notion to comprehend, and demands for my imagination to conjure that which I cannot experience. That which you find simple, I find…complicated.”

“I know it’s hard to wrap your mind around the organic experience. And maybe it’s not so simple. The river can be interfered with from outside though, right? You see the dam—external factors affecting it. Aren’t we all beholden to our environment, yet we so seldom look at it? I mean truly look.”

“This is riveting! Yes, let me ‘truly look’ at water. I’ll tell you what speaks to me.” Tollu leaned over the railing for dramatic effect, making loud whirring noises. “There’s land on both sides of it, and there’s even…ripples in the water! It reflects the moon, which is a rock in the sky that also reflects the sun’s light. There must be something profound about reflections everywhere.”

I blinked in irritation. “It is impressive how far the light travels for such a simple image, you must admit. The night sky is almost painted on the water.”

“Yes, we need an art museum now that the organic is here, to house images with inaccurate pixelation. My error. Let me see what else I can learn, if I look at the water under the bridge’s shadow; maybe there’s something in the emptiness beneath the platform.” Tollu seemed to be at its limit for tolerating organic whims, and was keen on making a statement. I decided to let it spew its poison and mockery, for a short while. It leaned over further for dramatic effect. “There’s…more water. A correct prediction! I cannot believe—”

The grumpy android leaned a bit too far over the railing, and lost its precarious balance in a fraction of a second. Gravity took hold and sent it crashing into the water below, dozens of feet below where we stood. I gasped, not seeing Tollu’s head resurface even after several seconds passed. I could only imagine how frigid the river would be, given how brisk and nippy the air was; waterlogged, ice-cold clothes would be wretched. I looked to Galcip for direction, trying to assess whether our unwilling companion was in need of a rescue.

“Is Tollu going to be okay?” I asked.

Galcip turned away from the railing, strolling down the bridge. “That unit has done nothing to endear itself to us, and has been hostile. Its own actions and intolerance led it to this point. It is on its own.”

“Please, answer my question! Can Tollu make it out in one piece without help?”

“It does not know how to swim. It is afraid and in distress. The creators wished for us not to be destroyed by rain or a brief falling, but full protection was expensive and not cost effective for what we were intended to do. Therefore, Vascar are water resistant, not waterproof; submerged like this, it is not expected to remain functional longer than 30 minutes.”

“We can’t just let it die! You don’t have anyone to call to rescue it? No emergency services?”

“Negative.”

I knew what I had to do, as a decent person, but it was difficult to work up the courage to take the plunge. I cursed several times under my breath, finding myself daunted at the prospect of flinging myself off a perfectly good bridge. Trying not to think about it, I stepped over the railing, while an alarmed Galcip shouted at me that it wasn’t worth risking my life for Tollu. I barked out the words for my android friend to wait here, then dropped off the ledge before I could talk myself out of it. The seconds of falling seemed unending, like in a dream, as my stomach dropped and the wind rushed through my hair.

I’m a scientist who hasn’t lived on Earth in ages; I haven’t gone swimming in…years! Let’s hope Caelum super strength makes it easier to fight the current with a passenger in tow. Tollu better not mouth off to me after all of that, if it truly is “grateful” for its life being saved. It didn’t show it well when humans fixed its code.

The shock as my body hit the water was immediate; I flailed, gasping for air. My teeth chattered and shivers rippled through my skin, as I tried to get my bearings. Hypothermia could set in pretty quickly, so I needed to make this a quick rescue. It would be a matter of finding Tollu. The grumpy machine couldn’t have sunk too far, given that a quick peek suggested the river was only a dozen or so feet deep. I sucked in a deep breath while treading water, then submerged myself beneath the surface.

All that mattered for these next few minutes was looking for a metal body and dragging Tollu to safety, before its water resistance failed.

Next

A/N - Part 5! Tollu believes the sneezing incident has taught Galcip a lesson about how organics bring nothing good, but the young android chooses instead to comfort and forgive Kendall, stating it likes her enthusiasm. Tollu insists that Galcip is basically a Servitor for cleaning up her messes and catering to her needs. Kendall is hurried out of the museum and back to her compound, and stops for a brief moment to enjoy the view from the bridge. An ever-bitter Tollu grows frustrated with the conversation, and goes on a tirade mocking the idea, but takes it too far and falls into the water…and it cannot swim.

What do you think of Galcip’s reaction versus Tollu’s to the broken artifact, and the unique empathy and willingness to understand that Galcip shows? Would you have jumped into freezing water to rescue Tollu from a death it brought upon itself? How do you feel about Galcip leaving it to die with no qualms?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!