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LILI
The guard led her further and further from the loading docks—and further and further from the two red dots on her tracker screen. Soon Lili found they were walking in the heart of the city with the enormous silver and gray skyscrapers blotting out the sky and casting everything into dull, gloomy shadow.
The streets were filled with motorized vehicles and cybernetic people— some which were half of each. Lili saw a creature that was a man from the waist up and a tank from the waist down. It was a strange sight but she tried not to stare.
But though there were plenty of people out and about, no one was saying anything. Even if two of them were clearly together, they didn’t say a word to each other. They just walked along in silence, looking straight ahead.
This strange lack of communication kept Lili from asking LJ-91where they were going and why it was taking so long to get there. But she was acutely aware that time was ticking away. They had been walking for at least twenty minutes in the wrong direction by now and though the emotion damper was still working, she could feel a certain urgency creeping into the edges of her thoughts.
At last, she couldn’t stand it anymore. Stopping in the middle of the street, she turned to face the tall guard who was looming over her.
“How much further are we going?” she asked, frowning slightly. “My break will be over soon and I must have time to get back to the docks.”
“Not much further now,” LJ-91 promised. “Look—it’s just ahead at the corner.”
He pointed to a dull gray storefront that looked the same as every other dull gray business Lili saw along the city streets. It did have a flickering sign that read simply, GARN, so at least she could be certain they really were headed for a restaurant. She’d been wondering if maybe the guard was leading her somewhere private to try and do something awful to her.
“Very well,” she said, nodding. “But I must eat quickly and leave. I do not wish to be left behind by the shuttle I came here on.”
“Their service is fast and competent,” LJ-91 promised. “And the garn has a special blend of seasonings. None are too spicy,” he added quickly, as though she might judge him. “Nothing that might cause emotion, but it is tasty and filling.”
“All right, lead the way.” Lili nodded at the run-down looking restaurant on the corner.
When they walked inside—after LJ-91 had ordered his sniffer to sit and stay by the door—she saw at once that the restaurant was full. Apparently other Dark Kindred liked the special seasoning blend they served here too, because there was a line to get the stuff. Tall, skinny robots with silver eyes were moving quickly through the crowds, bringing diners large bowls of what looked like blue-gray oatmeal.
Lili cast another look at her tracker map.
I do NOT have time for this!
But how could she get out of it? Suddenly, she had an idea.
“Do you know if there is a facility to relieve myself here?” she asked LJ-91. “I find myself in need.”
“Oh—up ahead and around the corner.” He pointed to the most crowded area of the restaurant and Lili frowned. She really didn’t want to have to shove her way through the crowd of tall, muscular Dark Kindred. None of them looked like they would give an inch.
“On second thought, I can probably hold it,” she said. “But I don’t know if I have time to wait in this line.”
“It’s not a problem—look, here’s a serving mechanoid now.” LJ-91 reached out and grabbed one of the tall, skinny robots and pulled it around so it was facing him. “Look at me, I wish to order,” he barked in its blank face.
“I am afraid you must wait in line,” the robot said in a tinny voice. “We are very busy at the moment and we cannot?—”
“No, listen to me—I wish to order now!” He shook it hard until its metal parts rattled together. “Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, customer.” The robot nodded subserviently. “How may I serve you?”
“Two bowls of garn and a shaker of your special seasoning,” LJ-91 ordered. “We will be sitting at this table.” As he spoke, he pointed to a table which was already filled with large Dark Kindred, but just happened to have two empty seats at the end. “You will hurry and fill our order at once,” he added. “We have little time.”
“I will get your garn at once,” the robot repeated, nodding.
“Good. Go.” LJ-91 let go of its skinny metal arm and gave it a kick towards the back with one booted foot. The robot stumbled but righted itself and hurried towards what was presumably the kitchen.
Lili felt a tingle of distaste go through her, nibbled at the edges of her artificial calm. She had always thought that you could tell what kind of man you were dating by how they treated servers and wait staff. Of course, she and the Dark Kindred guard weren’t dating, but seeing him demand that they be served first and treating the robot waiter like crap gave her a sensation that would definitely be dislike, if the emotion damper hadn’t been in place.
“Now, let’s sit,” LJ-91 said to her. “In a moment you will see why this is the best Garn House in the city.”
Feeling like she had no choice, Lili sat across from him at the crowded metal table. To her left, a line of huge Dark Kindred warriors were hunched over their bowls, all eating silently. The hard metal stool had no padding and hurt her ass, but since no one else was complaining, she didn’t say anything.
Barely a minute had passed before the waiter robot came back. On a plain metal tray, he had two large metal bowls of the blue-gray mush everyone else was eating as well as a small white shaker with tiny holes in its top.
