“At least rest then, and I’ll explain?”
She dutifully lay back in his arms.
Atlas ran through the timeline in his mind. “Back then, years ago, humans started the process here. They used bombs. Powerful ones. That jumpstarted geologic activity on Mars again.” The process to change Mars was truly a technological miracle. Even now, so many years later, they still monitored it as if the fixes were somehow wrong. They weren’t.
Anna listened until he paused between facts. “Could we help Earth like that?”
“No.” He sighed heavily. “We can not help Earth in the same way. We were able to be aggressive with Mars because it had no life for us to work around. Even then, changing the atmosphere took many years. We started with establishing oxygen. That was before the war. In fact, some of the bombs that were used on Earth for warfare were the same ones used here.”
“I thought those caused radiation poisoning?” Her hand had started fidgeting with his sweater, like it did on the hem of her shirt when she was thinking hard.
“Many years have passed since then. Listen.” Atlas spoke of the rivers and the technicalities of filtering water.
Sometime during his lecture, he felt Anna’s body loosen, her limbs going floppy. Despite her interest, she really was tired. Then he turned to the intricacies of soil management until he saw her eyes droop, and she did little shifting movements, snuggling in.
Atlas moved on to discussing how they recreated a magnetic field. He used technical names, as if he were reading from a textbook—every technical term he could remember, alongwith the complicated physics behind them. Then he watched, amused, as Anna’s eyes stayed closed for longer and longer periods. He made his voice purposefully monotone and low. Then slowed the speed.
Finally, a sleeping Anna lay in his arms. She was snoring softly, but limp and at ease.
He grinned.It worked.Only then did he stop talking, letting the crickets that had just come out in the dark have the floor. It was past the time he usually went into stasis for the night. He never felt fatigue, but was mindful of his energy conservation. He ate earlier with Anna and had enough sugar packets to last him over a month on the table.
Still, Atlas didn’t want to go into stasis. He wanted to stay fully aware. That, and resting like this brought its own clarity beyond charging. It was peaceful. Even the baby, active earlier, was quiet. He put his hand on her belly and felt a half-hearted kick against his hand. “Did I put you asleep too?”
He shifted one hand to press on her side. She would be a mother soon.
His feelings for Anna were soft and definite. But this baby . . .
He covered the kicking heel with his palm.I’m not the father.He didn’t know how to feel there.Well, I never could be the father anyway.He lacked any genetic code. Other android and human couplings had raised children before, even created them together using artificial insemination technology. But that was such a big leap. It didn’t matter to him that the baby was half Paul. The fact that Anna was carrying her mattered more.
But to be a father? If he was committing to her, that would be his role.
Did Anna want that? Did he want that?
The baby kicked on his palm. Anna would need help. And the biggest thing Atlas knew is that he wanted to help her. Hepushed lightly on Anna’s stomach, at the little feet poking out. “Were you listening to me talk as well?”
That was wild to think about, and he let his hand rest there as the soft presses continued. He swallowed, suddenly thinking of the plans for the little girl Stella initially had. “Don’t worry, little one. You have a strong Mama. And I promise I’ll keep you both safe.”
Luckily it seemed the contractions had slowed down. There hadn’t been any this evening. Which was probably due to there being less stress and activity. His sensory cortex heated as Anna stirred in his arms. He’d like to examine her, but wasn’t sure that would be the best thing for either of them right now. A tingle flowed over his neural mind at the thought. No. Especially the checks that came later in pregnancy. None of those would be . . . well, strictly medical at this point.
He would need to do them some time, from a medical standpoint, but it would be fine to wait. Or maybe he should have Sterling come out here to have more clinical guidance.
His hand paused. Anna would need to go to the facility to give birth. And she had that chip still on her spine. After the birth, after Stella got her data, the chip would need to come off. By then, they would have seen she was no risk. By then, everything would be settled. It had to be. Once the birth was past and everything was calm, then everything would naturally relax.
Atlas removed his hand. That was another thing.Right now Anna couldn’t even be mildly irritated with him. How could a relationship survive like that? What was it doing to her mind when she couldn’t feel anger?
What a complication.He balled his fist on top of the blanket. None of this needed to happen. It was all because of Stella and the other half of the communal mind — too afraid to see right from wrong.
He watched her sleep. Her hair tumbling over his chest and onto the pillow. Calm and relaxed. Open and trusting. He would protect her. She was his. He traced down her cheek in the night. No one would hurt her again.
He would make sure of it.
“I’m not going back,” Atlas whispered to Anna. “I’ll stay here with you. We are going to make thatFriday Morningcome true. For both of us.“ He placed a hand on her belly. “For all of us.”
He opened his connection wide, linking to the communal mind. Once he was present and the hum silenced, he announced,“I’ll be staying here. With them. From now on.”
And then he disconnected. Firmly. Before allowing any discussion.
Neither the communal mind, nor others’ opinions, would sway him any longer.
