The small wooden table was littered with food. Now that they had a kitchen setup and a refrigerator, he had been stocking the house with as many carbohydrates as he could find.
Anna picked at the food, only eating a few bites of the protein bar. She had been refusing anything more substantial the last few days, and he’d chalked it up to the end of the pregnancy. Now even the regression in what she was willing to eat pinged at him.
“Something is wrong. Don’t tell me it’s not.” Pushing up his sleeves, he sat in front of her, knees apart. Then he gently touched Anna’s hand. “Did you and Nora have an argument?”
She took her hand away from her forehead. “No. Why?”
“She was glaring at you when getting into the transport earlier.” He moved her hair up behind her ears. “What’s wrong?”
“No. Nora is fine. Why do you think something is wrong?” She covered her face in her hands. “Have you seen something change in me?”
He gave a half smile. “I might not be human, Anna, but I’m not dense. Bedside manners, remember? Can you tell me?” Time stretched without an answer and then he asked again. “Anna?”
She pressed her fingers to her forehead, rubbing.
Atlas gently tugged her hands back down. “Does your head hurt? Tell me. Please.”
“Alright.” Her lip trembled. “Earlier with Nora I figured out that the chip isn’t just making me not angry. I think it’s stealing my memories.”
Atlas froze. “Stealing memories? What exactly did you notice?”
Her eyes darted side to side. “I get this feeling, like someone dunked me in cold water, and then I sort of freeze. Then I can’t remember what I was upset about. It wasn’t that bad when you put the chip in, but I am worried it’s getting worse.”
“You can’t remember?” Atlas’s lip curled.Even before this, he was finished with this experiment. This stupid overreach and interference. He pushed his sleeves up even further. “Let’s remove it.”
Before he could reach behind her head, Anna stopped him. “Atlas, no!”
He lowered his hand. “Anna. Let me. I had my suspicions before but now I’m certain after what you said that this needs to be removed.”
“No! Atlas!” Anna grabbed at him, wide-eyed and in fear. “I made a deal.”
“Listen to me!” He put his hands on her shoulders. “No deals matter if they’re hurting you.”
The words hung between them. Atlas was done. So done with inaction. And so angry on Anna’s behalf.
Anna sat back, tugging on her hair with both hands. “I’m just forgetting things. Look, after the baby is here we can take it off, okay? Maybe you can talk with them then. I don’t want to go to that facility and have this huge issue . . . I just want to have my baby in peace when I’m there.”
Atlas ground his teeth, his entire body giving an error code over the tension. “Anna, you always should have had peace.”
“Atlas. Don’t be mad at me. Please. I don’t want to do anything to change things right before the baby is born.” She swallowed heavily. “But do you know what’s happening? I don’t think there are any long-term effects, right?”
“. . .Come here.”He reached over, pulling her in his arms. “Sterling is tracking everything and is positive it’s not doing any long-term damage.”
“That’s what really matters. We need to play their game a little longer.” She pressed her head into his chest. “Just hold me, okay?”
“Of course.” Atlas tightened his arms. He forced his processors to relax. Anna didn’t need his anger. Especially when she couldn’t even manufacture her own. He held her to him, stroking her head with his fingers. “Only Sterling will be present when the baby is born. Even without the neurochip, there never was any consensus to ask for more of you.”
“I don’t care. I don’t want to give them any reason to take any of this away.” She shook her head against his chest. “Not you. Not this place. Not my baby . . .”
“It needs to come off Anna.” Atlas kissed the top of her hair. “Listen to me. I need to protect you. I’m still going to connect and let them know what it’s doing to you.”
“No . . . don’t say you’re taking it off.”
“Fine, but I’m letting them know what’s happening, alright?” His voice was strained. “You need to let me do something, Anna. I love you. I have to do something.”
Anna stiffened in his arms.
“It’s true.” Atlas leaned in closer. “I love you.”
