Atlas stepped back into the med room, thoughts still full. It took a moment to register that Stella was there at his desk. She sat there, rubbing her rainwater scent on his chair, pointing at the scans and invading his space. “What are you doing here?”
“Your patient left you something. She was baking again.” In Stella's hand was a brownie from a plate left on his desk. She continued clicking away on his personal terminal, where all the human scans had been compiled. She finished the brownie. “This was pretty good, I’ll give her that.”
Atlas frowned as he leaned in to clear the screen. “Those are my personal records, Stella.”
“I’m just looking.” Stella reached and laid her palm over his, silicone perfect and smooth as she trailed a finger up the back ofhis arm. Perfectly manicured, recently painted with nail polish even though they never grew out. “It was so nice connecting with you again earlier, Atlas. I missed it.”
Atlas forced himself to not shudder. Her touch felt lifeless. In fact, the few times they had tried to be intimate he realized that he felt . . . nothing. Despite her being manufactured to be the perfect companion, Stella did nothing for him. Sleeping with her, years ago, was the biggest mistake of his long existence. It was one of his weaker moments, before he found connection in gardening and his plants.
“I’m not interested, Stella.” He removed his hand from underneath hers. “You forced that connection on me earlier; I’m not interested in talking more.”
Stella pulled her lips into a pout. “I felt it, though. I felt you. Deep down, you understand how I feel.”
“Stop.” Atlas resisted rolling his eyes. “I understand your fear, but . . .”
“See? You understand.”
“Not like that. I don’t think they’re dangerous the way you do.”
He clicked off the baby’s ultrasound to a picture of Anna. She was a round, sad face above an ill-fitting shirt that she had modified to fit her growing belly.
And scared eyes.
His shoulders slumped as he gripped the edge of the monitor. A buzzing annoyance sounded in his ears.Maybe she’s right to be scared of us.
Stella whispered, eyes fixed on Anna’s hunched frame. “I have been trying to get closer with Anna. She is not the same as Nora or Tilly.”
“I don’t understand you, Stella. If you hate them, why did you welcome them on board? Why are you acting as their ambassador?”
“It’s like I told Zero. I wanted to keep them close. And I’m not totally acting.” She shrugged. “I felt bad for Nora and Tilly. I thought it would be just the two of them.”
“Anna isn’t any different than them.”
“Yes she is. She’s not as friendly as they are. Besides, her husband was that monster Paul. Why was she with him in the first place?”
“Not as friendly?”Atlas scoffed. “Stella, Anna’s husband was killed. Suddenly. Even if he was terrible, humans cannot process that fast. She is still in shock. And she even says he was terrible.”
Stella wasn't having any of it.
“Why is it that you always seem to protect humans? Even after everything?” She spoke in a faster tone than a human would. The sound was grating, her voice a hiss. “Humans and plants—things that need maintenance. You and Zero have more in common than I thought.”
“Caring for things is a problem?”
“Yes.” She shuddered. “This empathy doesn’t know when to end. We will keep going until our compassion consumes us again.”
“Enough.” Atlas pushed his sweater sleeves higher. “I’m a doctor. It’s my nature to care.”
Stella rolled her eyes.
Atlas pointed at the monitor. “Anna is a victim as well. Do you not realize? Or care? It was not only Nora and Tilly who were in danger from Paul. Earlier, when I raised my arm to close the curtains, she flinched like she’d been hit before.”
“She flinched?” Stella’s eyes were ice. “She was hit? Then why didn’t she leave him?”
“It isn’t that easy for humans sometimes.”
“Well, being hit isn’t the same. We were destroyed.” Then louder, she added, “Melted down.”
“Anna had nothing to do with the past.” Atlas ran a hand over his face. “I know we need to find a solution with humans. But I agree with Zero; these ones aren’t dangerous.”
