“Yeah. They’re all stiff. Stuffy.”
“That could be because he loves you.” Anna’s hand hovered protectively over her stomach. She turned back to the window, back to looking at the terraformed feed of Mars. Tears started to appear. She forced them away, focusing on the glass until she breathed so hard a spot of fog appeared.
Her reflection—a pale, imperfect human face above a belly as big as a boulder stared back.Part of her hair had escaped her ponytail and was curling around her head, a shade lighter than Nora’s wispy brown beside her. She picked up the cookie and rubbed her yellow finger on the yellow top. “I’m the unattached specimen.”
“Anna, stop that! No you are not! We’re safe here.” Nora lifted her hand to pat Anna’s stomach. “Here. Eat a cookie. Try some of the stuff you’re making.”
“Is it any good? I experimented.” Anna brought a cookie to her mouth and tore a bite out. She groaned at the sugary sweetness on her tongue. “All these different ingredients. There are so many flavors I never knew before.”
“Yeah, it tastes good.” Nora licked at the frosting on her fingers. “What did you use?”
“Something called cinnamon?”
Nora picked up another. “Cinnamon is definitely a winner. All the other androids seem to like your cookies too. You should see Simon; he devours them. I knew he was holding back on Earth.”
Anna snorted. “He’s ridiculous.”
“He says the sweet stuff is easier to digest.”
Anna’s stomach churned more now.I can’t finish.She pushed the rest of the cookie toward Nora. “This baby doesn’t like too much sweet stuff.”
“Didn’t you eat a lot back in the bakery? When I was pregnant I couldn’t seem to stop.”
Anna rolled her eyes. “You think Paul ever let me eat any of it? I had to save everything for the customers.”
“He was such a jerk.” Gently, Nora reached out. “I know things are all weird, but I’m happy you’re here and away from him.”
“I can’t disagree with you there.” She turned away. “Any sort of spaceship adventure is better than before.”
Nora tilted her head. “Even with androids?”
“Especially then. No competition.”
“Oh . . .” Nora grinned. “I’ll let Simon know you said that.”
Just then Zero, an android with blonde, wavy hair, came in. He smiled at them both and casually walked over to pick up a plate of cookies. “Thanks.”
“Of course.” Anna fixed a smile on her face, watching as his eyes lingered on her on the way out.
“See, look at that,” she whispered to Nora. “You really think the reason all the androids stare at us is because they’re fascinated?”
“Yeah. They haven’t had any new humans with them for so long.”
Anna looked down at her belly.I hope it’s nothing more than fascination.
Chapter two
Atlas
Atlas stood at an even six feet tall, shorter than most other android models. Right now his height didn’t matter, as he was crouched low on the ground. In front of him was a piece of ancient technology: an ultrasound machine. He snapped the wiring case open, touching the thick layer of dust inside.
When he was constructed, height was not a factor in his design. Instead, he was built with more medical capabilities and sensors than any of the androids currently on board. Back before Earth was destroyed, he’d worked in hospitals, in surgery. A purpose long since abandoned even as he persisted.
He brushed aside the dust inside the ultrasound, then delicately pulled on the wiring. Everything on him was designed for surgery, not mechanics, but he had enough computing power to understand the schematics. Soon, cables were stretched out on either side of the machine, the wiring on them stripped. Even more than the dust, there was corrosion on almost every piece.The ultrasound hadn’t been used for roughly fifty years or more. And it showed.
Atlas rolled up the sleeves of his blue sweater, exposing his forearms. The extra layer helped him retain heat better, but got in the way of delicate work like this wiring.
He stripped one of the wires and slowly connected the broken lines together. Why he was exerting himself so hard was a question that didn’t fully compute. There were three new humans on board, one of which was pregnant.
