Anna stared at the pasture and her hands wouldn’t stop wringing together. Both Nora and Simon stayed by her side, frozen except for waving at Tilly when she yelled from across the field. Tilly was running along the fence side, trying to pet the cows.
Everything was back to peaceful now that the androids had left. Well, almost. A part of her shook, mercilessly, when she thought of what she’d agreed to. Everything seemed to fall into line so quickly after she agreed to the neurochip.Almost like that was Stella’s plan all along.
“Well. That’s that.” Nora rubbed her face. “Damn, Anna.”
“. . . I know.”
“I don’t think you needed to agree to the chip.”
“Stella would have thrown every roadblock up possible to keep us from staying here. I could tell she wasn’t going to back down.”
“Yeah, but . . . the chip?”
She tore her gaze away from where the hovers had left. “It’s removable, and Atlas said it wouldn’t hurt anything.”
“. . . But, Anna.”
“Don’t fight me, Nora. You took Tilly and went to the desert to protect her. Then we all took this leap out to Mars. This is my turn to do something.” Anna firmed her shoulders. “My baby girl is livinghere. Not in that glass box.”
“Alright.” Nora touched her arm. “Well . . . thank you, Anna.”
“Yes, thank you,” Simon said softly. “I wouldn’t have moved us back anyway, you know.”
“No, I should be thanking you, Simon.” The baby kicked under Anna’s hands. “You helped bring me here, and now it’s my turn to help. This is the right decision. I feel it.”
“The mere fact that it came to this at all, though!” Simon crossed his arms. “They’re idiots.”
Nora bumped his elbow. “Yeah . . . They’re honestly just as prickly as people from back home. I thought Stella liked us at first too.”
Simon frowned. “Stella has her fingers everywhere. She’s a diplomat model, after all. I thought they had her as the spokesperson because she agreed with the plans, but she probably was pretending even back then to be the one in charge.”
“So . . .” Nora narrowed her eyes. “Always a snake?”
“Probably.”
“Well, we see her now at least.” Anna stretched her arms. “Ugh! I need a distraction.”
“Here.” Nora tugged on her sleeve. “Wanna see the chickens? There’s a coop I can show you.”
“Good idea.”
Anna followed her around the side of the barn. The nighttime floodlights had just turned on when they pressed up against the chicken wire of a large coop. Feeders and measurementswere hooked all around; everything related to the chickens’ care appeared automatic. In the frenzied energy between finding this place and making their snap decision, she never thought to ask how the area functioned usually.But there’s chickens.Something in her stomach loosened. Inside the coop were chickens not much different from the scraggly kinds Nora had kept back home, except with different plumage and vibrant colors.
But still, Anna’s body shook thinking of what she’d agreed to. She joined Nora at the coop’s side. “I’ll feel better once it happens and I see it’s not so bad.”
Nora leaned in closer. “You don’t have to, Anna. Like I said, we can just squat here or something.”
“No. The baby is gonna be born in less than a month. I don’t have time to wait them out.” She sighed deeply. “At least Atlas is on board with everything.”
“Hmmm.” Nora gave her a pointed side-eye.
“I know what you’re thinking and don’t start, Nora.” But Anna’s face heated, remembering Atlas’s words.Don’t sell yourself short.Well, she certainly took those words to heart. Probably sooner than he ever expected.
“Somebody’s got to start!” Nora shook her shoulders. “You’re all sighing when he comes near. Fess up, you like him.”
“Shh.”
“Androids make good lovers, Anna. Ask me how I know.”
