“That doesn’t look too scary.” She examined the thin film closely. “It’s kind of like a sticker?”
“No. This is not scary.” He sighed. “It’s more the implication . . .”
A way to control. A way to cage. Only in a much less obvious way.
Anna wrapped her hand around his. “Hey? It’s okay. I feel like I’m the one who really won.”
The soft touch of his hand on hers felt like a branding iron. He moved his thumb over the top of hers. “Still no contractions?”
“No. Give me a few minutes before we do it? Let’s make sure the contractions are gone?”
Atlas frowned. “Alright.”
She gave a cheeky half grin. “Okay. So when you bring me some plants, where will I put them?” She pointed next to the window. “Maybe here, where it can catch some sunlight.”
He angled his head down. “You know, there is more to me than just plants.”
“Oh?” She angled her head, eyebrows raised. “Wait. Don’t tell me. Medical knowledge and very serious expressions.”
“Okay, I guess you do know everything then.” Atlas dramatically sighed. “Plants are much better to look at than medical supplies. But you are accident prone, so I’ll bring both.”
“I didn’t injure myself at all today.” She held up her palm, where only a thin, almost-healed cut still lingered. “And look. I heal fast.”
“Ehh . . .” He tried not to grin.
“Both then, fine.” She sat forward on her box seat. “Okay, if there is more to you than plants and medical supplies, what do you do all night?”
What did he do? Well. . . “I watch and help do maintenance on the planets. The atmosphere is stable now, but this was not always the case. Both here and on Earth.”
“Yeah dust is always swirling. But, you’re a doctor? What about taking care of the other humans?”
“Sterling has taken point with them. I’m more useful going on trips to the Earth, collecting samples of life to assess how things are doing there from a medical standpoint.” He softly chuckled. “That’s why I was there when you were brought on board.”
“So, day and night? The same things? Doesn’t it get boring?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Would you rather I watch the feeds all day?”
“No. Like maybe play a game or something.” She dropped her voice. “Are you a mystery?”
“I actually do like mysteries. . .” He grinned. “Particularly human-shaped ones.”
His comment had landed when Anna glanced down.
“. . . Wait a second. Are you . . . flirting with me?”
Atlas’s lips quirked. “Are you saying you’re the mystery now?”
“You!” She laughed. “Don’t turn my question around!”
“You kind of walked into it though, but I guess it is flirting.”
Her cheeks reddened.
Quickly, he grinned. “Okay, your real question was how do I fill my time?” He rubbed his chin. “Androids are efficient. Completing tasks does give me a sense of satisfaction, though.” Truthfully that was what he did with his time. He imagined and cared for his plants, wishing the worlds were different. He had brought back movies, includingFriday Morning,but that was . . .It was not the right time to share that. Maybe later. What if she laughed at it? Like she did the reality TV? “Your turn. What do you like to do?”
“I like to do things with my hands.” Her voice became wistful, and she leaned in on her stomach. “I was so tired when I lived with Paul running the bakery . . . but before, I liked to try to bake different things if we had ingredients. As long as they could be sold, I got to experiment some. When I was younger, I liked to draw like Tilly.”
Simple things. Simple wishes. And even then she was qualifying doing them.
