Her hand reached back up to the chip again. “I sold my anger to live here, but . . . it’s all worth it. I think this is gonna be home, baby girl. Thisishome.“ She rubbed her belly, pushing on her little feet kicking. “I think it’s gonna be okay.”
She looked up at the trees surrounding the pasture. Even in the darkness, a few branches poked out perfect for a swing. Trees. No swirling dust. No fighting. No desert.
No Paul.
After a few minutes, she stood and walked slowly back into her new home. The door closed behind her. There was no lock, but here she didn’t feel like she needed one. Especially knowing Atlas was one building over, and she had the means to call him in her hands.
And this time, when she lay down holding that communicator, she finally fell asleep.
Chapter thirty-two
Atlas
Atlas leaned against the hover. They had completely unloaded all the supplies earlier, but now it was full again, repacked with storage boxes to bring back to the facility. He sent a wireless request to Simon. “Can we talk? Outside?”
“Yes. One minute.”
Atlas settled in to wait. It was rare that he was out of the facility at night. As a result, his night sensors were not fully calibrated. He held his hand out in front of him, focusing. Overhead, no drones were present, but he scanned for them anyway. He then sent a security code to keep them away. It seemed no one wanted to test or push him too far tonight, as they were accepted.
Simon appeared a few minutes later. “You took care of the drones? I felt that.”
He gestured to the open skies. “Yes, for now at least. We can speak freely.”
“Good.” Simon glanced upward, joining him by the transport. “I saw you put the neurochip on Anna already; felt that as well.”
“Yes.” He sighed. “Unfortunately.”
There was so much more Atlas could say, but that was why he had called Simon out here. Now, why did he suddenly not know at all how to start? “. . . I’m having a hard time accepting things.”
Simon leaned on the hover’s side. “Accepting what? Anna’s choice? Or something else?”
“Both.” He ran his hand over his hair. “But mostly—before Anna, my perception of humans was solid. Now everything within me feels like it is being reprogrammed. I’m now in an in-between space.”
“With . . . ?”
“Anna.” The name was almost tacky on his tongue. “I’m interested in her. In more ways than one.” Then, as an afterthought, “You might be the only one that understands.”
“Oh.” A sly grin came on Simon’s face. “Oh, ho ho! Nora thought so! This is great; no wonder you’re helping us so much.”
“Great?” Atlas’s neural mind sparked in confusion. It was like Sterling earlier. The easy acceptance, the acknowledgment that his feelings were valid.
“Absolutely. So, what are you confused about?”
“Everything.” He frowned. “I have never seen a human do something so selfless before. She made that deal to protect her baby. The other androids do not understand.”
“Some probably do.”
“Some, but most really do not. They just think it’s interesting.”
The hover creaked as Simon shifted his weight against the side. “I figured as much when I first contacted Stella, back on Earth. No one has had much contact with the humans on Earth beyond the drops since the war.” He gestured toward the warehouse. “They’re different. Some of them are good people. Like Nora. And Anna.”
“She is good, yes.” Atlas was silent a moment. “Can I ask a personal question? That human, Paul. Did he hurt her? She flinches sometimes.”
Simon sighed. “He was mostly controlling.”
“But did he hurt her?”
“Yes. But neither of them like to talk about their lives before much. I think freeing Anna from that man was one of my better moments.” Simon chuckled, flexing his fist. “I guess I did have a little war with the humans all on my own.”
