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BE89 shrugged.“Why not?We’re among humans now.We should act like it.”
The thought had crossed RH103’s mind as well, particularly when it came to using a regular human name, and that he was living in a house.“This isn’t the time for jokes.And we’re already mostly human.We’re just enhanced.”
“We’re enhanced copies of copies.”BE89’s eyes took on a faraway look, as if he was lost in memory.“I don’t want to be like that anymore.”
The last thing RH103 wanted to do right now was reminisce over their originals.
“Perhaps this is a conversation to be had at another time.”
BE89 sighed.“All right.But I’m not letting this go.It’s going to take more than repairing New Eden’s power station to fit in in this society.”
“Don’t you think we know that?”CW44 said flatly.
“Enough.”RH103 faced all of them.“Whoever wants to discuss this later is welcome to.I promised Hannah Forsyth that I would have a plan and timelines for the station’s repairs by tonight, and I intend to keep that promise.”
Silence greeted him, and he wondered if he’d made a misstep.He’d never done that before.
“Why Hannah?”BE89 asked curiously.
“She’s the settlement’s unofficial leader, at least until they hold an election.”
“Wouldn’t Rodelle Lansing fit into that role?”
RH103 thought of the sad woman in the front row the previous night in the amphitheater and felt a twinge of sympathy.“Why would she?”
“She’s the leader’s widow,” BE89 explained patiently.“Wouldn’t she be entitled to that honor?”
“I don’t think New Eden works that way.This isn’t a monarchy.And how do you know who Mrs.Lansing is?”
“She’s letting me live in her house.She’s staying in her guesthouse at the back of the property.”
The revelation sparked RH103’s ire.“Why the hell are you in the house while she stays in her guesthouse?”
The other cyborg held up his hands in defense.“She offered.She said she hasn’t stayed there since her husband died.Says it has too many bad memories for her.”
“I see.My apologies.”But RH103 made a mental note to ask Mrs.Lansing about the arrangement.Ensure it truly worked for her.Despite his tendency to think and reason differently than the rest of them, BE89 was still thoughtful in a more human way than RH103 or the others were.
“I’ve also decided that I’m not going to be BE89 anymore,” the cyborg continued.“Call me Brandon instead.”
Everyone else stared at him, aghast.
RH103 searched his memory banks for the scant information he had on BE89’s original.“Wasn’t the first BE named Brayden Emerson?”
“Yes, but I don’t like the name Brayden.”BE89—Brandon—drew himself up to his full height, a determined look on his face.“And I’m not technically Brayden, just the eighty-ninth version of him.I like Brandon better.I’m just Brandon Emerson from now on.”
If acknowledging BE89 as Brandon Emerson would make the power station repairs go that much faster, RH103 would do so.“Very well.Anyone else who wants to go by a different designation is free to do so, just tell us what to call you.”He looked at the damaged pumps still waiting to be fixed.“Let’s get that plan in place, like I promised.”
ChapterFive
The house wasempty when Hannah returned in the evening, a wooden box of eggs in one hand and a basket of tomatoes and potatoes in the other.Her muscles ached from exertion, a familiar feeling, but it wasn’t so uncomfortable tonight.She could have wept with how much had been accomplished that day, and the promise of more to come.
As she started preparing dinner, it felt as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders.Like her other neighbors after the quake, she had set up a firepit in her backyard to cook food over.She built up the flames, then set up a dented pot on a homemade stand over it, filled with water, to boil some eggs.
Jasmine walked out of her back door as Hannah sat back to keep an eye on the fire.She waved as she set up her own fire and a pot of something over the flames.As soon as the tinder was ablaze, she quickly crossed over to Hannah’s yard.
“This is the most relaxed I’ve seen you look in years,” Jasmine said by way of greeting.
“Thisisthe most relaxed I’ve been in years.You should see the barn and the fields.Agricultural production has almost caught up since the cyborgs got here.Your new housemate just dove right in and started working.”
