Matt nodded. “It’s alright. I told you—Gary is sort of like a spirit. You can think of it as though he has possessed the body of that machine.”
“If you like, I’ll take the front,” suggested the machine. “If I get shot it won’t be as much of a tragedy, since I don’t really have a body.”
Matthew almost declined the offer. He was beginning to get a feel for his premonitions and wanted to better understand them, but he knew it was foolish. “Go ahead,” he agreed.
“The ANSIS network is trying to shut me out,” Gary informed them as they advanced. “They know this unit is compromised, and I’ve accessed their network. I’m not sure how long I can keep the channel open, but for now I have detailed information on their defenses and deployment here.”
“And?”
“There is only one active unit on this floor, and it’s a human inhabited cybernetic. My ex-wife, to be honest. There are teams of six coming down all four of the emergency stairwells to reinforce the zone, but we have a minute or two before they reach us.”
“Ex-wife?” asked Elaine. “I thought you were a machine-spirit?”
“My creator’s wife, to be precise,” clarified Gary. “They never divorced before he died, but since I’m not technically him, I prefer to think of her as my ex.”
She still didn’t understand, “What’s an ex?” Divorce existed in Lothion, but it was extremely rare, so the phrase was new to her.
“Later,” said Matthew. “Karen is in the room on the right, just ahead of us.”
Gary saluted and began marching forward. “That’s where Tanya is too, incidentally. That room is the surgery suite, by the way, which doesn’t fill me with confidence.” He picked up his pace, forcing the two humans to break into a jog to keep up. Reaching the door almost ten feet ahead of them, he hurled his heavy metal body into it, tearing the doors away from the frame.
Automatic gunfire roared through the doorway.
“Tanya, stop! A ricochet could kill her!” yelled Gary.
“Dad?”
Matthew and Elaine carefully eased through the doorway, trusting in the enchanted shield stones to protect them if Dr. Miller opened fire again. The scene that confronted them was bizarre. Karen was standing, naked and head shaved, beside another of the blackened ANSIS soldiers. Gary was just inside the doorway, his metal hands out in a gesture meant to indicate peaceful intentions.
“Karen, get us out of here. I can fix this, but if they think you’re cooperating with these invaders, it will ruin your chances,” said the machine that held Tanya Miller.
“Don’t listen to her, Nina!” argued Gary. “She’s working for the military already. This is her lab.”
Karen, blue and shivering, stood transfixed, looking back and forth between the two machines that represented her parents. Then her eyes fell on the two humans that had just entered. “Matthew,” she said simply, making his name both a statement and a question.
“How have you been?” he asked her, his mouth curling into a half-smile that belied the seriousness in his eyes.
“I think I slept too long,” she said mildly. “It feels like I’m still dreaming.”
Matthew deactivated the enchanted shield, and with a thought expanded the area between the stones, extending them so that Gary would be included within them. With a word, he sent power flowing back into them, creating a larger shield almost ten feet on each side. “You can forget shooting now, Mrs. Miller. We’re all protected. Bullets won’t accomplish anything,” he said, addressing Karen’s mother.
His eyes met Karen’s for an instant, and then he looked away, glancing to one side at the floor. Right there, he sent to her mentally.
Tanya Miller dropped the rifle and then shifted her arm, wrapping it around her daughter’s shoulder. “I’m trying to protect you, Karen. You have to trust me.”
Karen looked up at her. “Mom, he’s my friend.”
The powerful metal hand shifted to her neck, long fingers wrapping around her throat. Dr. Miller looked at the others. “One move and I’ll snap her neck. There are reinforcements coming as we speak.”
“Tanya, if you hurt her, I will rip you out of the servers and erase every last trace of your miserable evil existence,” threatened Gary.
Karen’s mother laughed, “No, you won’t. You might want to, but you can’t. Whatever you think you feel, it’s just part of the illusion my husband created. The reality is that he built you. You’re a thing, and you can’t do anything that violates the rules he built into you. You can’t hurt a human.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” bluffed the AGI.
Tanya laughed, “I’m not stupid. You’ve corrupted CC servers all over the world. You’ve stolen data, manipulated information, and spied on classified personnel, but you haven’t touched any of the people you were watching. If you could do it, you would have won this war all by yourself, by eliminating or controlling anyone who threatened her. You’re a flaccid, impotent algorithm deluded by dreams of being a real man, just like your creator was.”
“Mom,” said Karen, drawing Tanya’s attention away from the others, “I’ll do it. Just don’t hurt them. Give me a second and I’ll teleport us away from here.”
Tanya relaxed her hand slightly and Karen closed her eyes, concentrating. Her aythar flashed and then she was gone, reappearing inside the shield, standing to one side of Matthew.
Her mother ducked down, reaching for the rifle at her feet and Matthew lifted his hand, preparing to send one of his iron bombs at her.
“No!” yelled Karen. “She’s still my mother, though I hate to admit it.”
Tanya fired the weapon until it ran out of ammunition and then hurled it at the shield.
Matthew turned to Elaine, “We’re leaving, but I don’t want to lose my shield stones. Can you shield us until I’m done?”
Elaine nodded, and he deactivated the enchanted shield stones as her impromptu shield went up. He held out a hand, letting them fly to it. Each stone was cube shaped and they clicked as they touched, sticking together and forming a fist-sized stone cube as they came together. Matthew slipped it into his pouch and then reached out to put his hands over Elaine and Karen’s shoulders. Gary’s mechanical form did the same from the opposite side, his metal arms touching Matthew’s.
“Group hug,” said Karen with a snicker, and then the world began to blur.
“You haven’t won!” shouted Tanya. “No matter what you think. I will hunt you down!”
“Go to hell, Mom,” said Karen firmly, and then they were gone.
Chapter 37
They fell into the ocean. By the time Matthew had created a platform of stable water and everyone had gotten aboard, Karen was shivering and coughing. The shock of the cold sea had made her gasp during the landing and resulted in her almost inhaling the water.
Elaine sat on the platform cradling her wounded arm. She had instinctively tried to swim with it, and only the nerve block had prevented the pain from sending her into unconsciousness.
All in all, they were in a sorry state.
Gary seemed unaffected, though. Matthew studied his new body. “You don’t have a problem with the water?”
The machine shook its head in an almost human-like gesture of negation. “No. The internal electronics are all sealed. Even the civilian units are water-resistant; they’re too expensive to allow moisture to damage them. These military models are rated for water pressures down to two hundred meters. The salt may cause unwanted corrosion and damage to the actuators and other parts, but that will take time.”
Matthew nodded and took out the stones that would form his flying construct. A few minutes later they were flying eastward, away from the setting sun.
As they traveled, Elaine introduced herself to Karen and tried to make her more comfortable, as she was still a little groggy. Being sedated for several days and then forcibly awakened with a stimulant was enough to make anyone a little fuzzy.
The Prathion wizard wrapped Karen in a
blanket of warm air, something Karen decided she needed to learn to do soon. It seemed to be similar to the shielding technique that Matthew had already taught her, but there were some subtle differences. Once she was warm, Elaine created an illusion to cover her nakedness.
Karen stared at the elaborately embroidered dress that flowed from her shoulders and settled around her hips and legs where she sat. It looked like something out of a fairy tale; long yellow skirts embroidered and finished with lace. She wondered how Elaine managed to produce so many fine details in an illusion that was purely the product of her imagination. “How did you think this up?” she asked, but Elaine merely stared at her in confusion.
“She wants to know about the design of the dress,” said Matthew, translating from English to Barion for Elaine’s benefit. “It’ll be easier if you communicate mentally. Karen knows some Barion, but she’s still new to it.”
Elaine nodded, then responded to Karen, I modeled the illusion on my favorite dress at home.
This is a real dress? Karen was shocked. The amount of fabric, the lace and embroidery, all combined with the fact that she knew such things were handmade in this world—it boggled her mind. It must have taken hundreds, perhaps thousands of hours to create. She directed her thoughts to the female wizard, It’s so intricate, and beautiful. What occasion would you wear this for?
Balls and formal court events, replied Elaine. I only get to wear it two or three times a year at most, but I thought if I had to make an illusion for you, I might as well make it something special. She finished the thought with a smile at the other woman.
It’s lovely, replied Karen, and then she touched her head, suddenly self-conscious. She was bald, and that, combined with her blue skin probably made her a ridiculous sight in such finery. Forcing that thought aside, she turned to Gary. “Why did they shave my head?” she asked in English.
Her virtual father paused before answering, which was a little disconcerting since his machine body didn’t have any way of showing the normal facial expressions a human did while pondering a response; such things were superfluous on a military android. “You can’t see them without a mirror, but there are lines and markings across your scalp. Given that you were in a surgery suite, I can only surmise they were going to open up your cranium.”
“Mother said she was there to help me escape…” She let the statement hang in the air; she knew it was a lie, but she needed to hear her father’s opinion on it.
The android opened its arms, trying and failing to adopt a comforting posture that the machine was not made to perform, “Nina—it was her lab. I don’t know what they were planning to do, but Matthew said he spotted something like brain tissue in the ANSIS androids. I suspect they were hoping to use your brain to try to improve whatever it is they were doing. Whether that means just taking small samples, or something more terminal, I don’t know.”
Matthew listened intently to the exchange, though he said nothing. Karen was looking down now, her expression unreadable.
“I’ll never forgive her,” she said after a moment. Inside she was numb. The drugs had left her nauseated, and she didn’t have the energy to let the anger that lay beneath the words take hold. Instead she took a deep breath and turned back to Elaine. Can you teach me to make a simple illusion? She touched her bald pate. I’m sure we’ll be meeting people soon, and I’d rather not do it looking like this.
Of course, Elaine said immediately. Let me finish taking care of my arm first, then I’ll show you how.
While the two of them talked, Matthew concentrated on controlling the wind currents that carried them along. It would have been easiest if Karen could teleport them, but this was only her second time in his world, and the first time had been before she had learned to use her special gift. He wasn’t sure if she could teleport somewhere she had been before she had awakened her gift, and he didn’t want to bother her so soon. She had a lot to think about.
The sun dipped below the horizon behind them, and they flew on into a dark night over an ocean that seemed to stretch on forever.
***
Time stretched out over the dark sea, but when the moon rose and cast its light over the waves, it filled all of them with a sense of peace and wonder. It was impossible to watch the moonlight reflecting off the waves and feel anything else. Beneath a vast sky filled with stars, the ocean was a sparkling bed of silver and black, rippling all the way to the horizon.
Matthew was tired, but unlike in Karen’s world, where he would have exhausted himself by now, here he was merely fatigued. He hoped they would find land soon, though; if not, Elaine would soon have to handle the flying so he could rest. She was asleep currently, curled up like a child on the transparent floor of the flying construct. Karen had been napping beside her, but now she stretched and sat up, staring at Matthew’s back.
“You’re awake,” he said, practicing his English again.
She nodded. “Yes.” Slowly, she slid forward until she was directly behind him. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck. The illusion of the dress was gone, having vanished when Elaine fell asleep; not that it would have mattered when their skin made contact anyway.
Matt wondered what Gary thought, sitting at the back. He hadn’t spoken in over an hour, but Matt felt self-conscious having a naked woman embrace him in front of the machine. The android said nothing, however.
“What will happen next?” she asked softly.
“When we find land, I’ll make a circle and take you to my home,” he replied simply.
“And then?”
“You can’t go back,” he told her firmly. “This is your world now.”
“What will your parents think, when you bring home a naked blue woman from another world?”
“They’ll probably be angry with me for taking so many risks,” he explained. “I told them it wouldn’t be that dangerous. I never explained the part about you having been taken, but you will find them very kind. I’m guessing they will put you in one of the guest rooms in Castle Cameron. My mother, the Countess, will probably shower you with attention, and I hate to think what sort of questions Moira will bombard you with.”
“I’m a stranger,” said Karen, “with no money or occupation. How long will they let me live there?”
He laughed. “Don’t worry. You’re a wizard, one of only handful in this world. You will be welcome wherever you go, and I’m sure they’ll want you to stay. Since you have no family here, you’re completely free. You can go anywhere you want, and every noble in Lothion will be fighting to retain your services. The Queen might even want you to take service with her.”
Karen sighed, “I don’t know anyone.”
“You will,” he said cheerfully. “Everyone will want to know you. You’ll have more freedom than anyone in the world.”
His words filled her with a cold emptiness. She knew he meant well, but he clearly had no idea how frightening it was to be alone, unconnected, unknown, and unwanted, in a strange and foreign land. Her only connection was with the man sitting in front of her, and it was readily apparent from his talk of ‘freedom’ that he hadn’t changed his thinking about his own position.
She was on her own.
Karen clenched her jaw, fighting back unbidden tears. For some reason, this thought affected her more than her mother’s betrayal. She had expected that. Glancing at Gary, she tried to stay positive. He wouldn’t desert her. A girl and her robot dad travel the world and face the unknown! The idea was amusing, but humorous as it was, it couldn’t touch the cold knot of fear in her heart.
“Look,” said Matthew loudly, startling her from her reverie. “See that black strip ahead? I think it’s a coastline.”
Gary turned his head, focusing in the direction the young wizard had indicated. His visual sensors were more acute than anything possessed by the humans, “It is land. Well done!”
An hour and a half later, they landed on a rocky shoreline. There was no beach to speak of, just massive stony cliffs rising from the b
eating waves. They were perched now at the edge of one of the cliffs, standing on a grassy, rock-strewn plain that led away to the west. Matthew began making a circle as soon as he had put away the enchanted stones of his flying construct.
Fifteen minutes later, they were standing in the transfer-house in Castle Cameron.
It was dark, but there were guards stationed around the clock at the building that housed the teleportation circles. As soon as they emerged, a runner was sent to notify the castle of their arrival.
Matthew looked with resignation at the guard who had stayed behind. “I suppose I should have expected they would be waiting for us.”
The guard chuckled, “You’ve been gone for days, milord. Your lady mother left very strict instructions as to what we was to do if you showed up.”
There was no help for it, so he led his motley band to the keep. A doorman there was expecting them, and he opened the heavy oak door for them. They marched inside and were greeted by the Countess herself.
Penny stood in the entry hall wearing a severe dress of black-dyed linen. Despite the late hour, she had managed to dress and somehow pin up her hair into a tight bun. She had also worn her sword, which seemed odd, given the hour and her dress. The expression on her face was hard and unyielding, and it was reserved entirely for Matthew. “I see my son has returned,” she stated.
“I’m sorry for worrying you—again, Mother,” Matthew began, as Karen and Elaine entered behind him and stepped into view. Gary stayed at the back.
Penny’s face transformed, passing through several phases, the first being a smile for his companions, followed by a look of alarm as she registered the android behind them. Faster than the eye could follow, her sword was out and she began to advance. “What is that?!”
Matthew managed to interpose himself between her and Gary, holding up his hands. “Peace, Mother, peace! He’s a friend!”
Her eyes never left the machine. “Explain.” The doorman outside and two guards from within the keep took positions around Gary’s metal form.
“I come in peace,” said the android.