I wonder if I should try to get someone to loan me some barter. I have some, but it's not like logic circuits are just lying around. "Thank you." I say to both of them, not making eye contact with either.
"What do you think? Do you want the van?" I ask Metro, trying to keep my hands moving so they don't start shaking. I look at Applejack, "It may be better if we take your car, it's probably faster."
I don't know what an AI logic circuit looks like. …
I shake my head, he has nothing to be sorry about. "You should stay here. You'll be safer." I tell him. I hope that whatever odd presence sensed him last time will pass me over if I'm alone.
"Um, yeah, of course." I reply to Applejack. "I'm not ver…
Eleven days?!? I was supposed to have the rest of my life with him.
"What has the best chance of success?" I ask, steeling myself. "Tradertown?" I'm loathe to go there again, but I will do anything to help him. The irony isn't lost on me that he's …
Soon.
I wonder what he means by that. Soon like a year? The man is over 200 years old. Or soon like tomorrow? "When?" I ask. I wonder if there's a way to replace this logic circuit but cut out the three laws. Let him live like a person.
It feels like all of the air escapes from my lungs in one reverse gasp. My hands start trembling a little, finally having him respond means I can fall apart now. I want to ask him what happened, make him promise to never do it again but words fail m…
My face is full of pain and hurt- what am I gonna do? I take a breath, in and out. Another. It will be fine. He can be fixed, right? It's not like he's gonna die.
Right?
After a few long moments, I scoot over to him, checking him out as best as I …
"Of course he's not like that, I've known him for five years and if anything he's too helpful towards folk that would turn him into a slave if they knew."
I sit down on the floor next to him, taking his hands in mine. I won't cry. I have no reason …
Of course in there, I have to fight the urge to try to lay him down on the bed, I can't maneuver him without his help.
My eyes fly to Applejack's, and I move to close the door without taking my eyes off hers. "He is the man I love who happens to …
Of course it works, I am putty in his hands. I'm not particularly thrilled at the interruption, but the honey makes up for it- I'm just sitting up when I see Metro falter.
I rush over to him. "What is it?" I ask him, searching for signs of distress…
I dive back into work, irritated by a vague feeling I can't quite place. The whole time I question the decision to leave the Ascendant. Metro and I were good there, right? I felt bad about the folks who needed care out here, but everyone respected b…
Of course she's interested in Metro. Everyone is interested in him. I hadn't counted on how much attention he'd get here- I don't like it. Not so much because I want him all to myself- I sort of do, but not at the expense of him being happy- but bec…
"Things are the same, mostly." I reply. Of course she knows I came from the Ascendant- if anyone did in this town it'd be her. "Mostly I felt bad for the people who couldn't get there for medical care. Folks need doctors and I started to feel like m…
"Of course." I answer, already having thought of it. I wonder what she and her girls are using for birth control- because I worry- but that's not a question for right now. "I am still setting up- I don't have much in the way of beds yet, but I think…
I take a deep breath. "Might as well." I answer. Then I can go back to the clinic and snuggle with Metro and feel like myself again, instead of the idea of me that I keep having to project to new people.
"I'm not scared of them." I reply."If someone needs a doc, I help them. I don't want to be in between you and them." It's a declaration, not a question.
I'm not a fan of the implied threat, but there's not much I can do about it."Ok." I reply. I don't turn patients away, so I was going to keep them healthy anyway, but I don't like feeling like treating them is protection. Oh well, I'm not going to d…
The video game looks like Mario Kart- they are all driving little vehicles, racing.
I nod at Styrian- of course he knows my name already. "Nice to meet you, Styrian." I reply, at a loss for anything else to say.
I take a fortifying breath. "Yep, as ready as I'll ever be." I reply.
It'll be fine, I reassure myself. I already met a couple of them, I'm already doing good for the the hold, it'll be fine. Just because all of this has gone too smoothly doesn't m…
I sigh, course it couldn't be that easy. "Ok, that sounds good." I reply. "I ran into a couple of them on my way back into town, maybe I'll get lucky and one them will have appendicitis." it's a bad joke, but I chuckle myself. No faster way to get o…