Chapter Eleven - Bryce
"Chee-Ikos, bring this to that table." Sanje placed a box containing many small pieces in my arms. These pieces would assemble to become a greater construction that only Sanje knew about.
The sea air was calm against my newly developed processors and I could feel genuine contentment as I followed my master's instructions. I placed the box gently on the small round table. But as I moved, to return to my master's side, I brushed the top of the box slightly. It was enough to send the entire box to the ground.
SMASH! Pieces scattered everywhere.
"No!" I cried.
Sanje rushed to my side.
"What happened?" He asked.
"I did as you asked, and then..." I looked from the table to the pieces on the floor. A strange feeling welled up inside of me. Sadness... and then...I raised my arm and made a fist, slamming it into the table.
Sanje wasn't angry. But he frowned as he looked from me the damage in the table.
"That was only an accident, Ikos," he said, speaking in a tone I had heard him use many times with the pups. "Now you must pick up the pieces. But there is no need to be violent."
Violent...a Chee must not harm a living being. But the table wasn't alive.
"I defied your orders." I said. "You gave me a command and I failed."
"Anyone can make a mistake, Chee-Ikos," Sanje placed a hand on my arm. "Please, Ikos, pick up the pieces. You are forgiven."
I did as I was asked. A day later, another Pemalite named Arien arrived and examined me. When he was finished with me, he examined the damage I had done.
"Am I in trouble." I asked.
"Of course not," Sanje said, softly.
Arien smiled to assure me that there was nothing wrong. But I sensed something beneath his face as he and Sanje went outside. I was told to wait, but I could hear their conversation from the edge of the ocean where they strolled.
"There is a flaw in the programming of the Anjue models," Arien said. "They take orders literally and have difficulty improvising. There are reports of other Chee making mistakes and growing frustrated, or angry. Ikos is not the only one."
"But I am making such progress with Ikos." Sanje protested. "He is able to understand things if I explain them to him. Certainly there are Pemalites who take a longer time than others to learn. Can't we give our androids a similar allowance to grow?"
"It's not a question of allowance, Sanje. The Chee are built to be nearly invincible. Suppose that table had been a living thing? I'm afraid the only course of action is to deactivate them until we can work out a way to correct this programming without destroying the current state of their souls."
Sometime later, Sanje approached me. I was sure he would deactivate me now. On the network I was all ready hearing the silenced farewells of many of my brothers and sisters.
"Are you going to deactivate me now, master?" There was acceptance in my voice, but I also felt sadness. It wasn't the sadness that led to my hurting the table. I knew that was wrong now.
Sanje smiled.
"Of course not," he said. "We created you to be our friends, not our servants. And a friend helps another friend, no matter what he has done."
Billions of years later, I was looking up at my friend. Sean. Though Chee-Enry stood guard to be sure that no one caught him, after what he had done just to get to me.
"I'm sorry, Bryce." He said. "I should never have used the dog morph that way. That must have stressed you out so badly."
"No." I said.
Sean's eyes widened. There was a sleu of response from the Chee Net, including a message from my dad.
"Are you okay?" He asked. "Do you want some water?"
Sean went to get water, only to stop and turn to me with an awkward expression.
"Er, you probably don't need water."
"Not especially, no."
I glanced at the machines that were monitoring my vitals and took over for whoever was manufacturing them. Getting out of the hospital would be my responsibility now. Sean sat back down on the stool and placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Well, you probably know about the Yeerk pool here," he said.
"Yes." I nodded. "There's one here and in the hospital up in Burlington."
Sean shook his head.
"Visser Six has been moving fast." He said. "I had no idea and he was right under my nose."
"We didn't either," I reminded him. "I could have learned so much more by now. So, I'd apologize for that, but I've heard enough of how it isn't my fault."
Sean chuckled.
"Listen, I've been thinking."
"A first for you."
"Yeah, right. Do you remember the class field trip to the Rutland fair grounds?"
I nodded.
"Do you remember where that one exhibit with the rodeo clowns came from?"
I pulled up the exact memory of those times. I saw the animal in my head and I rolled my eyes.
"You're planning on getting firepower," I said.
Sean grinned.
It should have been against my programming. Helping Sean aquire a dangerous animal that could hurt other people. But something was different. A routine that Sanje had programmed into me, to keep the others from shutting me down.
"It's actually not far from Bennington," I said. "My dad can drive you there."