Two sets of footprints stretched out across the flat sand of the beach, running parallel to the surf. One was a faint trail of small bare feet and next to that was a deeper set of booted footprints, left by someone much heavier. A veil of surf swept over the broad beach, erasing the lighter set and reducing the deeper set to indistinct dents. The deeper set of footprints survived another wave, but by the fourth, all traces of the couple's passage had been erased and the sand was smooth again.
The creators of those prints were now higher up on the beach, where the sand was dry and loose. The smaller one sat on a sun-warmed black boulder that jutted up from the sand, while his larger companion stood nearby.
Zero-B focused on the horizon, magnifying it as much as her optical systems could but it remained a hazy wavy line. No rigging or sails interrupted the horizon; the ships must be very far out to sea. Her lenses relaxed and her vision pulled back to the calm bay. The incoming waves were barely clearing the reef not too far offshore, which broke the surface from time to time now that it was low tide. Due to the reef's prominence, the water between the reef and shore was relatively docile. "What of that?" she asked, gesturing towards the reef.
Aric squinted to see what she was referring to and grinned. "Yeah, that's pretty cool, huh?"
At the outer edge of the reef where they were both looking, a narrow derelict ship rose from the water at an unsightly angle with the bow completely clearing the water.
"It was a long time ago that they ran aground there." Aric's brow wrinkled as he tried to remember the stories he had heard. "Mm, I don't know whose boat it was. I think pirates was chasing them, that's why they crashed."
"That vessel is the property of no Farm resident?"
"Um, I guess so. Sometimes some adults talk about towing it in. It's not broken up yet, so it's strong I guess, but they say it's too hard to get and they just leave it there."
Zero-B focused on the ship. Waves constantly collided with the narrow hull, producing a booming sound with each impact but the ship did not tremble in the least, so tightly was it fixed. As the bow had been forced upwards by the reef, the stern had been driven down and with each wave, the rear of the boat was awash in saltwater. In this low tide, the slimy green seaweed that grew on the deck now swirled in and out with each wave. Even from the beach, it was easy to tell that the ship had run aground a long time ago. The skewed waterline of the boat was a large solid mass of barnacles and young coral while the upper half of the hull was black with age and slime. Only the listing walls of the pilothouse remained standing; the cavities left behind by windows and doors gaped emptily. Flocks of small marine birds had made this wreck their roost, preening and calling out between their fishing flights. The entire boat was dirty with guano, feathers, and other filth. "It has been abandoned," Zero-B confirmed.
"Yeah," replied Aric.
She looked at the derelict for a moment more, then looked at Aric and asked, "Can you lead Zero-B to the mine?"
"The mine?" Aric replied, a bit surprised. "No, that's way too far away. Plus kids aren't allowed there by themselves." He spoke that answer like a reflex, but then paused and considered his companion, "How old are you, Serobi?"
"Unit Zero-B has been in service for nine years, five months, and thirteen days."
"No way!" Aric exclaimed. "You can't be nine years old!"
Zero-B repeated firmly, "Unit Zero-B has been in service for nine years, five months, and thirteen days."
Aric laughed. "Wow. I'm older than you." Serobi didn't reply and Aric's amusement faded. "So is Unit your first name? That's a weird name."
"Negative." Zero-B looked inland, toward the mountaintops above the mining facility. Even with her enhanced sight, she could only make out the larger details of the mountain's face.
Aric noticed what she was looking at and commented, "My dad took me there once. It's pretty big. I couldn't go inside though." He squinted up at the android. "Hey you wanna go play now?"
Zero-B regarded him closely. "Play?"
Aric nodded and slid off the rock into the sand. "Yeah. We can go dig up crabs and sandfleas or . . . go exploring or . . . I don't know. What do you want to do?"
Zero-B had no answer for his question.
"I guess you don't play very much, since you're homeless. Are you hungry? Do you need food?"
"Negative."
"You kind of talk like a Deckman, did you know that?"
Again, Serobi did not reply, instead she watched the waves.
Aric, however, was not so easily entertained and looked at her with dissatisfaction before exclaiming, "Hey! I know!" He eagerly shared his epiphany with Serobi. "We can build you a house, since you're homeless! This is great!" He became very animated and began looking about quickly and talking even faster. "Okay, okay, we can build it here," he said, spreading out his arms to estimate the size of the house. "And we can use driftwood. There's tons of it!" He ran over to pick up the nearest stick and bent down to begin drawing in the sand with the stylus.
Over his shoulder Zero-B watched him sketch out the plans.
When Aric looked up and saw that she wasn't doing anything he said, "Aw, what are you doing just standing there? We're gonna need wood for your house! Hurry up!" he ordered with a wave of his free hand.
Zero-B straightened and looked down the beach, then unhurriedly walked over to the nearest piece of driftwood, picked it up, and returned to deposit it on the sand next to Aric. The Tipharean war machine continued this process while the boy drew in the sand.
Unsatisfied with his plan, Aric smeared the sand drawing away and started again. He drew one large square room for the living room, a smaller attached one for the bedroom, an even smaller one for the bathroom and stopped. That didn't seem like enough, but he couldn't figure out what else the house needed. Aric moved his long bangs out of his face, but the wind just brought them back. He drew another bedroom, for guests. And a playroom. Then he drew a front and back porch and a fence to close in the backyard. Aric's calves hurt from crouching so he sat down and continued his drawing. He then drew a large circle close to the yard, to signify the pond they would dig.
Aric scratched the back of his head. He was out of ideas, but the house still looked incomplete. "Hey, what else do you want in your-" Aric looked up to find Serobi. "No no no!" He yelled, leaping up from his seat. "That's too much!"
Serobi had collected a lot of driftwood, mostly twigs and minor branches, and piled it immediately behind him. Now she was a few dozen yards down the beach, returning with an immense bleached tree trunk that she had wrested from the ground.
Aric ran over to her. "What are you doing?" he asked incredulously.
Zero-B stopped with the massive white trunk balanced on her shoulder. "You ordered Zero-B to gather wood." She looked at the trunk. "This is wood."
Aric stopped just before her. "Yeah, but that's too much." He paused to take in just how big it was. The half that had been buried in the sand was covered with black slime. The trunk was bigger around than he was. "Uh, you better put it back."
Zero-B turned around and walked back to where she had found it.
Aric saw that with each step she sank into the sand up to her ankles, the saturated brown sand turning white as the water was squeezed out by her weight. Serobi dropped the log unceremoniously with a great thud where she had found it and came back to where Aric stood. His wide eyes remained on the massive log.
"What more is required?" Zero-B asked.
Aric blinked as the spell of amazement faded. "Oh, uh, nothing," he replied. He had been thinking of using rocks for the porch, but wouldn't dare ask her to get any, not with all these boulders lying around. "Wasn't that heavy?" he asked, his eyes straying to the tree trunk again.
Zero-B glanced back at the log. "Negative."
"Really? How much can you carry?"
"The original specifications for unit Zero-B include a maximum static load bearing of approximately 12000 pounds or dynamic load of 8000 pounds. Current maximum dynamic ability is approximated at 5760 pounds," reported Zero-B.
"Wow!" Aric responded, thoroughly impressed. "You're like GigaMan from the comics!"
"Who is GigaMan?"
"Yeah, he's the hero, because he's the strongest and best. But that's so awesome. I bet you could pick up . . . pick up a whole ship!" He exclaimed, spreading his arms wide. "You can pick up twelve thousands pounds, that's gotta be more than a ship!"
"Negative."
"What? You can't?"
"Correct."
"But you just said you could . . . Why can't ya?"
"Mainly . . . inadequate maintenance."
"You're out of shape?"
" . . . Affirmative."
"Ah well you just need exercise then. C'mon. You can help me make the house. That'll make you nice and strong."
It was far into the night and the gibbous moon hung above the ocean, its light as cool as the mist coming off of the water and spreading scant dew upon the coast. Even in the darkness, the breakers continued their ceaseless assault of the land and Zero-B watched their tireless march. Soaked by sea spray, her clothes, cloak, and hair were heavy and hung slack against her body, for she had been sitting here in the aft of the abandoned ship for the entire night. Zero-B had the entire wreck to herself, since the sea spray deterred any birds from roosting here, but she remained where she was. The activity of the waves kept her attention occupied, but from time to time she broke away to review her surroundings.
The beach lay not too far away, with the collapsed hut lying in the sand. The faint moonlight did not allow her to see much further inland than that, but she could make out the outline of the horizon. She had been watching the sky and sea for so long that she had seen the sky of stars slide into the darkness of the ocean with the rotation of the earth, something she had never noticed before. The mountain range defined itself against the heavens, as did the Farm. The town was entirely dark except for the blinking red beacon atop the Factory substation and the sighing of the night wind was the only sound to be heard.
Though much of the world slept, Zero-B was disallowed true rest. As the G.I.B. never slept, so must their servants also remain vigilant. That meant that she was perpetually on alert, never resting, always prepared for combat. It was well past midnight and she had work yet to do, so she rose from her seat. Old unserviced joints protested as she walked to the front of the boat and shells and guano crunched beneath her boots. She reached the bow and setting her hand on the prow, jumped over the railing into the water below. The flat top of the reef lay beneath only a couple feet of water, allowing Zero-B to use it as a bridge to the beach. Zero-B paid no heed to the calcified coral that often crumbled beneath her boots and soon she was close enough to the shore that she was able to jump from the reef into the shallows up to her hips and emerge from there. With the firm sand of the beach under her feet, she looked back at the wreck's silhouette on the moonlit water before turning towards the town.
Zero-B stood at the beginning of the empty strip of concrete that was the main road of the Farm town, listening for any unseen activity. The Farm town was asleep and nothing disturbed the quiet. The partial moon and stars overhead were just enough to render the shapes of buildings against the black sky. Zero-B activated her night vision to navigate the dark street. At the center of the town was the larger Factory substation, the only multistoried building in the entire Farm. On its roof the lone red beacon brightened and dimmed cyclically. Zero-B headed down the sidewalk on the side of the street opposite the substation.
The Factory had built the concrete road and the houses lining it. Consequently, these houses were sturdy, utilitarian, and identical. The only difference between the cinder-block and concrete domiciles were the numbers above the doorways, as the residents were not allowed to personalize their homes. The houses to the rear of these, arrayed on the dirt roads and alleys radiating from the main avenue, were of a totally different nature. Many were made of native stone, cemented together into short, thick walls, sometimes punctuated by glass-less windows, while other homes were built of a hodgepodge of even cheaper materials. Though humble, these homes conveyed the stout integrity and humility of those within.
Zero-B heard the quick jingling of a chain from one of the nearby yards and halted, immediately activating her sonic transducers. As soon as it rounded the corner of the house, the chained dog nearly fell over itself trying to run the other way, away from the ultra-high pitched sound the intruder was making. Upon seeing the effectiveness of this measure, Zero-B increased the volume of the silent sound and continued on her way.
All of the windows and doorways remained dark as she walked further down the street. A herd of goats in a poorly-built corral got up en masse and moved to the corner farthest away from her. The soapwood fence listed from the weight of the goats as they bleated nervously and crowded each other, attempting to get away from the sound. Zero-B did not have the data necessary to formulate a signal to subdue that type of animal, as she had the dogs, so she simply ignored their unease. If not for the need to quiet the dogs, she would have been using her sonic transducers to scan the interiors of the houses. Though the houses were dark and quiet, that was no guarantee that people were not up and about.
The sound of a door opening caused Zero-B to drop to a crouch and press against the nearest corner. Instinctively her hand went to her side where she kept her balisong, but it was buried in the earth far away. Within a moment Zero-B ascertained that the sound had not come from any of the nearby houses and she began expanding the area of her search for the disturbance. As she peered over the nearby short wall, she saw that someone had come out of the goat's house to check on the bleating livestock. Wearing nothing more than shorts, the man stopped at the open doorway to check on his livestock and peer out into the night.
Zero-B knew that he could not hear the sound she made, and that he was blind in this darkness, but to be safe she deactivated her transducers. The goats paused momentarily and then forgot what had been frightening them and then began to spread out through the corral. The man shook his head and cursed at the animals before going back inside.
Zero-B waited until the goats had forgotten their fear and bedded down once more. She then rose to continue on her way, this time moving with greater stealth. She reached the Factory substation without further detection but before entering, she made one final visual sweep of the street and then opened the door to step inside.
The Factory substation operated twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year. It never closed and to the Farm citizens that noticed, the locks on the door seemed pointless. Upon entering, Zero-B first shielded her eyes against the blind lights in the ceiling and swept the room for any late night company. The room was empty. The lack of furnishings seemed to emphasize the emptiness. The bare walls, raw concrete floor and silent buzz of electronica reminded Zero-B of her holding cell. Finishing her study of the room, she turned her back on it to lock the deadbolts of the doors.
This action elicited a response from the Deckman built into the pedestal on the opposite side of the room. It wobbled and spoke, "Tsk, tsk, Miss. How am I to receive gentleman callers now?"
Zero-B ignored the Deckman's fermented sanity, an affliction they all suffered due in part to their perpetual insomnia, as she crossed the room to stand before it. "Sixty-four," she addressed it by its formal name. "Unit requests authorization verification for communications up-link."
"Long distance or local?" replied the Deckman.
"Level six, designation 92 minor."
"Oooo. We don't get many calls from that neighborhood." One gloved hand smoothed down the imaginary hair on the Deckman's head as it improved its appearance while the other selected the necessary punch cards and inserted them into the proper slots arrayed before it. " . . . Authorization code please."
"Unit number 71132-0B, authorization code BCDGW-RHQQ2-YXRKT-8TG6W-2B7Q8."
"Verifying . . ." replied Sixty-Four. "Please note, intent and action by unauthorized individuals or parties to access limited channels is a violation of Factory law and offenders are subject to punishment described thereby." The Deckman tottered to one side after it had regurgitated the warning. "For your sake, I hope they accept the charges." It then leaned the other way and began humming a nonsense tune.
A galvanized steel shutter fell from the ceiling to block the main entrance and hit the floor with a resounding clang. Zero-B's head snapped to, but before she could even move, she heard a similar sound of the exits in the rear of the building being sealed also. Most of the lights turned off, which left the room in dim gloom, except for the Deckman's illuminated workstation.
It spoke in a grave tone bereft of its earlier idiotic personality, "Authorization validated. Security measures in place. Request granted." The Deckman's eyes dimmed and it was retracted into the base of its station, which then went dark. The door to Zero-B's right unlocked and came ajar and she entered that room.
It was a small compartment, barely three feet to each side. A glow strip running along the edges of the floor provided most of the light, which was weak even to Zero-B's enhanced night vision. Most of the main wall was occupied by a display, which at this moment was a silent black, and below the display was a multitude of interface equipment. Zero-B knelt to search for her unique connection, her hand hovering above each as she searched. There were many unfamiliar types and she had no idea for what or by who they were to be used.
When she found her link, she removed it from its niche in the wall and drew it to her wrist and connected it there, then clasped her hands to hold it in place. Once the connection was completed, the display began brightening and resolving itself into a picture. As soon as she could discern the outline of Control, Zero-B bowed her head to avoid eye contact. The display continued to brighten until the small room was suffused with its glow.
[Prototype Zero-B. . . . What is the reason for this missive? This type of independent action is not condoned for a unit of your status.]
[Understood. Control, the unit requests confirmation of active orders, as prior ones have been satisfied.]
[Satisfied? Hmph, hardly . . . Why do you want new orders? Are you in a hurry to be retired?]
Zero-B's eyes widened in alarm at the import of that statement, but she could not directly answer. [Zero-B is to be of service.]
Control sighed. [Of course. Your current orders are to be ready for possible enemy contact within the next thirty-two hours, in the vicinity of Farm #3.]
Zero-B nodded in acquiescence. [Are there any standing orders for the unit until then?]
[Until then,] responded Control in an irritated tone. [you are to not disturb Control again. Is that enough?]
[Zero-B exists only to serve.]
[Hmph. This act of misbehavior will be submitted for judgement. Control end.]
The display winked out and the small room was returned to darkness, but Zero-B kept her head bowed. She broke her joined hands and returned the link to its niche. She then rose and departed the room.
The shutter had been raised and the lights returned to full brightness by the time she exited the booth. Sixty-four had returned to duty and greeted her cheerily. "I had the most wonderful dream during my nap, Miss. How are you?"
Zero-B looked up at the cybernetic servant dully. "Unit Zero-B was not here. Deckman unit Sixty-four will delete all pertaining information from its records. This is as ordered under article 617.4 of the Terrestrial Operations Act." Hardwired to obey just she was, Zero-B did not have to wait to see if the Deckman complied. Instead she went to the main doors and unlocked them.
"Awww," protested the Deckman as the compulsory deletions began. "But it's my first dream since I can ever remember . . ."
Pulling the door closed behind her, the Deckman's comment stayed her hand for a moment, "It is not for our kind to dream," she replied.
It wasn't until late morning that Aric was able to get away from his chores, eluding his mother's attention while he sneaked out of the house . He hurried to the rear of the shed behind the house and knelt down to reach behind some lumber leaning against the wall and pull out a bag that he had hidden there the night before. The bag was heavy and expressed with square bulges. He carefully leaned out past the corner of the shed to make sure the coast was clear. His mother was still inside the house, so he made a break for it and ran for the grove.
Once he gained the cover of the grove, he stopped running. The bag was much too heavy to do that for long. He continued to hurry though. Not only to give his mother less time to discover he was missing, but mainly he wanted to see Serobi. He had gotten up extra early to do so, but hadn't been able to get away until now. The pump house came into view and Aric increased his pace, the heavy bag threatening to trip him each time it rebounded against his calves. Within a few moments he was at the door and barely hesitated before entering.
The interior was dim, but Aric knew the layout well enough that he was able to go to the back without running into anything. The candle had burnt itself to nothing, but otherwise, everything was how he had left it yesterday. He set the bag down on the floor and looked around the cramped area. "Serobi? Are you here?" He could not find her and Aric felt disappointed by her absence. Sitting on the floor, he upended the bag and spilled the books out. They were all the books that he had, plus some of the thicker ones that his parents read, but not often enough that they would notice they were missing. As he was stacking the books into a pile, he came across one that he still liked and began reading it, completely forgetting about how he needed to get back home quickly.
When the door of the pump house slammed open, Aric jumped straight up in alarm. Hurriedly he shoved the books back into the bag, but the person was too quick and upon him in a second.
"Whatcha doing Aric?" asked Tillean.
Aric nearly collapsed with relief. "Oh, Tillean . . . Don't ever sneak up on me like that!"
"What did I do?" Tilleas asked defensively.
"Ah, what do you want already?" Aric demanded, eager to get Tillean to leave, in case Serobi was coming.
"I came to check on the bird. How's it doing?"
"It's okay," replied Aric, though he had totally forgotten about it. He rose and began shooing Tillean out.
"Hey. Quit it. I want to see it myself."
Aric yielded, thinking it would be faster to let him have his way. "Alright, hurry up," he said as he prompted him to the black box.
"Why do I have to hurry?"
"Ah, quit asking questions and look at the egg."
Tillean picked up the thermometer. "I'm taking this too," he stated.
"All right," agreed Aric.
Tillean looked a bit surprised by the effortless victory and nodded, a bit unbalanced. "Yeah. Right . . ."
"The egg?" Aric reminded him.
"Oh yeah." Tillean turned around to face the box and knelt. "Has it hatched yet?"
"Do you see a bird anywhere?"
Tillean opened the box. "Hey! What'd you do?"
"What?"
Tillean picked up the box to show its emptiness to Aric. The cotton bed remained, but the egg was gone. "What'd you do with the egg?"
Aric was just as surprised as Tillean and had no answer to offer.
Tillean was quicker and said, "It did hatch, didn't it? You're hiding it because you don't want to share Fireball with the rest of us. Where is he?"
"I don't have the bird," Aric answered.
"Yeah right." Tillean dropped the box and began looking around the floor for bits of eggshell, or the chick. "That bird's mine too. And Ganbe's," he amended.
Aric picked up the box to poke through the cotton, to make sure it wasn't just hidden. "Maybe a rat ate it."
"Nuh-uh. You took it," insisted Tillean, who was on all fours, peering beneath the pipes and bracing. "I'm gonna tell your mom."
"I didn't do anything," Aric defended. "Maybe Ganbe has it," he said randomly.
Tillean paused and then sat up. "Maybe . . ."
Seizing upon this defense, Aric continued, "Go ask him. He lives closest, anyways."
Tillean regarded Aric suspiciously. "Alright. But if he doesn't have it, I'm still going to tell your mom that you stole the egg."
"It's not like it's yours anyway," retorted Aric.
Tillean got up off the floor and looked at the bag have full of books. "And don't take my books either," he said as he left.
"I don't want your stupid books!" Aric shouted at the closing door. He grumbled for a minute or so after Tillean had left, still riled up over being accused of stealing. Once he had cooled off, he looked at the half-full bag of books and wondered if he should leave them here for Serobi or if it would be better to take them back home. He decided on the latter option and sat down on the floor to begin putting the books back in the bag, which he did in a sulking manner. Two disappointments in one morning and being accused of stealing left Aric in a foul mood. "I hope a rat got it," he muttered. He hefted the bag over his shoulder and looked around the floor for any books that he might've missed. There were none, so he left the shed.
Aric paused just outside the building, as the sunlight was momentarily blinding. Once his eyes had adjusted, he began heading home but before he had taken two steps, he sensed something behind him and stopped. "I said I don't have your stupid egg, Tillean," Aric said as he turned around.
Serobi stood before him.
Though Aric was still squinting against the sunlight, it looked to him like she was smiling. "Hey Serobi! You're here!"
"Correct."
Now that he could see her better, he abandoned his first impression. She wore the same stoic expression she always wore. Aric brought around the bag of books and offered them to her. "Here. I brought the books you wanted. This one's my favorite," he commented, pulling one free from the mass so that she could see the cover. "'The Land of Chewandswallow'. Just reading it makes me hungry."
Serobi looked at the books and nodded, then looked him directly in the eyes with that paralyzing inhuman stare of hers. "Understood. Prior to that matter is another that requires your attention."
"What?"
"Follow," Serobi requested. Aric left the books on the ground and followed her around the shed and into the nearest row of trees. She did not have to bend the branches out of her way, simply turning to pass through without disturbing so much as a single leaf. Within the spread of the low-hanging branches she stopped and waited for Aric.
"What is it?" he asked.
She gestured to a fork of a branch where there was a nest.
Aric stepped closer to find that there was a chick in there, sleeping. It was newly-hatched chick, mostly naked except for a few patches of fluffy down. It's eyes were still closed, but sensing them nearby, it began chirping anxiously. "Wow! Where'd this come from?" he asked, amazed.
Serobi stood straight and answered. "That is your property. The conditions for its incubation were inadequate and corrected by this unit."
"You hatched our seagull?" Aric asked with a smile. The picture he had in his head of a cyborg incubating an egg was funny.
"Correct."
Aric laughed and shook his head. "I don't get how there's a nest here. I've never seen one in these trees. The birds usually make them in the cactus."
Zero-B replied, "That was constructed by this unit, as per descriptions in volume two of the encyclopedia."
"You made it? That's awesome." Aric watched the sleeping chick. "Did you feed it too?"
Serobi nodded.
"Aw, but I better tell Tillean where it is, before he comes back. He's such a stick." He continued to watch the hatchling. "Does it look like a 'Fireball' to you?"
Serobi did not answer.
Aric looked at the chick again. "Me neither. It's too little for that." When he looked up, he noticed that Serobi had left the shade of the tree and was heading back to the pump house. "Hey, where you going?" he called out after her.
Before she turned the corner, she responded, "To acquire the books."
Aric ran after her and entered the pump house just as she was settling down to begin reading, the stack of fresh literature directly before her. "Hey, but wait," he said.
She looked up at him and Aric paused; her eyes reflected the low light like an animal's.
"Bu—Tillean's gonna probably come back, since the bird isn't at Ganbe's. And what you said about not wanting anyone to see you . . ." he reminded her.
Serobi answered, "The boy will not find unit Zero-B, even should he look."
"But I found you, and that was when you were reading too."
Zero-B paused and then rose. "Understood." She continued to eye the books though.
"You can take em with us, if you want. So long as you don't lose 'em."
Serobi knelt to carefully pick up the books and cradled them in her arms. "Proceed."
Swollen by the sea wind's moisture, the pages of the book threatened to blow wildly, but Zero-B held them fast with her steel fingers as she read in the midday sunlight. Her other hand often strayed to pull back her hair, which also blew about in the wind and into her eyes. She paused in her reading to look up at her surroundings. It was the beach again, the same place as yesterday, though less alien than before. The scent of salt was as bright as the light and even with her polarizing filters, Zero-B had to squint when she looked at the ocean, whose surface was rife with glints of reflected sunlight.
Aric was straddling the large tree trunk and was bent over one end, inspecting the worn stubs that had once been the main roots of the tree. He sat up and wondered aloud, "I wonder where this tree came from?"
Zero-B looked at him and followed his gaze out to sea.
Aric scratched the top of his head as he looked at the faraway horizon. "Where do trees grow this big? On the other side of the ocean?" He looked back at the tree trunk he sat on, and pried up a piece of the softened wood. "Where do you come from?" he asked of it as he scrutinized the fragment, as if he could find the answer within the wood grain. Aric smiled and said to the large splinter, "Go back home!" He then threw the piece seaward but it fell short, landing in the sand. He dismounted the trunk to fetch the piece and threw it again, this time it entered the surf and disappeared from view. Aric waved farewell to the horizon as it departed and then turned around and walked to where Zero-B sat.
He sat down next to her and she did not move away, instead examining him as he had the splinter. He brought his knees up to rest his hands upon, and on them, his chin.
"Where were you born?" he asked her, his head bobbing as he spoke.
Zero-B did not answer.
"Have you ever seen a tree like that?" he asked, lifting a finger to point at the trunk.
"Negative."
"Mm." His gaze drifted from the trunk to his toes, which sifted through the sand. "I'd like to go across the ocean. To see birds and animals like in the books. There's a lot of stuff I haven't seen yet. That's why I want to be an explorer." He looked back at her, his head inclined. "Have you seen a lot of stuff Serobi? Like what they have in the north and west?"
Easily she answered, "Much of the inland is desert with marginal flora and fauna, offering minimal concealment. The washes and mesas of the northern lands limit fields of fire. The sand fields of the south are to be avoided. Trafficability is virtually non-existent. There are no significant non-Farm villages."
"That's desert too?" Aric confirmed.
Serobi nodded and he sighed. "I'll build a boat and go explore the rest of the world. That's what I want to do when I grow up. I want to see it all."
As part of her tactical database, Zero-B had been augmented with algorithmic recognition systems that could detect even the most subtle micro-expressions of a person. Usually this was applied to detect lies, or to discern the attitudes and thoughts of opponents so as to predict their actions, but at this moment, Zero-B could not identify the boy's expression. In all her years of service, she had not seen an expression like the one currently on the boy's face. He continued to look out to sea, but still she could not decrypt his face. " . . . Why do you not operate logically?" she asked.
"Hm?" he said, roused from his reverie.
"Many of your actions have minimal utility or strategic worth. These books," she said, holding aloft one. "Your seagull, your proposed voyage, for example. How these objects and activities facilitate your service to the Farm is unknown. Explain."
Aric grinned. "Oh, I don't do it for the Farm or anything. I just do stuff 'cause it's fun. It makes me happy." He let slip a small laugh. "Why else would I do something?"
"The unit recognizes the utility of happiness as it improves Factory worker production. Are there other applications?"
Aric frowned. "You sure do talk weird . . ." His forehead furrowed as he thought hard. Serobi wasn't making much sense. "You don't—People don't try to be happy so they can work better, they want to be happy because . . . because . . . well, it's why we're here."
"To serve the Factory."
"No!" answered Aric, becoming a bit angry because Serobi was being difficult. "It's not about the Factory, it's about us. If you can't be happy, then why are you here? That's what everybody tries to do, to find a way to be happy."
"The Factory is most important."
Aric shook his head in disagreement. "No." He stated firmly. "The Factory is just a thing. People aren't born for the Factory. People are born to live free and be happy."
"It is the duty of all Farm residents to serve the Factory."
"No it's not," refused Aric. He paused and then pointed out, "What about you? You don't do any work. You're free and strong and go anywhere you want."
"All earthbound exist only to serve. It is law."
Aric stood up. "Law shmaw. I'm gonna be an explorer when I grow up. I can be anything I want!"
"Your life is only for service to the Factory," Zero-B said matter-of-factly.
Tears began to fill Aric's eyes. "No! I'm not staying here! I can do anything I want!"
"You will obey for life."
He made a fist and hit her as hard as her words had hurt him.
Zero-B was unswayed by the blow and Aric clutched his injured hand, which he looked over to see if it was broken or bleeding. "Owww . . ." He looked up at her, the tears beginning to spill free. "What's wrong with you?" He cried. "Aren't you human?"
Zero-B did not move or speak, only observed the unintelligible emotional display.
Disgusted by the inhuman, Aric turned around and ran down the beach, back towards the town.
Zero-B watched the small figure until it disappeared from view and then turned back to the book she held, finger still marking the place she had stopped reading. She did not resume reading however. Instead, she contemplated his last question. The sun continued its descent towards the western horizon but Zero-B was unable to find an answer.