The Atoms of Us
by Sauron Gorthaur

"Hey girl, later." Nadiya turned and waved on her way out the door, Cheshire clutched in her arms. The robot cat scowled and shoved a final piece of cardboard packaging into his mouth as the door shut.

Clementine did one last sweep of the shop, straightening tools, neatly stacking silicate discs, and putting away jars of nanomachine paint in the overnight cabinet. When she finished, the workshop was still cluttered, but there was something comforting about it all the same. Everything to help each robot who came here become whole and return to their human companion healthy again. Clem did one last check then swiped her wristband to clock out. Grabbing her satchel, she took off down University Street towards home, SENA riding on her shoulder as usual.

They caught the cable car heading upwards towards the residence sector. Clem leaned against the window, looking out at the reddish-brown rooftops as the car carried them upwards through Tithonium. Distractedly, she reached into her pocket then adjusted her satchel. A few seconds later she ran her fingers through her messy strawberry red hair and adjusted her satchel again.

"Nervous?" SENA chirped in her sweet little voice.

Clem immediately dropped her hands. "No," she said a little too quickly.

SENA fluttered down to land in Clem's lap. She folded her stubby arms. "You never fidget like that unless you're nervous."

Clem sighed as she caught herself trying to adjust her satchel yet again. "OK, yeah. I'm nervous. A little bit."

SENA blinked. "Why?"

Clem rubbed a hand through her hair, tangling it even further. "I dunno."

"Kye's been living with us for the past three days," SENA pointed out. "You exist around him just fine at our apartment. Why would it be any different to exist around him in a different location?

Robot logic. Impossible to argue with. Clem shook her head. "I dunno, it's just different. You wouldn't understand."

SENA fluttered her brown- and white-spotted wings. "It's not my fault you didn't program it into me then."

Clem booped her little build on the nose. "I don't remember programming that sort of sass into you either."

SENA sniffed. "I've had no problem picking that up from you, Nadiya, and Mykael on my own, thank you. Robots learn, remember?"

How could she forget? Robots had been her life since she was little. But even that couldn't have prepared her for all the events that had unfolded in the last week and a half since she'd arrived on Mars. Distracted, she went back to staring out the window. But now, instead of rooftops, she saw dark, soulful eyes gazing tenderly back at her…

"Clem? Clem!" SENA fluttered her wings in Clem's face. "It's our stop."

"Right!" Clem grabbed her satchel and stepped out onto the station platform, then jogged up the flights of stairs leading to her apartment.

Kye was in the kitchenette, trimming dead fronds off one of his beloved plants when Clem and SENA opened the door. As they entered, he lowered his sheers, a little smile brightening his face. He met Clem's eyes and she blushed. "Hey," he said gently.

"Hey," she responded. She gestured awkwardly upwards. "Um, just let me get changed and I'll be ready."

She darted up the stairs to her bedroom loft, where she tossed aside her dusty and oil-stained trousers and changed into a billowy pair of pants and a loose, comfy shirt. She hurriedly ran a comb through her hair, trying to tame the wild tangles, then took a deep breath, facing the wall. Slowly she turned and descended the stairs.

Kye was kneeling in front of their table, a Welcome to Tithonium pamphlet and map laid out in front of him. He was wearing an ankle-length, soft blue robe tied at his waist with his brown jacket over the top and his long hair pulled back in its usual ponytail. Clem plopped onto her cushion across from him. "Made a decision yet?"

Kye frowned thoughtfully. "There are more choices than I realized. Do you have a suggestion?"

Clem scooted the map over to her side. "Let's see. Nadiya mentioned that Masala Corner is really good. Hmm, Valles Café, that's down by the University, right? Oo, Mars Casa. Ever had Mexican before, Kye? …Kye?"

The android seemed to shrink in upon himself, his smile faltering, his shoulders dropping. Even his beautiful hair seemed to wilt. "Maybe…maybe not that one," he said quietly, and Clem would have almost sworn he sounded apologetic.

He looked up to find Clem looking at him with concern. He smiled a little, his dark eyes soft. "I'm okay," he answered her silent question. "It's just…" He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Mother took me there, years ago. I hadn't been activated very long. She ordered a plate of arroz rojo, and I was so fascinated that I asked if I could order something too." He glanced away, down at the table. "She scolded me – yelled at me really – told me I was selfish to make other people work to fix food and clean up after me for something that I couldn't even enjoy." He shrugged, a sad, defeated gesture. "I never asked Mother for food again after that."

Clem reached across the table and gently laid her hand on the back of his. The round sensor panels on the back of his knuckles were smooth and slightly cooler than his skin. "You're not selfish," she said with conviction. "You're allowed to want things, just like any human."

He looked up at her, soft gratitude and fondness on his face. "You make it easier for me to remember that, Clem."

She blushed and glanced down, letting her hair fall in her face to hide the glow of her cheeks. "Just being a decent person isn't something to be proud of."

He turned his hand over, so he could twine his fingers with hers. "No, but I'm still grateful all the same." He reached up and ran the fingers of his free hand through her curls, smiling affectionately. "You know what I want right now?"

Clem flushed deeper, enjoying the feel of his delicate fingertips brushing her cheek. "What?"

He grinned. "For us to have an amazing first date!"

She giggled. "That sounds like an amazing thing to want."

He squeezed her hand. "Then let's both stop overthinking it and choose the first place that sounds nice."

They returned their attention to the map and almost immediately Clem pointed excitedly. "There! Don't you think that would be perfect?"

Kye looked at where she was pointing. "Arbor Bistro," he read.

"It's right by the park. I bet it's got a lovely view of the walkway." Clem paused. "Unless you have any negative experiences with it…"

Kye grasped her hand again, this time more firmly. "No. No, it sounds perfect."

Clem tried not to grin like an idiot and wasn't entirely successful. So this was it! Her first date with Kye. And Kye's first real meal after finally being able to smell and taste!

They headed to the door. "SENA?" Clem called out. "You coming?"

The little moth robot fluttered down to hover between the two of them. "I'm going to have a night in. I think this outing needs to be just you and Kye."

Clem felt a moment of something almost like panic. SENA was always with her. The thought of not having those comforting little feet clinging to her shoulder or the brush of velvety wings against the back of her neck made her feel uncomfortably vulnerable.

SENA must have sensed Clem's discomfort, which wasn't surprising since that was part of her core programming. She landed on Clem's hand. "I'll be here when you get back. And I think you'll still have a perfectly good robot to keep an eye on you."

She made a tiny face. "Plus I won't have to look away every time you and Kye make kissy faces at each other."

Kye gently put an arm around her shoulders. "She's right, Clem. You're not alone anymore. Neither of us are."

Clem put her arm around Kye's waist and leaned into him a little. "I know." She smiled at SENA. "Looks like the apartment's yours for the evening."

SENA made a little humming sound. "Enjoy your evening out together."

Clem and Kye headed out onto the narrow street between the rows of apartments. Clem's building was about halfway up the canyon wall, affording a lovely view of Tithonium spread out beneath them. Above them, the biodome glowed a faint blue, contrasting against the dusty red all around them.

They linked hands as they made their way to the cable car and descended. As usual, Kye got some curious looks from the other passengers in the car, and one woman holding a cute rabbit-like bot in her arms asked Clem if he was her build. Clem just shook her head. "No, he belongs to himself," she answered firmly. Kye wasn't looking at her, but she saw the corner of his lips twitch upward anyway.

The rest of the trip to Arbor Bistro was uneventful, at least in conventional terms, but inside Clem was just about bursting with excitement. The whirlwind of events over the last several weeks had been adrenaline-inducing, but it had also left her with the distinct disappointment of just how little time she'd been able to spend simply getting to know Kye, without the pressure of solving the mystery of his glitch in the forefront of both their minds. Now, with his glitch fixed and his living situation vastly improved, Clem was beyond eager to get to know the cute, sweet android for whom she'd fallen so hard.

As it turned out, Clem couldn't have imagined a better location than Arbor Bistro for their first date. The moment both of them walked in, Kye made a soft sound and Clem looked up at him to find him gazing about in gentle awe.

The walls were painted with large murals of Earth's forests: tall trees with glimpses of mountains beyond and woodland animals peering at them from under the tree shade. Several live potted plants that Clem was sure Kye would know all the names of were placed tastefully around the cozy restaurant. Windows lined one side of the room, affording a beautiful view out into Valles Park, and soft piano music played in the background. The atmosphere was peaceful and welcoming.

Clem and Kye seated themselves at a booth by a window where they could look out at the street and the tree-lined park walkway. An interactive hologram menu in the middle of the table glowed red as they sat down. They swiped through the menu, chatting occasionally about the options, then Clem tapped the order button when they were both ready.

A robot waiter rolled up to their table to take their orders. She was humanoid, though not like Kye of course, with a large round head, a flat panel face with large digital eyes, and wheels instead of feet. "Hello, my name is Veronica," she said in a tinny voice. "What would you like to order today?" she addressed Clem.

"I'll take the soup salad sandwich combo, Veronica," Clem replied. "I'll try the broccoli cheese soup, the house salad, and the swiss roast beef panini. And just water to drink, thank you."

"Very good." Veronica's digital eyes blinked in and out several times as she downloaded the order file. "That will be ready for you in a few minutes."

"Excuse me." Kye sounded nervous. "I'd like to get something too."

If Veronica was surprised (if surprise was even part of her programming), she didn't show it. She pivoted to face him. "Yes, sir, what would you like?"

Her nonjudgmental response seemed to embolden Kye. He sat up a little straighter. "Um, I'll take the combo too. Tomato soup, house salad, and grilled cheese sandwich, please. And I'll try a lemonade."

Veronica rolled off with their orders, leaving Clem and Kye alone at their table again. For some reason, all Clem's bursting energy had transformed back into nerves again. They met each other's eyes and quickly looked away, Clem staring down at the table and Kye scratching the back of his neck shyly.

"So…how was your day at the shop?" Kye finally asked.

Clem fiddled with a napkin. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Quite a few pick-ups and there was one sweet little bird robot with a broken voice simulator. We had to replace the simulator unit, but once we brought her back online she was singing just like new." She didn't mention the little girl who had brought her in, crying that her companion was "hurt" and who had insisted on staying during the entire replacement procedure. They technically had a drop-off only policy, but Nadiya had taken one look at Clem's face and had gently scooped the bird out of the crying girl's hands, reassuring her that they'd have her friend fixed in no time. Once, not long ago, Clem had dreamed of going into artificial intelligence studies to be like Dr. Lin: a pioneer and cutting-edge scientist. But now, more so than ever, Clem was realizing that it was moments like these that made her career matter. Not the grand moments, but the little ones that made all the difference to the right person.

She looked up to find Kye watching her with compassion in his deep, dark eyes, as if he had guessed some of what she was thinking. At the very least, she suspected that his empathetic programming allowed him to perceive her mood. "How about you?" she asked. "How did your visit with Dr. Han go?"

Kye's expression turned pensive. "She ran a comprehensive diagnostic of all my systems. She seemed pleased with the results."

"Were you pleased with the results?"

Kye's smile was melancholy. "I'm grateful to no longer be glitching and to have my systems functioning perfectly again. But there was no longer any trace of whatever part of my code showed itself to me as the child. The child who was a part of me ever since my first codes were written. In a way, I feel even lonelier now."

"Did you have Dr. Han look at your encryptions?" Clem asked.
Kye nodded. "Yes. It's extensive, but Dr. Han believes with enough time that she can bypass the encryptions and allow me to interface with my fellow AI."

"Is that what you want?"

Kye gently stroked his fingertips back and forth over the smooth table surface. "I'm not sure. I've been alone for so long that I'm confused about what my life should look like now. But I think I'd like to have the option."

He continued to stare downward. The faint lines of circuitry just underneath the skin of his cheeks glowed with blue lights racing back and forth, the way they always did when he was processing or experiencing a particularly strong emotion.

Clem reached across the table and laid her fingertips next to his. "Are you doing okay?"

He was silent for a moment. "I miss her. A lot. I guess that's pretty weird, huh?"

In Clem's mind, she saw herself sitting in the seat for her interplanetary flight, her ticket to Mars clutched tight in white-knuckled fingers, her face turned to the window as tears streamed silently down her cheeks. She hooked her fingers around Kye's. "No, it's not weird," she said softly. "I get it."

Kye looked up at her, his eyes locking to hers, and his beautiful face was softer than anything else she could imagine at the moment. His eyes were as dark and deep as outer space.

At that moment, Veronica wheeled over with their food, and Kye's attention turned down to the plate and bowl in front of him. His eyes went wide and he took in a deep breath. "Clem!" he exclaimed. "It smells…so nice!"

"As nice as my hair?" Clem teased.

Kye however seemed to consider her question. "There's a qualitative difference between the two so I don't know if I can properly compare them. The smell of your freshly washed hair is…light, but there is a deepness to this smell." He shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't have the vocabulary yet to describe it."

"Well if you think it smells nice, just wait until you taste it," Clem said.

Kye lifted his sandwich carefully. Cheese oozed liberally out onto his fingers as he took a delicate bite. A moment later, his eyes went wide and the blue circuitry raced across his cheeks. He chewed slowly then swallowed. "It's delicious!" he exclaimed in delight.

"Try dipping it in your soup." Clem demonstrated with her own sandwich.

Kye mimicked her, dipping the corner of his sandwich into his bowl and bringing it back up dripping red. He took a bite out of it and closed his eyes. For a moment, the only sound that came from him was a low hum, more mechanical than human, but Clem hoped it had the same meaning as such a sound would have from an organic being.

The android's eyes snapped back open and a beaming smile cut across his face. "It's fantastic." He shook his head in wonderment. "It's amazing how the flavoring of the soup, instead of masking the taste of the sandwich, instead enhances it. I've wished for years that I could taste and never thought I would. It's so much better than I ever thought it would be."

For the next several minutes, they both dug into their food heartily.

Kye sampled his salad and his blue processing lights flashed back on. He frowned in concentration, then used his fork to sort through the salad until he found a green chunk of cucumber. Gingerly, he popped it in his mouth and made a face. "I don't think I like that one," he said. He sampled another. "Yeah, I don't care for that," he confirmed. He fished around with his fork and took another bite of salad. "I love the tomatoes though. They're sweeter than I always imagined they'd be." He brightened. "Do you think I'd be able to grow my own tomatoes at your apartment?"

"I think the front window gets enough sunlight that you'd be able to get them to grow," Clem said. "And it's your apartment too now. As long as you choose to stay."

Kye looked slightly abashed. "I'm not used to anything being mine. Even the plants were all gifts from Mother."

Clem watched Kye with gentle concern. The few times that he'd mentioned Dr. Lin in the past three days had seemed difficult for him and to weigh heavily on his heart. Clem could guess a little of what he was feeling. Dr. Lin had been Kye's life up until now: his creator, his caretaker, his teacher. Clem could only imagine how jarring it must have been for Kye to be faced with the naked truth that his mother would rather see him obliterated than living as an individual. Clem's stomach knotted up as she remembered just how close Kye had come to having his existence wiped completely away.

A small tear slid down his cheek and plopped onto the front of his jacket, so quickly that if Clem hadn't been watching she would have missed it. She wondered if she should mention that she'd heard him last night: soft sobs drifting up from down below when she'd woken briefly in the middle of the night. It broke her heart to know he was hurting.

She bumped her foot up against his under the table and he looked up at her. Their eyes met and a silent understanding passed between them that no words would have been able to elucidate. A quiet companionship hung in the air between them.

Clem decided to lighten the mood after a minute. She tore a chunk off her panini. "Here, Kye, want to try mine?"

Kye took it from her fingers and popped it in his mouth. "Hmm, good, but I still think mine is better." He tore a chunk off his grilled cheese and leaned across the table to pop it into her mouth.

"Now try my soup!" Clem giggled around the grilled cheese.

Kye was giggling too as he fed her a spoonful of his tomato soup.

"And I'll take all your cucumbers in exchange for my tomatoes," Clem bargained.

They exchanged vegetables. The mood between them had brightened as the nerves and awkwardness dissolved into the giddy playfulness of young love. They laughed as Kye bit into an extra-large tomato, squirting himself in the face with juice, and Clem leaned all the way across the table to wipe a spot off his cheek with her napkin. She watched as he finished off his salad, his excitement wonderfully childlike. Being around him woke something playful and curious in her that she hadn't felt in a long, long time, like a childhood glimpsed in a far off dream.

Before long, nothing was left of their meal except soup stains around the rim of their bowls and bread crumbs on their plates. Across the street, the park was now covered in shadows and the lamps lining the walkway were coming on. Everything was cast in the reddish glow of a Mars evening. Clem grabbed his hand. "Want to go for a walk?"

Valles Park was mostly deserted as they strolled down the walkway. The biodome regulated the temperature, keeping it warm enough for the humans of Tithonium to live comfortably, but there was still a noticeable drop as the sun disappeared beyond the craggy red rim of Valles Marinaris's towering walls. Clem shivered slightly, and Kye glanced down at her. Without a word, he slipped off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She smiled at him and he smiled gently back.

At the center of the park, there was a gigantic circular mosaic of the solar system, ringed with benches and trees. The artificial wind blew gently through the treetops, causing them to rustle softly in the dark. Kye and Clem sat down together.

Clem gave Kye a shy sideways glance then scooted over a little closer to him until her hip bumped against his. She felt him look down at her as she laid her head on his shoulder. He slipped an arm around her shoulders, holding her closer to himself, then he leaned over a little to kiss the top of her head. His long hair brushed softly against her cheek.

"Clem?" he asked after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad you came to Mars."

She snuggled closer to him. "So am I."

"Was it scary? Leaving everything you'd ever known behind."

Clem considered his question briefly. "Yeah, it was really scary. It felt like diving into a big black hole, and I had no idea where I'd land. I mean, I'd already been offered the job at the repair shop, but other than that, I had no idea what was going to happen. It was like being surrounded by emptiness, like everything was falling away and I had no idea how it would be filled."

She felt Kye nod. "Yeah, emptiness." He sighed. "At least you don't have programming telling you how you should be living your life. If I'm not doing what I was literally created to do, what do I do?"

"You write your own code," Clem answered. "And I can help if you like."

Kye nuzzled her hair with his nose. "I think I'd like that very much. I'm so glad you're here while I'm going through all of this. I don't know if I ever would have left her, if it hadn't been for you."

Clem suddenly felt a fierce protectiveness towards him, the way she had when Dr. Lin had threatened to destroy him. "Well, if this is the only good thing that ever happens from me coming to Mars, then I consider that worth it all."

Kye cupped her cheek. Clem closed her eyes as his lips gently locked with hers, His kiss was as soft as his dark eyes, and Clem sank happily into it. She reached up and twined her fingers into his flowing hair and leaned into his chest, returning his kiss with a full heart.

When their lips parted, they remained deeply twined in one another's arms. "Have you ever been in love before, Kye?" Clem asked.

"No," he answered softly. "Before you, I wasn't even sure if I'd been programmed with the ability to fall in love." He laughed. "And now I'm going on dates. With my girlfriend."

It was the first time he'd called her that. Clem's cheeks and chest glowed with warmth.

"I'm glad that of all the futures that could have happened and all the places in the universe that I could have ended up, that I ended up here with you, Kye."

He squeezed her tightly. His arms were comforting and strong around her. "And I'm glad that of all the people that could have chosen to come to Mars and get a job at the University City Robotics Repair, that it was you, Clementine Chang."

As Kye cuddled her and nuzzled her cheek, Clem found herself looking over his shoulder into the night sky. Beyond the faint glimmer of the biodome, she could see the countless stars stretching out into the infinite universe.

There's no place in the whole universe I'd rather be than right here in your arms. Every atom of me is glad to be here figuring out the future with you. Together.