by John Zakour
“Computer! How could you create an Android without my approval?”
“You asked for it,” Computer told me. “So I was acting as a good computer and granting you what you wanted.”
“You’re a computer, not a genie!” I said.
“I think you can call what I did quite magical. Well, technology would look like magic to some people,” the computer added.
“Good point!” Crash said.
“I never thought of that,” K9 said.
“This popcorn tastes good,” Polly said.
I figured I needed to use logic on the computer.
“Computer, you just made my life a lot more difficult!”
“How so? I made another you that can help take some of the pressure off. Now you can do what you want to do and make the Android do the stuff you don’t want to do,” Computer explained.
Tammy turned to me. “Computer has you there.”
I sighed. I knew Computer was right. Computer was just trying to help, and what Computer did, should have helped. This was on me. I did indirectly ask for another me. Sure, I didn’t really want another me. But I was the one who sent her out to play soccer for me. Sure, she begged me. But I let her. Sure, Computer made another me, but I was the one who had to control her. When she returned to the lab, we would talk. I didn't know what I was going to say to her, but I’d figure it out. I always figured it out. I decided to sit and simply meditate for a while.
Maya Message: Sometimes it’s good to walk away from a problem to help you see the problem better and to solve it. Meditation can be great. Just sit or lie down and clear your mind of all thoughts. If you’re not a meditating type, do something fun like play a game. Or take a shower! Tina says hitting the punching bag always makes her feel better. Just do something to give your brain a break. Brains need breaks!
Chapter V
I sat in the lab, my legs crossed and relaxed my mind. I let the world pass by and go around me. I felt at peace.
I heard the door to the elevator open. Then I heard Marko, Tina, and my Android copy, laughing and talking.
“Ha! The look on Ivy’s face when you darted around her to score was priceless,” Tina said.
“Yeah,” Marko agreed. “I don’t normally root for my sister, but man, you made me proud to be her brother today!” he said. “That’s when I figured out you weren’t her.”
“Thanks, guys, I was just doing my job,” the Android me gushed.
They walked over to me. “Hey, smellier sis, I saw you were watching the game. Wasn’t the other you amazing?” Marko asked.
“Yeah, it felt great to rub it in Ivy’s face for once,” Tina laughed
“I did rock it out,” my Android clone said, not looking at all humble. She gazed at my annoyed expression. “I detect that you’re not thrilled by our win and by my prowess in soccer.”
I crossed my arms. “I told you not to play too good!”
“You told me not to play too well,” she corrected.
“You know what I mean!” I said.
The Android me looked back at me with her eyes wide open. “No, I know a lot of things, but right now I don’t know what you expect me to know. I do know you don’t like Ivy and you wanted me to beat her at soccer. And I did that.”
“Well, the team helped,” Tina said.
“Yes,” my Android clone admitted. “Yes, they did help. It was a team effort. Rah Rah!”
Polly flew over and landed on my shoulder. “See, she makes perfect sense.”
I had to admit that she had a point. She did help the team win. But she didn’t do it the way I wanted. Then again, she was an independent, intelligent machine. I guessed I shouldn’t have minded that she wanted to help the team. I shouldn’t have wanted her to follow every exact detail of my orders. But she was supposed to be a copy of me, to assist me. Showing me up wasn’t helping.
“I know I might have done better than you expected in the game,” Android me said.
“Ya think?!” I asked.
“Well, technically, I guess I compute, which is like thinking. So yes, I do think,” the Android said.
Polly laughed, pointed at me, and said, “She’s got you there!”
“Maya, by playing better, I helped show you how good you can be. I am, in a sense, helping you to improve yourself. Helping you to make you a better you!” the other me said. “Plus, I know Dex was impressed! That’s good for us, I mean you. Right?”
I thought about her words. There was a certain logic to them. Normally, I like logic, but I didn’t appreciate having logic used against me.
“Look,” I said. “I appreciate what you tried to do…”
“You do? You don’t sound like it. Your pupils have dilated, your body temperature has risen, and you are starting to sweat. Additionally, your tone is louder. Those are all signs of anger.”
“She has you on that one,” Polly said.
“Polly, don’t you have somewhere else to be?” I asked.
“Nope!” Polly said. “I’m a bird. My day is pretty free. Marko wanted me to fly above his school principal and poop on him, but I’m not doing that. At least not until the kid meets my price.”
“Can you please be quiet for a moment?” I asked Polly.
“Truth be told, that would be way out of character for me,” Polly said.
“That is the truth,” Computer said.
“Definitely!” Grandma Jack agreed.
Everybody else nodded.
I frowned. “Can you guys please give the Android me and I a little privacy?” “Sure.” Tammy grabbed Polly and put her hand over his beak. “Come on guys; it’s a big lab. Let’s all find stuff to do.”
The Android version of me lowered her head. “I sense you are not only angry with me, but you are also disappointed in me.”
I patted her on the shoulder, which was weird. Looking into my own eyes and patting a copy of myself felt very strange. “No, I’m disappointed in me,” I said. “I got selfish and greedy. I should never have sent you out into the world pretending to be me. That was wrong.”
“But I enjoy being you and helping!” the Android me insisted.
“I get it, but from now on I need you to help me by staying in the lab and helping around here when needed. Do you have a rest mode?”
“Yes, of course.” She pointed to a long tube at the far end of the lab in a corner. “That is my rest and recharging tube.”
“Then please go there and rest and recharge until you are called on by me,” I ordered politely.
“Can I scan the internet for knowledge while I’m there?”
“Knock yourself out,” I said.
“That means yes? Correct?” she asked.
I nodded and said, “Yes.”
I watched as the Android version of me walked slowly to her charging tube. I felt a little bad, but I needed time to figure out what to do with her.
Chapter VI
The next day, Dad and Mom gave me a ride to school on their way to work at the university. My parents drove me to school on days when the weather was bad, but usually, they’d tell me that biking was good for me.
“You know, guys, I could have biked to school today. The weather is beautiful, and biking is good exercise,” I said, echoing them. I felt kind of weird about getting a ride. I thought they might be up to something.
Mom turned and looked at me. “Well honey, we want you to save your legs for soccer. You played so well that if this keeps up, you could get a scholarship to college, and that would be amazing!”
“Can’t I get one for being super smart and a good student?” I asked.
“Yes, of course, you can,” Mom said. “But getting a soccer scholarship opens up even more possibilities! Plus, it’s great fun, and it will help you meet more people.”
“A scholarship will help me with that?” I asked.
“No,” Mom smiled. “Playing soccer. Especially when you’re as good at it as you are.”
Okay, I needed to use my brain now to come up with a way to
explain why I was so good yesterday and wouldn’t be that good during the upcoming games.
“Um, okay,” I said slowly, knowing that I had to do better than just saying okay.
At first, I thought about coming clean with my parents. Telling them that the amazing player wasn’t me but a super Android which the amazing computer in my amazing lab had made. Now that certainly would have made my life easier on some levels. But Grandpa made it very clear that I wasn’t supposed to share this information with my parents. He felt certain the people they work with would want to take advantage of his lab if word ever got out.
Plus, then I’d have to admit to my parents that I sort of high tech cheated. Of course, having made an Android copy of me was quite a work of science that would get me into any college I wanted. Though I didn’t actually make the Android, so that would be cheating too. Right now, my cheating was limited to one little soccer game to beat Ivy Jones. I couldn’t let it lie spiral any more out of control.
“Ah, you know how people can do amazing things under pressure?” Without waiting for a reply, I continued. “They get adrenaline surges, and hormones kick in to get their muscles ready for action. They become really strong, like the way a mom lifts a car off her kids and saves them in cartoons!”
“Of course we know how adrenaline works,” Dad said. “We’re scientists!”
“Well… I believe that’s what happened to me on the soccer field. I got a super rush of adrenaline because Ivy was giving me a hard time. She pretty much said I was hopeless and that my team would be better without me. That got me all fired up, and I played the best game of my life!”
“It certainly was the best game of your life!” Dad said. “Especially considering how badly you used to play.”
Ouch, that hurt, but I guess Dad didn’t mean it like that since he thought I’d played a great game.
“Well, we just need a way for you to kick the adrenaline up for other games!” Mom said. “I am a research neuroscientist! I’m sure I can help.”
“Gee, thanks, Mom,” I replied.
Now I needed to think. Maybe I could come up with a way to boost my adrenaline? Kind of like the strength enhancers I used to help me beat Dex at arm wrestling. Of course, wouldn’t that also be cheating? Ugh, why does life have to be so difficult sometimes? But then again, I’d be using my brain and my invention, so maybe I could find a way to boost myself that wouldn’t be cheating. That seemed like my best way out of this.
We pulled up in front of the school. “Thanks, guys!’ I said, getting out of the car.
“Have a great day!” Mom said.
“Bye, soccer star!” Dad said, smiling at me proudly from the car window.
I walked towards the school, still a little confused about how this entire course of events would play out. I could simply let my Android me play soccer for me. She’d be happy. I’d be happy. My team would be happy. But, man, that seemed wrong on so many levels. I needed to talk to Tina and Tammy about this. They were smart and worldly; they’d be able to help.
Speaking of Tina, I found her standing by my locker, which was normal. The thing that was not normal was that Dex was also there, smiling at me and waving as I approached.
I had a sinking feeling that life was about to get more complicated. Who would have thought that having an Android double of myself would make my life more complicated? Thinking it over a little more, I guessed most people would.
Smiling, I said, “Hi Tina. Hi Dex!” I didn’t mean to sound more excited to see Dex; it just slipped out.
Dex’s smile widened. My heart jumped and raced. I thought it might be beating out of my chest like on those old cartoon shows. I felt my face blush. Maybe they didn’t notice? I looked at Tina who was rolling her eyes. She definitely noticed. Dex, though, didn’t seem to.
“Wow, you were fantastic yesterday!” he said, his smile somehow growing even wider.
“Thanks…” I replied.
“Smooth,” I heard Tina say loudly under her breath.
“You know, Maya, you and I have always had a nice relationship,” Dex began. “We work well together. I also believe we keep each other on our toes. We make each other sharper. We make each other better.”
“Well, you’re making me want to gag right now,” Tina said.
Dex ignored Tina’s comment. “On the robot fighting team, I have respected your leadership, Maya, as I am sure you have taken my feedback and utilized it wisely. We do respect each other’s intelligence.”
“Yes,” I smiled. I pointed to my book bag. “I brought in a couple of sharp but skinny spikes to put on Seb’s wheels. I thought they’d give him better traction!”
“Wow, that is a good idea!” Dex said. “See, that’s what I like about you, Maya. You have great ideas. Your ideas are equal to mine, and I don’t say that lightly!”
“Or modestly!” Tina said. “Do you have a point to make, Dex? Or do you just like listening to the sound of your voice?” Tina asked him.
“I do enjoy the sound of my voice,” Dex admitted. “But there is more. I was very impressed by what I saw Maya do on the soccer field yesterday. She performed with guts and gusto. I truly believe it was a world-class performance. She looked like the best player on the field out there, by far.”
“Hey, I was on that field too!” Tina said. “I scored a bunch of goals.”
“True!” Dex said, raising a finger. “But each of your goals was set up by an amazing play by Maya. Though, when she scored, she often had two or three players guarding her. She cut through them with ease. She also demonstrated extreme teamwork and unselfishness by passing the ball quite often. She probably could have scored twice as many goals if she’d wished, but instead, she passed to you. She is quite the player, friend, and teammate.”
“Yeah, she’s an amazing human being,” Tina said, stressing the word ‘human.’ “But I repeat, Dex, what are you getting at here? What’s your end game? What’s your goal?”
Wow, I couldn’t miss the lack of subtleness in Tina’s voice. I actually believed she was angry with me because my Android had taken some of the glory away from her. I had never seen my friend so upset before. She tried to stay cool and calm, but I knew her insides were churning.
I focused on Dex. “Thanks, Dex, I appreciate the compliment! I enjoy our interactions together too...” I spoke slowly, still not quite sure where he could be leading. Though, I knew where I hoped he was leading.
Dex took a step back. He put his hands behind his back. He paused for a moment then began to stammer. “Ah, do you think that um, maybe sometime, uh, you might want to go get a milkshake with me? Oh, if you are lactose intolerant, then you can get a juice or whatever? I think, ah, it would be fun to hang out and talk um, soccer, robots, and life and such…”
“That would be fun!” I said. “I’d like that, Dex.”
“Great!” His nervous smile widened, and he stood on his tiptoes. “I’ll check my calendar and text you with potential dates for our date!”
“I look forward to it!” I said.
Dex continued to smile as he stepped back. After about four or five steps backward, he turned and headed towards homeroom.
“We probably should go there too,” I told Tina.
Tina stood still, her arms crossed, her foot tapping on the floor and her eyes squinting.
“What?” I asked.
Tina shook her head.
“What?” I asked even louder.
She moved closer to me. “How do you expect to pull this off?”
“What do you mean?”
“Dex loves soccer as much as he loves robots, Star Wars, and other geeky stuff! How will YOU talk soccer with him!!” She leaned in close and whispered. “In case you hadn’t noticed, the one who did all the scoring was your Android copy!”
I nodded. “I know. But I’m smart. I know a lot about soccer. I’m sure I can talk soccer just fine. And if I can’t, I can turn the conversation to something I’m more familiar with, like robots or the planets o
r chemistry! Dex loves all of those things!”
Tina shook her head. “Talking about soccer is different from knowing how to talk soccer. He’s going to want to talk about dribbling and angles and the best spot to kick the ball. You don’t know anything about all that!”
“I can adapt,” I said, moving towards homeroom.
“How will you explain that you’re suddenly terrible at soccer next week? Or are you sending the Android to play for you again?”
“Would you want me to?” I asked, pulling Tina towards the classroom.
“I have mixed feelings about that,” she replied. “I love the idea of winning. But man, that Android makes me feel so inferior. I don't like feeling inferior.”
Putting my arm around Tina, I said. “This will work out great. I’ll work on my game to get better, and you’ll get to be the star again. We’ll all win!”
Tina shook her head. “What does your grandpa always say about plans and the real world?”
“Even the best-laid plans often go haywire when they hit the real world!” I mimicked Grandpa’s voice. “It’s easier to plan than to execute a plan.”
“This plan has SO, SO, SO many places it can go haywire!” Tina said.
Yes, maybe I shouldn’t have felt so confident that I could handle this. But I knew I was a smart girl who was able to think quickly in stressful situations. I would figure something out.
As we were about to enter the classroom, Ivy approached us. She stopped in her tracks and glared at me.
She thrust a finger in my face. “I don’t know how you did it!”
“Did what?” I asked coolly.
“You made me look bad on the soccer field. I’ve never looked bad anywhere before!”
I shrugged. “Sorry, Ivy, I just had one of those days where everything clicked. I played over my head.”
“You played way over your head!” Ivy insisted. “I tell you, Wise. We are going to meet in the playoffs! I am going to practice, practice, practice so I can run all over you and your team! Plus, we both know Dex loves soccer. When he sees me beating your team in the playoffs, he’ll be so impressed.”