by R. L. Weeks
“Without getting caught?”
“I do think that is highly unlikely, if it is made to look like an accident.”
“Excellent!” Darice laughed with glee.
She called her lover Eric, who was a treasure hunter of sorts, and went over to his place to discuss her plans.
“I want to go on an expedition with you my love.”
He cocked his head at her as this was a first. Darice was certainly not the type to like roughing it, or to be very far from lavish accommodations at all.
“I don’t think that you understand what an expedition entails my dear.”
“No hot showers, no bathroom facilities, no masseuse, yadda, yadda, yadda. I get it.”
He chuckled then asked, “Why the hell do you want to forsake those wonderful luxuries?”
“Let’s just say that I want to see how the other half lives. Oh, and I’m bringing my step daughter along too.”
“This sounds as though you are… how should I put it mildly… bonkers, my love.”
“Oh, relax Eric. I just want to expose Snow to some of life’s harsh realities. It will be good for her.” Darice grinned.
“And what about you?”
“I’ll survive baby. I will most certainly survive.”
“As you wish my dearest.”
So that next spring they all headed to the darkest continent, down in the southern portion where Eric had some rather unorthodox mining interests. From the nearest city, they travelled by air-car into the wilderness. Snow was filled with a sense of wonder seeing the raw nature of the earth as she’d never been out of the city before. Yet there was still a nagging feeling of vulnerability that pervaded her. She knew that Darice was in no way concerned with her best interests, but she had warmed up to Eric nicely as he was full of the excitement of adventure.
“Has the earth always been this way, Eric?” She asked.
“I don’t understand what you mean, child.”
“I mean has it always been so raw, and dirty looking?”
He laughed. “Well yes. The word earth also means dirt. If you wish to look at it that way.”
“You should keep your eyes open, and your mouth shut.” Darice chastised her, again for the umpteenth time.
“Yes Darice.” Snow dropped her head.
“So, you have really never seen the wilderness in any respect?” Eric asked Snow.
“Only on videos and pictures online, but this is far beyond what I had imagined.”
“Just remember that not everything is friendly towards you in the wild and be respectful of this truth.”
Snow knew all too well from her step mothers wicked hand already about the unfriendly side of life. She again dropped her head and was quiet. This made her step mother relax.
They made camp near some of Eric’s most prosperous claims, ones which he worked in ways that most would find strange to say the least. The dozen worker robots of Eric’s performed all of the labor setting up camp and there was even a cook, or rather a chef robot.
“You have the most advanced robots that I have ever seen, Eric.”
“Oh, these jobs are nothing!” he laughed. “I do have some truly advanced ones though. They aren’t really just bots however, more like cyborgs.”
“You mean they are human, but also machine?” Snow’s eyes widened.
“No, not human, but they do have a biological component.”
“Oh, I would like to see those.”
Eric shook his head. “I’m afraid that those are proprietary secrets. They are how I make my living.”
“Stop being so damned nosey, Snow!” Darice scolded.
“Yes ma’am.”
“I think it is time for you to go to bed.”
Snow dropped her head, and reluctantly went to her tent.
As soon as Darice was sure that Snow was fast asleep, she motioned Eric to follow her and they moved out of ear shot.
“Eric, I have a proposition for you.”
“I love when you proposition me, baby.”
“It’s not that sort of thing, but that can be included.” She winked at him. “I mean a business deal.”
“Oh? I’m all ears.”
“Listen, this is a big thing. It’s easy too, well, sort of.”
“Are you going to tell me or tease me my dear?”
“Yes, but you have to hear me out.”
“Okay, please go on.”
“I know how I can get my hands on a huge fortune. My late husband’s fortune.”
Eric cocked his head.
“There is only one thing standing in the way of us being rich beyond our wildest dreams.”
“I don’t think I like where this is headed, Darice.”
“Shhh! You said you’d hear me out. Now that one thing standing in our way is sleeping in the tent right now.”
“You have got to be kidding me.” He shook his head.
“Listen! If she is gone, we are filthy rich! It’s a no brainer! I need you to do it though.”
“Oh my god. No!”
“Yes! It is as simple as taking her up to a high cliff, and then just a little nudge. Oops, and we are rolling in dough!”
“Darice, have you totally lost your mind?”
“Eric, you’ll never have to dig for your living again. Plus, then we can be together full time.”
“This is crazy!”
“No, it is simply a necessary thing. Snow has to go.”
He shook his head.
“Do you have any idea how much money I am talking about?” Darice then leaned and whispered in his ear.
“Holy crap!” Eric gasped.
“Half of it is yours.” She further enticed.
He was silent for some long moments before saying, “Just a little nudge you say?”
Darice giggled and nodded, “Just an oops.”
“Oops.” He repeated.
“That’s exactly right.”
“But there will be questions asked. I don’t know.”
“Are you kidding me? Out here? Any police involvement will simply be taking a report. We tell them of the tragic accident, and they write down what we tell them.”
“But her family, or friends might press the issue.”
“She has no family. Her mother was a damn orphan, just like her wretched ass is now. My late husband had no family left either. And friends? Ha! I have kept her sequestered, home schooled with private tutoring. Snow has no damn friends.”
“You are sure about this?”
“Yes! Will you make us rich, baby?”
He rubbed his chin and thought about it before saying, “I suppose so.”
“Yay!”
So the next day Eric told Snow White that he would take her to visit his mine, and show her his magnificent cyborgs. He took her high up on the mountain to a spot with a panoramic vista at the edge of a perilous cliff.
Snow stood at the brink gazing at the majestic scenery. “I had no idea that the world was so beautiful, Eric. This is amazing!” She smiled.
He edged closer to her. “It is a vast wilderness.” He nodded.
“I love it! I’ve never felt so alive in all my life.”
He moved right behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.
“It’s so… so beautiful!”
He looked down at the lovely, innocent child and his heart broke. He knew there was no way he could possibly live with himself if he pushed her to her death. Tears ran from his eyes and he went to sit on a boulder.
Snow heard him sobbing and moved to comfort him. “Eric, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“Oh my god! I can’t do it.” He blubbered.
“Do what? What is the matter?” She hugged him.
He took her by her shoulders and held her to look into her eyes. “Listen to me now, Snow, and listen good. Your life depends on it.”
“You’re scaring me Eric.” She shivered seeing the searing pain in his eyes.
“You step mother convinced me to bring you
here and throw you from the cliff. To kill you.”
“What? Why?” Snow also started to cry.
“If you are dead, she inherits your father’s fortune. She will do anything to get it. She will kill you Snow.”
“But… but I don’t want to die.”
“I know child. I don’t want you to either.” He pulled her close and held her tight.
“But you were going to?”
“No. I could never really do it. I did tell your step mother that I would. She can be so convincing… Snow, you can’t go back to her. She’ll kill you herself. I know her. You can’t come back with me.” He held her out at arms-length again.
“But what will I do? I’ll die out here.”
“No you won’t. My mine is nearby, and my cyborgs will take care of you.” He hastily removed a necklace with a rectangular golden pendant on it.
He handed it to her, and she saw that on one side was an engraving of a blacksmith’s hammer with fire in the background. The reverse was blank.
“This will lead you to my secret mine, and it will allow you complete control of my helpers there. Here, watch.”
He held it showing the blank seeming reverse and he touched it with his thumb. A holograph image appeared above the back of the pendant.
“It’s a data pad. I am going to give you full authorization.” He wiped his tears and smiled at her.
Then he hurriedly began manipulating the holographic keyboard.
“Now just touch your thumb to the back plate here.” He pointed. “You will be identified as the authorized user.”
She did, and then he turned it off and put the necklace around her neck.
“All you have to do is touch the back with your thumb to activate it. You can use voice controls or text for commands. I have the map set up to guide you right to my mine. My cyborgs will be under your full control automatically.”
“They will help me?”
“Yes, they will provide all your basic needs for you. Now listen child. You must stay hidden for a long while, until I come to get you. Do you understand? If your step mother finds out that I didn’t kill you, she will stop at nothing to do the job herself.”
“How long will I have to hide?” Snow asked wiping her own tears away.
“I don’t know exactly, but I will come back for you as soon as it is safe. Alright?”
Snow nodded and then hugged him again. “Thank you for not killing me.”
“Please forgive me for even thinking about it.”
“But you didn’t do it. So, you saved my life.” She gave him a tender kiss on his cheek.
When Eric returned to camp without Snow, Darice grew wide eyed with a big smile.
“You did it?”
“Well, it’s done. I didn’t do it though.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I was going to, but as we were walking along the river bank a croc beat me to it.”
“Oh my god!”
“Yeah, it was horrid. Her screams… I can still hear them.” He let some tears fall.
“Wait! Oh no, no, no, no!” Darice panicked.
“Yes, you got what you wanted. Snow is dead.”
“NO! That’s not what I wanted. I mean that’s not how I wanted it. How I needed it!”
“I don’t understand dear.”
“I need her damned body! It has to be proven that she is dead, and not just missing, you idiot!”
“Well it’s not like I had anything to say about it to a twenty-foot croc. He had his own mind made up.”
Darice was silent just grimacing for a few moments. “We have to catch that croc!”
“The river is too fast and deep for that. Besides he could be miles away by now.”
“Damn it! This is no good!” She shook her head. “I should have just done it myself.”
“Relax. She will be presumed dead soon enough, and then the money is ours.”
Darice turned away from him to hide her look of disgust. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
Her right hand reached into her jacket pocket, then she spun and went to embrace Eric with her left arm.
“Everything will be alright, won’t it my love?” She smiled at him.
“I assure you it will. We will be rich just like you said.”
Just as he began to lean to kiss her a shot rang out, then two more in rapid succession. Eric staggered back clutching his gut, and then he sank to his knees as confusion filled his features. He fell over on his side moaning deeply in pain. The confusion left him to be replaced by understanding of ultimate betrayal. He looked up at her with despise filling his eyes.
“You almost got it right there, lover. It’s just the ‘we’ part isn’t correct.” Darice pulled the small semi-automatic pistol from her jacket pocket and aimed it right between his eyes. “It’ll be me who will be rich, and you’ll join Snow in the river and into some big old croc’s belly.” With that she pulled the trigger and finished Eric’s story for him.
Meanwhile Snow White followed the digital map through the rugged mountains. It took her the rest of the day to finally come to the place the map led. She found herself before a cave entrance just big enough for her to enter standing. Inside the passage opened up into a fairly large room, and she looked around.
“Hello?” She called out. “Anyone here?”
Her voice echoing back to her was all she heard. Then she saw some foot prints in the dirt of the cave floor, but mostly small ones as if from a child. There were one set of larger prints too, and they all led from the entrance back towards a passage in the back of the room. She started to follow the prints but the light from the entrance soon dwindled to where she couldn’t see.
“Hey, computer phone thingy, do you have a light I can see by?”
“Do you wish flashlight mode or lantern mode to be activated?” A female voice answered her.
“Yes! Please.”
“Specify which mode of operation you wish for illumination.”
“Flashlight.”
A nice bright light beamed from the device and Snow smiled. She followed the passage winding her way deep into the cave. There were other passages leading off from the one that had all the foot prints covering the floor, but she followed the trail which eventually ended in a large room with equipment, machinery, and furnishings spread about. She saw there was a low, long table with some bowls on it. Some light yellowish porridge seemed to be half eaten in several of the bowls. Metal spoons sat by each of seven bowls. Snow was famished after her day long trek through the mountains, so she decided to take a taste. It was rather bland, but good other than that, so she ate all that was remaining in all the bowls. When she was full the food hit her, and she got extremely sleepy. There weren’t any beds in the cave room though and the rocky floor just wouldn’t do, so she looked around for something soft to lay on. In one back crevice she found some large burlap sacks filled with rags. Snow arraigned them to form a make shift bed and she lay down to rest her weary head.
Seven diminutive figures entered the dwelling room several hours later. They looked and saw that the food they’d not finished was all gone.
“Hey, somebody ate our porridge!” One said.
“Son-of-a-bitch!” Said another.
As they set their tools down, they saw Snow curled up asleep on the burlap sacks.
“Well would you look what we have here, boys.”
“Dang, is it a human?”
“I think so. Hey, I’m reading that this is our new master. It has the command card, and it’s verified.”
“Rodger that. I confirm it.”
“I told you to stop calling me Rodger, you idiot!”
Just then Snow woke up. At first, she recoiled in fright as all she saw were seven bright lights shining at her.
“What? Please don’t hurt me!” She implored.
“Oh, don’t you worry about that, Master. We are here to serve you.”
Then she remembered where she was, and what these things must be.
“Hey, are you Eric’s cyborgs?” She said shielding her eyes from their bright beams.
“No. We are your cyborgs.”
“Shut up idiot! Yes, we were Master Eric’s cyborgs.”
“But now we belong to you.”
“I wish there was some light in here, I want to see you.”
“Hey guys, turn to lantern mode.” One of the cyborgs commanded.
Suddenly the whole room lit up and the bright beams of light ceased blinding her. There were seven of them, all looking like short robots. Their eyes all glowed an orangish hue, and the tops of their heads were all radiating light to illuminate the room. The physical appearance of each one was slightly different than the others.
“Well hello. I’m Snow White. What are your names?”
“I’m MC-1.”
“I’m MC-2” It said rather gruffly.
“I’m MC-3” This one sounded cheerful.
She saw that each had a number corresponding to their designation painted on their chests.
One of them suddenly seemed to lose power and it sagged in place.
“That’s MC-4. He is always malfunctioning.” Number two told.
“I’m MC umm…” It appeared to be counting the others for a moment. “Five!”
“You are an idiot!” Number two interjected.
“Oh, hello. I am…” It seemed to hesitate, almost shy like. “MC-6.”
“I’m MC- snort.” The last one snorted like a pig. “Seven”
“I am pleased to meet all of you. I just wish you had names instead of numbers.” Snow smiled.
Number one said, “You may name us if you wish. That is entirely up to you, because you are our Master now.”
“Really, I can name you?”
They all nodded.
“Hmm, maybe if you tell me what makes you different from the others I can come up with good names. Number one, tell me about yourself.”
“My primary function is mining, and secondary functions are cybernetic repair, and biological sustenance production.”
“Are you saying that you repair the others when they break down?”
“Yes.”
“That means you’re like a medic. I think I will name you Med. Is that alright by you?”
“Perfectly fine by me.”
“So, if I say good morning Med, you’ll know that I am talking to you?”
“Yes. I will respond to Med.”