She knew full well why she spent so much time with these children, and it most certainly was not due to their behavior. While a few of them were sweet and endearing, most were spoiled rotten by the lifestyles that they lived and had the manners of a feral. No, she spent as much time with them as she did because they reminded her of own charges back home at the New York Spire, all of whom were currently being tended to by the Robotic assistants in their habitat at the base of the building. That feeling of familiarity helped her to feel more comfortable in an environment that she detested.
She was especially annoyed with this particular night as she hadn’t been able to unearth any information that explained why Nathaniel had been so certain of himself earlier at the beach. She didn’t like loose threads since they had a tendency to end up costing more in the long run for allowing them to unravel further. She toyed with the idea of bringing the mystery up to her parents; however, it was unpleasant presenting them with an issue and absolutely no information to follow up on it with. She was incredibly intelligent and had the best education available. After all, her teacher was Tobor who had unlimited access to the combined knowledge of all humanity, and her parents were brilliant mentors for her. She shouldn’t be having difficulty getting information on this subject from the air headed girls who were obsessed with relationships. And yet, here she was, nothing more than a suspicion of planned foul play and no clue as to its scale. She decided not to approach her parents on the matter, at least not until she had something more solid to report to them.
Tobor joined her at the entrance to the twenty three meter long bouncy castle. She had been monitoring and helping children who had either gotten sick or bent limbs in ways they weren’t meant to be bent. Instantly the large human shaped robot became the focal point of the children’s attention. While they all had similar models at their homes, the fact that he was the only one allowed upon the island made him special and therefore the focus of the children’s world for the duration of their short attention spans. After five minutes of begging it to join them in their bouncing activities and repeated statements on the part of Tobor that its weight exceeded the ability of the inflatable structure to properly support and would result in unplanned deflation, the children lost interest and returned to terrorizing one another.
Maria smiled at the robot. Tobor always seemed to take on a softer tone with children. She remembered him often using it with her when she was younger, at least until he began to address her with a tone that she would have described as snarky had it come from a human. “You big spoil sport, dashing their hopes like that."
“I did not wish to prematurely end their activities, Ms. Patterson.” It looked from the children to her. “However, I have deduced by their numerous glances your way and their consistent attempts to engage you in conversation that they desire your presence within the structure, and I believe with ninety nine percent certainty that your weight will not exceed the tolerances of the material and inflation units."
Maria smiled and shook her head, yes definitely snarky. “First Mr. Robot, I’ll have you know that the odds of my not deflating that structure are most assuredly at one hundred percent, and secondly, I made the mistake of going in there once before and barely escaped with my life. I won’t willingly enter into that pit of crazed animals ever again."
They both stood there after that watching the children. Maria admired their innocence and the potential that they represented. She could only guess at what Toby was thinking but one thing she did know for sure was it was contemplating the situation and the youths before them. A little girl no older that five, with flowing brown locks and a beautiful little yellow dress with a flower print bounced near the mesh wall by Toby. Maria watched in mild wonder as Toby’s hand reached out slightly, gently touching the safety material nearest to her. Maria opened her mouth to speak when Toby stood up straighter, its hand snapping back to where it previously had been, its face turned to her, and said, “Your father is summoning you to the communal fire area. The time has arrived for the first feast."
She nodded and then yelled into the chaotic mass of small children, “Dinner time!”
The combination of weariness mixed with hunger generated from hours of exertion drove many of the children from the cavernous bouncy castle and onto the grass below the inflatable building. The others made their way slowly toward the exit or pretended not to hear her and for a small few they honestly hadn’t, locked away in their own imaginary words. Eventually she had to resort to threatening to turn off the air pumps and trap the little ones in there for the rest of their lives. This caused the remainder to flee squealing toward the beach and the giant bon fire that had been erected to set the mood for the meal that they were about to all share.
Maria and Toby made their way casually to the large circular couch that her father and mother were relaxing upon. Mother lay within the crook of her father’s arm, her head resting against his chest and his fingers gently running through her hair. Maria wanted to stop time at that moment and freeze this second forever. But nothing ever stays forever and both of them saw her and Tobor approaching, the flickering flames of the large fire illuminating them in the now pitch black night. Her mother sat up and patted the couch next to her, and Maria flopped down upon it resting herself against her mother and smiling at the two of them.
“Mom, Dad, Toby was destroying the hopes and dreams of children."
Her father smirked and her mother shook her head. “Is that right dear?"
“I did no such thing. I merely informed the young ones of my considerable mass when compared to their own and that the inflatable habitat that they were occupying would not support me."
Maria sighed, “And then he said that and my hopes and dreams died a little too."
“Well, it’s just nice to see you two getting along. You snap at Tobor so often that I was beginning to think you didn’t like him,” Mother said.
“I’m a teenage girl. I don’t like anyone Mother."
“Well then,” her father grumbled, “you can kiss that trip to Tennessee goodbye."
Maria sat up. “Present company excluded of course."
“But of course,” he smirked. “I think you should let your mother and I have some more time together. The teens have all started a bonfire down by the beach and apparently went ‘a Viking’ and made off with a few of the pit roasted pigs”
“Okay, I’ll leave you two love birds alone,” she said and began to walk toward the beach. She then looked over her shoulder at Tobor, “You coming?”
It nodded and easily caught up to her with strides she could never hope to match.
The teens danced in the waves, bathed in the light of lantern drones hanging in the air and bonfires on the beach. The light reflected off the surface of the waves and created a hypnotic display that complemented the writhing masses of nude bodies prancing in and out of the water. Maria stifled a sigh at the sight. Every season the youth tried to out savage themselves, and this time appeared to be no different, so much so that she half expected to see the morons begin fornicating on the beach. It was at moments like this that she risked exposing her opinions of the other’s behaviors as well as place herself outside of the group, thus denying herself access to gossip and other information. However as much as she wanted to be able to assist the family, there were some lines she wouldn’t cross. She hoped that the first time when she was sixteen and the other teens had streaked across the beach at night and then failed to get her to do it had taught them that she had no taste for such behavior. They hadn’t asked her to participate in such events since. She looked over her shoulder at her silent robotic companion. “So how much information do you report to my parents?”
Without missing a beat Tobor responded, “Your parents only wish to know about information relevant to your safety or the progress of your family.”
“So if I were to strip down and run around like those fools would that classify as relevant?”
“You are far too intelligent t
o behave in such a fashion, nor would you risk shaming your family.”
Maria laughed as she angled them away from the party and back toward the adults. “Well then that would make me the only one."
It shook its head. “That is not correct Miss Patterson. Several of the other children also make it a point to not participate in such activities."
She nodded; there was an opportunity there. “Would you please note the names of those that aren’t participating and create folder of any activities and behaviors that they display? I want to review them in the future," she said as she marched along the beach through the dark, letting only the moon light that glistened on the ocean moistened beach guide her way.
“You wish to cultivate them as potential sources of information?”
“Maybe or create alternative routes to alliance building for Father and Mother. I’ll have to be careful to avoid being seen spending too much time with them though."
“You don’t wish to be seen as being outside of the more popular groups," Tobor said, its heavier weight pressing down so much into the soft beach sand that water welled up in each footstep.
“Exactly."
“Alicia Morales and Sergei Kushnir were speaking of heading out into the mountains for an overnight hike and camping trip."
“How close were you when you heard that?”
“Seventy five meters, two point fifty four centimeters.”
She stopped, smiling as she did, and picked up a shell from the beach tumbling it over in her fingers. “Creepy, but that should work nicely. I’d be able to meet with them in private but at the same time get a little bit of a workout in myself.”
“When would you like to leave Miss Patterson?”
Maria threw the shell into the ocean and then favored Tobor with a sly smile. “I think we’ll wait to head up until early in the morning… we’ll let them have their alone time tonight."
___
“Stupid horny teens!” she cursed under her breath as she pushed herself up the barely manageable grade. It wasn’t the workout that was bothering her. It was the intense humidity and unaccustomed heat of the noon tropical environment. She was sweating, but none of it was evaporating, and she felt herself only getting hotter and hotter. As she forced herself forward, she occupied her mind trying to imagine how the two had managed to make it this far up the mountain.
“Are you sure your tracking software isn’t malfunctioning?” she rasped, her hand wiping sweat from her brow only to instantly regret the action as she smeared the sweat into her eyes and they began to sting. She angled herself into the incline and poured some water in her eyes to clear them.
Tobor who was a few meters behind her came to a stop. “I am fully aware of their location, and I have verified ours by using the—"
“Alright, alright, I believe you know what you’re doing,” she said, cutting it off mid-sentence. “Find me somewhere to cool down please. If I’m going to try to politic these kids, then I want to refreshed and approachable, not agitated and repellent."
“That would be advisable.”
She glared at Toby. “Hey, I don’t smell that bad."
“You are correct Miss Patterson. According to my atmospheric sensors, your current olfactory impact upon humans is within their tolerance; however, I was actually referring to the fact that I am able to detect that both of the young people you wish to speak to are still engaged in vigorous activity."
“Eww…”
“There is a natural pool and waterfall, to the west of here. Would that be to your liking?”
She walked over to Tobor and kissed it on the side of its opaque face plate. “That would be divine my robot friend."
Tobor stared at her for a moment and then began to lead the way toward their new destination. After a few minutes hike, they reached the clearing and the pristine body of water. It was almost idyllic; the waterfall that fed the pools sparkled as sunlight shone through it. Beautiful flowers and large leafed plants grew along the banks and the roar of water upon stone mixed with the sounds of local birds to create an atmosphere that lulled her into a sense of relaxation.
She walked up to the natural pool, knelt down, and splashed water onto her face. A yip escaped her lips at the coolness she felt upon her skin. She followed it by cupping her hands and pouring water onto the top of her head. Her breath caught as it flowed between her shoulder blades and down her chest.
She looked at Tobor. "Toby, can I get some privacy for a few minutes?"
The robot nodded. "Of course Miss Patterson, I will perform a sweep of the area."
She watched it slip through the foliage at the edge of the clearing and vanish from view. She stripped her sweat-soaked clothes off and slowly lowered herself into the water. She finished her immersion by dunking her head completely underwater and pulling her hair back once she surfaced. The water wasn't actually cold; however, she was so heated from the hike that the temperature differential between the water and her skin was significant as well as welcomed. She pulled her hiking attire into the water to wash them clean and then laid them out on a rock to dry. At this point she didn't care how long it would take to happen. She was happy to rest here for a while and wait for the love birds to tire each other out. She found a rocky outcrop near where the waterfall plunged into the pool and used it as a seat and head rest. Slowly she closed her eyes and let the constant pulse of the water help to relax her muscles.
The sounds of small rocks clacking onto large ones encouraged her to open her eyes. She couldn't be sure how long she had rested there for, but it had been too long apparently. There, kneeling at the edge of the water only a few meters away from her, was Nathan. Her first reaction was to move away, but she wouldn't provide him with more control over the situation than he already had.
She closed her eyes and pretended as if his presence didn't bother her, he laughed.
"Always so prudish and stuck up."
She shook her head. "Did you really sneak all the way out here just to insult me?"
He laid sideways upon the soil, arm propping his head up with his bicep bulging outward. "No, I just came out here to sight see," a grin emerged, "and they are truly amazing."
Maria fought back the urge to vomit. "Leave or I'll have Toby throw your ass down the hill."
He chuckled, "Oh I'm afraid your tin man is busy playing hide and sneak with my decoy drone right now."
Her pulse quickened, suddenly concerned by his intentions. He stood up and stripped off his clothes. "I think I'll join you," he said plunging into the pool.
Before he surfaced, Maria was already moving across the water to where she had left her clothes, her years of athletics making her progress considerable. Behind her she could feel him thrashing through the water in pursuit. She reached the shoreline and dressed as his wet body strode upon land, the sun glinting off his muscular frame. "I'm tired of chasing you Maria," he hollered.
She widened her stance and stood her ground as he closed the distance. She knew she had greater stamina than him and would win in a distance race but she had seen him quickly overtake other boys who had tried to flee from him. Besides there was no chance she was going to willingly give ground; let him come.
"Then get the hint or has all that weight lifting deprived your brain of oxygen?"
"Screw this, I should have taken what was mine a long time ago!" He grabbed for her wrist, only to have her twist her hand breaking his grip, followed by a rapid jab from her opposite hand into his exposed throat. His eyes bulged outward at the sudden pain he felt in his trachea and the unexpected difficulty breathing.
He dropped to his knees a hand wrapped protectively around his wounded jugular. She leaned close. "I belong to no one you puta," she hissed in his ear.
Maria turned and walked away. When she was less than a meter from the edge of the jungle, the sound of feet pounding on the ground and heavy breathing let her know Nathan was coming and fast. She attempted to sidestep out of his path, but he corrected at the last moment and
slammed into her with the full force of his mass and speed. The breath was knocked from her twice, when he impacted and then when they both hit the ground, his considerable weight crushing her into the soil and ground cover of the jungle floor. He straightened himself straddling her and pinning her to the ground. Her vision cleared in time to see his arm arcing in for a blow to the side of her head. Her arm shot upward intercepting and deflecting the blow, sending his fist toward the top of her skull. It struck a glancing blow, his knuckles burrowing into the soil and his weight shifting forward onto that arm. Her nerves screamed in pain but what could have been a debilitating strike was merely inconvenient. She shifted her arm around his elbow, the soles of her feet secured against the ground, and using her hips and legs, she thrust her pelvis upward. Placing pressure on his elbow at the same time, she folded his arm and sent him flying off her. Rolling as fast as she could onto her hands and knees, she was shocked to see how quickly he had recovered and was sending another fist hurtling at her and this time she knew she wouldn’t be able to avoid the impact.
A black blur slammed into his face and an explosion of blood filled the air as his nose shattered. Flecks fell onto her like a light rain and Nathan fell, his hands instinctively going to his head. She looked behind her and saw Tobor striding from the jungle. Beside her lay the blood covered remains of what had once been a fully functional flying drone.
"You broke my nose," Nathaniel yelled, his words muffled by his hands.
The Spire Page 16