The Girl With Acrylic Eyes

by Greg Krojac

  She was just about to deck a table with glasses and bottles of bubbly when an alert sounded. Nobody panicked – they were expecting a message from Coppélia – and the alert had gone off three other times in the three years since they had received confirmation of the successful landing of the DeGrasse Tyson on the planet’s surface, each with positive news. Why should this day be any different?

  All eyes turned to the main monitor. At the beginning of the mission, messages had been in the form of holograph communication, but this had been mainly for Karen’s benefit, to allow her to feel closer to her friend. Since one-to-one conversation had become impossible, there seemed little point in expending resources in using holograph technology – with the exception of the special message from Coppélia that had been sent to coincide with the anticipated landing on Proxima b. She would always be grateful for Raef’s authorisation for that particular message. It was so special and something that she would remember as long as she lived.

  The monitor flickered into life and the face of Coppélia appeared on the screen. Karen drew back in shock. What had happened to her friend? Her left arm hung by her side, unable to function at all, just a reminder that she was no longer in perfect working order. Her right eye was dull and lifeless, the surface showing signs of blistering, and the right side of her face was awash with scorch marks. Karen knew that Coppélia couldn’t hear her, but couldn’t stop herself from crying out.

  “What’s happened to you, Coppélia? What did we do to you?”

  She reached for the hand of the nearest person to her, Cassini, the most recent addition to the project team. Cassini’s parents had been avid amateur astronomers and had named her after a space probe launched way back in 1997. Cassini willingly allowed herself to give the comforting touch that Karen so obviously needed. Coppélia spoke.

  “Mayday. Mayday. This is Coppélia, the pilot of landing shuttle the DeGrasse Tyson, whose parent ship, the Carl Sagan is in orbit around the planet Proxima b. The landing shuttle is out of fuel and I cannot take off from the planet’s surface to dock with the Carl Sagan and return to planet Earth. The coordinates for Proxima b are RA 14h 29m 43s | Dec -62° 40′ 46″.

  “I have performed a diagnostic system check and can arrive at only one conclusion – the landing shuttle has been sabotaged. It was never intended that I should return to Earth.”

  Cassini could see the effect that the message was having on Karen and ushered her towards a chair. The message stopped playing. Karen gripped Cassini’s hand even tighter.

  “Did you see her face? It looked like she’s been beaten up or something. And her arm – just hanging there by her side. She didn’t even mention it. She was ok the last time we received a message. This must have happened since then.”

  Cassini tried to calm Karen down.

  “We’re 4.24 light years away from her. She knows that there’s nothing we can do to help her from here. Logic would have told her to focus on sending the distress call. Look on the bright side, Mrs Ulfursson. She’s functioning.”

  Karen whipped her head around towards the young scientist.

  “Functioning? Functioning? She’s alive, not functioning.”

  Cassini felt genuinely upset.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs Ulfursson. But Mr Ulfursson doesn’t allow us to say the word ‘alive’ when referring to Coppélia.”

  The message began again.

  “Mayday. Mayday. This is Coppélia, the pilot of landing shuttle the DeGrasse Tyson, whose parent ship, the Carl Sagan is in orbit around the planet Proxima b. The landing shuttle is out of fuel and I cannot take off from the planet’s surface to dock with the Carl Sagan and return to planet Earth. The coordinates for Proxima b are RA 14h 29m 43s | Dec -62° 40′ 46″.

  “I have performed a diagnostic system check and can arrive at only one conclusion – the landing shuttle has been sabotaged. It was never intended that I should return to Earth.”

  Karen looked at the screen again.

  “She’s calling for help again. We have to get in touch with Raef. He needs to know what’s happening. He needs to organise a ship to go and rescue her.”

  A studious looking man, in his mid-forties, wearing unnecessary spectacles as a fashion statement rather than to correct his eyesight, stood up from his desk. He was the team-leader and had known Karen long enough to be on first name terms with her.

  “I’m sorry, Karen, but there won’t be a rescue mission.”

  The rest of the team glared at him, worried that he was going to reveal a communal secret that they were all complicit in. Carlos, the new focus of the team’s attention, pulled a chair along the floor so that he could sit facing Karen. He clasped his hands in front of him. Karen looked at him with pleading eyes.

  “What do you mean there won’t be a rescue mission?”

  Carlos felt uncomfortable telling Karen the reason but felt that she deserved to know the truth. He wished that he’d had the courage to do so earlier.

  “It was never intended that Coppélia should return home. The mission was for the android to land on the surface, send back reports, and that’s it. Nothing more.”

  Karen’s look of panic turned into confusion.

  “Why would he do that? Coppélia’s my friend. He knows that. She’s more than just an android.”

  “Not to him, she isn’t. To Raef, she’s just a robot. Nothing more, nothing less. That’s why we aren’t allowed to say that she’s alive. Coppélia was just a way for him to gain kudos and to show investors in the Mars Colonisation Project that he could deliver the goods. Coppélia landed on an exoplanet and showed the world that Raef was a man who could make dreams come true.”

  Karen felt betrayed and used.

  “He lied to me. He lied for all these years. The man I fell in love with was an adventurer, yes. He liked to push the envelope, yes. But I always felt I could trust him. I’ve been such a fool.”

  Carlos got off his chair and squatted facing her, taking both her hands in his.

  “You’re not a fool, Karen. Raef does love you. I know he does. But when it comes to his work, he’s pretty much emotionless. He’s uber-objective. I’m sure that he’s been dreading the day that you found out the truth about the mission.”

  He sighed.

  “I know I have.”

  Karen looked at him.

  “It’s not your fault, Carlos. It was up to him to tell me. And he should have told me at the beginning when I was first told about the space mission. And Coppélia had a right to know too.”

  The monitor burst into life again.

  “Mayday. Mayday. This is Coppélia, the pilot of landing shuttle the DeGrasse Tyson, whose parent ship, the Carl Sagan is in orbit around the planet Proxima b. The landing shuttle is out of fuel and I cannot take off from the planet’s surface to dock with the Carl Sagan and return to planet Earth. The coordinates for Proxima b are RA 14h 29m 43s | Dec -62° 40′ 46″.

  “I have performed a diagnostic system check and can arrive at only one conclusion – the landing shuttle has been sabotaged. It was never intended that I should return to Earth.”

  If no rescue mission was going to be sent, then the looped transmission served no purpose except to remind Karen of the dire straits that her friend was now in. She turned to Cassini.

  “Could you turn that thing off, please?”

  Cassini nodded and switched off the monitor.

  20

  Karen left strict orders with the mission team that they shouldn’t tell Raef that she knew about his abandonment of Coppélia. She didn’t want them to actually lie to him – that would make her no better than he was – but she’d rather they didn’t volunteer the information. She would deal with him when he got back from Mars.

  Five days after the mayday call, Raef’s hopper pulled up outside the villa the couple shared with their children. It was early evening, and he was quite surprised how quiet the place was; the family knew that he was due back from his business trip and he’d expected the children to come out
to the veranda to welcome him home.

  But the only thing he could hear was the chirruping of crickets.

  He opened the trunk of his car and took out his travel bag, throwing it over his shoulder and stepping onto the wooden decking that surrounded the house. The door of the building was locked, but that was no surprise. It normally was, unless they were having a barbecue. He unlocked the door and went inside. Still no sound. Perhaps everybody had gone out for the evening.

  He put his bag down on the hallway floor and made his way into the kitchen. It had been a long flight and he could really do with a beer. The refrigerator had been well stocked with Escudo lager beer when he left, but there were only a couple of cans left now. He found it hard to believe that Karen had drunk twenty-two cans of beer in the week since he had left for Mars; there was bound to be a valid reason for the discrepancy. He poured himself a glass of beer and headed towards the living room.

  He was surprised to see Karen sitting on her own. He went to give her an ‘I’m back’ kiss, but she turned her cheek away so that his kiss landed off-target. He looked around the room.

  “Where are the kids?”

  “Out.”

  “Out where?”

  “They’re staying with friends.”

  Karen was obviously in a bad mood. What had he done wrong? It wasn’t their wedding anniversary. It wasn’t her birthday.

  “Why? Why are they staying with friends?”

  Karen gave her husband a steely look.

  “Because I didn’t want them around when I say what I have to say to you.”

  Raef racked his brains trying to work out what heinous crime he had committed.

  “Whatever I’ve done, I’m sorry, Kaz.”

  “Sorry’s not good enough, Raef. Not this time.”

  She turned the WV on and Coppélia’s face appeared on the screen. Raef looked stunned.

  “What’s this?”

  “Shut up and watch.”

  Raef did as he was told. He had a feeling he knew what he was about to watch, and didn’t dare refuse. Not while his wife was in such a bad mood.

  “Mayday. Mayday. This is Coppélia, the pilot of landing shuttle the DeGrasse Tyson, whose parent ship, the Carl Sagan is in orbit around the planet Proxima b. The landing shuttle is out of fuel and I cannot take off from the planet’s surface to dock with the Carl Sagan and return to planet Earth. The coordinates for Proxima b are RA 14h 29m 43s | Dec -62° 40′ 46″.

  “I have performed a diagnostic system check and can arrive at only one conclusion – the landing shuttle has been sabotaged. It was never intended that I should return to Earth.”

  Karen turned the WV off again.

  “You knew. You knew all the time that she wouldn’t be coming back. You never intended that she should come back home.”

  Raef was cornered. He had no other choice but to try and defend himself.

  “I never said I would be bringing Coppélia home.”

  “You did. I distinctly remember asking you and you saying you would.”

  “No. I didn’t. You asked me if I was going to bring Coppélia back from Proxima b and I said that Project Coppélia cost billions of dollars and asked you if you thought we could afford to lose that kind of money. It’s not my fault you assumed that was a ‘yes’ to your question.”

  “You promised me.”

  “I did nothing of the sort.”

  “Well, you let me think that she’d be coming back.”

  “I’ll admit to that error of judgement, yes. And I’m sorry for that. It was wrong of me.”

  Karen stood up and looked her husband in the eye.

  “Then you can bloody well send a ship to rescue her. The ships are faster now. You can build another android and pick her up in half the time it took for her to get there.”

  “I can’t do that, Karen.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  “Both. I have far too much money tied up in building and expanding the Mars colonies to take a chunk of it out of the business to go chasing after a robot, just because you think you made friends with it.”

  Karen slapped his face, leaving a red mark on his cheek. Raef put his hand to his still stinging cheek. Karen was furious. Her husband had never seen her like this. She clenched her teeth and spat the next words at him.

  “Don’t you ever – EVER – talk down to me like that again.”

  Raef stood his ground.

  “IT’S A BLOODY ROBOT!”

  Karen started to walk away but spun on her heels.

  “SHE’S. She’s more than a bloody robot. Do you have any idea of what you did? You created a sentient, thinking being. Sure, she’s not made of skin and bones like you and me, but she feels things. YOU did that. You gave her emotions, you gave her curiosity, a zest for learning like we humans do – as opposed to just downloading information. She appreciates beauty, she can feel happy. She can feel sad. You’re her Victor Frankenstein. You created a life where there was no life. You created a person.”

  Raef was speechless. He didn’t actually have anything with which to rebuff his wife’s accusations. She was right – he had pretty much created life. But he’d been so wrapped up in his ulterior motive of gaining financial backers for his Mars colonisation project that he hadn’t seen what was right before his eyes. He had an inherent responsibility to this android, a responsibility that he had reneged on. He was both mother and father to Coppélia and – just as any parent – he had a duty to protect and care for her.

  “Ok. Ok. I’ll do what you want. You’re right. I shouldn’t have left her there. It was wrong of me. I’ll start organising a rescue mission.”

  Karen wanted more assurances.

  “You’ll start tomorrow?”

  “Yes. I’ll start looking for finance tomorrow. First thing.”

  “You’d better not be lying to me, Raef. If you lie to me, I’m out of here. With the kids.”

  Raef couldn’t bear the thought of becoming a weekend dad. He loved his children and – even though he had a very busy work-life – he made sure that he saw them every day unless he was travelling. And when he travelled, he spoke with them by holographic communication every day,

  “I’m not lying to you. I promise.”

  Karen calmed down.

  “You’d better not be. But don’t think you’re sleeping in our bed tonight. One of us will be sleeping in the spare room. And it’s not me. I’ll decide when to let you back into my bed.”

  Raef had no choice but to comply with his wife’s demands. He really did love Karen and didn’t want to lose her.

  21

  Raef was true to his word and spent the next day contacting billionaires and governments in an effort to find funding for a second android-crewed mission to Proxima b, with the objective of rescuing Coppélia. But his efforts were all in vain. There was only one group left that he could turn to, and he wasn’t even sure that he could bring them round to support the venture.

  That was why the following day found him piloting his executive shuttle back to Mars. The planet was awash with money and, in particular, the Mars Settlement Company was doing very well indeed. He was the President of MSC and had called for an extraordinary board meeting to be convened post-haste, stating that it was an emergency. The board-members all lived on Mars, in large luxury dwellings in the city of NY2, so it was no great hardship for them to attend such a meeting. However, it was strange that Raef wished to speak to them personally when it would have been much easier and convenient for him to organise a video-conference, but that was his choice.

  He ran through his pitch as the shuttle hurtled its way towards the red planet. He wasn’t 100% confident, but he’d known all the board-members for a significant amount of time and considered most of them to be close personal friends. At a constant speed of 0.02% light speed, the journey would take approximately 25 hours, most of which would be under computer controlled auto-pilot, allowing Raef to sleep, watch a movie, read or whatever he wanted to do. What he foun
d himself doing, unwillingly, was replaying the scene that had met him when he’d returned home two days earlier; he hadn’t enjoyed sleeping on his own in a different room either – when he was away on business it was different, but when he was at home he wanted to be with his wife. However, she was right – he’d become obsessed with the colonisation of Mars and had let it cloud his thoughts. He knew that Coppélia was important to Karen but had thought that she’d forget about the android as the years passed – or, at least, the strength of the connection would diminish. But the intensity of her argument the other night had shown him how wrong he was. She’d spent much more time with Coppélia than he ever had and the bond of friendship – if one could truly define it as that – was far stronger than he could ever have imagined. He’d been an absent parent and was determined to do something about it now.

  The journey was without incident (as they always are) and the executive shuttle landed in NY2 on time. The meeting was scheduled for three Earth hours later, so he went to his private quarters to freshen up. His eyes felt heavy, so he allowed himself to doze off for an hour or so before setting off for what could well be the most important meeting of his life.

  The other board-members were seated around the large metallic table when Raef entered the room. They’d heard about Coppélia’s distress call and knew that Raef had been trying to drum up funding from various sources on Earth. There was a reason why they had got there early.

  Raef outlined the advantages of fetching Coppélia back from Proxima b. They would be able to debrief her properly and ask her questions – something that was impractical whilst she was so far away and they had to wait over four years for an answer. He pointed out that it could be very important to learn how the materials that she had been constructed of had dealt with the extreme temperature and radiation – especially X-rays. The public relations aspect could be very valuable; the world had been fascinated by her before she had set off her mission twenty-eight years previously. The world would recapture its enthusiasm for the project on her return. And the trip wouldn’t take twenty-one years this time; they could probably have her back home in ten years’ time.