Pine, Alive: A Science Fiction Romance Pinocchio Retelling (Foxwept Array Book 1)

by A. W. Cross

  “I might have some information you’d find useful.”

  Pine snorted. “You expect me to just open the door and let you in? A few months ago, I may have been gullible enough to do that, but not now. Leave. Please.” Yet she still couldn’t tear herself away from the door.

  “I understand you’ve probably had some problems with humans. Believe me, you’re not the only one. But I’m a synadroid too. You can trust me, can’t you?”

  That gave Pine pause. Surely she could trust her own kind? Still, she hesitated.

  “We know about the freak storm that took him. If it was a storm.” The synadroid’s voice dwindled as she moved away from the door. “But if you don’t trust me…”

  “I don’t trust you,” Pine said, opening the door. “But I do want to talk to you. What do you mean, it might not have been a storm?”

  Pine’s caller had the same build as herself, and she smiled as she sized Pine up. “I think we worked in adjoining sectors. Ghostlight 46A-D?”

  Pine nodded. “That’s right.” 46A had been one of her least favorite sectors. The foreman there had always looked at the female synadroids in a way she didn’t like.

  “I thought you looked familiar when I saw you in the market.” She narrowed eyes the rich green of the seaweed they used to cultivate. “Well, come on.”

  “Come on where? I can’t go anywhere with you.” Pine stepped back into the bungalow, her hand curving around the door edge. “Why can’t you just tell me what you know?”

  “I have to show you,” the synadroid replied, flicking her tawny braid over her shoulder impatiently.

  “No. I’m sorry, I can’t—” She’d made the mistake of slipping out on James before, and look where that had gotten her.

  “Paloma sent me.” The synadroid’s voice had dropped so low, Pine barely heard her.

  “You know Paloma?” She shouldn’t have been surprised; Paloma had intimated on several occasions that she had connections to a lot of synadroids.

  “Yes. She heard some information about Joseph. She sent me to find you.”

  That was a bit suspect. “How did she know I was here? We barely knew we were here.”

  “The boat you borrowed has a tracker on it.” Her voice had a disdainful edge, as though it should’ve been obvious to Pine. “When you capsized, she made a best guess where you would end up.”

  Pine wavered then made her decision. “Okay, fine, I’ll come with you. But I can’t be gone long.” She really didn’t need the chastisement. Plus, she didn’t want James and Blue to think she’d run away out of spite.

  “It won’t take more than a few minutes, I promise. My name is Ash, by the way.”

  “Pine.” The moment she stepped onto the road, doubt seeped in. Was this going to be the same as Todd and Tabby? Was she being foolish, yet again?

  As though Ash could read her mind, she glanced over and smiled. “We sentient androids have to stick together, right? If we don’t help each other, no one else will.”

  “Well, that was a waste of time,” James complained. “She didn’t tell us anything—and took her sweet time doing it.” The old woman had simply toyed with them for her own amusement. Witch. Hell, she’d practically cackled as they’d left.

  “Ugh, I know. I’m sorry. I thought if anyone had heard anything about Joseph’s disappearance, it would be her. She has eyes and ears everywhere, and Joseph is well-known.” She tucked her green hair into her hood as a crisp wind rose. “Still, at least we know nothing intentionally bad happened to him. That she would’ve known about.”

  “Yeah, small consolation,” James grumbled, frustrated and tired. “Pine’s going to be so disappointed.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes, why wouldn’t she be?” It had been her idea to search for Joseph, after all.

  “Well, her life and future are completely reliant on him. Even as kind as he is, that’s still got to frustrate her.”

  “Yeah, but she’s got a pretty good deal, compared to so many others of her kind—” The synadroids on Deserter’s Island had made that grotesquely clear.

  “You think that makes her captivity okay? How would you feel, James, having all the sentience you have, but not being in control of your own destiny?”

  “Yeah, but are any of us—”

  “Don’t try to bullshit me, James. You know damn well it’s not the same.”

  He did. “I know. I know it’s difficult for her, but I’m going to do everything I can to make things better.” He just wasn’t sure how, yet.

  “If that was true, you’d stay away from her.”

  “What?” That surprised him. He and Blue had been friends a long time, and she also seemed to genuinely like Pine.

  “I saw the way you looked at her when I was fixing her. And now. Something is different between you two. Be honest with yourself. You like her, don’t you?”

  “Of course. I mean, I’ll admit, I had my doubts—”

  “No, I mean you like her. Don’t try to deny it.”

  He opened his mouth to do just that. And shut it. He’d be lying if he’d said it hadn’t crossed his mind. Things were changing, but he still wasn’t sure what that meant.

  “So what if I do?”

  “Seriously? What do you think could happen? That she would become your girlfriend? A girlfriend who has the same social status as a pet goldfish? Are you ready for that kind of judgment?”

  “I— If something happened between us, we’d figure it out then.”

  “Yeah? And what say would Pine have in all this?”

  “What do you mean? She’d have a choice whether to be with me or not.”

  “Would she? I wonder. I mean, she’s bound to do what’s in her best interest for survival, right?”

  What did that mean? No, if he and Pine ever…if they ever got to that point, she would be with him because she chose to be.

  “And what are you going to do if she breaks? You know they don’t make synadroids anymore. What if you couldn’t repair her? Would you simply scrap her?”

  How could Blue even think that? The idea was abhorrent. “Of course not.”

  “Put her in another android body then? One that would give her an emotional lobotomy? So that you can still have her body even if her personality is gone? What about when you become an old man? Or what if you decide you want to have children?”

  “Blue, stop. Where is all this coming from?” He didn’t want any part of the doubt she was sowing in him; he had enough of his own.

  “James, you and I have known each other a long time. I knew you before the Perimeter, and after. I just want you to think carefully about this. For both your sakes. She’s going to have a difficult enough time as it is, without the constant worry of you changing your mind or—”

  “I wouldn’t.” That, at least he could be sure of.

  “Really? I know how you felt about sentient androids when you came back from the Perimeter. You were so against everything they stood for. You questioned their humanity.” She bent to dig a rock from her shoe.

  “Pine isn’t like those other synadroids.”

  “Why? Because you don’t want her to be?”

  I don’t want to talk about this anymore. “Blue, Pine and I aren’t even together, so this is all just theoretical. I don’t know how she feels about me.”

  “Well, all the more pity for her if you do have feelings for each other. Look, I’m going to tell you something, both for your good and hers, because there’s still time for both of you to change your minds without too much pain.”

  “There’s nothing you can tell me that will change my mind.” Was there? Damn Blue and her doubt.

  “Glad to hear it. You know Paloma, the harbor master you said took Pine under her wing?”

  “Yes.”

  “She’s a sentient android sympathizer.”

  “So are you.” What was she getting at? Given the Emancipation, there were lots of synadroid champions out there.

  “She smuggles syna
droids out, James. She helps them escape. ”

  “Okay. I mean, I’m surprised, but what does that have to do with Pine?” It wasn’t like she was trying to escape.

  “Doesn’t it seem a bit convenient to you? The day Pine gets released and Joseph goes missing, Paloma just happens to lend Pine her boat in the middle of a massive storm?”

  Taking expensive kit to sell at the Field of Miracles without telling Joseph. Her quiet composure and new confidence when she was released. Being so close to Joseph and James without once contacting them. Her friendship with Paloma. Her thoughtlessness about his safety. Her insistence on going into the storm. But still, all of that didn’t mean— “You think she’s trying to escape?”

  Blue shrugged. “Wouldn’t you? Would your feelings for one person, someone not of your kind in a world that doesn’t recognize you as a person, be enough for you to give up any chance at freedom, no matter how uncertain that freedom may be?”

  “I—” When he took everything into account, it made sense, but he still couldn’t believe Pine was planning to run away. Once, maybe, but not now.

  Blue wasn’t done. “Would you feel safe? Would you be able to love them whole-heartedly?”

  James turned it over in his mind, truth battling with hope. Honesty won. “No,” he admitted. “I would always be worried about my place, about trust.”

  “So in Pine’s position, do you think it’s in her best interests to stay and hope for love with you? Or escape and try to find a life and love as a free person?”

  “The latter.”

  “Then can you trust her?”

  No. He couldn’t. How could he have been so foolish? He’d known better. His own experience had taught him differently. Everything he’d believed about Pine from the beginning was still true—she was a synadroid, and an even more unpredictable one at that, and always would be. Blue was right. If they ever did have feelings for each other, what would their future look like?

  Do we even have one?

  He’d thought he knew Pine, despite their differences. But maybe he was wrong.

  As they neared Blue’s bungalow, James found his pace quickening. He just needed to see her. All he had to do was look at her, and he would know. His heart would tell him the truth.

  Blue had to trot to keep up, and they arrived at her front door only minutes later. “I wonder what Pine’s gotten up to while we were gone. I probably should’ve told her how to turn on the wallscreen or something,” Blue mused as the bioscanner traveled over her face. She turned to James as the door opened. “I know that was a dead-end, but I’ve got a few more ideas up my proverbial sleeve.”

  The living room was empty.

  “Pine?” James called. “Where are you?” He peered into the tiny kitchen before raising an eyebrow at Blue. “Any other rooms?”

  As she shook her head, her sympathetic expression told him what he didn’t want to believe—exactly what she’d predicted had happened.

  Pine was gone.

  It was going to be fine. Ash was her kind. Besides, she didn’t have anything worth stealing this time. And if there was any chance of finding Joseph… “Where are we going?”

  “Down to the beach.” Ash glanced over her shoulder. “There’s something down there I have to show you.” Her stride was long, her arms swinging feely as they walked.

  “So what do you do here?” Pine tried to be polite. Maybe if she knew more about her, she wouldn’t be as nervous.

  “This and that. Mostly, I work for Paloma, helping other synadroids.” They passed through the scrub brush that crested the slope onto the beach.

  “Helping them? To do what?”

  “Escape, of course.” Her expression turned incredulous. “You mean you don’t know?”

  “Know what?” Had she missed something?

  Ash stopped and put her hands on her hips. “Are you sure you know Paloma?”

  “Of course I do. I just don’t—” Maybe there were two Palomas and this was a misunderstanding. But Ash had mentioned Joseph.

  “Maybe she just didn’t trust you.” Ash sniffed and kept walking.

  That stung. “But she lent me her boat.”

  “And look what happened.” At the crestfallen expression on Pine’s face, Ash relented. “I’m only teasing you. Paloma never told you because she wanted to be sure she could trust you. That’s where I come in—I’m the one who gets to tell you.”

  “Tell me what?” Annoyance bit at her. What did this have to do with Joseph? James and Blue wouldn’t be gone much longer. And if she wasn’t there when they got back, James would have a conniption.

  Ash sensed her irritation. “Okay, sit.” She flopped down a few yards from the water’s edge and patted the patch of sand next to her. She took a microcomm out of her pocket. “It’s almost time.”

  This time, Pine refused to ask. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared out to sea.

  “Okay, fine. You’re not much fun, are you?” She leaned back on her palms. “Paloma helps secrete sentient androids like you and me away from here.”

  Pine gawked down at her. “She does what?” Harbormaster Paloma was a synadroid smuggler? That was news to her. She’d never given anything away when Pine was with her.

  “You heard me. Now sit down. You’ll draw attention to us if you stand there with your mouth hanging open like that.”

  Pine sat and scanned the beach around them. Save for themselves, it was empty. “Why aren’t there guards out here? I thought this island was supposed to be a closely guarded secret?”

  Ash smirked. “They believe their barrier is impenetrable. That no one can get within thirty miles without them knowing.”

  “And can they?”

  Ash smiled. “Of course. The right people, anyway.”

  Pine’s annoyance flared again. “Now tell me about Paloma. And what do you know about Joseph? What did you drag me down here for?” She would give Ash two minutes then she was leaving, regardless of what the synadroid had to say.

  Ash gave a dramatic sigh. “Which do you want to know about first? Which one’s more important to you?”

  Pine didn’t miss the sidelong look Ash gave her. This was not an innocent question. She decided to be truthful. “Joseph.”

  “His boat was capsized in that storm. There was marks on it, huge gouges. She believes he was eaten by a shark.”

  The reverberation of the ocean rushed into Pine’s ears, deafening even the breaking of her heart. The dream swallowed her again, this time lucid and agonizing without the protective fog of sleep. She was choking. Joseph was dead, and it would drown her. He’d promised he wouldn’t leave her. A frail human’s final betrayal.

  “Pine? Pine, are you all right?”

  Pine looked up into Ash’s concerned face. When did I lie down? “Joseph’s dead.” She needed to say it out loud.

  “I know, Pine. And I’m sorry. I truly am.” To her credit, she did look it.

  “But if Paloma knew, why didn’t she tell us? Why let us take the boat?” None of what Ash was saying made any sense.

  “She was helping you escape.”

  “Escape? Why would I need to escape?”

  “Because Joseph is dead. What do you think will happen to you?”

  “I— James would help me. I know he would.” Out of loyalty to Joseph’s memory, if nothing else. Wouldn’t he?

  “The man from the market? Are you sure about that? Are you willing to stake your life on it?”

  “My life?”

  “Think about it. On the same day you get out of prison, Joseph goes missing. Not everyone will think it’s a coincidence.”

  “But he was on his way to come get me.” Surely no one would think she’d done anything to him. How could they?

  “Maybe, maybe not. Who knows what people will believe? I mean, you have only one assault on your record, right?”

  “Yes, but I—”

  “And then you steal a boat and disappear…”

  “But he was my father.”
/>
  “So what? You think you can bat those doe eyes at a jury and they’ll believe you? Do you think you’d even get a jury? Or a trial?” Ash sneered, an ugly, human curl of her lip. “You know how nervous we make people. And I know you’ve heard the stories out there about us.”

  Pine did know, because James was one of those people. The very thing he’d worried about happening was exactly what people might believe had happened.

  “And this James, how far do you think he’s willing to go to defend you?”

  They’d only just stopped fighting each other, and at the end of the day, she was still a synadroid, and always would be.

  Ash pressed her advantage. “And even if you do manage to prove your innocence, how long do you think your relationship—”

  “We’re not in a relationship,” Pine protested.

  “Not yet. But it’s obvious you feel something for him. Do you actually think he feels anything for you? A synadroid? Will he fix you when you break down? Or send you to the junkyard? Or here?” She gestured carelessly over her shoulder toward the town. “The law doesn’t care, so he can just toss you out the minute he grows tired of you.

  She paused and gave Pine an apologetic half-smile. “I’m sorry, Pine. I’m not trying to hurt you. But I think you’ve forgotten your place among these humans. For now, they treat you like a person, but for how long? What if they don’t like the way you react to something? Don’t forget who the enemy is.”

  “Why are you doing this?” The barrage of missiles had hit home. James wasn’t her enemy, not any more. But if Ash had wanted to force Pine to shine a light on all her doubts, she was doing a fantastic job.

  “Because I want you to understand how precarious your situation is, Pine. I’m offering you a way out. An escape to a safe place. But if you can tell me, honestly, if you are one hundred percent confident that this James has your best interests at heart, that he will always protect you, then I’ll go now, and I’ll never contact you again.”

  Pine could’ve lied. But the truth seemed obvious now. Ash was right. She couldn’t trust James with her future. The way he felt about synadroids, the way his world saw her…that couldn’t change overnight. And it was her life at stake. “I can’t.”