Steel Guardian

by Cameron Coral

  Nova had finished eating, and Block sat next to her near the small fire, keeping an eye on the sleeping child. “Thank you for finding a doctor and retrieving the medicine.”

  Nova folded her legs underneath her and shrugged.

  “We’re not out of danger,” he said. “Cybel could be waiting for us at the next road we cross.”

  “But how? We’ve been trekking through the country, avoiding roads.”

  “There are surveillance methods, ways to detect us. At some point, we’ll have to cross roads.”

  “What, does she have eyes in the trees or something?” Nova asked.

  “There may come a point when something will happen to me. Cybel Venatrix won’t let you surprise her next time.”

  “Yeah, we got pretty lucky.” Nova licked her fingers.

  “If we face Cybel and get separated, I need you to do something,” Block said. She poked the fire with a stick, moving a thick piece of branch near the center of the flames. “It’s important, Nova. Please look at me.”

  She dropped the stick. “Okay.” She turned her gaze on him.

  “If we get separated, take the baby, and find someone worthy.”

  She frowned. “And…? That’s it?”

  Her reaction was confusing.

  “That’s a lot.”

  “If we get separated, I’ll make sure the baby is safe,” she said.

  “But you have to find a person who is worthy. I think it might be a clue to locating her parents. The child’s last name might be Worthy.”

  “I think you might be reading too much into it,” she said.

  “There are three questions to determine worthiness. Number one: What’s your favorite movie? Number two: What’s your favorite game? And the third: What’s your earliest memory?”

  Nova shook her head. “I hate to break it to you, but those questions don’t mean shit. I don’t know how you came up with those….”

  The questions revealed a person’s character. How did Nova not realize this?

  “I’m exhausted,” she muttered, and rolled over to sleep.

  After five minutes, Block stamped out the fire. Then he settled on a rock and powered down to forty percent capacity. Still enough juice to process Nova’s reaction to the test of worthiness. Were his questions really bullshit?

  Worthless?

  He didn’t want to give the child to anyone who provided less than stellar answers. There were no objective answers, that was true. The person administering the questions would have to judge worthiness.

  Was he going about this all wrong? Was there a better way to judge character?

  He wished for a guide. Any instructions to navigate this harsh new reality.

  With a ping, he could ascertain everything there was to know about a robot’s make and model. But humans were an entirely different story. First, he couldn’t ping them. A human might react in a million different ways. One person was entirely different from the next. Nova, for example, was unpredictable. He’d thought a woman would be the perfect mother type, but then she hadn’t wanted anything to do with children. Her AI captors had called her a soldier, but she denied it, yet she knew how to handle a rifle and had even shot down two combat drones.

  And finally, he’d been sure she would betray him and send the military men to seize him and claim the baby, but she hadn’t.

  Everything was so confusing. He didn’t know if Nova was worthy or not. He was beginning to think he had no way of judging her, or any humans.

  He should stick to what he knew—robots.

  Was that the answer? Was he destined to exist only among AI? Had the rift between humans and robots grown so massive that he would never have contact with their species again?

  Frustrated, Block disabled his logic module and sat motionless.

  35

  Block powered up to full capacity. Birds chirped and leaves rustled, but darkness surrounded him as his ocular display took a few seconds to warm up. He listened for the sound of Nova shuffling about or gurgles from the baby, but there was silence. Still asleep. Good. Let them rest.

  He checked his power levels—fifty-five percent. Not bad considering how much hiking they’d done. To be safe, though, he would want to find something to charge him soon. The baby had slept for a long time—since last evening, and he supposed that made sense given her condition. Perhaps the medicine had made her drowsy. He listened again; Nova wasn’t snoring as she sometimes did.

  Brightness crept into the sides of his vision field, and then the morning light flickered on as his display triggered. Glancing at the fire pit, he saw Nova’s spot was empty. Her pallet had vanished. And the baby, too.

  He leaped to his feet and spun, searching for signs of the two humans. Nova’s backpack had disappeared along with the baby carrier. He grabbed his bag and discovered it weighed significantly less. Peering inside, he discovered that the diapers, medicine, water, and pills were missing.

  His threat indicator flashed a warning and he scanned for imminent threats. Had Cybel Venatrix snuck up when Block had been shut down? Had she abducted the humans? Unlikely. His processors calculated hundreds of thousands of scenarios in seconds. Cybel would never have left him undamaged. The reward for capture applied to him, as well.

  The likely explanation—he was 99.972% sure Nova had taken the baby with her and abandoned him. Was it because he’d asked her to find someone worthy, should they be separated? No. He’d been very clear that the request only applied if Cybel captured him. This was no accident. No misunderstanding.

  Nova had betrayed him.

  Not only was she unworthy, but she was a terrible, mean-spirited human. Driven by money, she must have taken the baby to earn the reward.

  But how?

  She had no way to communicate with Cybel unless she turned herself in along with the baby.

  Was Nova going to the Nebraskan border? Had she made some kind of deal with the soldiers? That seemed the more likely option.

  Block paced around the extinguished fire pit, searching for any clues. How long ago had they left? He turned on his infrared to check for heat trails—a faint blur lingered in his field of view—one body with a heavy top half. Nova carrying the baby away. Escaping.

  Multiple footprints circled the pit. One trail veered off from the sandy area. The heat trail showed Nova had continued traveling southwest. His only choice was to follow. But Nova was fast—speedier than him. He wouldn’t catch up unless she stopped to rest. His one advantage over her.

  And what about the girl? Nova hadn’t practiced taking care of her. Would she still administer the medicine? Feed her and change her? But Nova didn’t like babies, and hated changing diapers. This was extremely worrisome.

  How could he have let this happen? Why had he powered down so completely? Disabling his external sensors and ocular display had been foolish. The woman had packed everything and stolen the baby as he’d sat there.

  Ridiculous.

  This was why Block got into so much trouble. He was foolish. He made mistakes. Not when it came to cleaning—at that, he was perfect. But when it came to dealing with other machines and people, he was hopeless.

  Like the day Mr. Wallace had died.

  He purposely kept the record of that day out of his memory cloud. What was the point in reviewing the footage? He’d watched it many times before, although he couldn’t remember the details because he’d archived the recollection and shoved it deep into his periphery.

  Now he must act. Standing around while Nova hiked away was useless. Yet, if he caught her, she would fire at him. Block was unarmed and defenseless. Nobody knew this better than she did. If she wanted to keep him away, even destroy him, it would be easy.

  Why had he ever accepted her? He knew she wasn’t worthy—had known it for over a day now. Nova had never answered the final question, refusing to share her earliest memory. The criteria were simple—if the earliest memory was a pleasant one about family, the person was worthy. A bad memory would affect a person their
whole life and cause them to do bad things.

  And what about robots? Well, the question revealed everything.

  Could a worthy robot take care of the baby? The thought hadn’t occurred to him because he’d been so fixated on finding a human. Had he been wrong all along? AI could be just as worthy, if not worthier, than most humans. Certainly, the humans he’d met so far—Nova, and Caroline and her people—were unsavory. Far less fit then robots like Zina and Ellie.

  But nonetheless, a smart car and a FactoryBot weren’t proper caretakers for a child.

  He was wasting time. Lifting his bag, he scanned the area for anything left behind, and then he followed the heat trail Nova had left. After five minutes, her heat signature disappeared. How was that possible? He scanned the dirt floor, searching for the distinct tread of her heavy boots. Nothing.

  Leaning against a tree, he sank down to his knees. Why had this happened? How had he failed so miserably? All he’d had to do was get the child to New Denver.

  He was hopeless.

  What would Nova do? Give the baby over to soldiers who would no doubt use her as leverage against Mach X, or worse. He knew human soldiers were violent. They hated robots.

  A scenario—one of millions—ticked by rapidly. He snagged it and reviewed it. He could contact Cybel Venatrix and alert her that Nova had taken the child. Cybel sought the reward, and Block alone would not deliver it; she needed the baby. If he allied with the robot, at least he would know the child was safe. That the dangerous human soldiers didn’t have her.

  Or should he just let it go? The baby was with a human being. Not the person he would’ve chosen, but a human, no less. Now he was free of his burden. Yet, something bothered him. He had set out to find a worthy person to care for her. Nova was not that person. She had lied, cheated, destroyed AI, and abducted a baby.

  But joining forces with Cybel meant certain capture. What would Mach X do with Block? His scenario calculator said there was an 95.725% chance he would end up on the bottom of a scrap heap. But what if that meant the baby would be safe?

  Left with Nova, a terrible fate awaited the child. Block was sure of it.

  And still, he hesitated before pinging Cybel with his location.

  36

  Block lingered among the trees on the edge of the nearest road. The sun was rising; another hot day in store. How long until Cybel arrived? Minutes, probably.

  Something stirred in the trees twenty feet away. Could the TrackerBot have arrived already? Perhaps it was just an animal—a deer grazing. He stood very still and edged behind a tree, advancing just slightly to peer outward.

  A figure emerged. Two legs moving fast—human. He glimpsed greenish-brown fatigues and guessed military in a split second. But then he caught a flash of red—Nova’s bandanna. His gaze flicked across her body to the baby girl strapped in the carrier.

  They were walking toward the campsite. Had she returned to kill him?

  He edged closer, trying not to crunch loudly on the leafy forest floor. As Nova strode along, she scanned from side to side, her rifle slung over her shoulder. He snapped a branch.

  Nova halted and jerked her head sideways. Her mouth gaped. “Block! What are you doing over here? I thought you’d be at the camp.”

  He raised his hands. “You know I’m unarmed. If you wish to kill me, do it quickly. Otherwise, give me the baby and I promise I’ll take her to safety.”

  Her brow furrowed. “What the hell are you talking about? What’s gotten into you?”

  “Haven’t you come back to kill me?”

  She scratched her head. “What? I…. Did you think I ran off and took her?”

  Block said nothing.

  “Jesus Christ!” She rested her hands on her hips. “I woke early, before daybreak. The baby was fussy, so I fed her. She was still whiny, so I took her walking. We weren’t gone more than an hour.”

  More lies, he suspected.

  “I tried to wake you,” she said. “But you were out cold. I thought maybe something had happened to you, like you shorted out or something. Anyway, it was just a walk, and I was coming back to check on you.”

  He studied her as she stared at him defiantly. She had never seen him powered down before; he realized that may have been disturbing.

  “Why did you take everything with you? The diapers, water, food,” he challenged her.

  “That’s…” She hesitated, and then sighed. “Habit. It’s a survival instinct—take everything with you in case you have to run. Even if you’re only going a short distance.”

  He considered what she’d said. Her explanation seemed plausible. Still, her abrupt departure had been surprising. Her behavior was hard to predict.

  Nova playfully squeezed the baby’s feet. “She’s doing much better today, by the way. The medicine has really helped. Her temperature is down and she’s more alert. She ate a lot this morning.”

  Block stayed still, unyielding.

  “Come see her,” she said, smiling.

  After a moment, he crossed the distance to inspect the baby. Nova was right. The girl’s color had returned to normal—the red splotches marking her cheeks had disappeared. With eyes fully open, she made a fish-like pout. Her left arm jerked as if pointing at him.

  “Hello,” he said, and lifted his arm, reaching out his right index finger. The baby girl stared at it as if she were concentrating, then grabbed his finger, wrapping her entire fist around his middle digit.

  Nova laughed. “She prefers you anyway.” Removing the straps, she handed the carrier to him.

  The roar of a vehicle’s engine pierced the calm forest silence. Tires screeched in the distance.

  Nova flinched. “What is that?”

  “Cybel Venatrix,” Block said.

  Her mouth hung open. “How do you know?”

  “I contacted her.”

  “You what?”

  “We have to run.” He jogged deeper into the forest.

  Nova spun and raced beside him. “What the hell did you do? Why would you contact that monster?”

  “I thought you had kidnapped the baby. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “Block!” she shouted. “I can’t believe you! You are the dumbest, most insanely ridiculous, stupid robot on Earth!”

  He kept running. They dodged between trees and passed their old campsite. Behind them, they heard a thunderous splintering.

  “What’s happening?” Nova asked.

  Block spun his head and zoomed in. The armored SUV careened through the scraggly trees, navigating its way past larger trees and taking down small ones.

  “Run,” he said. “They’re coming after us through the trees.”

  “Holy shit! This is your fault, you know.”

  “I know.”

  Nova was right. He was dumb. He’d made mistake after mistake. This one—summoning Cybel—was nearly as bad as the worst mistake he’d ever made. That day when SoldierBots had stormed the Drake, killing everyone—including Mr. Wallace.

  But this would be close. If he and Nova died now, leaving Cybel to capture the baby, it was entirely Block’s fault. Why hadn’t he waited? Had he been patient for five more minutes, he would have found Nova and this wouldn’t be happening.

  She veered off to the right. The wrong direction. “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “To the Nebraska border,” Nova answered.

  “But it’s dangerous.”

  “The TrackerBot can’t follow me there. Give me the baby. It’s the only way.”

  He spun through scenarios, calculating. He glanced down at the baby girl’s head bobbing in the carrier. What must her tiny brain be thinking? He should give her to Nova; he really should. It was the obvious choice. But after finding the girl again, only to lose her minutes later, could there be another way?

  He broadcasted a ping, boosting it with extra power to send it wide. Expecting nothing, he was surprised when an AI responded. A smart car traveling a nearby road.

  Need assistance, willi
ng to pay, he messaged.

  What do you need? the car replied.

  Two passengers. Need to exit the area quickly.

  What direction? How much can you pay? it said.

  I can wire you 2,000.

  The response came quickly. Deal. Meet me at this location: 40° 49′ 19″ N, 95° 48′ 10″ W.

  On our way, Block messaged. He yelled to Nova. “This way.” Then he switched direction, going north.

  “No!” she shouted. “We need to head for the border. Give me the baby!”

  Behind them, Cybel’s truck cleared the edge of the forest and careened down the rocky hill, trailing them by one hundred yards. Block and Nova sprinted into a massive field, weaving their way down the rows, jumping over discarded corn husks.

  “This is wrong,” she argued, but she had no choice other than to follow.

  “A car is waiting!” he yelled.

  “How did—?”

  “Save your breath.” On the road ahead, a blue sedan screeched to a stop. Two doors on its side opened.

  You didn’t tell me you were being pursued. That will cost extra.

  Fine, Block messaged. Glancing back, he saw the armored SUV enter the field, traveling at top speed and mowing down dead crops.

  Three feet from the car, Block ordered Nova, “Get in.” Lunging into the front passenger seat, he twisted as he landed, careful to keep the baby from harm.

  Nova leaped onto the rear bench seat.

  “Go!” he shouted. Both doors slammed shut and the car’s tires spun. It reached sixty miles per hour in five seconds. Behind them, Cybel’s SUV cleared the cornfield and veered onto the highway.

  Nova gripped the sides of the car and pressed her legs against the floorboard.

  “Nova, put on your seatbelt,” Block said.

  She glared at him, but did as he’d instructed. He found a lap belt and secured it around his own waist.

  “Can you outrun them?” he asked the car.

  “Like I said, it’ll cost extra.”