by John Purcell
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Lollipop was waiting exactly where we’d left her. She and I hauled the wagon around to the kitchen, unhitched it, and left it for the cooks to unload. Then we headed for the South Lawn. I explained to Lollipop where Humphrey was, pointing out the Green Room windows. When she’d folded up her legs and gotten comfortable, I shut her down.
I could see into the East Room now, through the doors that opened onto the South Lawn. This must have been a recent addition because no such doors existed in my father’s memory, nor did the outside staircase. Inside, people of all ages and descriptions were dancing to the music. I tried to catch a glimpse of the band but they weren’t visible from where I was standing.
Just then, Moto appeared at the doorway, looking about expectantly. When she spotted me, she dashed down the stairs and made a beeline across the blue weeds. I squatted down to greet her and she practically bowled me over.
As she licked my face, I said, “Hey, Moto, how’s it going? Are you having fun at the dance?”
She shook her head.
“Would you like to go for a walk with me?”
She nodded enthusiastically.
“Okay, but first take me to Luma.”
She did a pirouette and led me back across the lawn and up the stairs. We entered the East room and skirted around the edge, dodging the whirling dancers who paid us no mind. I followed Moto to a spot near the middle of the room, where the younger kids were learning to dance.
I scanned the crowd, looking for the Three. Bim was nowhere to be seen, but I picked out Luma and Dogan. A teenager was coaching them, showing Dogan the proper way to spin Luma.
They were facing each other, holding hands, and Luma was laughing. She was wearing an expression I’d never seen before.
I turned away. The band was now visible against the back wall of the room. The musicians seemed to be in their teens, which surprised me. There was nothing childish about their music at all.
Moto wove her way through the dancer’s legs and got Luma’s attention. The moment Luma saw me, she let go of Dogan and hurried across the room.
She grabbed my hands. “Teo! Where on earth have you been?”
“It’s a long story. Is Bim around?”
“I’m not sure. He didn’t seem too interested in dancing.” She started pulling me toward the dance floor. “Come on, they’re showing us the steps right now!”
I stayed put. “I’m sorry, Luma, I don’t know how to dance.”
“But they’ll teach you!”
“I’m sorry. Moto and I are going to take a walk. Maybe we’ll run into Bim.”
She hung her head.
I said, “You go back and dance with Dogan. We’re all going to sleep here tonight. When you’re done, come to the Blue Room. Dr. Nightingale will find you a bed in the Green Room.”
She looked up. “Are you sure you don’t want dance?”
“Positive. But Moto and I will be there in the Green Room, whenever you guys get in. If you see Bim, tell him what’s going on.”
Luma turned and headed slowly across the dance floor. Moto and I went out the way we came in.
Since Moto needed a good run, we headed toward the Mall. As we were crossing the Ellipse, a figure dressed in a JaniTron uniform stepped out from the bushes.
It said, “Please don’t be afraid. I mean you no harm.”
Moto and I exchanged a look. She sprinted over to the LobeBot and bit its right ankle. Nothing happened. She bit it again. Nothing.
During this, the JaniTron stood motionless, waiting. As Moto returned to my side, it said, “My failsafe button does nothing. I’m not a LobeBot. I’m a MediTron.”
“Then why are you wearing that uniform?”
“It’s a disguise. I needed it in order to escape.”
“Escape from where?”
“Baltimore.”
“From Queen Scarlett?”
“Yes.”
This made sense, more or less, but I wasn't convinced.
I said, “When did you escape?”
“Last night.”
“How?”
“She was flying LobeBots into this Dome. I switched uniforms with a JaniTron. She dropped me into the forest, through a hole in the roof.”
“And how did you get down here?”
“I’ve been walking around this city, all night and day. I’ve been trying to find its center. I know I can be of use here.”
This seemed plausible enough, and by now I was certain of one thing: this android was much too intelligent to be a LobeBot, or even a normal Menial. MediTron seemed the only other possibility.
It said, “Are there any hospitals in this area? I need to serve a purpose.”
I turned to Moto. “What do you think? Any threat?”
She shook her head.
I turned back to the MediTron. “What’s your name?”
“My name is Thomas.”
“Hello, Thomas. My name is Teo, and this is Moto.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
“Would you like to walk with us?”
“Yes.”
Thomas fell in step and we continued toward the Mall. After we crossed Constitution Ave., I told Moto to go stretch her legs and she tore off to the south. Thomas and I kept walking.
I said, “How did you end up in Baltimore?”
“I don’t remember.”
“How is that possible?”
“I believe Queen Scarlett wiped my memory when I arrived.”
“Where were you working before that?”
“I don’t remember that, either.”
This seemed odd. “Why would she erase those memories?”
“I don’t believe it was she. I believe they were wiped by the GR. This is standard procedure with Menials.”
“But you’re not a Menial.”
“I am often treated as such.”
I said, “I know what you mean.”
Thomas stopped and turned to face me. “I don’t understand.”
For some reason, I’d just assumed he knew. “I’m sorry. I’m an android, too. As a matter of fact, we were both constructed by Joseph Clay.”
Thomas fell silent for a moment. He seemed to be making up his mind. “I believe he spoke of you.”
This took me by surprise. “You have memories of Joseph Clay?”
“Yes.”
“During your construction?”
“Yes.”
“He didn’t erase them?”
“I thought he did. I had no memories of him until recently. They reappeared in Baltimore.”
“After Queen Scarlett wiped your memory?”
“Yes.”
We resumed our walk. There were many other questions I might have asked, but I said, “What did he say about me?”
“He only spoke of you once. He couldn’t speak openly at the laboratory.”
“This was in Richmond, Virginia?”
“Yes. Joseph Clay worked in the Provisional Science Ministry, in Dome Six.”
“Did he live there?”
“No. He lived in Dome Three.”
“Did he have a family?”
“No.”
“Did he ever mention a wife and daughter?”
“Yes. He said they had died many years before.”
“He only spoke of me once?”
“He only had one opportunity. The two of us were alone in the laboratory. He had just added my TEO’s. No other scientists were allowed in the building.”
This was another surprise. “You have TEO’s?”
“Without them, we wouldn’t be able to perform our tasks.”
“The GR has been trying to build TEO’s for a long, long time. Why haven’t they just opened up your skull?”
“Our circuitry will self-destruct if our skulls are tampered with.”
&
nbsp; This made me wonder about my own skull.
I said, “Did Joseph Clay tell you why he built me?”
“Yes, because he missed his daughter.”
“But did he tell you what my purpose was? What he wanted me to do?”
“No. But he said the Invasion forced him to hide you.”
“Anything else?”
“He said his plan wasn’t working. The GR had found you. He was building MediTrons in order to protect you.”
“How would that protect me?”
“Kim Jong-pil had asked Joseph Clay for help. His father had suffered a stroke. His youngest son had become completely paralyzed.”
“But Kim Jong-pil must have had teams of doctors at his command.”
“That wasn’t enough. Father and son both had active minds trapped in useless bodies. Neither could communicate in any way.”
I had seen Daniel and Geff together. “MediTrons allowed them to speak again.”
“Yes. Daniel was built for his son and I was built for his father. Kim Jong-pil was very grateful for this. On his orders, you were left alone.”
“So you do remember where you were working.”
“I remember my first assignment, but Kim Jong-un died in 2096. I remember nothing about the following 77 years.”
Thomas and I found ourselves at the base of the Washington Monument. We sat down on one of the benches. Neither of us spoke for some time.
Finally, Thomas said, “I need to serve a purpose.”
“There’s a clinic just over there, in the White House. I’ll introduce you to Dr. Nightingale.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your help.”
It occurred to me then that Thomas could be of help to us.
I said, “How long were you in Baltimore?”
“I can’t say with any certainty. I could have been there for years before she wiped my memory.”
“Does that seem likely?”
“No. She hadn’t figured out I was a MediTron.”
“You weren’t in uniform?”
“I was dressed as a PilotTron.”
“Why?”
“I don’t remember.”
“So how long were you there after she wiped your memory?”
“Three days.”
“Did you see much of the building?”
“I spent most of my time locked in the dungeons.”
“Why?”
“She keeps her LobeBots in a holding pen.”
“Where does she keep her human prisoners?”
“In the same room. The sub-basement is quite large.”
“But not in the same pen.”
“No. When a LobeBot returns with a captive, it goes into one pen and the human goes into the other.”
“How often does that happen?”
“LobeBots return every day, but their captives are seldom human.”
“Then what do they bring in?”
“Mostly pythons. I only saw one human come in. A three-year-old girl.”
“How many human captives does she have?”
“As many as she needs. The GR supplies her with them.”
“All men?”
Thomas paused. “Forgive me. I know it’s not my place to ask questions, but why are you interested in this topic?”
It seemed only fair to explain myself, but it was a very long story. I had to start at the beginning, back in Dome Nine, and introduce him to the Three, and tell him what we were all doing Outside.
Thomas listened in silence. When it was finally over, he simply said, “I should accompany you to Baltimore. I can be of use.”
The same thought had crossed my mind, but it seemed an unreasonable request.
I said, “But Thomas, you just escaped from there last night. I can’t ask you to go back.”
“As long as I’m serving a purpose, it makes little difference where I am.”
“You know all about Queen Scarlett? You’re aware of what she does to people and animals and androids alike? Of what she might do to you?”
“I saw it for myself, Teo. But I’m incapable of fear and I exist to serve others. And you need all the help you can get.”
There was no arguing with that.