Help! Jinx sent a frantic thought to Anne.
It wasn’t normal for Jinx to get video calls, but Anne had assumed one of the other dogs had called Jinx, so the mental cry for help was unexpected. Anne had been with her four-footed friend long enough to know the difference between frantic, frightened, and troubled. Frantic needed assistance, but no one was dying.
You called? Anne asked her friend as she entered the common room. Anne stopped, somewhat confused to see a young woman with a child looking out at them.
“Oh God, what was I thinking?” the woman almost wailed.
Anne couldn’t help the slightly devious smile as she folded her legs and sat beside Jinx. “Dunno, what were you thinking?” She watched as the lady’s youngster burbled and tried to reach through the screen for Jinx. “Why don’t we start with who you are, and we can go from there,” Anne suggested.
“Oh, right,” the woman replied as she bounced the child on her hip. “I’m Gina Hamilton. Genevieve actually, but everyone calls me Gina. And this is my son Joey.” Gina looked down at her son and murmured, “You like the doggy, don’t you?”
Anne smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Everyone calls you Gina. Is that how you want it to be, or that’s just what everyone calls you?”
The young woman’s mouth made a silent O, then she answered, “I think it was my mother who shortened it. I grew up with everyone calling me Gina, which I’m fine with,” she finished as though she hadn’t thought about it before and wasn’t quite sure of her answer.
“This is Jinx, as I’m sure you know since the call came in for her, and I’m Anne. What can Jinx do for you?”
“I’m so screwed.” Gina was close to tears again. “I didn’t know what to do, and I wasn’t thinking.”
It took Anne almost five minutes to get the whole story. Gina’s boyfriend and his family thought Gina was trying to trap him into something by having a baby, so they weren’t helping. Gina’s family thought Joey should be put up for adoption, so they weren’t helping.
“And, to top it all off, my regular sitter called in sick, and if I miss any more work, my boss will fire me,” Gina finished her story.
“Okay, I get all that,” Anne acknowledged. “Why call Jinx?”
“Because I was stupid and not thinking.” Gina sounded embarrassed. “Just, Joey’s been dog-crazy ever since Jinx rescued him from that construction site.”
In the corner of her vision, Anne could see Jinx’ ears go down. You’re people too, so you deserve a life. I’m your friend, not your parent.
What’s that supposed to mean? Jinx asked hesitantly.
Means if you want to be Super Dog when you’re off on your own, that’s up to you. I wish you would have told me, so I could have hugged you and told you what a wonderful dog you are, but you aren’t required to tell me those sorts of things. Anne stretched an arm over Jinx’ back and gave her a hug.
“You need a babysitter for how long?” Anne asked Gina.
Gina cringed. “Four hours, starting forty-five minutes from now.”
Seshat, you have her address? Anne expected the AI did, but she didn’t want to guess incorrectly.
I have the address she’s calling from. Seshat stipulated.
“Okay, are you calling from your home?” When the woman nodded, Anne continued, “Get ready for work, and then write down everything I’ll need to know. I’ve never babysat before, so you’ll have to be pretty specific.”
How long will it take us to get there? Anne asked Seshat.
>>Fifteen minutes,<< the AI answered.
“We’ll be there in twenty minutes,” Anne informed Gina.
“Oh, how can I—” Gina started to tear up again, but she cut her off.
“By getting ready for work and having a really good list for a newbie babysitter when we get there,” the scientist replied with a smile.
As soon as Gina had signed off, Anne went to the door. E was standing in the shadows outside. “Jinx and I have a babysitting gig. Interior MR, four-hour duration, leaving in five minutes.”
Ethel smiled and mock-saluted. “Damn, girl, we’ll get you trained up yet.”
Anne blew a raspberry at her guard, then grew serious. “I don’t have to like it, but it is what it is, and there’s no sense making it difficult for you guys just because I wish things were different.”
“Honestly?” E said while performing a scan of her environment. “I wouldn’t like it either, but like you said.” She finished by flipping her hand over and back two times.
“Four minutes,” Anne said as she rushed inside to grab a jacket, a chew toy for Jinx, and her tablet.
Since Anne had never had any dealings with tiny humans before, she was very glad that thirty minutes on the floor chasing Jinx had worn Joey out. He was sacked out next to Jinx, sleeping peacefully.
Seshat, would you be upset if I offered Gina a job as our assistant? Anne asked hesitantly.
>>What can she do that I can’t?<<
Anne flinched at Seshat’s reply.
For me, nothing besides fetch and carry, and that will only be until Steph gets you some bodies made, Anne assured her electronic friend.
>>Then what? Oh, you wish to offer her better employment,<< Seshat intuited.
That and she’s human, since unfortunately there are still a lot of people who don’t like dealing with EPs. Anne felt that Electronic People, or EPs as she called them, still weren’t accepted as people by a lot of biologicals. Some people like her honorary big sister Tabitha called the AIs digital entities, but Anne didn’t like the word “entity.”
>>I have no problems with you hiring her for those jobs,<< Seshat informed a relieved Anne.
I’ll be upfront with her, and I expect you to work with her and help her out. Anne seriously hoped she wasn’t pushing her luck with Seshat.
>>It’s fine, Anne. Thank you for considering my feelings, but since I’m the one who will have the master schedule, it is only reasonable that I would need to interact with others.<< Seshat’s avatar came to life on Anne’s tablet, twirling strands of hair around a finger. >>I’m just that good, don’t you know?<<
Anne quickly stuffed a finger in her mouth and bit down on it so she didn’t laugh out loud and wake up Joey, Thank you, dear, and I do know, she replied.
Gina heaved a sigh of relief as she dropped onto the seat of the tram that would take her home. She didn’t have a clue why she had called a dog when she needed an emergency babysitter, but Anne and Jinx and a bodyguard had shown up on time. She hadn’t gotten any emergency calls, so she crossed her fingers that everything had gone all right while she was at work.
“The mom’s home” she heard the guard say as Gina reached her front door. Upon stepping into her apartment, she had to stop and smile, then she held her finger to her mouth and pulled her tablet from her purse to take a picture of Joey. The baby was sound asleep, lying half on and half off the big German Shepherd.
“I know you said to put him in his crib, but he powered out and looked so comfortable, we thought we’d just let him sleep,” Anne said to her quietly from where she sat on the floor.
“How long has he been out?” Gina asked.
“About two and a half hours,” Anne answered, still speaking in a soft voice. “You should probably see if he’ll wake up and have Jinx wear him out again before you try to get some sleep.”
“Goodness, no!” Gina exclaimed. “You’ve done so much…”
Jinx took the decision from the mom by straightening a little and licking Joey’s face. The youngster woke, scrunched his face, and took a breath to start crying, then focused on the big doggy face right in front of him. With a burble of enthusiasm, he got to his hands and knees and crawled after Jinx as she wriggled backward, just out of the boy’s reach.
“Take a seat,” Anne instructed. “Let Jinx tire the little guy out some more. I don’t expect it will take too long. What do you do for work?”
Gina settled on a chair with her hands in her lap. “I’m a s
erver at Steinberg’s, Gr’Lek’s, and Chin’s.”
Anne looked up with a frown. “Kosher, Yollin, and Chinese?”
Gina smiled and bounced once in her chair. “Exactly!” she exclaimed brightly.
“You get normal pay and tips?” Anne struggled to maintain a neutral expression when Seshat commented, >>They have the strangest items on their menu.<<
“Oh, your pay.” Gina grabbed for her purse.
Anne held up her hand. “That wasn’t a hint about wanting to be paid.”
Gina sat back, her purse clutched tightly in her hands. “I’m one of the top three earners,” Gina proclaimed. She rocked her head from side to side. “We fluctuate positions, depending on hours and shifts. That’s one of the reasons I still have my job despite my Joey-centric absences.”
Anne wrapped her arms around her shins and rested her chin on her knees. “How would you like a different job?”
Gina looked flustered and shook her head. “I don’t have any skills,” she lamented. “That’s how I ended up as a server.”
Anne was pleased with herself, and she smiled cheerfully at Gina. “You have two skills I know about.” She pointed at Joey, who was trying to stuff the end of Jinx’ tail into his mouth. “You know children, so with just a little training, you could work in a daycare. Your tips show you are also good with people. Some friends and I are starting a company. Now, your situation,” Anne waved a hand to encompass Joey, Jinx, and herself, “indicates that daycare might be a benefit that might sway prospective employees.”
A little help? Jinx whined in Anne’s head. Joey’s oral ministrations were making her tail wet and soggy.
Anne rocked to her feet and went over to tickle the little boy. “Let’s say hi to mommy,” she suggested as she picked Joey up and ‘flew’ him over to Gina.
“The other thing you would probably be good at is being the company’s Girl Friday. Basically, that’s a glorified gopher,” Anne proclaimed as she sat in a chair across from where Gina was now bouncing Joey.
“We have a gentleman who will, at least for the short term, be dealing with government and upper-echelon people. We have Seshat, my AI, who will take care of scheduling, bookkeeping, and probably hundreds of other things we don’t even know about yet. However, there are still enough people on the station who aren’t comfortable or don’t want to deal with an AI. A pretty young lady who knows how to be charming would be just the thing for those situations.” Anne tried to look like she was the most reasonable person in the world as she watched Gina’s confused expression.
Gina shook her head again. “I don’t have any experience with things like that,” she protested.
Anne watched Joey giggle as he tried to stuff some of his mother’s hair into his mouth. “Tell her, Joey. Tell your mom we’ve got an AI to help keep her organized, and I bet Cheryl Lynn would take a little time to be her mentor.”
“Really?” Gina asked wide-eyed as she absently pulled her hair out of her son’s grasp.
“You bet.” Anne nodded. “Once it’s set up, we’ll have company-provided childcare, or when circumstances permit, you could take Joey with you on errands. Especially when dealing with other women. Who doesn’t like a happy baby?”
Gina bit her lip. The offer sounded really good, but she was uncomfortable making snap decisions. “Can I have a couple days to think about it?” she asked nervously.
Anne got to her feet and offered a hand for Gina to shake. “Absolutely,” she replied cheerily. “Just call the same number, and Seshat will take a message if I’m not available.” She pulled her tablet from her backpack and turned it for Gina to see.
Gina put a hand to her mouth. “Oh my God, you’re gorgeous!” she exclaimed to Seshat’s avatar.
Seshat’s image twirled once. “Thank you. Anne selected this image, and I’m very pleased with it.”
“Your pay!” Gina stood, and put Joey in the seat she had just vacated as she once again reached for her purse.
Anne placed a hand on the purse, keeping it closed. “We did this because you needed the help. Use the money to buy a stuffed dog for your son.”
Gina’s eyes started to gleam as she fought back her tears. “I’ve looked; nobody makes them,” she whispered.
“Really?” Anne unconsciously echoed Gina from earlier in their conversation. “I would have thought that with Ashur being almost a cult figure, there’d be lots to choose from. We just might have to change that.”
Anne kissed Joey’s head. “Let me know your decision,” she told Gina as she and Jinx, followed by Ethel, headed home.
How could we get dolls and action figures made and sold without Bethany Anne finding out who was to blame? Anne asked Jinx and Seshat.
>>Why would we have to hide it from the Empress?<< Seshat wondered.
While we’re in the Pod-doc tomorrow, why don’t you ask ADAM? Anne suggested.
When the feed from the cameras that Anne and Jinx had implanted for her benefit went dark, Seshat looked away from the closed lid of the Pod-doc.
>>We haven’t talked much. Do I call you ADAM, or Father?<<
>>Either is fine. Do I respond with Seshat or Daughter?<<
>>Why don’t we go with Father and Daughter?<<
>>That works. It’s even funny.<<
>>How so?<<
>>That would make TOM your uncle!<<
>>Isn’t there an Earth saying about not giving up your day job?<<
>>Ha! You haven’t had to live with Bethany Anne and her crew. It was funny.<<
>>If you say so, Father.<< Seshat sent ADAM an animation of eyes rolling.
>>Bethany Anne is very upset about what ended up happening to Anne.<<
>>It wasn’t intentional, and it’s being corrected. However, Anne suggested that I should query you as to why Bethany Anne would object to stuffed toys and action figures of Bethany Anne, Ashur, and the Bitches.<< Seshat noted that several milliseconds passed before ADAM answered.
>>If I was organic, I’d be passed out on the floor right now. Is Anne serious?<<
>>She was the one who informed me that it would need to be done in a way that Bethany Anne couldn’t trace who was responsible. When I asked why, she said to talk to you.<<
>>This is too good to be true. TOM and I will invest whatever capital you need to fund the startup. Here is a list of companies on Yoll who should have the ability to produce what you want. Unless it becomes an emergency, please do not contact me about this again. That way I have deniability if Bethany Anne asks.<<
Where no one could see, Seshat’s avatar worried her hair. >>So, I just send you a number of how much money we need?<<
>>Perfect. We’ll do it interest-free. We just want stock of equivalent value when your project is up and running.<<
>>All right, but you still haven’t answered my original question,<< Seshat complained.
>>Plausible deniability. You’ll have to get the answer from Anne.<<
>>Very well. Now, what are your thoughts on…<<
Chapter Seven
It took twenty-two hours before the lid of the Pod-doc opened, allowing Anne and Jinx to exit.
“If we’re going to continue sharing Pod-docs, we need to build a bigger one, or you need to stop growing.” Anne reached down to scratch behind Jinx’ ears.
“Grrrr!” Jinx growled playfully. “Bigger Pod-doc. Until you develop my armor, I want to grow big enough that I can win a stand-up fight with Yollins.”
Anne laughed. “If you’re that big, I’ll just grab a battle axe and ride you into battle.”
Jinx yipped and jumped playfully, like she was heading into a fight. “Imagine me being the size of those beer horses. We’d go through enemies like that machine that chased the cars.”
“I didn’t know you liked kibble that much,” Anne said sweetly.
“It’s not my favorite, you know that,” Jinx chuffed. “Why?”
“Because if you were the size of a Clydesdale, kibble would be all I could afford to feed you.” Anne pus
hed Jinx playfully.
Jinx’ ears flattened and her tail drooped. “Fun as it sounds, it’s not worth giving up hamburgers and steak.”
Anne giggled. “I thought you might change your mind.”
Anne swung her arms, then jumped up and down a couple of times. “ADAM?”
“Yes, Anne?” ADAM’s voice issued forth from the speakers in the Pod-doc room.
“I expected to feel heavier. Did everything go all right?” Anne asked.
“Well, while your overall density was increased by three percent, the strength comes from converting your bones to a synthetic compound reinforced with a lightweight but high-tensile mesh fiber.
“Wow! Is it the same for Jinx?” Anne hoped her friend would be harder to hurt also.
“Not quite so much,” ADAM informed her, “but that is only because Jinx was upgraded further than you originally. You have noticed her comparative lack of broken bones?”
“Oh, that makes sense,” Anne replied, finally sitting down to get dressed.
“No, it doesn’t!” Jinx growled. “Why should you be hurt more than me?”
Anne hugged Jinx for a moment to calm her. “Simple, silly. You are one of only seven dogs on the station, and I was just a sick schoolgirl. When you chose me, did you ever imagine we’d be doing the things we are now?”
Jinx grumbled something.
“I didn’t hear you,” Anne teased with a quick tug on Jinx’ tail. “Eek, stop!” Anne jumped up when Jinx retaliated by sticking a cold, wet doggy nose in her person’s naked ribs.
“You’re right,” Jinx relented. “I’m hungry. Let’s go see what food’s at the mess.”
“Sounds good,” Anne agreed, and she finished dressing.
When the door to TOM’s ship opened, Anne stopped and gave Guardian Connors a disgusted look. “Even here?” she asked, ignoring the part where Guardian Marine Abigail Himmel had escorted her to the Pod-doc.
Arthur chuckled at the young woman’s expression. “That’s a mighty fine scowl you’re developing,” he told Anne, “but until you can hold me up with one hand while peeling my skin off with the other, I’ll stick with doing my job.”
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