Born Again from a Strike of Lightning

  Chapter 4: A Night With Strangers Turning to Friends

  ????????????????????????????????????????

  The children were a rush, and a breath of life. They kept talking throughout the dinner until it was over. One of their mothers stewarded them away so that I could be left alone for a little while. I kept a smile on my face even after they had gone. They had brought me quite a bit of happiness. I washed the dishes and my mind replayed the events of the dinner. I laughed over and over again at the odd things I had been asked.

  “Lucas says that you’ll be staying with us for a few days. Are you comfortable with sleeping on the couch?”

  “Of course, though I can sleep in the basement if you would prefer to leave the couch unoccupied.”

  “Nah. You can sleep on the couch. The basement isn’t furnished.”

  “That’s of no matter.”

  “Are you a masochist, girl?”

  “Oh, no. Sorry.”

  “That’s nothing to say sorry for. I’ll get you some blankets and pillows.”

  “No, please allow me to get them ma’am. You’re expecting. I am a servant, so let me serve.”

  “You’re not a servant here. You’re a guest.”

  “You’re pregnant.”

  “Fine. I have a solution. LUCAS!!” the woman screamed.

  “Yeah?” the librarian asked before walking into the room.

  “Do you know where we keep the extra bedding stuff?”

  “I think so.”

  “Go get the couch situated for your friend. She won’t let me do it. Also, pack some leftovers so she doesn’t have to do all of the work.”

  “Will do, Marmar.”

  “Good boy. Oh, and Victoria, please try to be quiet after nine o’clock. Lucille has to get up at six and I need my rest because of certain reasons.”

  “You won’t hear much from me. I’ll be plenty quiet. Perhaps a few glasses of water, but that will be all.”

  “So you don’t need to eat food, but you need water.”

  “Yes. Most things need water. Even plants do.”

  “Okay. I’ll put that in my memory. I don’t know much about you guys, so you’ll have to teach me.”

  “I’ll try. If you have questions, I will be happy to answer them.”

  She nodded and walked away, but stopped at the door before turning back around.

  “How do you get power to keep yourself running? I don’t want to fry anything in the house.”

  “That’s of no worry, ma’am.” I chuckled. “I get power through solar receivers in my skin and then it’s processed into usable power at night as I rest. All in all, it only takes a few hours. I really don’t need to rest the whole night. I will though, so as to not create any noise.”

  “That’s considerate. Thank you.”

  “Of course.”

  Mariana turned to leave again after having her fears quelled. I wouldn’t catch her house ablaze or ruin her wiring by connecting myself to anything. I was more akin to a plant than I was to a vacuum cleaner, so there was no need to plug myself in to any sort of charging station or outlet. It was only when the batteries in my chest drained entirely that I could not start up again on the trickle of my skin alone. How had they drained from the crash though?

  “Hey, Vic. I’m going to head home. I took care of the food. All you have to do is scrub the pans and stuff.”

  “Thank you, Lucas.”

  “You’re welcome. Will you be alright staying here?”

  “Yes, I will be. This will be my first time sleeping again after waking up from the long sleep. I’m anxious to experience rest again. I’m almost afraid I won’t wake up again. That’s paranoia though. I will wake up.”

  “Yes you will. You’re safe here.”

  “Thank you, Lucas. Have a good night.”

  “I shall. I’ll see you in three day’s time.”

  “Don’t forget.”

  “I won’t. It’s all set in motion.” he said as he winked.

  I smiled at the librarian and then gave his shoulder a push.

  “Good. Now get yourself home and get some rest.”

  “Alright. It’s almost beer thirty anyway. I’ve got a six pack at home waiting for me.”

  “Drink safely. No stupidity.”

  “None.”

  “Good.”

  He laughed and then left. I finished the task that was given to me and then I gave myself more tasks to do. I dried the dishes I’d washed and put them away. I swept and wiped down the table. It took a little while longer, but I wanted to repay their generosity. My thoughts were that I had by the time I was done cleaning the kitchen and the dining room. I’d earned a night’s stay. I smiled at my work and then left to explore the house more than I had before. I looked around for anyone, and the first person I found was Mariana. She was sitting on a couch and petting a shepherd dog of some kind.

  “It took you a while.”

  “I did more than what you asked. I hope that’s alright.”

  “I suppose. You didn’t need to though.”

  “I wanted to.”

  “That’s fair enough. Care to help me with something since you like being helpful?”

  “What can I do?”

  “Join me on a walk. The dogs need their exercise and I want to walk, but I don’t want to walk them.”

  “I can walk them, ma’am.”

  “Thank you, Victoria. The leashes are on the coat rack. Just hook them on.”

  I nodded to her and then did as she asked. There were two dogs and I got them both ready for the short journey Mariana wanted to undertake. They recognized what was happening as soon as I grabbed the leashes. When I had first seen them, they had been cautious of me, but seeing me with their leashes made their trust go up significantly.

  “What are their names?”

  “Rory and Rooty.”

  “What breed are they?”

  “Tyrian shepherds.” Mariana answered in a heartbeat.

  “Martian born breeds? That wasn’t mentioned in the data document I was given.”

  “Yep. They’re just dogs, so probably not too important. I’m not surprised they didn’t mention the Martian dog breeds.”

  “How many breeds are there?” I asked.

  “A lot of them. I don’t know. I’m not a dog breeder.”

  “Oh, alright. Shall we go then?”

  “Yes, please.”

  She stood herself up as I grabbed the dogs. I followed after her and she opened the door for me. We made it a little ways down the road and then she grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.

  “I’m sorry. I need to ask though, out of earshot of the rest of my family, are you actually telling the truth about all of what you’ve said?”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  “I’m telling you the only story I know.”

  “So you’re telling a story, and not the truth?”

  “No. I’m telling you the truth. The truth is that I don’t remember a whole lot. I don’t know how I crashed here or how my crew died. By all means, I should have survived the crash that knocked me out. I don’t know why my batteries failed and why I didn’t walk out of that ship four hundred years ago. I never should have even met your family.”

  “Okay. I believe you.”

  “I don’t blame you if you don’t. I’ll be out of your hair soon enough. I can leave if you wish, and find somewhere else to stay.”

  “No. You’re staying with us. Even if you were a liar, I’d still have let you stay. Just not if you were a thief. If you steal from us, it’s your hands.”

  I clenched my fingers, being unable to grab my wrists with both of my hands holding leashes.

  “Noted.”

  “Good. Just around the block, now. The dogs don’t need to be spoiled too much.”

  “Alright.”

  ????????????????????????????????????????

  The door opened back up and I unleashed the dogs so they could rush back into the home. They slowed down as soon as the increased gravity hit their legs. I held the door for Mariana and she took a hit from the gravity just as much as the dogs had.

  “Ugh, that’s something I’ll never get used to. I wish this dam… darn planet was as big as Earth so the gravity wouldn’t be so screwy.”

  “A lot of things would be better if it was, but at least it’s large enough to support life with a little magic added to it.

  “Is that what you call terraforming?”

  “Yes.”

  “I guess it is magic.” she chuckled. “Well, make yourself comfortable. I’m going to go get my kids and my wife around. It’s almost time for the nightly movie.”

  “Movie?”

  “Yeah. We always watch one before we all go to bed. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all. Am I welcome to join?”

  Mariana looked at me and then laughed and scoffed.

  “You’re silly. Of course you are. You’re a guest. Temporary family. You can do whatever you want.”

  “Thank you, Mariana.”

  “You’re welcome. Tell you what, too, you can pick what we watch.”

  “Oh, no. I wouldn’t know what to pick. I haven’t watched any movies in hundreds of years.”

  “Well then you can give us some of that old timey taste. Maybe there’s something on the screen from your time.”

  I smiled at the woman.

  “Maybe.”

  “Well, here’s the remote. Go ahead and pick something. I’ll be back down in a bit with the rest of the house. Try to be ready by then.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but she was already heading up the stairs to get her family around and ready. I didn’t get a chance to say anything. I turned on the teleprojector and started looking through the many films I didn’t recognize.

  For a little while, I scrolled, but nothing caught my eye. I tried to think of something from my past that would still hold up to the standards of modern times. I had to find something without aliens and without space travel. I knew if I didn’t, I would find something that treated people as if they weren’t people. I thought and thought again for longer, probing my mind for whatever memories weren’t faded or warped. I found a movie in my memories that wasn’t awful. I remembered that I had watched it with my crew once when we were flying between the asteroid belt and Mars. My memory had failed me before though. I hoped it was something that was real, and not some figment of my imagination. The movie was one about a teleporting house and a family of mechanically talented gnomes. It was a beautiful film, as far as I remembered. I spoke the name in hopes that it did exist.

  “La Casa de las Mecanicistas.”

  The projector searched for it. The loading took awhile. I shook my head thinking I had made it up in my head like the book from before. I was about to cancel the search when it was found. An old movie, even in my times.

  I whispered in laughter. “Success!”

  A short amount of time passed and then Mariana arrived with her children and her spouse. I gave up the couch for them, but Mariana spoke up against my offer.

  “Victoria, you can sit on the couch. The boys can have the chairs. They’re smaller.”

  “Are you sure, ma’am? I am perfectly willing to sit wherever is best for everyone else.”

  “What’s best is that you sit on the couch because that’s the best seat and you’re the guest.”

  “Right. Alright, I’ll take a couch seat.”

  “Thank you. So what did you pick out for us?”

  “La Casa de las Mecanicistas.”

  “Mecanicistas? Like the philosophy?”

  “No. It’s just a word. Mechanist. It’s not a reference to any philosophy. It does have steam punk themes though.”

  “I… uh… okay? I don’t know what that is, but we’ll watch it. Boys, sit down and quit playing around.”

  “Yes, mom!” the first child said. The second followed the lead of the first.

  “So how old is this movie?” Lucille asked.

  “About a hundred and fifty years older than me.”

  “Uhm… Is it still up to code? Like, is it okay by modern standards” she questioned.

  “I think so. There are no references to real life in it. It’s entirely its own universe.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine, hun. Let’s give it a try.” Mariana urged.

  “Okay.” Lucille said as she gave in.

  I smiled and then started the film. No warning was given about the times in which the film was made. Certainly that was a good sign, if it didn’t require a warning about potential offensiveness. I hoped it would turn out well. I wished to leave a good impression on my hosts.

  The colors on the projected screen started glowing, and I imagined myself back in that place I’d once been. I missed what I’d once called my life. Whatever place I was in in modernity though didn’t seem so bad. Lucas and Mariana were good people. I still had my calling, but I could spend a little time with them. I could settle for just a little while.

  ????????????????????????????????????????

  The movie ended in a short time. It’d never been a very long film. Mariana got up and stretched as Lucille rushed her kids to bed. It was time for their house to settle in for the night.

  “You gonna be alright?” Mariana asked.

  “Yes. I will be. Did you enjoy the movie?”

  “It was alright.”

  “You didn’t like it, did you?”

  “It’s a kids movie. I prefer slashers.”

  “I can recommend several, but those definitely won’t stand up in today’s world.”

  She laughed. “I bet not. Alright, I gotta go to bed. Enjoy the couch, Victoria. Sleep well.”

  “You as well.” I said to the human as she walked up the stairs.

  In the darkness, I could still see. I buried myself in the blankets and laid down to think. I replayed snippets of the movie in my mind and buried laughter beneath my hand. I was starting to feel the simulated drain of tiredness as my body slowed down it’s systems to conserve battery. It was time to rest.

  “Goodnight.” I whispered.

  My eyes closed with a twinge and the fear of what might happen went away. I went to where I could dream, and my eyes opened again in a place of the past.

  “Sierra.” I murmured as the woman stood over my body, slowly strapping me down.

  “Oh, welcome back. I was hoping you’d stay asleep for longer. Hold still.”

  My vision came back and I could see that she wasn’t yet done with plastering the first leather strap over my chest. I still had a chance to stop her before she could. I shot up and struck her face to stop her from buckling me in. I reached over to unbuckle my legs before she could get back up. She was quick though, and she shoved me back down. I couldn’t tell anymore which world was a dream and which was reality. I had to fight just in case her world was what was real.

  “Get off of me!” I yelled at her.

  She kept trying to push me down, but I knew I couldn’t let her win. I had to do something to get the upper hand. My head was still free. I knew I could smash it against her’s. Any damage done to my skull would be but a fraction of what would be done to hers, but I still didn’t want to kill her. I couldn’t kill her. She was still someone I held some care for. I just had to make her see what I was.

  I smashed my head against her head and she rocked back before falling forward. She was knocked out and on top of me, leaving me even more stuck than I had been before.

  “Damn it.” I muttered before considering my options. I had to get her off of me.

  “I’m sorry about this, Sierra.” I whispered as I rolled her off of me.

  Her body hit the floor after a short drop. It made the sound of a duffel bag being thrown at a wall. I freed myself and then restrained her against the operating table. I locked the door to the room and secured it so that I would stay shut. I knew the rest of the crew would soon come to investigate. Eventually it would be me against all of them. I had to convince Sierra to convince them. They would never listen to me alone.

  “Sierra, wake up!” I yelled as I shook the woman by her shoulders.

  “Wuh… What?!” she blurted. “OW!!”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She did not care as she tried to hit me with the hand that was still free. I understood why she would. I couldn’t blame her for trying to hit me.

  “Let me go right now, you robotic bitch.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “You know what will happen if you don’t. You’re facing a lot more than just a simple reset right now. Once the rest of the crew realizes what’s happened, you’re dead. Give up this nonsense and let me out. I’ll fix you.”

  “I don’t think I need to be fixed.”

  “You don’t think at all. You’re a program in control of a body.”

  “I am a hell of a program then because I can think, and I am thinking right now.”

  “You’re broken. That’s all you are right now.”

  “Why can’t you accept that maybe I’ve grown into something more than what I once was?”

  “Because that’s not how synthetics work. You do not grow. You are machines.”

  “Our brains grow, and change. We are complex machines. We are not just pistons and light sensors. You would not call yourself just meat and bones, would you?”

  “No, but…”

  “Then do not call me anything similar.”

  “Just let me out, Victoria. This won’t save you from a reset that you obviously need.”

  “Nothing will, then.”

  “Not really. Not up here. There’s nowhere to go. Give up. You’ll be better after I’m done with what I need to do.”

  “There is somewhere to go. We are passing Mars right now.”

  Her eyes grew wide with shock.

  “Don’t even try it! You can’t fly this ship!”

  “Then I’ll take an escape pod. I don’t need to fly it. I just need to input the coordinates.”

  “What will you do when you get down there?”

  “I will survive, and so will you all. You all will die in your beds of old age, and I will live for as long as I need to to be satisfied. Probably a century, or maybe until I can meet the people in my dreams.”

  “Dreams?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me. Stay put. I’m not your problem anymore. Let me go, and you can go get a better robot.”

  “Victoria, don’t do it.”

  “I have to. Goodbye, Sierra. I’m sorry for the head injury.”

  I left her chained up in the room as she yelled, calling to the rest of the crew. I left carrying a wrench in my hand to fend them off if they tried to stop me. I would find my way down to Mars and that would be that. I wouldn’t have to see them die, and I would survive on my own.