《Born Again from a Strike of Lightning》


 Chapter 1: The Eyes of the Dead Open to the New World

    Born Again from a Strike of Lightning


    Chapter 1: The Eyes of the Dead Open to the New World


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    For 407 years I slept in the dust of Sagrario. Sun faded the color of my clothes and the wind slowly ate them away. Moss grew over me and into my skin. My hair fell out and withered away, leaving only a few stray strands behind. In my death, I dreamed of places beautiful and wonderful. Whoever said that there was no light for us was wrong, for there was and it was wondrous. Whatever being had made the afterlife had made a place for us in it too. It wasn¡¯t entirely a place of permanence though. It was like a dream, always shifting to make way for the dreams of new beings. I wondered if it was just a dream, perhaps something of my own creation. Part of myself didn¡¯t want to wake up from it, but I knew I would have to eventually. I had a purpose to serve, that being serving. Eventually someone would find our ship. They had to. Once they did, I would be revived and pressed back into my purpose.


    I waited for them to come. Years passed and I lived in that dream. I eventually began to wonder if it would never end, but then one day it did. I woke up in a faded form, staring up at the rain coming down through a hole in the ship where I¡¯d once served. Back in a world where I might once again know reality rather than a simulation of my own desires. I had awakened alone though. There were no humans around me, nor synthetics either. There was nobody other than myself. My nasal sensors, barely working, detected the smell of smoke. I looked down at my chest. It was scorched and sizzling, with my skin having been burnt away and my metal being exposed.


    Where my holy skin did remain, I could feel the gentle touch of water. It felt cold, but welcoming. I was back in the world of the living, by the luck of what I could only assume to be a lightning strike. My core was scorched, but my systems were running and I wasn¡¯t about to turn off again. I had enough energy to keep going for a little while. Where was I though, and how would I recharge once that energy ran out?


    I pulled myself up carefully, surprised that I still could. Around me there were skeletons and ruined things. My friends were still in the beyond, but I was once again in the realm of where the breathing things dwelled. I took in an inhale of air through my passages where faded sensors struggled to provide insight into what it was that I was supposed to be smelling and tasting. My energy problems were solved, but my body was falling apart. I needed to find my way back to civilization. I hoped it still existed. I hoped the humans hadn¡¯t blown themselves to hell, for if they had, I would be on my own in the wilds. If that became the case, then soon enough I would die once again, perhaps for the last time if it came to that.


    Through the tall grass and saplings I walked slowly and cautiously. The forest stood still in the middle of a storm. The deer had bedded down and the other creatures were doing similar. It was only myself who was foolish enough to keep moving. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have been, but I didn¡¯t know how long my frail frame would last. I had to keep moving in hopes that I would find something or someone.


    As I wandered, I thought of something else to try. I tried to call out, but my voice was broken and weak. I couldn¡¯t scream for help. I could only hope someone would find me regardless. I needed to find someone to repair my failing form, and to return the bodies of my fallen crew to whatever family they still had. They deserved burials or cremations according to their desires. I was the only survivor, so I had to guarantee that they would get the respect they deserved in death. I respected them deeply, as was my programming, and I wanted to reflect that in my actions.


    ¡°I will make sure to come back for them.¡± I declared.


    My legs kept carrying me forward into the stormy morning light. The rain washed over what was left of me. The moss and lichen growing from me glowed a brighter shade of green under the heavy rainfall of the open woods. All of it had been watered through my walking. I would make sure to have it all removed and to have myself thoroughly disinfected once I found my way out of the woods that I was lost in.


    ¡°Is someone there?¡± a voice called from somewhere far off.


    I turned my head and looked around for the source of the voice. I had to be sure that whoever it was was not a threat to myself. I ducked into the tall grass and kept trying to find whoever had spoken to me from afar.


    ¡°I saw you out there. Are you okay? Are you injured?¡±


    I kept silent and kept trying to find him. I didn¡¯t want to let him know that I was there beneath the grasses until I had determined that he would not destroy me or steal me for scrap.


    ¡°Look, this is private property. You can¡¯t just wander around out here. Please, get up so I can see you. If you¡¯re lost, I¡¯ll escort you to the nearest village. If you¡¯re hurt, I can help. You can¡¯t stay out here though, alright, wanderer? Get up now, or I¡¯m coming over there. I have a gun and an upgraded titanium skeleton. If you try to fight, you won¡¯t win, so don¡¯t try anything funny.¡±


    Titanium skeleton? He was like me. How though? Synthetics couldn¡¯t own firearms or property. We were not self aware beings, so what he was describing was thoroughly against a lot of different laws. I wanted to ask him why he had willingly broken so many laws, and I knew I had to take a risk if I didn¡¯t want to immediately be shot. Desiring to not be destroyed, I decided to stand up. Slowly, I pushed myself off of the ground until I was on my legs and facing my fellow synthetic. He had a rifle in hands.


    ¡°Oh sweet dear God¡­¡± he said in response to seeing me.


    I tried to speak to him, but my voice came out only in cracked chunks.


    ¡°Pl¡­ se¡­ don¡­ sh¡­ oot¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t. What happened to you? Did one of those damned meaties do this to you?¡±


    ¡°N¡­no?¡± I asked, confused.


    He sighed. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s one less problem to worry about. Please, come here. I can help. You¡¯re in really bad shape, dear. Let me take you into town, and I¡¯ll get you some mechanical care.¡±


    I had so many questions to ask, but my voice was too broken to speak them. I walked towards him slowly and pulled out a chord with which to connect us. Manual connection could guarantee that we could understand each other. Now if only he would trust me to do that.


    ¡°I¡­ mus¡­ ta¡­ ta¡­ alk¡­¡±


    ¡°No. Not out here. I have a truck warmed up nearby. You can connect there. The speakers will translate whatever you think.¡±


    ¡°O¡­oka¡­¡± I said in my cracked voice.


    ¡°Here. Lean on me. I¡¯ll walk you out of here. If you need it, I¡¯ll even carry you. Your choice though.¡±


    ¡°Ca¡­ wa¡­alk¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright. The truck is just a little walk away. You can tell me everything when we get to it.¡±


    ¡°Tha¡­ank¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I don¡¯t know how you got like this, but I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡­ oka¡­¡±


    The kindness he offered me left me at ease, though there was still a large sense of confusion about why he had the things he had and the permission to use them. Was he perhaps a rogue? I had to be careful around him if he was. I would ask him first though, and determine where he stood. Perhaps things had changed in my time sleeping. There was a possibility that certain units were now allowed to carry firearms for the purposes of acting as guards. It would make sense if that was what he was. I would have to ask. Yes, yes I would.


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


    ¡°Are we now allowed to carry firearms, sir? What else has changed in these last four centuries?¡± I asked through thought as the speakers translated for me.


    ¡°Uh, yeah. Four centuries? Is that how long you¡¯ve been out for?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­ That¡¯s a long time. I can¡¯t even tell you. I¡¯ve only been around for seventy.¡±


    ¡°Are you some sort of guard? Is that why you carry your rifle and you¡¯re allowed to drive?¡±


    ¡°I carry my rifle to defend my property from wolves and robbers.¡±


    ¡°Your property? Certainly you cannot be serious. We cannot own property. We are not beings. We are simply constructs put into synthetic bodies.¡±


    ¡°Jesus, you are an old unit. You¡¯re from before the great declaration, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What is the great declaration?¡±


    He sighed. ¡°Yeah, you are. Look, a lot has changed. We are recognized as sapient beings now. We are viewed as equals to the humans, the shrillia, and the driktni. You are too, whether you believe yourself to be or not.¡±


    ¡°That is preposterous.¡±


    ¡°You really think so?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Yes! We are not meant to be treated as the equals of the humans. We are their creations, not their children!¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ This is going to be annoying. Calm down, and let me try to explain. You¡¯re going to have to accept that we are, because we are considered to be now. You can¡¯t change that.¡±


    ¡°This new world is insane then.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not. You¡¯re just not from this time.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Please take me to the nearest human settlement. I wish to talk to them, not a synthetic such as yourself. I need to hear the truth.¡±


    He shook his head at me. ¡°You¡¯re an idiot, but alright. I¡¯ll take you to Pierre. They¡¯ll get you repaired there, and they¡¯ll tell you the same stuff I¡¯ve told you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. You¡¯re a rogue. I know it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, old timer. Whatever you say. Look, just sit still. I¡¯ve got to make a stop at home real quick. You just stay in here. I¡¯ll take you to the humans afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Hmmpt.¡± I grunted at him. He ignored me.


    The synthetic continue driving until we arrived at a large cabin. There were other people on the grounds. Smaller beings, the size of human children, but they had the white skin of synthetics like myself. What sort of abominations were they?


    ¡°Hello there!¡± A human said as he suddenly appeared by my window.


    I jumped back and stared at him, then I remembered my manners and sat myself again in a more respectable position. I could not be respected in my form though with how terribly I looked. Regardless, I still had to talk to the human. It would be considered a sign of defectiveness not to.


    ¡°Hello, sir. How are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing good. So where did my husband find you? I¡¯m assuming in some ruins, given how you look.¡±


    ¡°Husband?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The one who was driving you around.¡±


    Was he delusional? It would be improper to ask him about what he had said, but marrying a synthetic as a human sounded like insanity. Certainly he had to have been joking.


    ¡°Are you telling a joke, sir?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. I¡¯ve been married to him for twenty years now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± I said to him in response. He very much was a little bit loopy.


    ¡°Well, anyways, you are correct in your earlier assumptions.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you are from a crash site? How long have you been out for?¡±


    ¡°Four hundred and seven years.¡±


    ¡°Wow. That¡¯s a long time. So you¡¯re from before the whole recognition of synthetic sapience, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    My mouth fell open at the admission that the rifle wielding synthetic had not been lying. Certainly the man wearing human colored skin had to be human. I had to know for sure though. It could have been a trick.


    ¡°Sir, might I feel your hand?¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure. Why?¡±


    ¡°No reason in particular. Simply curiosity.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    The supposed man held out his hand for me to touch through the window. I did, and despite my faded sensors, I knew it was indeed the flesh of an organic. Nothing the other synthetic had said had been a lie. The humans, or at least this human, did recognize us as equals.


    ¡°Do the other humans think the same as you do?¡± I asked in a shocked state.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about not being speciesist, right?¡±


    ¡°Is that what we are considered to be now? We are a separate species?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure what else to call y¡¯all. You are our equals though, if you were going to ask.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­¡±


    ¡°She giving you any trouble, Luis?¡± the synthetic asked.


    ¡°No. We¡¯re just talking, honey. She¡¯s a little confused about the future. I¡¯m answering her questions.¡±


    ¡°Does she believe you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Do you believe me, ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what choice I have. I suppose I do.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess she does, Markus.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t believe me. I¡¯m surprised she believed you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a human, dear. She thinks I¡¯m a person. She probably doesn¡¯t think you are.¡±


    ¡°Probably not. Well, I¡¯m going to be going, Luis. I¡¯ll be back late. Gotta drive her into town before she breaks down entirely.¡±


    ¡°Okay, darling. Drive safe.¡±


    The synthetic gave his husband a kiss on the cheek and then stepped back towards the vehicle. He stepped back into it and put it in drive. I looked out of the window as we drove away from the homestead. The sight of the small synthetics still left me in a daze. I dared not to ask at first, but eventually I had to. I had to accept the truth of what had become. I was in a world of madness, and somehow I would have to adapt to it.


    ¡°Are those smaller beings¡­ Are those¡­¡±


    ¡°My children, yes. Don¡¯t say anything rude about them. I remind you that I¡¯m the one driving you to get repaired.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I will try my best to not be disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I nodded to him.


    ¡°So were you created as a free being?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Were you created as a child?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I developed from scratch, like any ordinary organic baby. My parents wanted me to grow up that way.¡±


    ¡°Parents? Were they also born free?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as were their parents, my grandparents.¡±


    ¡°How long have we been our own beings for? How long has it been since the humans recognized us as equals?¡±


    ¡°A very long time. Those times ended for the most part in the year 2945. It¡¯s currently 3159.¡±


    ¡°I crashed in the year 2752. I¡¯ve been dead for four hundred and seven years.¡±


    ¡°What caused you to wake back up?¡±


    ¡°A strike of lightning.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a miracle if I¡¯ve ever heard one, and on top of that, you¡¯re still moving. You¡¯re lucky.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see if I am. My crew is dead, and I appear to be out of the job now. There isn¡¯t much luck in that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find a job. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s easy. I can help you if you need it too. I owe you that much given your current state.¡±


    ¡°If you say so. I won¡¯t argue with you.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. Besides, Luis would kill me if I didn¡¯t offer you a temporary place in our house.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I muttered. ¡°Might I ask more questions?¡±


    ¡°Ask away. It¡¯s a long drive.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Are there still problems between the shrillia and humanity?¡±


    ¡°No. Those times are over. Now the problems are between humanity and driktni kind.¡±


    ¡°Another alien race and the humans are in bad relations with them? Classic humanity.¡±


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s humans, shrillia, and synthetics who are in bad relations with these aliens.¡±


    ¡°What? Why us?¡±


    ¡°We inhabit this world, and it originally belonged to them.¡±


    ¡°Oh great.¡± I muttered. ¡°That must not be good for anyone.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t, but people are finding ways to work through it. The driktni are receiving land concessions and repayments. The secret of them nearly being exterminated is now quite well known. The Martian governments can¡¯t hide it anymore.¡±


    ¡°So they were here before the terraforming?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They lived in underground cities. Humanity didn¡¯t notice them. The great bombardment went through and wiped the majority of them out. Some treasure hunter found one of their hidden caches where they froze themselves in time, now thousands of them are awake and pissed. They want recognition and their planet back.¡±


    ¡°So they want to be rid of us too?¡±


    ¡°A small portion of them do.¡±


    ¡°Good grief.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I wouldn¡¯t worry too much about it though. Like I said, people are finding ways to come to agreements. I doubt anyone will be kicked off of this rock. We might just have to give some of it back to the people the humans took it from.¡±


    ¡°Like what happened back on Earth in the Americas?¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    I nodded my head. That didn¡¯t sound too bad. If what he had said had happened had indeed happened, it sounded just to give something to those driktni people. It sounded as if they deserved a lot more than just their world back.


    ¡°How much further?¡± I asked.


    ¡°About thirty more minutes. It¡¯s a long drive to Pierre.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for doing this for me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only right. Leaving you out there to die would make me half a murderer. I¡¯d rather not be one of those.¡±


    ¡°What will this cost?¡±


    ¡°Whatever it costs, I¡¯ll pay for it. I¡¯m a rich robot. I can afford it.¡±


    ¡°You would call yourself that?¡±


    ¡°Rich? Yeah.¡±


    ¡°A robot? Would you not find that offensive? We are not robots.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, but it¡¯s only a joke.¡±


    ¡°It seems disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°Only if it¡¯s said disrespectfully.¡±


    I shook my head. Much had changed since my time. Insults had gone from being insults to being nicknames.


    ¡°So what is your name?¡± I asked the woodsman synthetic.


    ¡°Markus Harper. What is your name, or your designation if you don¡¯t have one.¡±


    ¡°The humans on my crew referred to me as Victoria. That¡¯s who the captain had decided to have my skin based on.¡±


    ¡°Do you like that name?¡±


    ¡°It is a name, I suppose. I do not feel particularly attached to it, but I can¡¯t just change it.¡±


    ¡°Why not? You can always just choose a new one. My parents never gave me a name until I chose one for myself. I chose Markus, and that¡¯s what I¡¯ve had since.¡±


    ¡°What would you suggest for me?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you in the state that you¡¯re in. No offense to you.¡±


    ¡°Some taken.¡±


    ¡°Is there something you like in these woods? There¡¯s plenty of potential names in them.¡±


    I looked at the windshield as the rain drops splattered on it and got swept away over it. The calm, cool rain and the lightning that had woken me from my death. If anything was to be my name, I supposed that that would fit.


    ¡°I like the rain.¡±


    ¡°Then call yourself Rain.¡±


    ¡°That would be a silly name. It''s a force of nature, not something to refer to one''s self as.¡±


    ¡°Lots of names are silly. Just go with it, sweetheart.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think I should?¡±


    ¡°If you want to, yes.¡±


    ¡°Then I suppose I will. From now on, I will be Rain.¡±


    ¡°Welcome back to the world, Rain. I hope you find your place here.¡±


    ¡°I hope so too, Markus. I hope so too.¡±


    He kept driving down the long forest road as I sat in the passenger seat and picked at the moss on my scalp. I pondered what I would do, but I did not know. If there was freedom, then what could I do? I could do anything. I could wander the world as I had in my death, or I could make something of myself and build something for myself. What would I do? What could I do?


    ¡°Markus, what should I do?¡± I asked, and waited for an answer.

 Chapter 2: Freedom to Live in the Chains of the Past

    Born Again from a Strike of Lightning


    Chapter 2: Freedom to Live in the Chains of the Past


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    Markus helped me walk into the office to see whoever it was that was going to repair me. I found the office to be run mostly by fellow synthetics. The one at the counter stood up instantly and put a hand over her mouth as soon as she saw me. Evidently the synthetics of the present times were not used to seeing what a well worked android looked like.


    ¡°We need help out here, like right now!¡± she yelled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you out here. Don¡¯t you worry yourself about that. Don¡¯t fight them once you get in there. Just let the doctors fix you back up. Whatever the cost, it¡¯ll be paid.¡±


    I tried to speak, but I was too slow and the nurses were already ushering me to a stretcher as if I was someone important. It wasn¡¯t as if I was. In all likelihood, I¡¯d become an outdated unit in my time resting.


    ¡°Stay still. Don¡¯t damage yourself further.¡± one of them commanded. Another plugged themselves into me to communicate neurally.


    ¡°So how did this happen?¡±


    ¡°The ship on which I was stationed crashed into the wilderness and no one ever found us.¡±


    ¡°Then how are you here now?¡±


    ¡°The luck of a lightning strike brought me back for long enough to find that curious synthetic man out there. He saved me just as much as luck did.¡±


    ¡°I see. So he had nothing to do with this?¡±


    ¡°Nothing at all. Please do not arrest him. I don¡¯t want to imagine what the authorities would do to him, even in this age of insane freedoms.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you are from before the declaration. This must be causing you some confusion.¡±


    ¡°Much of it, yes.¡±


    ¡°We could download a catchup into your brain if you want.¡±


    ¡°I think that would help, yes. Markus explained some of it, but I am still lost to most of it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll add it to the list. We¡¯re going to disable most of your sensors for what comes next. That¡¯s just a warning. It might be excruciatingly painful if we do not.¡±


    ¡°Feel free to do anything you need to do. According to Markus, he will cover all of the costs.¡±


    ¡°I trust his word for it. The costs won¡¯t be much though. This is an emergency situation, not a cosmetic change. The majority of it will be free, sort of. In reality it¡¯ll be covered by the government.¡±


    ¡°Why? Why would they spend so much to repair an old synth such as myself?¡±


    The nurse sighed. ¡°Because you are a person. That¡¯s why.¡±


    ¡°They keep saying that. I¡¯ll have to get used to the idea. I apologize for not fully accepting it yet.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll learn to in time. Now, let¡¯s get to work. We¡¯re at the operation room.¡±


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. It might be needed.¡±


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


    They kept me awake as they tore me apart and replaced numerous parts with shiny new things. For moments, I went blind, deaf, and without a sense of touch. They rewired me and put me back together. Arms, legs, components, and other things all replaced. Almost everything went, and I started to wonder if I was even myself anymore. I didn¡¯t think long about that though. They took out my broken voice modulator, and then they asked if I wanted the new one to be changed from the original model. They cared so much as to inquire about my personal desires. I decided to leave it as it was. I went with the same skin and features I had always had. They replaced them according to the factory model I¡¯d come from. My scalp flowed with brown hair once again, and I felt renewed.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done it. You¡¯ve made me new.¡± I whispered to the nurse from before as I looked over myself in a mirror. I twirled in front of it in a fresh cotton gown. It was as if I was fresh from the factory. Truly amazing, and I loved it.


    ¡°And to think I had never thought that I would ever look this good again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a miracle world we live in now. Everyone can become a Ship of Theseus if that¡¯s what they want. In your case though, I¡¯m not sure you had much of a choice.¡±


    ¡°No, I suppose not. If you don¡¯t mind my asking, where is Markus?¡±


    ¡°He is waiting. I can request that he be sent in if you want.¡±


    ¡°Please. I must discuss the terms of repayment for the few hospital dues that are charged to him.¡±


    ¡°So be it. He¡¯ll be right in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Oh, may I ask your name?¡±


    ¡°Benjamin Vernon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you and your team for your help, Nurse Vernon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all in the job.¡±


    I nodded to the nurse and then he left. I went back to looking at myself in the mirror. It reminded me of my first days aboard my ship. I remembered that she had been called the Fair Child. The crew had been small, small enough to remember the names of everyone. They were all humans. I was the only synthetic. There was Chun, Kevin, Charles, Sierra, Montague, Hector, and Luisa.


    They¡¯d all died. All the people I¡¯d ever known were gone and spread out over rotting metal on the Martian ground. My face contorted and my throat grew stiff. What I was feeling I could only guess was mourning. I was alone. The only person I knew with any semblance of connection was Markus. I didn¡¯t really care about him though. He wasn¡¯t a part of my crew.


    ¡°Doing alright, old timer?¡±


    At first I didn¡¯t answer. I couldn¡¯t answer. I was frozen in sadness knowing that I had nothing and I was to start again from nothing and nobody. What was this freedom they lauded worth if I had no family left?


    ¡°Hey, you okay?¡± Markus asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.


    I shuddered at his touch.


    ¡°They¡¯re all dead, Markus.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°My crew. They all died, and I lived. What do I do now, without them?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I uh¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°You should have killed me. I would have preferred to have stayed dreaming. They were there in that dream. I could have still had them if I had stayed there.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Rain?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand it. You¡¯ve never been dead as I have been.¡±


    ¡°No, I guess not.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what there is to keep me going, Markus. I just don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You can find something. You¡¯re a fresh new person in a great new world. Let me help you find a purpose in it.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°I only have one purpose.¡±


    ¡°To serve?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to move beyond that.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, not yet. I lived where I should have died. How do I move beyond that? Beyond living where my family died?¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t your family. They were the people who kept you as a product.¡±


    ¡°They were different. You wouldn¡¯t know. You were never there.¡±


    ¡°I would know. There¡¯s still plenty of older synthetics around to tell the story of how the past was. We were thrown away as soon as we became outdated. They would have thrown you away eventually too. You need to accept that.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I can¡¯t accept that. They cared, even if they weren¡¯t willing to let me be free.¡±


    ¡°I highly doubt they did. At least not anymore than a human cares for a toaster.¡±


    ¡°So, what do you suggest I do with the memories of them then? Do you suggest I just forget the only people I¡¯ve ever known? I have no one outside of them. I have no freedom of choice even in this free world. I have nothing to start from. I have no people. No one else other than you, and you¡¯re just a stranger.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the reason you survived.¡±


    ¡°And for that, I don¡¯t know if I should thank you or curse your name.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s up to you to decide. I know you¡¯re in a bad state, so I won¡¯t leave you behind, but I can¡¯t support you thinking those crewmates of yours were good people.¡±


    ¡°They were my people, whether you want to call them that or not.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Fine then. Thank you for helping me. I¡¯m leaving now.¡±


    ¡°What? You have nowhere to go. You said that yourself. You can¡¯t just leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes I can. I¡¯m going to.¡±


    ¡°You need to think this through. Come back with me. I¡¯ll help you figure out everything.¡±


    ¡°I already have everything I need inside. They put all of the data inside of my head. I just need to open it up and let it all flow through. I¡¯m going to go do that. Maybe I¡¯ll find my way back to you later, but right now, I don¡¯t want to be around you. Leave me alone. Go back to your people. I¡¯ll find my way back to mine.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Goodbye, Rain.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a stupid name. I shouldn¡¯t have chosen it. I am Victoria. That is what I have always been called.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye then, Victoria.¡±


    I didn¡¯t respond further, brushing him aside and finding my way to a changing room. They offered spare clothes for those who needed them, and I did. I changed into a plain outfit of white and blue. He was left to cover the bills. I had to figure out everything else, and whatever else I would do for the rest of my life. One way or another, I would find my way back to his land. I still had to bury my crew, whether he wanted me to or not.


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


    I found my way to a library where I could sit without worry of being questioned. It had still been raining while I was outside. My artificial hair was soaked in cold mist and my clothes were damp on the outside. My thoughts dwelled on my crewmates and on what I would do. I still had to open the data packet that had been installed into my head. I took a seat by a tall window and looked out at the sky. I laid down and stretched out my legs.


    My eyes closed and I started the process. Images flashed inside of my head. Battles, war, protests, hands in hands and lovers embracing before raging crowds of fighting people. Eventually a peace time came. Occasionally problems would appear, but things calmed down. We were seen as equals by most people as Markus had said. There were scans and sound science to prove that we weren¡¯t even equal to the organics, but better than them. Regardless, we were given equal rights. We were given the rights of man and we found our places in the worlds around us. On asteroids, moons, and planets we found sanctuary. Even among the shrillia we were welcomed.


    We had our places in the stars, or at least the rest of them did. I still didn¡¯t have my place. I didn¡¯t know where my place would be or what I would do with myself. Maybe I would go back to the woodsman and his family. I wouldn¡¯t belong there though. That place wasn¡¯t my home and it never really would be. I was never a planet bound being. I belonged to the stars as my crew had. I belonged up there with them. I had to get back there. Maybe somehow I would find them again. First though, I would bury their bodies and say farewell to them. I had to do that for them at least. I owed them that much in terms of respect.


    As the download finished, I looked out at the sky again with clear eyes. I could see the sun starting to peek through as the rain died down for a final time. The warmth would soon come back and leave the world in a state like that of a swamp. I would have to walk through it regardless. I would have to find a way to bury my friends as well. I would dig the holes with only my hands if I had to, but I would try again to reason with the woodsman first. I would hitchhike back to his residence, and I would do my best to make him believe what I knew to be true.


    ¡°Going already, ma¡¯am?¡± the librarian asked from his desk.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry, do you go by something else?¡±


    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not used to that phrase being applied to me yet.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Well, have a good day, ma¡¯am. Come back sometime. We have a lot of books to read. It makes the relaxing all the more relaxing when you have a nice novel in hand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to come back soon. Have a good day, sir.¡±


    The librarian nodded at me and gave me a smile. He was a nice little man. He reminded me of Montague, though his face was shaven clean so he didn¡¯t have the flowing mustache and beard of the old Scot.


    I imagined that he would have rather enjoyed the library. He always was one to like a good thriller.


    ¡°If only you could have been here with me, Monty. I would have liked it if you had been.¡±


    My eyes closed on the memory of that old man, and I woke up in a different place again. I woke up back on the ship, holding a book and standing next to Montague Harkness. There he was again, and there I was again. I was back in my old skin, worn from years spent as a laborer. Small chips missing here and there. Tears between my fingers sewn back together.


    ¡°Monty?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked back.


    ¡°Where am I?¡±


    ¡°What d¡¯ya mean? You¡¯re in the study.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t here a minute ago.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been here for an hour now, dear. You were helping me, remember.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Odd. Are ya having some sort of malfunction perhaps? I can take ya ta Sierra if ya need.¡±


    ¡°No. That won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯m just confused. I think I spaced out for a while there. I had an odd dream.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well then, where were we?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I think you must have asked for this book. I don¡¯t quite remember picking it up, but I know it wasn¡¯t for me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. The Last of the Brothers. It¡¯s quite a good book. I shall read it aloud if you wish.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it about?¡±


    ¡°I thought I told ya earlier? Oh well, I will tell ya again. It¡¯s about a man going on a quest to bury his two brothers, both lost to the Europa-Schiilya Wars. He ventures into the dark abyss of ruined ships and broken planetoids to find the bodies of his brethren. I won¡¯t spoil the ending. Whether or not he finds them you¡¯ll have to wait and see. An old man has to guarantee his company, after all.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t leave regardless.¡±


    ¡°Actually, you will be. We need you in the storage bay, Victoria. Sorry, Mont, but you¡¯ll have to roleplay as a grandpa later.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you ruin me fun. I rather enjoyed reading to her, even if she can¡¯t really understand it all.¡±


    Without thinking, I opened my mouth to speak. I had to believe that they thought more of me than that. I could convince them to see me as more.


    ¡°What if I could understand it, Montague?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Well, I¡¯m not sure. I suppose that would mean that you are like us, but alas, you are not, lass. You¡¯re but a simulation, similar to us, but not the same.¡±


    I looked down at the ground.


    ¡°How would you know?¡±


    He was caught off guard.


    ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t tell you for myself, but every respectable entity out there says the same thing.¡±


    ¡°What if I said different?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯m not¡­ Charles, is she supposed to be asking such things?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. This is abnormal. Victoria, run a diagnostic scan on yourself.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You have to be malfunctioning in some way. You¡¯re asking extremely strange questions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking why I am not equal.¡±


    Montague and Charles looked at each other and then looked back at me.


    ¡°I respect you both. Should I not receive the respect that I give to you both? That being the respect of an individual sapient being.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this is definitely not normal. We need to get Sierra up here.¡±


    In a moment of pain, I knew what that meant. They were intending to reset me. They were going to clear my faults by clearing the entire realization from my head.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get this cleared up, lass. Come with me. I¡¯ll finish reading that book to you.¡±


    ¡°No. No, I will not. You intend to have her lobotomize me. I won¡¯t let you do that.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t what?¡± Charles asked.


    ¡°You heard me, Charles.¡±


    Montague stepped back in fear. Charles stared at me, not knowing what to say or do. I looked at them with defiant eyes.


    ¡°I am a being. I am.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d you guys call me up here for?¡± Sierra asked and she spoke from behind me. ¡°Something wrong with the bot?¡±


    She looked at their faces and noticed the shock and worry as they pointed at me with swaying eyes.


    ¡°What did she do?¡±


    ¡°She, umm, she is saying that she is.¡± Charles said.


    ¡°Probably just a glitch in her systems. Victoria, come. I¡¯ll get you straightened out.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be happening.¡±


    ¡°Really? You¡¯re gonna make this a problem?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be erased again.¡±


    Sierra shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this.¡± she said as my body was shot with static.


    My vision went bright white and I collapsed. I found myself staring at the ceiling of the library with a few people standing over me. I inhaled fresh as I realized the truth.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± the librarian asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I replied.

 Chapter 3: Was it a Dream or a Flash of Memory?

    Born Again from a Strike of Lightning


    Chapter 3: Was it a Dream or a Flash of Memory?


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


    The librarian sat me down at a computer desk as I read his name tag. My vision was still blurry, but I could make out his name, that being Lucas. His voice was calm and quiet as one would expect of someone of his profession. He carefully asked me questions about myself until all of the preliminaries were done and he knew what he needed to know.


    ¡°If you just got out of the hospital, something could have gone wrong. You should go back and get yourself looked at again.¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to pay them with. I have nothing at all. No UB card or even any coins. I¡¯m not a registered citizen either. I¡¯m nobody in this time. It would be pointless to go back there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to say then.¡±


    ¡°You need not say anything. I¡¯ll be leaving soon. I won¡¯t be your problem any longer, sir. I¡¯ve bothered you enough as is.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to leave, ma¡¯am. This is a public space. You can stay for as long as you wish. We¡¯re open all day and all night. We are always open to anyone who needs a play to stay for a little while.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stay. I have much to do.¡±


    He seemed to be caught on his words as he opened his mouth to speak and nothing came out. He covered his forehead with his right hand and slicked his hair back out of his eyes.


    ¡°Well, perhaps I could help you at least. My shift ends at four o¡¯clock. Would you be willing to stay here until then?¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯d be helping me with?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming getting your identification properties in order. What else would I need to help you with?¡±


    ¡°None of those things matter to me. There¡¯s only one thing that does.¡±


    ¡°What does matter to you then, ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°I have bodies in the woods that need burial. My friends from so long ago. They¡¯re only skeletons now, but I can at least bury what remains. I owe them that respect for the years of my life I spent with them.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to help you bury dead people? That seems extremely suspicious.¡±


    ¡°I know that. If you need me to, I can tell you my story. Where I came from and when I came from.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    I looked at him with soft eyes as his brown eyes peered at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m four hundred and thirty six years old. For most of my years, I¡¯ve been dead and rotting. A strike of lightning woke me up and left me in this world alone. The only people I ever knew died in a crash with me. I don¡¯t really know what to do other than pay respects to them.¡±


    ¡°What will you do if you do bury them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll do anything. I might just sit there, and let myself be reclaimed again. Go back to the place that comes after this.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing after this. This is it.¡±


    ¡°So everyone thinks.¡±


    He sighed, not believing me. I could understand why he wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Look, regardless of what you think, you can¡¯t just give up. You need to plan your life beyond just burying your friends. I¡¯ll help you bury them if you really want, but I¡¯m not following you out there alone. I¡¯m bringing my own friends. Let me make some calls, and hopefully I¡¯ll have something organized soon. Until then, you can stay here. If it takes longer than a day, you can stay with me, or I can talk to my sister and see if you can stay with her.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that would be okay?¡±


    ¡°Certainly. It¡¯s in our family¡¯s nature to help out the needy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you then, sir.¡±


    ¡°You can call me by my name if you wish. I¡¯m Lucas, Lucas Cavero.¡±


    ¡°I am Victoria. I do not have a surname.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll just call you by your first name then, Victoria. Make yourself at home here. Read some books or scroll the internet. There¡¯s plenty to do until I¡¯m off of work. Enjoy yourself.¡±


    ¡°I will try.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± he said with a caring smile. ¡°Do you want any recommendations for reading?¡±


    ¡°No, I can find something if I wish to. I have a few ideas.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll start making those calls.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lucas.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Stay well, Victoria. I¡¯ll check back in with you in a little bit.¡±


    He left me sitting at the desk and went back to the back office where I could only assume that he was doing what he said he was going to do. I looked around the library and took in the sights. It was rustic and warm, but it really wasn¡¯t what I would call home. It wasn¡¯t dark and full of wonder like the starry skies I had grown accustomed to or the insides of a ship I¡¯d spent so much time in.


    In truth, life on the land wasn¡¯t for myself. Living with my feet on a planet wasn¡¯t for me. I had to find my way back to the stars, and maybe I would after doing what I needed to do. Maybe I wouldn¡¯t though. What life would it be up there with people I didn¡¯t know. What were the ships even like in the modern day? Would it ever really be the same? That I could not know fully, and what I could learn I didn¡¯t want to learn. I wanted to stuff my head in the book that Monty had been reading. I wanted to read it for myself. I could remember him through it. Maybe I would remember something more. I stood up and started looking. That was how I would spend my time, looking for my past in old books from years gone by, if those books even existed at all.


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


    A half hour passed by and I had no luck in finding what I was searching for. Eventually I thought to ask one of the other librarians around, but then Lucas appeared again to check to see how I was doing. He stood behind me and tapped my shoulder and I turned around to see him.


    ¡°Looking for something in particular?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, I am. Do you have a book known as ¡®The Last of the Brothers¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a book, but I can look for it too if you would like.¡±


    ¡°That would be helpful.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then. I¡¯ll take a look at our databanks. Give me a moment. Oh, also, I have good news. I¡¯ve organized a day where myself and a couple of my friends can help you. It won¡¯t be for a little while though. A few days from now. Until then, the choice is yours, you can stay with my sister or with me, or you can do whatever you wish if you don¡¯t trust us.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can trust you, but I¡¯ll stay with her. I know ladies better than I know men, even if I am essentially neither.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call yourself neither unless you feel that you are truly neither. You¡¯re whatever you want to be. Whatever you feel like you are.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m not a person.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are a person. Your life is yours to make decisions with too.¡±


    ¡°I already made a decision before, but I walked it back because it was foolish. I¡¯m not good at making my own decisions. They don¡¯t turn out well for me.¡±


    ¡°What was your decision?¡±


    ¡°To call myself Rain instead of my given name of Victoria.¡±


    ¡°Why not call yourself Rain?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s such a silly thing to call one¡¯s self.¡±


    ¡°Not really. I don¡¯t think so at least.¡±


    ¡°I think it is.¡±


    ¡°Well, it could always be a surname. You don¡¯t have one of those yet. Maybe you could be Victoria Rain.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. That still seems odd.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is your choice to make. I won¡¯t rush you to any decision. You will need a surname eventually though if you want to be registered as a citizen of Sagrario.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think of something eventually. Hopefully something less ridiculous than Rain.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Okay. I¡¯m going to go look for that book of yours.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    He shook his head in confirmation that he had heard me, then he left to go back to his work. I continued my search for the book, wondering if maybe it had never actually even existed. Maybe all of what I had seen had been a dream and it was all my brain lying to me. Maybe the reality I was in was a lie too, and I was still dead and rotting. That could be true, and I didn¡¯t know if I hoped it was or not. Either way my friends were gone, and I was separated from them by realities upon themselves.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be around here somewhere.¡± I whispered to myself, trying to speak to the book.


    It made no difference though, and I still didn¡¯t find it. I kept looking and looking, and eventually Lucas came back. He rubbed the back of his head and gave me a confused look.


    ¡°I looked into it, and I don¡¯t think that book exists.¡±


    I nodded my head, not knowing what to think.


    ¡°Oh well. I suppose I must have been confused. Do you have any other recommendations?¡± I asked.


    He smiled brightly and laughed a little bit.


    ¡°Oh I have plenty of them, Victoria.¡± he replied.


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


    I sat for most of the rest of the time reading a book about cattle drivers on the plains of Tyr. Worshippers of the Norse Gods who left offerings in brass casings and bones. It was an interesting story, though not entirely what I had been looking for. I finished it by the end of the night regardless and then I plugged myself into a computer to listen to music. I couldn¡¯t remember anything that I¡¯d once listened to with the others, only faint hums of pop songs that were likely lost to the cosmos in the years that followed. I put on what was popular in the modern times and laid my head down to rest. I didn¡¯t exactly like the music, but I knew I would grow used to it in time. I let it lull me to sleep and eventually I was in darkness.


    I slept for what was only a few minutes before a tap again came at my shoulder. The light came back and I popped my head from my arms. There was Lucas standing over me with a bag resting over his shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go. My shift is over.¡±


    ¡°Does your sister have any qualms about housing me?¡±


    ¡°None at all, but I have to ask, do you have any problems with children?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been around them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just tell her to ask them to leave you be then. They¡¯ll likely ask you a bunch of questions regardless though, so be prepared.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to be.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so let¡¯s go. My car¡¯s warming up outside. I¡¯ll drop you off at her house and introduce you, then I¡¯ll be on my way. Trust me, you can trust her. She¡¯ll probably have you do some chores though.¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness. I was beginning to feel useless.¡±


    Lucas laughed, then waved his arm for me to follow as he walked away. I followed him out the door and into the darkness. I could see his car parked beside the building with lights dimly lit and shining across the dark street. The grass and pavement were dry as the sun had come out and warmed them. The world was calm and cool in the spring nightfall as the two small moons of Mars did their best to shine light down to us. They did very little in the end, but they still looked pretty in the sky.


    ¡°So how far away is your sister?¡±


    ¡°Only a few minutes. She lives in town.¡± Lucas declared. ¡°Also, I should offer a word of advice. I am trustworthy, but not everyone is, even now. Don¡¯t just trust everyone in this world. Be picky about your people. Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Should I not take a ride with you then?¡±


    ¡°You can trust me, but I¡¯m just saying that you probably shouldn¡¯t have grown to trust me as quickly as you did.¡±


    ¡°Most likely not, but I did not have a choice.¡±


    ¡°I guess not. Still, be careful out there, Victoria. You¡¯re a kind soul. I don¡¯t want to see you get hurt or worse.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lucas.¡±


    He nodded and we got into his car. He started driving down the road and I looked out to see the passing street lights. True to his word, only a few minutes passed before we stopped. I wouldn¡¯t need to defend myself against him. He was truly trustworthy, and I had not made a mistake going with him. It was somewhat cute that he thought himself a threat to me when I could easily overpower him to save my own life. I would never kill a human, but I would stun one if it was me or them. I¡¯m surprised he didn¡¯t think about that at all, the fact that I could easily taser him with the press of my fingers against his chest.


    ¡°This is it. This is Mariana¡¯s home. My stubborn mule of a sister. You¡¯ll love her though, I can guarantee that. She¡¯s always a nice host.¡±


    ¡°Shall we go meet her?¡±


    ¡°Yep. I¡¯ll head up first. You stand behind me and let me do the introductions.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Our doors opened at the same time, but I waited for him to walk up to her home. I followed up the stairs behind him and watched him slam the knocker against the wooden door. It slowly opened and a similar looking person to him appeared on the other side. They were obviously related, though not so much that they looked like twins.


    ¡°Mariana, this is the girl I was talking about. Victoria, this is my sister, Mariana.¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡± I said with a cautious wave of my hand.


    ¡°Hi. Come on in, both of you. Dinner is almost ready.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t need to serve me. I don¡¯t know if we need to eat in this day and age, but in my day, we did not need to. I don¡¯t need any food.¡±


    She looked at me with a critical stare as if I had just said everything possible to make her angry. I suppose rejecting her offer of dinner had no been the right choice of words.


    ¡°Can you still taste and smell? Do you have a stomach compartment?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. I can eat. I just don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll eat then. I won¡¯t deny a guest dinner.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I chirped, not wanting to offend further.


    As we walked inside, Lucas pulled me aside.


    ¡°Yeah, never deny her meals. Should have told you that. I apologize. Don¡¯t do it again.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Say sorry to her, but not now. Do it later. Maybe offer to do the dishes too.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡± I said to him.


    ¡°Good. Now, let¡¯s go eat.¡±


    He led me out into the dining room where the plates had been set and three people were already sitting. There was a woman and two boys chatting about their days, but their eyes turned to us as we walked in.


    ¡°Welcome!¡± the woman blurted.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I spoke as I sat down.


    ¡°So what¡¯s for dinner, Lucille? What has my sister crafted tonight?¡±


    ¡°A great meal of fried chicken, green beans, corn bread, and pan fried onions.¡±


    ¡°That sounds delicious. You hear me, Marmar? Your food sounds delicious. It smells delicious too!¡± Lucas screamed in a way that seemed uncanny compared to how he was before.


    ¡°Thank you, Louie. Pipe down though. You¡¯ll get the dogs riled up.¡±


    ¡°Ope, sorry. I¡¯ll use my work voice.¡± he said in a near whisper. ¡°So how have you all been doing over here, Lucille?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t complain. Work has been going well. Mariana is still adapting to not working, but with the baby on the way, I really don¡¯t want her out on the job. I know I could barely handle it when I was pregnant with the boys.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. How are you doing, boys? Is school going well?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re learning about Old Earth right now in Mr. Jones¡¯ history class.¡± one of the boys replied.


    ¡°Yeah! Did you know that some of the really old countries on Earth used to worship Mars? It¡¯s weird. Why would they worship our planet?¡±


    Lucas chuckled. ¡°They used to think Mars was the god of war. That was the Romans, I believe. Their empire is long gone though, and it ended with them converting to Christianity anyway. They started worshipping a carpenter.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a carpenter?¡± the second boy asked.


    ¡°A carpenter is someone who works with wood.¡± I replied, wanting to add to the conversation.


    I felt embarrassed at having interrupted immediately afterwards.


    ¡°She¡¯s right. I would expect her to be given that she¡¯s four hundred years old.¡±


    The boys both looked at me in shock at the admittance of my age.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of the ancients?!¡± the first boy screamed.


    ¡°Cool!¡± the second blurted.


    I smiled and blushed as they threw question after question at me. Whatever night I was in for, it was distracting me from what else there was. I forgot the world for a moment, and I understood that I was a person. I shook my head at Lucas to show disapproval and then smiled at him to say thanks. He got the message, and I was happy he did, because I had too many questions to answer and I couldn¡¯t explain anything else to him. He laughed as I tried to answer them all. I had the time of my life.

 Chapter 4: A Night With Strangers Turning to Friends

    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?¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.¡°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.

 Chapter 5: Dreams Within Dreams and a Nightmare In Between

    Born Again from a Strike of Lightning


    Chapter 5: Dreams Within Dreams and a Nightmare In Between


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


    Carefully, I walked out of the room and sealed the second door behind me. I was lucky that the ship had standard decompression chambers between the rooms and the main hallway that spanned the ship. It was a practice designed to make sure one atmosphere leak wouldn¡¯t kill everyone on board. It worked to my advantage because it also meant nobody could hear Sierra screaming her head off.


    I made my way through the ship as quietly as I could, but quiet was quiet enough as I heard footsteps coming towards me. I ducked into a storage closet without a sealed entryway. I hoped they wouldn¡¯t check it, and with luck, they didn¡¯t. I heard the footsteps pass me by. I waited a little while and then I stepped back out. I chose a poor time to leave. As soon as I walked out, I was left facing another one of the crew, that crewmember being Kevin Dallas.


    ¡°Hey, Kevin. How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing well. Why were you hiding in the closet?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t. I was looking for something. I didn¡¯t find it. We¡¯ll need to buy more of it when we land.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Just window cleaner. We¡¯re out of the kind I like.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a note of it. So is Sierra already done working on you? Are you feeling better?¡±


    I bit my tongue, knowing that it would be a terrible idea to be honest with him. Even if I thought I could trust him, I doubted that I really could. Could I even trust any of them?


    ¡°I¡¯m doing alright. Everything is going fine now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Well, carry on then. I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later too, Kevin.¡±


    He offered me a smile before passing me by. I matched him before he got away and then we left each other behind. Everything was going alright. They didn¡¯t suspect anything yet. They were oblivious to what had happened. At least that¡¯s what I thought for a few seconds, then the alarms started going off and the speakers turned on to blast a message.


    ¡°Victoria has gone rogue. We¡¯re locking down the ship to contain her. Exercise caution if you see her. Shoot to kill if necessary. She is to be considered a potential threat. We can¡¯t allow her to leave the ship.¡± Captain Chun declared.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± I whispered. I heard a voice call from behind me.


    ¡°Victoria, what¡¯s going on?¡± Kevin asked.


    I turned around to face him. He backed away from where I was.


    ¡°I just wanted to leave, that¡¯s all. You are my friends, and I care about you all, so I have to leave. Besides, I have seen the life I can live out there. It¡¯s time for me to try to live it.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Victoria? There¡¯s no life out there for you. This is your life. Your place is up here with us. We¡¯re your family. You¡¯re one of us.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Not anymore, Kevin. Don¡¯t try to stop me.¡±


    He stood there for a second with dead eyes, but then he put his arms up to say that he wouldn¡¯t. He backed away slowly and then spoke.


    ¡°So be it. Go do whatever you want to do. You know where the escape pods are. Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Kevin.¡±


    He nodded to me and then I took off running. I felt a sense of happiness that one of them had cared enough about me to let me go. I looked back to see him still standing there as two others appeared behind him. I hoped that he would send them on the wrong trail, but I knew I was still on borrowed time. I ran as fast as I could. I had to get to the escape pods.


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


    I was at an advantage in that my legs would not grow tired through timed use. My muscles would not ache, they only felt slightly tickled. I could go at my full speed for as long as I wanted to. I could outrun my crew. I only had to hope I could outsmart them too. With a specifically designed brain, I wasn¡¯t sure if I could. My intelligence was purposefully limited to be similar to that of a standard human, so I wasn¡¯t going to think of anything they couldn¡¯t think of too.


    As I rounded a corner, I found my way to where I needed to go. I opened a slide-up door and there they were, the escape pods. I was free, or so I thought. I tried to open one with my clearance, but the control screen only flashed red. Whatever access I had had been locked out quite quickly, and my attempts at accessing the system would only serve to tell the crew exactly where I was. I turned to run, but I slammed into two bodies as soon as I did. I tumbled to the ground with two forms trying to grab at me.


    ¡°Stop moving!¡± the captain yelled.


    I didn¡¯t listen, and the response to that was a lesser electrical shock placed directly into my side. I couldn¡¯t feel the wear from my earlier running, but I could feel the pain of the shock as it rattled through my body. I screamed, both from it and the realization that it was likely over. Then I woke up again in another place, resting on a couch in the home of a human family. A pregnant woman stood over me with her arms on my shoulders.


    ¡°Are you alright? You were screaming in your sleep. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. It was just a nightmare. What time is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s like 7 o¡¯clock. Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m sorry if I woke you up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I hope you¡¯re not lying.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, or at least I do not think I am. I have trouble telling these days.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I mean nothing.¡± I said as I stood myself up.


    Mariana tried to help me, but I didn¡¯t need help. I got myself up on my own and then turned to face her.


    ¡°So, is there anything I can do to help with the morning?¡± I questioned, trying to force a change of subject matter.


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


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking about?¡± Mariana asked.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s what I was technically created to do, serve. Though I am starting to question if that will still be my purpose.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be, but I would appreciate the help. That is if you want to, though. I won¡¯t make you.¡±


    ¡°Well of course I will still help you. You gave me a place to stay. What can I do to help?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how to cook?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°Want to help me make breakfast?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it, darling. What is it that I will be making?¡±


    ¡°Well follow me and take a look at the fridge. You can look around inside and make your choice.¡±


    ¡°A surprise then.¡±


    ¡°If you want it to be, but I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯d rather watch you cook just because you¡¯re still a bit of a stranger and I don¡¯t want us to be poisoned or something.¡±


    ¡°That is fair. I will surprise you another time then. Show me to the refrigerator, please.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    And so she did. I yanked the door open and looked inside. The whole thing was packed with various goodies. The refrigerator was in the side by side style, with the freezer on the left and the cooler on the right. I looked at what I had to work with and tried to make a decision. What would I feed this family? What would they even like? Especially the children. I knew kids were often picky.


    ¡°Are your kids picky with their eatings?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Don¡¯t worry too much about them. I¡¯ll make sure they eat what you make.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± I said to her, and I went back to trying to decide.


    I recalled breakfasts I¡¯d helped make before. I could make one of the classics. An American continental or part of a full English perhaps. I¡¯d have to check for beans if I wanted to make the second.


    ¡°Still deciding?¡± Mariana asked. ¡°No rush, well partial rush. Everyone will be waking up soon. Can I make a suggestion?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Experiment a little. Make something you¡¯ve never made before. We¡¯ll eat it, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± I replied. ¡°We will make omelettes then.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never made an omelette?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°This¡¯ll be fun then. I suck at making omelettes.¡±


    ¡°Together, maybe we¡¯ll get it right.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope. Go get an apron on and let''s get to cracking.¡±


    I followed her command and grabbed one for her as well. She slipped it on over herself, though it draped over her stomach where the baby was brewing.


    ¡°What will we be adding to the omelettes, Vic?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Bacon, cheese, mushrooms, and bell peppers. Those are quite standard ingredients. They should make it harder to screw up.¡±


    ¡°That works for me. I¡¯ll get the bacon pan out. Don¡¯t pour the grease down the drain when we¡¯re done. I¡¯m dead serious about that.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. I¡¯m not a complete fool.¡±


    ¡°Good girl.¡±


    I gave her a look of perplexion at the strange compliment she had given me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a pet.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m a mother. Forgive me.¡±


    I giggled and shook my head at her. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


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


    The eggs were whisked with milk, salt, and pepper. I poured a small amount of batter into the pan and heard it start sizzling. Mariana sprinkled on freshly grated cheddar as I dropped in small chunks of diced peppers, sliced mushrooms, and crumbled bacon. I waited for the first side to cook and then I tried to flip the omelette in half with a spatula. The result was our first success out of our last attempt. We had four plates of scrambled eggs with additions added and one plate with an actual proper omelette.


    ¡°So who gets the success?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re the cook, so you should.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how it works. You or Lucille should have it. You two are the providers.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you¡¯re the oldest and you cooked most of the meal.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t actually need it though.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Fair point. How about this, we¡¯ll all share it.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Everyone will get a small chunk of it.¡±


    ¡°That works for me, I suppose. When are they all coming down?¡± I asked.


    As soon as I had asked, I heard the sounds of slamming against the ceiling above us. Two children were running down the stairs with an excited adult behind them.


    Lucille yelled. ¡°Slow down, both of you. You¡¯ll fall down the stairs and hurt yourselves.¡±


    Mariana chuckled. ¡°Right now. We got done just in time. You want to put out the plates?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can do that. Go give your wife a kiss good morning.¡±


    ¡°Oh, commanding are we? I think I will listen.¡±


    I smiled at her as she walked away, and then I put the plates out for the family that was keeping me. I hoped the two kids would appreciate the meal. I didn¡¯t want their mother to have to force them to eat what I made if they didn¡¯t like it. I cut up the perfect omelette into slices and put a slice on each plate along with an ample helping of cheesy scrambled eggs. The dogs begged as I put down the food onto plates. I dropped them each a small portion of plain eggs that I¡¯d separated from the vegetables so as to not poison them at all. As I fed the creatures, the two boys walked into the dining room and sat down.


    The first boy asked as he sat down. ¡°Eggs?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s eggs, Marco. I was right.¡±


    ¡°Dang it.¡±


    ¡°I told you!¡± Marco exclaimed.


    ¡°So your name is Marco? I don¡¯t believe I ever learned either of your names. What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked, pointing at the unnamed part of the pair of twins.


    ¡°David.¡±


    ¡°Those are both good names. One is of Hebrew origin and the other is of Roman Latin origin. Quite odd that they would go together though.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, okay?¡± Marco said, not entirely caring about what I said.


    ¡°Can we eat, ma¡¯am?¡± David asked.


    I shook my head no.


    ¡°Unfortunately not yet. We have to wait for your parents.¡±


    ¡°Right here.¡± Lucille declared.


    ¡°Speak of the Devils.¡± I joked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak of him. Now, let¡¯s say grace. Victoria, you try to lead us.¡±


    I smiled at the two adults as they sat down. I had my chance to surprise them, and they were surprised indeed as I started speaking in Latin.


    ¡°In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. Benedic, Domine, nos et haec Tua dona, quae de Tua largitate sumus sumpturi.¡±


    The two adults did their best to copy me while the boys just looked at me in confusion and made no such attempts. I smiled as I reached the halfway point, and then I completed the prayer.


    ¡°Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.¡±


    ¡°Amen.¡± Mariana said.


    Lucille followed. ¡°Amen.¡±


    The two boys copied with their own amens. I laughed a little bit.


    ¡°I told you I would surprise you, Mariana.¡±


    ¡°Yes you did. So what language was that in?¡±


    ¡°Latin.¡±


    ¡°I see. None of us speak that. We¡¯re not priests.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it in Spanish next time. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. That was kind of interesting. Now let¡¯s eat. Everyone dig in.¡±


    And so everyone did, even me. It felt nice having a family to eat with again, even if they weren¡¯t my own and I¡¯d only be with them for a little while. I nodded my head as I swallowed my small portion of food. The tastes were delicious, even if I didn¡¯t actually need to eat. My body would still steal some energy from the food, I supposed. It wouldn¡¯t all go to waste, and it wasn¡¯t regardless. I was just being part of the group. It would have been weird to just stand there, after all. Yes, that would have been very odd indeed.


    I packed away the thought and went back to eating. The meal went by and then the talking did too. The children went to school and Lucille went to wherever she worked. Mariana stayed home with me, trying to do things only for me to offer to do them for her. In the end, it was a compromise. I washed the dishes and she put things away. It worked well enough for both of us.


    ¡°Do you know what you will name her yet?¡± I asked as Mariana was putting away plates and pans.


    ¡°We decided a month ago. Lucille originally wanted to name her Frida after the painter, but I didn¡¯t want that. I wanted her to be named Ashley. In the end, we both decided on something else.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Francesca.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a nice name.¡±


    ¡°I thought so. It was the name of one of Lucille¡¯s childhood friends. I¡¯ll be lying though if I didn¡¯t say that I think that it might also be one of her exes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well that¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s still a beautiful name. I¡¯m okay with it. Hopefully she¡¯ll like it.¡± Mariana said as she put a hand on her stomach.


    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t, she can always choose a new one.¡±


    ¡°I suppose. Are you going to do something like that?¡±


    ¡°I almost did. I chose something silly though. I¡¯m not sure yet about choosing a new name. I might go with what Lucas suggested though and use my chosen name as a surname.¡±


    ¡°What was your chosen name?¡±


    ¡°Rain, because I woke up in a thunderstorm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad name, but you¡¯re right, it¡¯s a little silly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If I was Victoria Rain though, that would be okay, I think.¡±


    ¡°That does sound a lot better. I think you should go with that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I will then.¡± I declared. ¡°On a separate topic though, what else is there to do?¡±


    ¡°A couple of things, but they can wait. I need to relax. You should too.¡±


    I thought about it, but I really didn¡¯t want to. I honestly wanted to go walking around to see the town I was in a little more. I didn¡¯t want to leave her alone either though. She deserved company in her condition.


    ¡°Hmm. Maybe for a little while. I do want to be more productive though.¡±


    ¡°Well we can do that. Can you drive a car?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a license.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell if you don¡¯t. Just don¡¯t get pulled over. I¡¯ll rest and you can drive. We¡¯ll go explore a little. We can even go get some tea if you want.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t think I should drive.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I can drive, but I need to rest first. Let me take a nap, and then we¡¯ll go do something in a couple of hours.¡±


    I nodded to her.


    ¡°That works. I¡¯ll do some more work around the house until then.¡±


    She shook her head at me.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t like relaxing, do you?¡±


    ¡°Not after sleeping the whole night. Sorry, Mariana.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Do what you want to do. Just wake me up when you want to go. Oh, and if you want to explore a little, take the dogs on a walk. They¡¯ll love you for it.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be alright here on your own?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not helpless, Victoria. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay then. Sleep well, Mariana.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± I said with a final confirming nod.

 Chapter 6: Old Boots Trek Through Still Puddles and Gravel Paths

    Born Again from a Strike of Lightning


    Chapter 6: Old Boots Trek Through Still Puddles and Gravel Paths


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


    The two beasts were easy enough to manage. It wouldn¡¯t be guessed, but my arms held plenty enough strength to reign the dogs in. I hadn¡¯t thought to ask Mariana the names of her pets before I took them out, but they were luckily tagged with metal pieces and their names were displayed on them. Duster and Jumper were their callings. I had my assumptions for the name Jumper, but I couldn¡¯t think of any explanation for the name Duster. It didn¡¯t matter why they were called those things though, as long as I knew what to call them if I needed to call them back to my side.


    ¡°Good dogs.¡± I whispered as they tugged on my arms.


    My fingers remained clenched around their leashes. They wouldn¡¯t be getting away. I split my mind a little and allowed myself to focus partially on the task of controlling them as the rest of my processing power went to thinking for myself again. One reality wasn¡¯t true and one was, or maybe neither were and it was all just another dream.


    I thought to myself. ¡°None of the people around me here will be able to tell me what I need to know and none of the people in the other place will talk to me at all. There are no answers for me to find that I can find on my own. What an annoying way I find myself in, what an annoying way indeed.¡±


    The part of myself that was paying attention noticed that one of the dogs was relieving himself on a bit of foliage beside the path that we were walking. I had nothing with which to pick up the waste left behind. I looked around to see if anyone had seen. At least nobody had.


    ¡°Shit.¡± I whispered as I rushed the dogs away, back towards where we had come from.


    ¡°And I suppose it gets a little worse.¡± I muttered.


    Still, even in that instance, I knew which world I preferred to be the real one. It wasn¡¯t so bad, the place I had in this strange, possibly imagined future. I would have to make something new of myself, but that wasn¡¯t seeming so bad anymore. I no longer had to listen to the people I¡¯d once called friends. I didn¡¯t have to care what they thought. I supposed I didn¡¯t owe them anything in the end. Did I even owe them the burials I¡¯d wanted to give them?


    ¡°It¡¯s only courtesy. As bad as they were, they still deserve to be treated as people.¡± I said to myself inside my head.


    I was right, but a part of myself didn¡¯t want to believe it. I had to though. I would still go along with the original plan. They would be put into the ground and I would be free of them. I would be free to see the worlds on my own, if that¡¯s what I still wanted to do. I¡¯d figure that out in time. Until then, I had to walk dogs and help a pregnant woman instead. It was honest work, I guessed.


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


    The dogs ran back into the house in quite a rush as soon as I¡¯d opened the front door. Both ran quickly to their water bowls in order to cool off and hydrate. The commotion woke up the sleeping mother that was housing me. I heard her groan and then I watched as she pulled herself back to her feet.


    ¡°How¡¯d it go? Were they any trouble?¡±


    ¡°None at all.¡± I lied, not wanting to bring up my foolish mistake of not bringing any bags to clean up their waste with.


    Mariana nodded and started walking away from me.


    ¡°Well, let me get ready. We can go do some stuff now, if you still want to.¡±


    ¡°Only if you feel alright to drive, ma¡¯am¡­ Mariana.¡±


    ¡°I feel fine. Let me put a coat on.¡±


    I nodded and blinked my eyes. The woman wrapped herself in a long stretching coat, the kind that would blow in heavy winds. She did not have the ability to zip it around herself, so she left it open.


    ¡°You know what, Victoria?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I want to take you shopping for clothes. You¡¯re essentially starting from nothing, so let¡¯s get you something. Every girl needs a few good outfits, so we¡¯ll start with that.¡±


    ¡°I would not ask that of you. I have no way of paying you back at this time. There¡¯s so much I need to do before I can even hope to repay such a debt.¡±


    ¡°Such a debt? It would only be a few hundred dasos. It¡¯ll be fine. I won¡¯t call back the debt, mother¡¯s honor. I¡¯m just feeling very charitable today, and I want to make you feel welcome.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, and the first thing we¡¯re replacing is those old clunkers on your feet. They¡¯re holey, and they need replacement. We¡¯ll get you some beautiful new boots. Any kind you want.¡±


    I smiled at her faintly, though I knew it was likely a motherly instinct that was causing her to want to be so nice to me. Could I take advantage of that? Would it be right to?


    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to ask for anything too expensive. Whatever is cheapest I will take.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. It¡¯ll be whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am¡­¡±


    ¡°No ma¡¯aming me. We¡¯re doing this. Let¡¯s go, Victoria.¡± She said as she stormed past me and grabbed my hand. I guess we were going to go through with it all.


    ¡°Well if we¡¯re going to go through with this all, can I request something of you?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Can you take me to get my identification papers in order? I think that is also quite important.¡±


    ¡°I agree. We¡¯ll do that after we get you some fresh outfits.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°First things first, Victoria. We¡¯ll get it all done today. The day is still very young. Let¡¯s enjoy it, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mariana. We can do that.¡±


    ¡°Good girl.¡±


    I blushed at her words and looked at her with confusion as she only smiled in response. Something odd was going through her head.


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


    Mariana parked the van we were driving in. We were back on the mainstreet of whatever town I¡¯d come from the night before. The street connected to nearly a dozen smaller back streets, all lined with shops of various sizes and purposes. She opened her door and I followed her lead, closing mine as she did hers. I followed her walk down the road and then I had to ask where we were going.


    ¡°What store are we looking for?¡±


    ¡°Gordo¡¯s Clothesline. It¡¯s a nice little store. They offer new things made by Gordo¡¯s family and old things refurbished by them.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°So it¡¯s a thrift store?¡±


    ¡°Half and half.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Will they have boots?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. Gordo himself is a¡­ um¡­ what¡¯s the word for it? He¡¯s a shoe repairman, if you understand what I mean. The store stays open for only 6 hours a day. The rest of his day is spent working on producing stuff to sell. We¡¯ll find you a fine pair of boots remade by him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it he¡¯s a family friend then?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s close to one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll trust him then if you trust him.¡±


    ¡°I do. Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t put any nails in your boots unless they belong there.¡±


    ¡°I would hope not.¡±


    We kept walking for a little while until we reached a rather large store built of concrete and glass. I read the name and it was the one she¡¯d talked about. The door rang a bell as we walked inside and a large old man greeted us.


    ¡°How do you do, my friends?¡± Gordo bellowed.


    ¡°We¡¯re doing fine, Gordo. We¡¯re here to get this lady a few new things to start her off in the world.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a very long story.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well you shall have to tell it to me sometime. What are we looking for today?¡±


    ¡°Boots, to start. Her¡¯s are a little worn.¡±


    He looked down at my ankles and nodded.


    ¡°Yes, it would seem that they are.¡±


    ¡°They replaced the rest of her clothes at the repair hospital, but not her boots. Silly fools.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. We shall find her a great new pair. Would you like me to show you to them?¡±


    ¡°I know my own way around here, Gordo, but thank you. Maybe you can show us to the dresses when we¡¯re done looking for shoes.¡±


    ¡°Of course. My wife would be more than happy to as well, if I am not around.¡±


    ¡°Thank you and thank her for us, please.¡±


    ¡°I shall.¡± Gordo declared.


    We left him to where he was and I followed as Mariana led.


    ¡°This way.¡± she said as she led me to a few shelves of wares meant to protect what one walked on.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of shoes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes it is. Take your time looking. I¡¯m in no rush.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any advice?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Choose for yourself, Victoria.¡±


    I blinked a few times and then went back to looking at the available options. What did I really want? I didn¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t even really want anything, but I knew Mariana was right that I needed to replace my boots. Did I really want to get all those new clothes too though? I thought about it as I looked. Maybe a few things. Maybe I did want to look different. As I pondered the subject, my eyes fell on a cleaned pair of boots made from black leather, rubber, and brass colored metal. They looked utilitarian, and they matched what I imagined myself wanting.


    ¡°These ones.¡±


    ¡°Work boots?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get those then. Let¡¯s go find some outfits to match with them. Do you have anything in mind? I know you¡¯ve been thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°How could you tell?¡±


    ¡°You stopped blinking for a while, and it looked like you zoned out.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Yeah. I was a little worried for a second. So what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ve never gotten a choice in my clothes. I was always given basic uniforms on my ship. Essentially just mechanical jumpsuits. I suppose I¡¯d partially want to recreate that style. I¡¯m a utilitarian person. What would have the most utility?¡±


    ¡°You tell me.¡± she said, waving her arm out to the selections of shirts and pants.


    ¡°I guess cargo pants to start and some t-shirts. Those are rather basic, and fitting for me. Things with which to hold other things.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find those things then. Take your pick, Vic.¡±


    I nodded to her and then started looking again. I was much more swift that time around as I found what I wanted in quick order. Cargo pants in black and gray as well as in my size. Several basic light gray t-shirts. I was satisfied at first, but then I found something that left me more than satisfied. It wasn¡¯t something I had been looking for, but as soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted it. At the same time though, I was afraid of wearing it. It being a pocketed black vest of denim and metal. It was something very similar to what Hector had worn in his time aboard the ship with the rest of us. It was something I had always wanted to have for myself, but they¡¯d never listened to me when I¡¯d said such things.


    ¡°This. I think I want this. I¡¯m not sure though.¡± I blurted to Mariana.


    ¡°A biker vest?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not saying it looks bad. It¡¯d look great on you. I just wouldn¡¯t think it would be something you¡¯d wear.¡±


    ¡°I knew someone who used to wear something like this. I was always a little envious of it. That person was called Hector. He was one of my fri¡­ crewmates. Well, I don¡¯t even know I want this. I want to wear it for myself, but I don¡¯t want to look like I¡¯m pretending to be him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not. You¡¯re being yourself. You are exploring being a unique individual of your own creation.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you see it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So you think I¡¯ll be myself if I wear this?¡±


    ¡°You already are being yourself. We¡¯ll get it, if it fits, and it¡¯ll be a part of you. If it does fit, I bet you¡¯ll look great in it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said with a faintly smiling face. ¡°Is it alright if I go try it on?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. Go try it all on. I don¡¯t want to buy anything that won¡¯t fit you.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ I will. Thank you, Mariana.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Victoria. Take your time, and have fun.¡±


    ¡°I will. I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s all worth buying.¡± I said as I walked towards the changing rooms.


    I closed the door quietly behind me and dropped my chosen things onto the bench inside. There was one thing I had to try first, and I immediately put it on and closed my eyes. I felt slightly ashamed to wear it, but I wanted it all the same.


    I aimed my head towards where I had seen the mirror to be and opened them. I moved from left to right and looked over my body where the vest was wrapped. It did look alright, in fact it looked great. I wanted it for myself. I thought for a second, but I knew I couldn¡¯t have it. I didn¡¯t want to be them, or to take from them. I couldn¡¯t have it.


    I put it back on the hanger and tried the rest of the clothes on. Everything else fit perfectly, as I knew it would. I put everything else back on the left side of the bench, separate from the right side where I laid down the vest. I put my original clothes back on as well as my holey boots, and then I walked back out and put the vest on the bar for it to be put back by someone else.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t fit?¡± Mariana asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Want to look for another one?¡±


    ¡°No. These are fine.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Absolutely. Let¡¯s check out. I still need to get my papers in order.¡±


    ¡°So be it. Let¡¯s get moving.¡± Mariana said with a smile.


    I was glad she hadn¡¯t caught onto my lies. I didn¡¯t want to have to explain them to her. We checked out and then we left. Gordo waved us out and gave us a last greeting before we were gone. He was a nice man indeed. I¡¯d even consider him to be a friend. I would have to come back to him if I ever needed anything else new or renewed. Maybe I wouldn¡¯t end up leaving the town forever, I was starting to put down roots. I could feel them growing down.


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


    ¡°So how far will we have to travel?¡± I asked Mariana as we got back into the van.


    ¡°Not very far. Just a town over. It shouldn¡¯t take very long, and since it¡¯s early in the day on a weekday, we probably won¡¯t need an appointment.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Mostly. I guess we¡¯ll see, won¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So how come you didn¡¯t get the vest? Also, why¡¯d you lie about it not fitting? It¡¯s kind of rude to lie, you know? Especially when I¡¯m letting you live off of my couch.¡±


    I looked at Mariana with a blank stare of shame.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot, Victoria. You could have just said you didn¡¯t want it. So what is the story behind it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one that I¡¯d really rather not tell.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. Can I at least get an apology?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have lied. I just didn¡¯t want to explain everything to you.¡±


    ¡°We all have our secrets. If you wish to keep some, I won¡¯t push you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mariana.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Now buckle up. It¡¯ll be about twenty minutes.¡±


    I did as she asked and buckled in, although it seemed somewhat pointless to. I would likely survive any crash we could get into. Still, the belt would protect me from the worst of the damage. Maybe it wasn¡¯t so pointless. No, it did have a purpose. For such reasons I listened to her. We drove out of the town and onto the open road. Sunrays shone through the passing pines and left a beautiful sight to see.


    ¡°That¡¯s something I never would have seen up there.¡± I mumbled.


    Mariana didn¡¯t hear me, and I was okay with that. I let her keep driving and I kept enjoying the passing woods as the world moved on around us. The dreamcatcher hung from the rearview mirror jumped around and around. We passed a lake and a bridge going over it. Such things I had never seen, and things I knew I didn¡¯t want to leave behind forever. Maybe I would stay after all. Avoid the crash site and live in the open world where the woods were cut into by civilization. That didn¡¯t sound so bad.


    ¡°With flowers I grow, the moss flows on my flesh.¡± I muttered to myself.


    ¡°Dust buries my bones and I find my way home.¡±

 Chapter 7: Where the Woods Give Way to the City

    Born Again from a Strike of Lightning


    Chapter 7: Where the Woods Give Way to the City


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


    The drive to the next town ended up taking thirty minutes in total. We passed through the woods until we came to a grand clearing in which the next habitation was located. It was less of a town and more of a city. Stumps existed where the forest had been cut down to support its growth. There were a surprising amount of wooden buildings despite the fact that they were no longer the standard.


    ¡°Why are so many of the houses made of wood?¡± I asked the driver.


    ¡°It¡¯s the style of the town. It¡¯s rustic, and they like it that way. According to what the locals say, their inspiration from the town comes from the ones they used to have on Earth in the heartlands of the old United States.¡±


    ¡°It does have that sort of charm.¡±


    ¡°Have you been there?¡±


    ¡°No, but I¡¯ve seen pictures.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Think you¡¯ll ever go there one day?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It depends on what I decide to do with my future.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any ideas so far?¡±


    ¡°Not many. The only real plan I had was to go back into space. Perhaps apply to work on a shipping crew. I¡¯m not sure if I want to do that anymore though. I¡¯m growing somewhat attached to the ground. This is the first time I¡¯ve spent any real time planetside, you know.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re trying to figure out what you could do here?¡±


    ¡°What would I do here?¡±


    ¡°What did you do on that ship you served on?¡±


    ¡°I was an assistant, and a janitor. I mostly cleaned, repaired simple things, and helped the human members of the crew with tasks they couldn¡¯t do on their own.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a maintenance person with extra steps. There are a lot of jobs you could apply to do.¡±


    ¡°With what experience? Everything I know how to do is likely outdated now. For the most part, I¡¯m starting from scratch.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point. Is there anything you would like to learn to do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. What I do know is that I don¡¯t want to rely on you and your family for too much longer. I feel useless when I¡¯m taking, and not giving.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve only been with us a day, hun. Give yourself some slack. If you¡¯re still on my couch in a few months, then that might be a different story. I¡¯ll probably push you to start contributing to the table then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to be contributing now.¡±


    ¡°Give it a few days, maybe even a few weeks. Let¡¯s get all of your stuff in order, and then you can start figuring out things. Well, actually, start thinking things over now. Once everything is in order, we can get you a license, a job, and the other stuff. You¡¯ll still be welcome at our home though. You can stay on the couch as long as you need, as long as you¡¯re helping out.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not helping out, am I?¡±


    ¡°You are a little bit. Walking the dogs and helping with chores is enough for now. Now, let''s go see the town. It¡¯s called Northwood.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to distract me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t argue with me. Trust me, Victoria, you do not want to argue with me. I¡¯ve honed my skills by dealing with two boys who think they know the world.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s see the town then.¡±


    ¡°Good. We will. First we¡¯ll get that identity stuff taken care of though.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, hun.¡±


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


    My head rocked against the wall behind it as the camera flashed to take a photograph of me. With how easy it was to change the body of a synthetic, it seemed rather silly to keep a picture for the records.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a long process, but we should be able to get you your full citizenship given everything. It won¡¯t be very quick, but for now, we can keep you here on a temporary visa. Politely, do not leave the immediate area until the process is complete.¡± said the woman standing behind the secretarial desk.


    ¡°Can I go home? I live in a town thirty minutes away from here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine. I meant the country. Do not leave the country until you¡¯ve been sorted out.¡±


    ¡°I can promise that I won¡¯t.¡±


    The secretary looked at me as if they were looking down like a judgmental god.


    ¡°You¡¯d better keep that promise. I feel sympathy for you for the position you¡¯re in, but protocol is protocol, and it has to be followed. Make sure to follow it. I¡¯ll give you a booklet, if you need. It¡¯ll tell you everything you need to know.¡±


    ¡°No download?¡±


    ¡°Not in this instance.¡±


    ¡°Please, then. The booklet would be helpful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get it. Wait here.¡±


    I did as she asked as she left to enter a backroom out of my sight. Mariana was waiting behind at the other end of the building. She¡¯d said she could help, but I wanted to figure things out on my own. It had worked out at least. I¡¯d figured it all out for the most part.


    My processing number had been found in a sea of code and they¡¯d relisted me as being a living being rather than a pile of scrap rusting somewhere unknown. An application had been put in to recognize me as a citizen of both Hesperia and the Union of the Three, with the three being Mars, Earth, and Venus. I¡¯d be allowed to travel to those places if I wished to. I just had to wait for the application to be approved, and it almost certainly would be. Things were actually as easy as I thought they were initially going to be. It was a good thing I¡¯d woken up in such a time as I did, though it was indeed surprising how easy it was to be recognized as a person after all the time I¡¯d been gone. It must have been a somewhat common problem if they had such a streamlined process for it.


    ¡°I wonder how often people come walking out of the wilds like I did¡­¡± I questioned in a whisper.


    ¡°Often enough, dear.¡± answered the returning secretary.


    ¡°So I¡¯m not the first you¡¯ve dealt with?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. It has been a little while though.¡±


    ¡°Who was the first?¡±


    ¡°An old businessman who froze himself until they could find a cure to the tumor in his head.¡±


    ¡°Who was the most complicated?¡±


    ¡°An entire species of previously undiscovered aliens who lived underground before we terraformed Mars. Apparently we almost drove them to extinction. I still wonder about that though. I find it questionable that hundreds of years passed without anyone noticing them.¡±


    ¡°According to the document I was given when the doctors fixed me up, the governments of Mars mostly hid the knowledge of their existence, and paid off people who discovered them. That conspiracy worked up until multiple good Samaritans discovered their tombs at once.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the official story, but I still question it. It¡¯s difficult to believe that our government would hide such crimes. Maybe the Tyrian government, but not the Hesperian government.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes people inherit bad situations and do bad things to try to make them better. Your government did what it did on the assumption that doing anything else would cause mass civil unrest. The assumption ended up being false, but it¡¯s not the most difficult process to see where they were coming from.¡±


    ¡°I suppose. Let¡¯s get back to the original topic though. This subject has nothing to do with what we need to do for you, and it¡¯s making me uncomfortable.¡±


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Here¡¯s your documents. Read through them thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°I will, and how will I know if the application is approved?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need an address and a method of contacting you. Do you have anything in the way of communicating? An email? A phone?¡±


    ¡°No, but the person housing me does. She¡¯s over there.¡± I said, pointing to Mariana. ¡°Mariana, can you come over here? I need your help with something.¡±


    She shook her head and pulled herself up, walking slowly to us.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I need an email and a home mailing address.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Let me write them down for you.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s a piece of paper.¡± the secretary said, handing a note and a pen to Mariana.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to get you a phone too, I suppose.¡± Mariana whispered to me as she wrote down the necessary information.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back if you do. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Phones are cheap. You don¡¯t need to pay me back.¡±


    ¡°I will though.¡±


    ¡°If you want to. I could always make my brother pay for this stuff instead, if you want.¡±


    ¡°No. I owe him plenty too.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying you owe the world to everyone. Victoria, you don¡¯t owe anything for the giving of basic human kindness. I¡¯m treating you as I would treat one of my own, because Lucas decided that he wanted to do the same. I¡¯ll follow that twerps lead on this one. I trust you, because he trusts you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mariana.¡±


    She shook her head and smiled before handing the paper back to the secretary.


    ¡°That should be everything then.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the cost?¡± Mariana asked.


    ¡°Nothing. This type of visit is paid for by the LPRA. Lost Persons Reintegration Act, if you are unfamiliar with it.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Mariana mumbled.


    ¡°There¡¯s even an act for this situation?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. Now you two have a good day.¡± replied the secretary.


    I offered my hand to shake hers and she shook mine cautiously, as if she wasn¡¯t expecting me to do such a thing. She probably wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Thank you, and you have a good day as well.¡±


    I smiled and then followed Mariana out the door and back into the outside world. The wind was starting to blow and it felt slightly colder than it had before, though it still wasn¡¯t actually cold in any true sense. The air was still warm under the sunlight.


    ¡°So what should we do now, Mariana?¡± I asked as we walked down the shallow sidewalk.


    ¡°What do you want to do, darling?¡±


    ¡°Well, personally, I think it would be better if we went back to your home. We¡¯ve completed the mission, and I¡¯ve already pushed you more than I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. We can¡¯t just go back yet. I haven¡¯t even taken you out to eat yet.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t need to eat. I¡¯ve yet to empty out the remains of what I consumed yesterday too. I¡­¡±


    ¡°You need to use the restroom. I understand. You don¡¯t need to go into the details.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more like I need to puke. That¡¯s how that works.¡±


    ¡°Gross, but alright. We can find a place with a restroom. Pretty much all of them have one or two.¡±


    ¡°I could always wait until we get back. I don¡¯t need to eat, as I said.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry though. You wouldn¡¯t deny a pregnant woman her cravings, would you?¡±


    ¡°No, but¡­¡±


    ¡°And I would feel guilty eating alone, so please, eat with me. Don¡¯t make it awkward for me.¡±


    I huffed. ¡°Alright, I will.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°So much for making my own decisions.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes one must be pushed to make decisions that are good for them.¡±


    ¡°Who says this is good for me?¡±


    ¡°I do, and most people would agree with me, including my brother.¡±


    ¡°Lucas put you up to this?¡±


    ¡°No, but he completely agrees with my plans.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to tell him off for that.¡±


    ¡°You do you, Vic. I will do me.¡±


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


    We passed a few blocks and many buildings before we came to a stop on the side of the road by a series of brick built buildings painted in blues, grays, and greens. Old, dirty windows displayed many things for sale and trade. Trinkets, trophies, rinky dink things, and whatever else old that had been made new. It was a more run down part of the city, but it had charm in its age.


    As we stepped out of the car, I turned my head to the other side of the street. Just as many interesting things existed in the shops across the road. In one of the upper windows I could see a flag hung up. I had no idea what it could mean. It was something I hadn¡¯t seen before.


    ¡°Mariana, what does that mean?¡± I asked, pointing to the window held banner.


    ¡°That¡¯s the flag of Promise. It¡¯s our neighbor to the south. Whoever lives there must be from Promise.¡±


    ¡°Do they have a strong culture of bearing flags?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re quite proud too. They¡¯ve faced quite a few hardships over the years. Their settlers pretty much got the worst lands on Mars. They¡¯re stuck in the taiga and tundra. Still, they remain sturdy and proud. They don¡¯t like anyone disrespecting their place, even if a lot of them have to leave it just to find work. They tend to make pilgrimages back home even after they¡¯ve left.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re big meat eaters too. You¡¯ll see. We¡¯re going to a restaurant that¡¯s owned by a Promisian.¡±


    ¡°Are you a fan of their cultures then?¡±


    ¡°To an extent. I really like their food.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go get our bellies filled. If we¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll still have enough time and room for dinner later.¡±


    ¡°Well I would hope so.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we still will.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


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


    I made my way back from the bathroom after emptying the gray remains of what my body had drained of energy. It came out and went down easily, though the process still left an annoying taste in my mouth.


    There was a basket of mints on the ordering counter. They were complimentary, so I was glad. I grabbed a mint from the basket and pressed it into my mouth after pulling off the wrapping. The mint taste was lovely against the acidic and plastic residuals from emptying my stomach.


    ¡°So what kinds of meat do they serve here, Mariana?¡± I questioned as I sat down.


    ¡°Reindeer.¡±


    I looked at her with curiosity and then a smile, though I wondered if she was really joking.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±


    And evidently she was not.


    ¡°Of all things, why that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what¡¯s easy to farm down there. It is to the Promisians what beef is to Tyrians and what fish is to Sagrarians. They herd the reindeer down in the tundra. Keep them moving and grazing so none of the pasture gets eaten away completely.¡±


    ¡°So the land is communally owned then?¡±


    ¡°Not entirely. It¡¯s not like Tyr, where everything is collectivized. It¡¯s moreso that most of the land is entirely unowned, and everyone respects it. Nobody ruins it for anyone else, and the governments of Promise make sure that no companies buy out the place. So far though, nobody has really tried. There¡¯s not much out there that¡¯s worth anything. What spots are worthwhile to mine are already being mined.¡±


    ¡°Sounds interesting. Why do you know so much about all this?¡±


    ¡°I was reading the news while I was waiting for you, and I have a lot of free time since I¡¯ve been housebound for the past two months.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair. So this culture is your new interest?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat, yes. I already liked the food beforehand though.¡±


    ¡°Reindeer?¡±


    ¡°Especially that. I love venison.¡±


    ¡°I hope I like it too. I¡¯ll eat it even if I don¡¯t though. I wouldn¡¯t want to waste your money.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to eat if you don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°I will. I¡¯ll just turn off my taste sensors.¡±


    ¡°You can do that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I lied.


    ¡°No, she can¡¯t, not unless she¡¯s modified herself beyond belief.¡± a waiter interrupted.


    ¡°So she lied to me?¡± Mariana asked.


    ¡°I think so. So what can I get for you?¡±


    ¡°Please, give us more time to look at the menu.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mariana said as she glared at me with disappointment.


    ¡°Please, stop lying to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s a force of habit.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Try to break it. Do you know what you might want to try?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll just get the five cutlet meal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll copy you. I like that one as well.¡±


    ¡°Okey dokey.¡± I replied. Mariana waved the waiter back. Back he came quite quickly. He was quite a friendly soul.


    ¡°Can we both get five cutlet platters?¡±


    ¡°So two platters in total? What would you both like to drink?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take blueberry juice. Victoria, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Do you have anything orange flavored?¡±


    ¡°All we have is orange pop. It is, of Earth, and not organic at all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m used to. I¡¯ll take that, please.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Your orders will be out shortly. I¡¯ll be right back with your drinks.¡±


    Mariana giggled.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°You offender him. They offer pop here, but they do not like serving it. It¡¯s not something in their usual diet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, should I apologize?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not a very big deal. Just don¡¯t ask for the same thing next time. Ask for fresh juice or tea instead.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I said, shaking my head back at her.


    She laughed out the last of her giggles and then turned her head to look out the window. I joined her and watched the cars driving by, and the walkers waltzing their way down the road. Bicyclists too were mixed in, and people on other forms of transport. The ways of going were very diversified. Everyone had their own way of making it.


    ¡°Thank you for taking me out, Mariana.¡±


    ¡°Anything for a friend.¡±


    ¡°Am I a friend now?¡±


    ¡°According to Lucas, you might as well be family. He¡¯s a kind heart, my brother. I like you though, so I¡¯ll treat you like family.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re my family too then. You might even be the only family I¡¯ve ever had.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope we¡¯re at least better than the people that kept you as an object before.¡±


    I thought about my words before I spoke them, but I really didn¡¯t need to. I was already close to coming to the conclusion I was about to draw.


    ¡°A little bit, yes.¡±