Then again, he will have little time to use such knowledge. Now that acquisition of the thermomagnetic device seems likely, and imminent, Abel’s life-span can probably be measured in mere days.
There seems little point to learning anything new.
They’ve taken shelter in the Razers’ hideout, an empty chamber at the end of a tunnel left behind after a construction project was moved. Abel’s information on adolescence indicates that private meeting places for this age group would normally be ideal for enjoying video entertainment, taking intoxicants, engaging in sexual activity, or some combination of the three. This room, however, is a computing lab, one made up of jury-rigged older machines the Razers have “customized.” Despite the whimsical touches, like the string lights across the ceiling and the hammock in the far corner, this is unquestionably a place to do work.
“So after a long day of doing science experiments, you unwind by doing more science experiments,” Noemi says. She’s changed into a T-shirt and leggings of Virginia’s, both somewhat too large for her. The leggings wrinkle at the knees, but Abel finds himself fascinated by the way the wide neck of the pale pink T-shirt falls off one of Noemi’s bare shoulders. There is no logical reason for such fascination, but telling himself this doesn’t help Abel stop looking.
“Yeah, but during the day, we do boring experiments,” Virginia explains without looking up from her readings of Abel’s leg. At the moment, she’s the only Razer with them, a show of either great trust or foolish self-confidence—in Abel’s opinion, probably the latter. Kalonzo’s getting them something to eat, while the other two, Ludwig and Fon, do some research on thermomagnetic devices in the vicinity. Virginia’s clearly thrilled to have some research time with Abel to herself. “On our own, we do cool shit. Like this. Though this is a lot cooler than usual. The A model! The legend!”
Abel likes being referred to as a legend. “What had you heard about me?”
Virginia gestures toward his damp shirt, which he obligingly pulls off as she says, “That an A model existed. That Mansfield tried to push the limits of what a cybernetic organism could do and be. Some extracts from his papers have circulated—caused a lot of commotion in robotics circles, let me tell you. But he never made another A model. A few people tried to do something similar, but they failed.”
He still has not been replaced. To Mansfield, he was unique. Abel thinks of his father’s smile and feels a strange tug at his throat. He’s been wondering for some time whether he might develop the ability to cry. Apparently not yet, but he’s beginning to know what that might feel like.
Virginia places a sonar imager on his chest and begins scanning. “Technically I guess we could open you up,” she says to Abel, “but I’d rather not get blood all over the place. Unless you can stop bleeding on command?”
Abel shakes his head. “That’s as automated for me as it is for you.”
Noemi’s expression turns troubled. “Abel—what you did, back at the observation station, peeling that skin back from your hand—did it hurt?”
“Of course. My organic structures include nerves.”
With the scanner just above what passes for Abel’s heart, Virginia lets out a long, low whistle. “You have backup systems for backup systems, did you know that? Mansfield outdid himself with you.”
“Yes,” Abel says.
“So how come you’re not with Mansfield? How did he ever let you out of his sight?”
“He… believed I had been destroyed. Our separation was accidental.” That’s as close to the truth as Abel can get without giving too much away.
“But you don’t want to go back to him?” Virginia asks. “Because him looking for you—that’s what you have to be on the run from, right?”
“I do want to go back to him,” Abel says. “Very much. But there’s something I must do first.” He is very careful not to look at Noemi as he speaks.
It isn’t that he’s not curious about her reaction. It’s that he fears she wouldn’t have any reaction at all.
Virginia accepts this explanation, vague as it is. “I guess nobody’s in a big rush to go back to Earth, huh? Last month’s imager from my parents said they’re having sandstorms in Manitoba. Sandstorms! My people have been up there since the Bering Strait went underwater, and nobody ever had to worry about sandstorms before. Ever. It’s got to be completely terrifying.”
“Are your parents all right?” Noemi asks, hugging herself, uneasy with the personal question.
Virginia pauses mid-scan. “I send them what I can. They’re doing okay. As okay as you can be in that situation. Mostly I try not to think about it.”
Noemi’s frown betrays her confusion, or her contempt. A girl who wouldn’t even let go of her friend’s dead body until she found a decent resting place could never understand leaving people she loved in danger. But Abel understands difficult choices.
Oblivious to their reactions, Virginia gets back to work. “Hey, if you guys are bored, we’ve got all the latest vids down here, and a great classic collection, too.”
“Do you have Casablanca?” Abel asks in sudden hope.
“Maybe? I’ll have to check. Want a hard copy to take to your secret ship for your secret trip to do whatever it is you’re secretly doing?” Virginia gives him a showy wink.
He has no use for that kind of humor, but to see Casablanca again, at last—“Yes, please. I’d like that very much.”
“What’s Casablanca?” Noemi asks.
Has Genesis banned everything wonderful? “It’s an early twentieth-century movie—movies were a primitive stage of what we’d now call vids. They only provide visual and auditory input, but can be surprisingly stimulating.” Abel smiles as he thinks of the characters—Rick, Ilsa, Sam, Captain Renault. “Casablanca was my favorite.”
Noemi’s face takes on that troubled look again, but Virginia burbles on happily. “Well, if anyone’s got that here on Cray, I can fix you up. Or, uh, maybe I can just fix you. You’ve got some weird readouts coming through here.”
She must mean the overloads in his emotional systems, particularly the area controlling devotion and loyalty. “Certain mental functions of mine have rerouted. I’m still processing at full speed, but results are more variable than they once were.”
He could just tell her which areas are causing problems, but he finds he doesn’t want to tell her something so… personal, for lack of a better word.
Virginia raises her eyebrows as she continues to scan. “Something’s definitely up. Whatever it is, it’s primarily software, not hardware. I doubt we could fix you without a total memory reboot.”
Noemi shakes her head. “That would be wrong, just… erasing him.”