Maq and Gorson’s
shuttle scoots along the main road away from the Keenan Pavillion and merges
onto the Limrin Freeway. Its automated guiding system makes the process look effortless.
Watching this vehicle slide into traffic is like watching a droplet of water
fall into a stream. In a way, I do find it beautiful. Such coordination and
grace serves as a stark contrast to the chaos that is life on this planet.
Glossy shuttles slide along the egg-white roadway. They flow in one harmonious
mass, broken only by vehicles slipping out of line into one of the tributary
roads that branch off of the freeway. All around, towering buildings stand
proud, the light of the evening sun beating down on them with an orange
brilliance. Within the shuttle cabin, Maq sits in exhausted silence. As strange
as one might find it, this machine is in fact tired. Its processes are running
slowly and its mind is a jumbled matrix of thoughts and sensations. The gentle
ebb and flow of the ride soothes it a little.
Eventually it
tilts its head toward Gorson and asks, “Do you think I’m alive?”
“What do you
mean, Maqquew, of course you’re alive.”
“But you didn’t
always think so?”
“Why are you
asking these things?” Gorson sounds troubled. I can feel worry start to creep
up within him.
“Those people
back there. I think a lot of them believed I am alive.”
“But not the
ones that counted…” Gorson offers.
Maq bows its
head and nods. “Not the ones that counted,” it repeats.
“It takes some
getting used to is all,” Gorson consoles, placing a hand on Maq’s shoulder.
“People don’t understand you yet, but they will. They just need time, like I needed time.”
“Some of them
even want to kill me…” Maq’s voice is whisper-soft. “Did you ever want to kill
me?”
Maq’s glowing
robot eyes are hard set on his companion. Even though they have no moisture,
Gorson can’t help but think they look misty somehow. He thinks perhaps the glow
just looks a little hazier inside of the vehcile, but seeing Maq this way still
fills him with compassion. He wants to shelter this young thing from all the
cruelty the world outside the shuttle has to offer. But he can’t. Such a thing
is beyond his power to control. I too feel pity for this machine. It has the
mind of a Hyunan and a body that can feel. Even I cannot decide if Deydrick’s
creation is an act of indescribable brilliance or inexcusable cruelty. He
thought only of his grand vision when he made Maq, never imagining the trauma
this thing would face as the only one of its kind in a world that has no need
or want for it to exist. And I can see that in mere moments, life is about to
get even worse for little Maqquew.
“No, I never
wanted to kill you. I simply looked at you as a thing before, a machine, cold
and heartless. But I came to understand that you’re no robot or toy. You’re not
a simulation of life, you are alive. I never wanted to hurt you, but I was
afraid of you.”
“And you’re not
now?”
Gorson pauses,
contemplating the words he’s about to speak. “I’m not afraid of you, no,” he
says, though a little unsteadily.
“Are you afraid
of what I am then?” Maq presses. Innocent though it might be, this thing is no
fool.
“I do fear the
idea of your species and wonder if it is really best for there to be a whole
population of Synthetics like you.”
“Why is it okay
for me, but not for others?”
“Well you’re
different Maq. You’re special because you’ve been able to learn and grow in a
safe environment. You get to live with Deydrick who loves you and me who’d do
anything to protect you. Some others who come after you may also have those
benefits, but it would be impossible for you all to be raised the right way.”
“And you are
afraid that without the proper upbringing we’d become like your species.”
“Yes, I do. And
believe me, that’s the last thing this world needs. Imagine if we threw you out
into the world as you were when you were first made and being greeted by people
like the ones you faced today. How do you think that would shape you?”
Maq considers
this with care. He tries to imagine his life without Gorson and Deydrick. Who
would he be now without their love and guidance to steer him? What would he be
like if he didn’t have a safe home to retreat to? “I honestly don’t know…” he
admits, all calculations failing to come to any reasonable conclusion.
“Nor do I. That
is why Synthetics are not to be taken lightly. Deydrick has designed you to be
kind and gentle. You are all the things we’re supposed to be but that makes you
vulnerable and sensitive. In a world as cold as this one, I shudder to think of
what would become of a species like yours if you were to be thrust into it
without a proper guide.”
“I guess I fear
that too,” Maq concludes.
“Enough, of this
heavy talk, then, what will should we do once we’re home?”
“Can we play
Kandorball?” Maq’s face brightens as he asks this.
“We sure can! I
think we could both use a few rounds on the court.”
Maq’s usual
lightness returns to him. He suddenly gets the feeling that things are normal
again. The rejection he and Deydrick suffered still bothers him, but at the end
of the day, he gets to go home and be safe.
If only he could make it home without incident…
Maq’s shuttle
slips out of the freeway onto one of the branching exit ramps leading down into
the city streets. It glides with grace as it slips into a whole new wave of
traffic. All seems well to the passengers when suddenly green and orange lights
flash all around them. Police shuttles fall upon them from the rear and steer
into oncoming traffic in front of them. Maq and Gorson hear Tompton grunt as
their shuttle’s collision detection software brings the vehicle to a dead stop.
The four police cruisers surround them, cutting off the once smooth flow of traffic.
The officers inside, hop out of their vehicle with pistols held high in front
of them. The forest green uniforms and silver badges these people wear may be a
symbol of order, but today these nen and wonen are here to stir up a little
chaos.
“Get out of the
vehicle,” They shout while storming towards Maq’s shuttle, the barrels of their
guns trained on it.
“Stay in the
shuttle,” Gorson orders as he gets up from his seat and makes for the door.
“What’s
happening?” Maq demands. He takes hold of Gorson’s wrists while the big nan
tries to slide past him. His impulses are firing faster.
“It’ll be okay
Maqquew, just stay inside, I’ll take care of this.”
Maq watches with something akin to fear as
both Gorson and Tompton exit the shuttle with their hands in the air. The
officers approaching from the front shove Tompton out of their way and train
their weapons on Gorson who remains outwardly calm.
“What’s the
matter officers?” he asks, sounding innocent enough.
“Where are
they?” a lady officer named Leina demands?
“Who?” Gorson
stalls.
“The doctor and
his monster,” the male officer beside Leina, a nan by the name of Mylen snarls.
“The doctor
isn’t with us, Gorson,” responds. “I told Maq to wait in the vehicle. Is there
a reason you’re stopping us?”
“Did you think
we’d let you just parade your freaky robot through the streets?” an officer
named Rensten yells from behind Gorson.
“We had this
trip cleared with your office,” Gorson protests, trying to retain his
professional demeanor.
“No, you paid
off some bureaucrat to sign a pretty little paper for you. I’ll be damned if
you can just drive that thing around like some kind of pet,” Leina sneers.
“Bring it out!”
Mylen orders, thrusting his gun at Gorson’s face.
“Please, you’re
startling people,” Gorson pleads.
Mylen peers
around to see the citizens who’ve stepped out of their shuttles to watch the
spectacle. Many have half their bodies still inside their vehicles and some
cling to their doors. Maq can hear everything happening outside the shuttle.
Its impulses tell it to get out as the officers have demanded, but its
obedience to Gorson convinces Maq to remain where it is. Gorson remains steady,
looking past Mylen’s gun and right into his eyes. Mylen’s middle-aged face
contorts at the display of defiance. Without warning, he pulls his arm back and
slams the bottom of his pistol’s handle into the side of Gorson’s face. He
grunts as he twists downward, placing a hand against the gash that now defiles
his left temple.
“Stop!” Maq
squeaks as it shuffles out of his seat.
“Hands up!”
Kyten, the fourth officer demands. He and Rensten aim their pistols at Maq
while Mylen repoints his at Gorson.
Leina saunters
over and shoves her blaster in front of Maq’s face. “Let’s get this thing off
the streets!” she snarls.
“Please!” Maq’s
metallic voice rings out. “I don’t want to die…”
“Shut up!” Leina
screams. She shoves the barrel of her gun against its forehead.
“Maq, defend
yourself,” Gorson commands.
Without
hesitation, Maq grabs Leina by the wrist. Its reflexes are so fast that she
doesn’t have time to blow his head to smithereens. By the time she can pull the
trigger, Maq has her gun arm pointed toward Kyten’s leg. The beam shoots
straight through his thigh, eliciting a pain-filled shriek as he falls to the
ground. Maq twists Leina’s arm up and behind her back, cranking it so viciously
that she releases a girlish scream and even tears up at the pain. He holds her
in front of him as a living shield. Rensten keeps his gun on them, but isn’t
sure what to do now that his captain is held hostage. Gorson takes the
opportunity to slap Mylen’s gun arm to the side and then deliver a crippling
shot to the nan’s gut. Mylen keels over, but Gorson shows no mercy. He grabs
Mylen by the scruff of his collared shirt and drives him head first into the
hood of the shuttle. Rensten turns his
aim to Gorson as Mylen crashes limply against the pavement. Seeing the threat
to Gorson’s safety, Maq places its free hand on the back of Leina’s neck and
leaps forward, shoving her face onto the street. He rolls over her stunned body
and leaps into the air, spin-kicking the pistol from Rensten’s hand. Upon
landing, Maq delivers a downward kick to Rensten’s knee, a diagonal chop to his
neck, and a leaping elbow to the side of his skull. The nan drops down
defenseless. Leina curls up to her knees, blood streaming from her nose and
brow, but Gorson scoops her up and hurls her into the side of the shuttle.
After smashing against it, she crashes to the ground and stays there. In one
last-ditch effort, Kyten points his gun up toward Maq, but the machine rolls
sideways away from the shot as Gorson takes up Leina’s gun and sends a beam
into Kyen’s shooting arm. The nan howls, now sustaining two gunshot wounds. Maq
walks over and kicks away his gun to be safe, but he refrains from causing the
officer any further injury.
People gasp and
gawk at the battle that just unfolded before them. They see the stunning
precision of Maq’s design and feel a sense of awe at how effectively he
dismantled his opponents, but when it’s all done, Maq races into Gorson’s arm
like a young boy. Tompton stands nearby, shivering from the excitement. Gorson
scans the area, weary of new threats, but for now the people around them are
too stunned to do more than stare at them. A shuttle behind the scene of the
struggle honks its horn violently as it pushes its way through the crowd and
stationary traffic lane. The sleek, black shuttle slides past the police
cruisers and parks beside where Gorson and Maq stand. Maq observes that the
shuttle driver actually has his hands on the steering wheel, indicating that it
is being piloted manually, which would explain its break from traffic. The
tinted window rolls down to reveal Deydrick and Werlen sitting in the passenger
cabin.
“Get in, all of
you,” the agent orders.
The door swings
upward, permitting the trio to enter into the government vehicle.
“Driver, get us
to the Sundance Tower,” Werlen barks through the open window between the cabin
and the cockpit. He looks at Maq as he takes a seat between Gorson and Tompton.
“Don’t worry,” he says, “we’ll get you home safe and sound. Not even idiots
like them will stop a G.I.C. shuttle.”
“It’ll be okay
Maq,” Deydrick consoles. He leans across the cabin and places a hand on Maq’s
knee. “It’s not your fault, it’ll all be fine.”
Maq forces a
smile, but its hands are shaking and its body is wracked with impulses that it
can’t process all at once. If Synthetics can experience trauma, then that is
certainly what Maq is feeling right now. All it can think about is how badly it
wants to go home.
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