The Future War

back from the table and looked at Mary.

'What's he doing here?'

Mary looked around and leaned toward her friend. 'I don't think he is supposed to be here. Those guys took off like a shot once they'd dropped him. At a guess, I'd say Skynet is starting to liquidate its human followers.'

The other woman looked at Sam like he was a half-squashed bug and pulled her lips back from her teeth. 'Gooood,' she said.

Tia threw down the scissors and started to walk away.

'Hold it!' Mary grabbed her arm.

Tia swept Mary's hand away with a stroke and glared at her.

'He killed my husband,' she said coldly. 'No way am I treating him.' She met Mary's eyes. 'You can't ask me to do that.'

'First of all,' Mary said, 'he's the first person from outside this place that I've seen in two years. He can tell us what's going on.'

'He's a Luddite, Mary! You can't trust anything those assholes say!'

'Second, he's badly burned; there's very little we can do but make him comfortable.'

' I'm not givin' that bastard our painkillers. Let him suffer like he's made other people suffer.' She glared defiance at her friend.

'We can't do that,' Mary said. She looked at Tia sympathetically.

Tia rolled her eyes. 'Oh, yes we can!' She compressed her lips and moved a step closer to Mary. Looking down, she said softly,

'That… thing raped me while my dying husband watched.' Then she looked up. 'I won't lift a finger to help him. Not one finger!'

Mary grabbed her arm and gave her a shake. 'Yes, you will!'

Tia stared at her, taken aback. 'And why is that?' she finally asked.

'Because you're better than he is. Because you're a healer. And because we are not going to give Skynet that kind of victory over us.' This time she took a step closer, her gaze boring into Tia's startled eyes. 'Because we have to hang on to every shred of humanity we've got. Because every time we do that, it's a victory over Skynet. I can't keep that thing from killing my body, but I will never let it kill my soul!'

Tia pulled her head back and looked at her. 'Oh,' she said.

She blinked a few times, then added, 'Then I guess I'd better finish cuttin' off that shirt.'

'I guess you better.' Mary felt as surprised as Tia looked.

Where did that come from? she wondered. She went back and picked up the cloth, and continued washing away the soot.

All they had to treat him with was some

over-the-counter-style antibiotic cream. It was past its use-by date and they didn't have much of it, but it was probably better than the nothing they'd be using otherwise. Mary doubted that he was going to make it.

Looks like getting sterilized wasn't enough, she thought contemptuously.

* * *

Every day Mary left some of her dinner and a short note for Kyle in a different place. The next location was mentioned in the note, which usually said only, 'I love you.' Once or twice a year she might chance actually talking to him and she tried to get a glimpse of him every week.

It was hard, but it was safer. They hadn't been in the factory a week before they realized that if anyone showed a partiality for another then that person might have to bear punishment for the transgressor. Since the transgression might well be imaginary Mary told Kyle that she would always love him and would try to help him, but that she was going to keep her .distance. Even at seven, he'd seen enough to understand.

She walked along; then, so quickly it was hard to see, she left a small bundle on a hidden shelf. Yet, before she could withdraw her hand, a smaller hand caught her wrist. Startled, she looked to the dark slot between machines and saw her son. She smiled and sat down, pretending to remove a stone from her shoe.

'Are you all right?' she whispered.

'Yeah. Just wanted to hear your voice.'

She held the shoe up in a way that allowed her to turn in his direction. She could see a smudged face and bright eyes. She grinned in pure pleasure and hid it with a grimace. 'Good to see you,' she said, trying not to move her lips. 'I love you.'

He smiled. 'Love you, too, Mom.'

She turned the shoe over and pretended to be prying at something. 'Everything all right?'

'Except for being here, yeah.' His face wore a rebellious expression. 'I want, I need, to see the sun, Mom. I can't stand this much longer.'

She stopped fiddling with the shoe and looked at him. 'Do not panic,' she said sternly. 'And don't do anything foolish.'

'I think I know a way out,' he whispered. 'I could find Dad and bring help.'

'You need information about what it's like out there,' Mary said, returning to picking at her shoe. 'I think I can get it for you, but it might take some time. You have to wait.'

He looked at her for a moment. 'I'm not sure I believe you,' he finally said.

Mary half smiled, and looked up at him from under her eyebrows. 'Yeah, I've led you astray so many times. How could you possibly trust me?'

It distressed him, and he kind of wiggled, looking all over the place before his gaze returned to her, whereupon he frowned.

'They brought Sam into the clinic today,' she said.

'Who?'

That made her blink. 'Sam. The guy who caught us, remember?'

He nodded slowly, his eyes big. 'You're helping him?' His voice indicated total disbelief, as though she'd suggested that she and one of the machines were going to have a baby.

Mary gave him a very serious look, a hard look. 'I'm going to pump him for information,' she said. 'I think I can get him to tell me the truth. Once we have some information, we'll know how to proceed.'

Kyle looked at her with the eyes of desperation. 'Mom,' he said, 'I need—'

'I know,' she said quickly. 'I really do know exactly how you feel. But you've got to give me some time. Meet me beside the stampers in a week. Same time.' She looked at him, willing him to agree.

He got up and began to withdraw. 'I'll be there,' he said.

Then he was gone.

Mary fiddled with her shoe a bit more, then put it on and went on her way.

* * *

The next day—morning to Mary, though it could be midnight in the world outside—she glanced around and saw that the hand injury was gone. According to his chart, which she found in the file, he'd been removed during the night shift. Glad I wasn't here

, she thought. Nothing that happened here was uglier than

'removals.'

The two fever cases were resting, both of their fevers had broken during the night. Nothing needed there, she thought with satisfaction. She found Sam awake and hyperalert with pain. His heart was hammering at a hundred forty beats a minute and he was shuddering violently, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

'Gimme something for the pain!' he demanded through clenched teeth. 'Now!'

Mary checked his chart; he was certainly due for something, overdue in fact. Looks like Sam had another satisfied customer on the staff last night. She nodded. 'Okay, looks like you're due.'

'And turn the heat up; it's freezing.'

She looked at him with pity. 'You're cold because you've been badly burned. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to help you there.' She ignored the impatient sound he made and went to get him some codeine. 'How did this happen to you?' she asked over her shoulder.

'Accident.'