“Right. So it’s clear that we’re dealing with robotic sophistication the likes of which none of us have ever imagined. And given that there appears to be at least a single humanoid robot walking around that city I want this camp on a full lockdown until I say otherwise. Anyone—anything—that approaches this group will be given a single warning, and then shot on sight.”
Way to keep people calm, Eliza. Opening my mouth to object to her leadership wasn’t going to help anything. I had to place my trust in her. Going on lockdown was understandable, but not taking action was not an option. There were nine hundred souls depending on us back at the shelter, and freezing in place would doom them to starvation. We were running behind as it was. “What is the choice we have here? Are we able to approach these beings without risking harm to ourselves?” Eliza looked at me with pursed lips, but I didn’t react. We still had souls to feed.
“Let’s assume that these people, whoever they are, have the capability to hurt us. If they do, we also have to assume that they would have hurt us by now. Whatever—whoever—they are, they’re clearly not intent on blowing us to pieces.” One of the women in our group spoke up. “I have a family back home, ma’am. I came out here to find help for them. I don’t care if there are monsters in that city, I can’t go back to them empty handed.” A chorus of agreement followed.
“Lock down the camp first. Then we’ll figure out how to approach the city.”
The already close-knit camp was brought even closer together. The tents were placed so close to each other that we were practically crawling on top of each other. Supplies were brought to the center of the grouping. I was helping Eliza lift one of the heavier sleds when I saw a figure out of the corner of my eye. A female figure clad in all white clothing approached the outskirts of camp. She looked almost like one of us except for one major difference. In lieu of hair, her head was covered in white plastic.
“Contact!” I dropped the crate and picked up the gun attached to my belt and leveled it at the figure. I heard the click of several others cocking weapons to the sides of us.
“Stop where you are!” One of the men bellowed. The figure slowed, and raised its hands. When I moved to approach the figure I stopped in my track at the sight of her eyes. They bore the same unnatural glow as the figure Dad and I saw last night. An android.
“Stop where you are or I’ll shoot!” After everything these people had gone through, it was understandable that they hated any and all non-human entities. Their lives had been at the mercy of an artificial intelligence before. The idea that there were more of them out here, especially ones that had the capability of moving among us, was more than cause for them to be aggressive.
“Please, I am not here to harm anyone.” The female spoke. Unlike Gabriel, her voice was distinctly human. No hint of artificial generation to it. Eliza and I looked at each other, then back to the woman.
“If you’re here to be nonviolent, you will stop where you are and keep your hands in the air. You’ll allow my people to approach you and confirm that you have no weapons.” Eliza motioned me behind her and I didn’t object. Several of the men who had accompanied us on the overnight patrol rushed forward, guns ready to fire if needed. The android did as she had been instructed and allowed the men to frisk her clothing, despite the fact that she could no doubt have killed each and every one of them without so much as a speck of effort.
“Are you satisfied?” The female called out to Eliza, cocking her head slightly. The congruence to humanity ended with her movements. They were fluid but clearly unnatural. Eliza gave the female a nod and she approached the camp. Whoever had built her was one hell of an engineer. The android’s build was made to closely resemble the size and weight of a human woman. Her eyes were a blazing purple, the pupils and irises finely tuned to react to stimuli. She reached out a hand. “Eliza Ivanov, right?”
Eliza glanced at me and I shrugged. She returned the android’s handshake tentatively. Two of the men flanked her, their fingers flexing on their guns. I felt pretty on edge myself, my feet waiting to bolt towards the machine at the first sign of danger.
“My name is Eleanor. Please forgive my sudden appearance. I advised my peers that the drone was unwise. You have plenty to worry about, it would be foolish to alarm you further.”
“What can I do for you Eleanor?” Eliza motioned the android to sit on one of the crates.
“Your people are starving. You are here in the hopes that you will find a way to keep them alive.” The android turned to the small group surrounding us.
“I’m here to help.”
Chapter Twelve
“Help? You must forgive me...Eleanor, if you’re familiar with our situation you must understand why we are not ready to trust you on only your word.”
“That’s fair. If you’ll allow me, Miss Eliza. I have a team ready for my word. They are
