Story Jots # 14 (b) – This Droid Heart

That breakfast seven days ago was two piping hot medium-sized pancakes, infused with strawberries and topped with whipped cream. Tera’s comfort breakfast. Her favourite part was when the chilled whipped cream made a sizzling sound each time Roomer added that final touch. She adored that sizzle and loved that special requested morning menu item. She ordered it only on the days when Dr. Cross travelled to or from Earth. When he departed for Earth, its taste made her feel better. When he returned from Earth, its taste made her feel everything. The remaining days of the week between when Dr. Cross was onboard, Tera didn’t care what she had to eat. Never mattered. Everything tasted the same. The rest of the menu was bland like how time felt when Dr. Cross was away from the space station. Her days and nights seemed long, drawn out, and completely drab. The only form of excitement she experienced was watching the calendar by her bed flip to a new date bringing her closer and closer to when she would see Dr. Cross again. See her Eric again.

As she sat eating her pancakes, Tera slowly retracted her skin. The Android layers. When Dr. Cross did spend time on Earth, she usually did that. Remove the synthetic skin given to her. Another subtle sign she didn’t care much in his absence. When Tera was first found she had lost most of her own skin and it wasn’t until she recovered enough as a human patient, that Dr. Cross could begin any process of synthetic regeneration. To cover the portions of her that were raw and exposed. To hide the parts of her that were man-made. Tera would have those parts showing almost daily when only she and Roomer roamed the station. It seemed as if she felt more comfortable without it. Not unlike someone choosing to be half-naked while being home all by themselves. She wouldn’t dare be in the same state while Dr. Cross was in her vicinity. Not even for a split second. Tera was 100% human then. She was very strict on herself about that. After Dr. Cross worked on her and finished a repair or replaced a part, he never got to see that part or what was under it again, unless it was absolutely necessary.

Lost in those random thoughts, she caught a reflection of herself in a wall mirror that hung directly across from where she was sitting enjoying her food. Suddenly fixated, she pulled her hand along her exposed underskin while gently touching the gears and wires beneath watching them mimic the human in her. Tera’s eyes scanned from the top of her shoulder to the bottom of her fingertip. Across her navel and down her leg, then back up again. Slowly. As tiny blue and orange lights blinked intermittently. She suddenly held her gaze as she reached the top of her clavicle, pausing. She adjusted her stare toward the center of her chest. A glowing ring stared back at her. It ran straight through her body. You could see the same glowing ring illuminating from her back. One complete circle went all the way through her torso. It was her life force. Dr. Cross explained this to her a few years back.

Tera remembered the day she learned about her glowing ring vividly. It was after the worst was over. It was when she was animated again. Upright, walking and talking. Eating. That was when all the education and learning came into play. After the operations, rehabs, and countless days of hard work. As Tera recovered physically, it was time to ask questions. About who she was, what she was, and where she came from. Dr. Cross was selective with most of his responses, but when it came to the day the big glowing ring was a thing, he was quick and without restraint, in explaining it to her. Specifically telling her that it was indeed her life force. Where her heart was. Contained, protected, and enhanced. One of the few organic parts she had left. It was also responsible for controlling the glowing ring. Her heart and the half of a brain she had made the ring change colours depending on her thoughts, feelings, and emotions. The ring was the most important part of her as Eric would further go on to tell her during one of their closed-door sessions. In that same reminiscent stare at the glowing, she remembered how Eric placed his strong hand on her chest and in the center of her glowing ring. He looked straight into her innocent widening eyes and asked, “Can you feel this, Tera?” 

“Five minutes, Ms. Tera. Breakfast will be over in five minutes. Can I get you more of those pancakes you’re devouring off your plate?” Tera broke from her blissful daydream to find Roomer still in one of his holographic chef forms. Instead of agreeing to more pancakes, she used the opportunity to stick her fork into the final bite of her now fully devoured pancakes. And why savouring it, she’d gloat why she was finishing the very last bite of her favourite breakfast again. 

Mmm… no thanks, Roomer. I’m good. By the way, do you know what daaaaayyyyy is it toooodaaay? Tera practically sang the question to him while licking her fork dry of the last speck of whipped cream.  

Today, Ms. Tera? Oh, that’s an easy question. Today is when we finally get to change that darn faulty cofactor chip of yours. Remember how it’s been rebooting on its own lately? Sporadically, and causing those headaches you told Dr. Cross about a couple of weeks ago.

Yes, exactly. You read my mind.

No, in fact, I read your daily readout sheet. My internal display showed me. Provided in detail, but it also showed me your swimming module which is up next. Shall we make our way to the pool deck?

Tera’s smile melted from her face quicker than the whipped cream did. She stood up, and with a resting android face, walked over to the counter in front of Roomer and dropped her dishes carelessly. Almost shattering one plate onto a conveyor belt. “Roomer, there you go again. Crossing my red wires.” Her dirty dishes started moving and conveyed their way back toward the industrial-sized dishwashers by a large belt. As they did, she followed them up and down the line slightly entranced by the motion. Before her eyes blinked again, she caught sight of a tiny wall clock above the back dish shoot which broke her hypnosis.

What time is Eric getting here today? Is it directly after my swim? I hope not. I need to get ready beforehand. I need to be perfect for Eric.

For Dr. Cross, Ms Tera. And, you will have plenty of time. Roomer replied.

Although, you always seem to forget one important thing. When Dr. Cross gets back to the station from his stints on Earth, he likes to go straight to his quarters. No interruptions. No engagement whatsoever until the time is right. Routine, Tera. I highly doubt Dr. Cross is going to ruin one of his routines. Certainly not that one. 

Routines….ugh! I’m sick of routines. My life is one big routine. Tera’s face melted even further until her smile was completely upside down.  She turned away from the counter and left the dining unit. Roomer reacted to her abruptness, quickly dissipating his hologram chef form and giving chase, pinging through the ceiling and floor lights.

For the whole two hundred and twenty-three steps between the dining unit and the pool unit, she thought about Roomer. How he always changed the subject or the priorities of what they were both saying or doing if she talked about Dr. Cross affectionately. About her Eric with her loving eyes as he has said one time to her. Roomer previously blamed his programming for the pivots in conversation or tasks, but Tera suspected he was using circuitry loopholes to lie to her. It didn’t matter anyway. Because Roomer didn’t see things the way she did. He didn’t see how Eric looked at her, spoke to her, spent so much time with her… touched her. Like that one time, when he held her hand for almost five full minutes after she awoke from a critical procedure. The longest she’d gone through since he had rescued her. She was never afraid when Eric was present. After that day, as she held his glance while he was touching her, she knew they were destined to be together. 

Roomer, it’s two o’clock now. Seriously, when did he confirm he’d be here? I know you know. Forget about this swim session and enough with the routines for today. I’m practically fully complete and functional. It can’t be much longer before Dr. Cross takes me to Earth. I could tell just before he left on this last turnaround. 

Ms. Tera, routine is key to your recovery. It has been the key since the day you showed up here. It will not change unless it is ordered by Dr. Cross himself. Besides, you have never strayed off your routines and I do not intend to start and be the one who allows it. No matter what stage you feel you are at. Or being fully complete and functional as you call it. Now, shall we head to the pool? Roomer dances from a floor light to a ceiling light. Like a monkey swinging its way through a jungle. Each light becomes illuminated as he passes through them and down the hallways. Routines were everything on the space station. Everything for Tera and for what she was capable of doing or learning. All her skills, knowledge, and talents were assigned a routine. A structure and schedule to make her perfect in every way and in every discipline. To make her refined and optimal. Peak human and advanced robot. The combination of both with routines built to exploit them made Tera very very special.

To this day, she still doesn’t know much about where she came from. How bad she was before Dr. Cross scooped her into his big strong arms and brought her to the orbiting halfway house she called home. His discretion in the information he provided her was calculated. He only told her things he felt were pertinent to her recovery and well-being. All he ever said to her was the rest would come in time. Otherwise, the only information she had regarding her past was tiny fragments of memories that would come and go. Memories of destruction around her, the smell of smoke and extreme heat from walls of fire surrounding where she lay hurt and dying. An even more vague memory of the few moments before she passed out from the chaos that eventually brought her underneath the space station’s bright lights and cold table of the operating room. The most vivid of those memories was when she opened her eyes for the first time after the nightmares. The nightmares had all of a sudden turned into a dream. And, that dream was looking right back at her. It was Eric. Her dream came true. 

After standing for a moment with a goofy look all over her face, she began to move on toward the direction of the flickering lights Roomer now trailed ahead of her. Once he made it to the pool unit doors, his light show shot down to the floorboards and he materialized again. This time in the form of a team coach. Dark blue tracksuit, white sneakers, and a big red whistle. Tera hated the whistle. Roomer was bad, the whistle was worse, Roomer with the whistle, “unplug me” was heard from her more times than not.  

Can we at least make this one quick, Roomer? You’ve seen me swim. I can, and quite well. This is just a pointless waste of both our times. Wouldn’t you rather go down to the Beta deck and run diagnostics on the new X-7 helper bots? You have been going on about them since they arrived from Earth.

Ms. Tera, please. Come on, in the water and await my start. Roomer in his coach form moves to the right side of the pool where his coaching chair awaits him. It had a stairway that took him up ten feet and slightly edged over the pool for perspective. It gave him a full clean view of the entire pool.  

OK, Ms. Tera, are you ready? 

Wait, I need to change into my swimsuit. Tera shot back at him as she pulled a red swimsuit from her locker. You could tell her robot body was influenced heavily by the parts of her body that had survived her accident. She’s beautiful by all standards whether robot or human, only the additional parts provided by Dr. Cross complimented her so well that they did look as if she was born with everything. With a few additional final synthetic skin grafts, some flattering female clothes, and a touch of makeup, no one would be the wiser if she was anything other than just an exceptionally beautiful young woman.

In her apple-red suit and all of her skin. Real and fake, she took a breath and dove in.  

You didn’t wait, Ms. Tera. Get out and start again on my go. Roomer directs with a follow-up whistle.

Ouch! Roomer. Come on, I’m in the water already. Let me start here. Please. Don’t be so by the book all the time. Quit with the whistle while you’re at it. 

Roomer’s hologram body flickered. A glitch at the same exact moment he conceded to one of her objections. A tell he was overriding his programming to comply with her request to go against protocol.  

OK, alright. Go…start now.

Tera began her lap with a huge pushoff. Swimming straight toward the other side, touching the opposite marker, and swimming back. After each lap, she increased her speed. Going faster and faster each time. Each length of the pool. Under the water, she slapped side pool markers, lapping the long pool lanes back and forth. Faster and faster. The human parts of her would have been exhausted minutes ago. But the robot side was just getting started. The tiny lights around her chest glowing through her swimsuit blinked in yellow at first, then blue, magenta, and now gold. Tera was swimming forty kilometres an hour and looked absolutely bored doing it. 

After about eighty laps, Roomer blinked the pool floor lights to signal she was done. Tera ignored them. Roomer blinked them again. She ignored them once more. 

On the third phase of blinking the pool floor lights and completely being ignored, Roomer had to interfere. Quickly, he flashed down into the pool and manifested into the form of a Killer Whale using the illumination from the floor pool lights. He swam close to her and began to sing and almost immediately Tera stopped. Like the whistle, the whale song was another high-pitched sound that caused her extreme discomfort. It was a trick Roomer learned to control her. Those times she got stubborn or out of hand. Rare times but they happened enough for him to develop the skill. It was her one so-called weakness.

Geez…Roomer. Do you have to? Is that a whale?

You didn’t see my queues, Ms. Tera.

I didn’t. I was super focused, that’s all. Figured I’d go for one of my personal bests.

Ms. Tera, you weren’t focused at all, you missed the queues. I sent several and you did not stop. Queues are important. No matter what you abide by them. They are important. Remember, Ms. Tera, protocols are also boundaries. They are not to be tested. They are not to be crossed. Speaking of which, Dr. Cross still reviews the visual recordings of your day-to-day. This will most definitely be one of those recordings. Now, out of the pool. Dr. Cross just initialized the station’s stabilizer beam system. He’s boarding.

Wait…what? Roomer, I knew you knew. Tera jumped from the pool and toward her locker. Why do you do that? Look at me, I’m not ready to greet him. Thanks, for nothing, you tried this by the way.

Roomer now out of his whale form was back to the coach’s stand but just as quickly, dematerialized into the floor lights, zipping one way, then in the next until he was next to Tera flashing into a fellow female locker room BFF.

Tera? There’s something I need to tell you.

I don’t have time. I need to get ready. Where’s my makeup bag with all my stuff? Roomer, don’t just stand there, look for my bag.

Ms. Tera, if you could calm down for a moment. Relax, I need to tell you…

The words were no more out of Roomer’s digital voice when Tera fell silent. Still. Locked in onto something.

Roomer, who is that?

Roomer knew who she was looking at but still asked anyway.

Who, Ms. Tera? The crew? You know the crew. Stop being silly and come away from the window. I think I see your bag.

Ignoring another plea, she just stood still and looked on. Face blank like something was not completely right. She did have a semi-smile, but they quickly fell from her face one by one. There were seven smiles to indicate each crew member. Then one large smile to indicate Dr. Cross, then nothing but a blank look of curiosity. A look of confusion. Roomer knew why that was as well.

Ms. Tera, away from the window. Come now, let’s go to your room and watch a movie until the crew and Dr. Cross have a chance to get settled away.

No, Roomer, I see the crew, but that lady by the pod hatch, Eric is running back to her. See, he dropped his bags on the luggage carrier at the end of the ramp and now he’s heading back to her. She’s beautiful. Who is she?

Where, Ms. Tera? RRoomer changed from his holographic gym BFF state and flashed close up to her in the usual version of himself. As he does, his sensors pick up on Tera’s vitals. Her heart is beating the fastest he has ever gotten a readout for. The glowing ring is now a bright orange at the same time.

Roomer could now get a full view of what Tera was looking at and what his system alerts already created a visual of. No matter what of all his sophisticated technology could flash to his interface, not one of them could aid him in registering what Tera was feeling at that moment. This was new to her and new to him. Even her glowing ring began flashing new shades of colours. Colours she has never expressed before.

Ms. Tera, are you OK? Roomer places a holographic hand on her shoulder. The electricity transmitted was enough to replicate a firm touch and break Tera away from watching the strange beautiful woman but still had her on her mind.

Roomer, …tell me. Who is that lady with Eric?

Ms. Tera, I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you, but you have to answer my question first.

What?

Tell me you’re OK, and tell me why your glowing ring…

has turned that shade of red?

TO BE CONTINUED…