Liam stood in the hall smoking a cigar, the cherry wood and tobacco smoke a trademark of the Uncle P brand he loved so much. Taylor-06 tried her best not to look at him. They hadn't spoken since they caught the shuttle and made the gridjump from Capricorn to it's substation. Gary the attendant was so eager to make amends for inconveniencing a customer he neglected to wonder why his device suddenly failed. Thanks to him they were able to avoid the 8 hour wait for the next jump. Liam had tried to make conversation, but Taylor-06 didn't reciprocate. After a while he stopped trying. That was five hours ago.
Kent had been unable to make the trip but he sent an assistant to meet them equipped with boarding passes for the next transport to Staten I-718. To Taylor-06's distress the pair were given private quarters. The steward, a series 4 named Judy-52, made sure they didn't need refreshments and promised them privacy as per their boarding pass requests. The last thing Taylor-06 wanted was to be alone with Liam Marcus.
Taylor-06 touched the spot on her neck, the one he kissed and made her systems go haywire. She shivered at the memory. She'd never experienced anything so acutely. Her Neo-Mecha Empire creators created the series 3s anatomically comparable to human beings with genitalia and the wiring to work them. Much of her tertiary functionality had been deactivated during the war. The human tribunals which determined which constructs lived and which were decommissioned never bothered to reactivate them when she was spared the purge.
Taylor-06 brushed a tentative hand along her neck. It wasn't hard to deduce that her neck was some form of erogenous zone. What was hard was knowing what to do with that knowledge after spending 4/5ths of her existence oblivious to it. Again she shivered. What had the Neo-Mecha intend when they created the series 3s to so perfectly emulate humans?
"Hey, can we talk?"
Taylor-06 opened her eyes, and Liam was sitting across from her. Her attention went to his full lips, and her breath caught in her throat. Embarrassed, she cut off her breathing mechanisms.
"Sure, Lee," she said a bit brusque, "What's on your mind?"
She could tell he was taken aback by her tone.
"I noticed something back on Capricorn," he began.
Her mind raced with possible excuses, and believable fabrications. The truth was far too embarrassing to share.
"I noticed you've favored your right arm since we left homebase."
This caught Taylor-06 off guard.
"Oh, it's nothing. The joint is a little stiff."
"Strangely, I think I can tell when you're lying to me."
"Trust me, Lee. I'm fine."
"That's the thing. I want to trust you. We're friends, I hope, but this is beyond friendship. We're on mission, and I need to know I can rely on you at a moment's notice." His gaze grew intense. "Can I truly trust you?"
She processed his words, calculating and weighing. For the first time in her existence she was able to choose her own allegiance. She was beholden to no one, not The Neo-Mecha, not the Asian Seas Transport company. She could tell him to jump out the airlock, and keep her privacy. The realization was liberating, but with it was the fear of making the wrong decision, and the consequences which would accompany it.
"You can," she answered. Eagle X had become her family, and she wanted their confidence.
"Good." His expression softened. "Show me your arm."
Taylor-06 had prepared for his demand, but his words still filled her circuits with dread. She slowly unzipped her right sleeve, attempting to analyze the subtle shifts of his face. He frowned, and she saw annoyance and frustration. He leaned forward and took her arm in his hands.
"Does it hurt?"
"I deactivated the sensors."
"So it did..."
He stretched her arm until it was fully extended. The two examined the mess she'd made of it. The synthetic skin was a patchwork of medical staples, and enzyme patches. A hole the size of a human child's fist sat between her deltoid and tricep. Her metal chassis was visible beneath the artificial musculature. A slimy gray algae coated the edges of the wound. The enzymes introduced from the emergency patches killed harmful bacteria, the algae fed off of the enzymes. If Taylor-06 were organic, she'd be suffering from a severe infection.
"When did this happen?" he asked as he touched the scum on her arm and rubbed the goo between his fingers.
"When homebase was breached." Taylor-06 lowered her arm and looked away.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Patricia was hurt, and there were so many wounded, I felt it best I handle it myself."
"That's what you call this?"
"There wasn't enough medical nano onboard so I cleaned the wound and patched it up the best I could." She started to re-zip her sleeve, but he placed his hand over hers. A strange sensation filled her core, like errant data packets bouncing off her processing chips.
"Don't do that." He got up, and retrieved his duffel bag from the overhead storage. He produced a small first aid kit, and sat down beside her. "Don't put your needs behind others. You're an important member of the team, and we need you."
He looked into her eyes as he said the last bit, and lightning shot through her circuits. Taylor-06's heart raced, and heat engulfed her cheeks. Again she looked away to hide her reaction. She'd never felt so confused, not even during her long intimate talks with Alan... If it wouldn't have made things worse, she would have fled the room. He smiled, as he cleaned her arm with disinfectant wipes. He removed the staples closest to the wound, the ones covered in algae, and sprayed the entire area with pesticide foam.
"Why didn't you get Frederick to look at this or even one of Ticker's boys? I can close the wound but I can't do anything about the damaged circuitry." He wrapped a band of tissue sealant around her arm. "Tiffany," He took her chin and gently turned her head to face him, her skin burning where he touched. He was close, comfortably close. "Let's not do this again, okay? From now on you tell me what's going on with you."
Taylor-06 nodded. She read concern in his expression as well as something else she couldn't quantify. She looked down at his lips, and imagined brushing them with her own. A knock at the door squelched the moment before it could truly manifest. She hastily covered her arm, he went for the pistol in his boot.
Liam moved to the wall and tapped the door, making it transparent for the occupants of the room. On the other side was the steward construct, Judy-52. As Taylor-06 and Liam watched she knocked again. He pressed the intercom.
"Yes, Judy-52?"
"I apologize for the intrusion, Mr. Theraphosa. I was asked to inform you that we will be docking in 15 minutes."
"I thought the trip would be longer," Liam said. There was caution in his voice.
"We will be docking with a Duffy & Norman frigate, sir, as per our itinerary." On the other side of the door, Judy's Low-Face rolled its eyes.
Liam gestured towards the construct and shook his head.
"Thank you, Judy-52. We'll get ready." He turned off the intercom. "Hard to find good help, I guess."
"My former employers would not have tolerated that display of discontent."
"My grandfather would have called it attitude." Liam said, with a chuckle.
"Yes, that was a clear sign of a bad attitude. She'll undergo a system cleanse during her next service review."
Liam secured his weapon, and took Taylor-06's bag down from the overhead.
"A system cleanse. What's that like?"
"It's like the data proceeding your previous check is purged from your memory... with a rake. Any thought strands tied to the data is shredded, leaving you with damaged strands of information." Taylor-06 tried to wriggle the fingers on her right hand, but the relays were delayed by five cycles. "You feel violated and lost, but you don't really remember why."
"That's terrible."
He got no argument from her.
The call to disembark sounded over the PA system, and the pair departed with four dozen clones. Taylor-06 thought of her time aboard the AST Singapore. That ship's maintenance needs were met by a contingent of Alan Pulsar clones. They were short and stocky men with kind eyes, and large hands. Alan Pulsar_1652 had been her first friend. She scanned the crowd. Barbara Comet, Jack Moon, Wilma Nova. She glimpsed an Alan Pulsar helping a crutch wielding Jane Moon with her bags. Taylor-06 smiled. He wasn't her Alan, but it was nice to see her old companion's face again.
They followed the flow of the crowd onto the larger ship. Kent's assistant was waiting for them. The young man stood out in the sea of identical faces.
"Mr. and Mrs. Theraphosa, right this way, please." He led them through a doorway and down a long flight of steps.
"I don't think I've ever seen this many clones outside of the mining colonies," Liam said.
"Duffy & Norman has the 10th largest clone workforce in the universe."
"Wow, that's impressive." Liam looked around, and whistled. "Most companies lease one or two DNA patents to grow their staff. Looks like you guys have a half dozen."
"What? No, we don't grow clones. We hire clones released from their 20 year service contracts. We don't own or rent any vats or growing facilities. These are all free men and women gainfully employed." The pride in the assistant's voice was genuine.
Taylor-06 liked him.
At the bottom of the steps was a wide thoroughfare where motorized four-seater carts transported workers around the frigate. A Wilson Nova clone stood beside a parked cart reading a handful of loose pages. He was tall with a clean shaven head and a conservative nose piercing. He wore a fighter pilot's jumpsuit, and a helmet rested on the driver's seat. His eyes were sharp.
"Everything ready to go, 2416?" asked the assistant.
Wilson Nova_2416 hastily folded his papers and shoved them in his pocket. A clone couple drove past on their cart, waving pleasantly at the four.
"Yes, sir. Everything is ready to go. Ship is fueled, flight plan is filed, seats are cleaned." He laughed at his own joke.
"Mr. and Mrs. Theraphosa, this is 2416, Mr. Duffy's pilot. He'll be taking you planetside."
"Planetside?"
"Yes, Mr. Duffy had business on Staten I-718, but insisted that we bring you down as soon as you arrive."
Liam glanced back at Taylor-06, a look of suspicion on his face. She squeezed his hand.
"Wait a minute. Are you a series 3?"
Taylor-06 looked up startled. Liam and the assistant were looking at Wilson Nova_2416. 2416 was staring at Taylor-06.
"You are, aren't you?" he asked. He took a tentative step closer, squinting at the details of her face.
Panic rippled through her circuits. A split second decision to temporarily deactivate her emotional displays was the only thing that kept her reaction from giving her away.
"You look so much like the Taylor-11 I saw in a historical vid I watched. Only her skin was less... less alive, more faded. She was skinnier too."
Taylor-06 once fit that description, until Patricia and Liam found her. There were proteins and nutrient creams necessary to keep synthetic skin from drying out and losing its color. Organics naturally produced these, but Taylor-06 needed to apply the supplements every few months. Her owners at AST hadn't see the financial benefits in providing these for her. Patricia made sure they were readily available back at homebase. Add the makeup processor Liam had gifted her, and Taylor-06 never looked more human.
"Are you... is he..." Liam laughed heartily. "You think my Tiffany here is a what? A robot?"
The assistant joined in the laughter. Taylor-06 forced herself to laugh too. The sound felt artificial to her ears, and she feared she might reveal her secret.
"2416, don't be silly. This is Mrs. Theraphosa, a close friend of Mr. Duffy's. Besides, series 3s haven't been manufactured in more than a hundred years."
Taylor-06 watched the excitement on Wilson Nova_2416's face shift to embarrassment then mixed feelings.
"Oh." He stepped back and cast his gaze to the floor. "Sorry, ma'am, I forgot. I forget things a lot..."
"It's okay, 2416. You didn't mean anything by it, right?"
"No! I think Taylor-11 was pretty. I think you're pretty too." He looked at Liam apologetically.
"Who wouldn't? Her beauty is how she reeled me in. Hook, line, and sinker. That's a fishing reference." Liam pantomimed casting a line and reeling in a big fish. "Now I can't see my life without her." He hugged Taylor-06 to him, and rested his head against hers.
Taylor-06 took note of how well Liam was able to stay in character.
Okay, buddy, now that we've had a laugh we need to get moving." The assistant looked at his timepiece. "Mr. Duffy is waiting."
"Yes, sir. Don't want to keep the boss waiting." 2416 gestured for the couple to board his conveyance.
The assistant climbed into the passenger seat, and Liam helped Taylor-06 into the back. Wilson Nova_2416 placed their bags on top and jumped into the driver's seat, his helmet he sat in his lap. He made sure everyone was wearing their safety harness and put the vehicle in drive. The entire floor was one big network of roads and passages interconnecting the key sections of the frigate. They zipped by dozens of carts, each packed with clones and driven by clones. They all smiled and waved at each other like school-aged classmates passing on the street. Their jovial attitudes were contagious. It was hard to be surrounded by smiling faces and not smile.
Liam relaxed, and put his arm around the back of her seat. Taylor-06 smiled at him and he smiled back, but there was something in the set of his eyes. He was the smiling kind husband on the outside, but inside he was watching everything and everyone around them. Despite being a guest upon a friend's vessel, Liam was still focused on the task. Taylor-06 had let the newness of the situation distract her. This was what Liam meant when he said they were on mission. No matter what was happening, they had a job to do.
2416 drove them to the opposite end of the ship where they took a lift up to a much smaller docking bay.
"I'm leaving them in your capable hands, 2416."
"Thank you, sir."
The assistant left and Wilson took their bags. He led them to a small shuttle, the kind used on planets with heavy atmospheres. He said as much while they walked. As they approached a pair of Jack Moons jumped to attention. They saluted 2416. He smiled and nodded.
"We all set, Jack?"
"Yes, sir," replied the smaller of the two.
"Good. This is Mr. and Mrs. Theraphosa, Mr. Duffy's guest. Help them get situated."
"Yes, sir."
The pair saluted, and took the bags. 2416 went to the cockpit while The Jacks helped them secure their luggage. Once they were situated the two men sealed the shuttle doors and fastened themselves in. Thirty minutes later they were making landfall on Staten I-718.
Taylor-06 listened to the hull sizzle under the heat of reentry while Liam regaled The Jacks with the story of how he lost his father's prized gamma bovine during a monsoon. The tale was filled with so much detail she wondered if Liam was sharing a memory and not just playing a role. The clones laughed like children. Taylor-06 liked the innocence of clones, they were incapable of guile, and always friendly. They were traits she wished natural born humans exhibited more often.
"We're out of it!" 2416 shouted over his shoulder. "Now we just have to find the barge."
"What did he just say?"
"We're probably behind schedule, mister." answered the smaller Jack Moon. "The barge is huge, he'll find it."
"Why doesn't he ever speak," Taylor-06 asked.
Attention turned to the taller Jack.
"Him?" He thrusted his thumb at his genetic twin. "He lost his voice box in a digging accident."
"Didn't the company pay for organ regrowth?"
Both clones studied her with confusion. Finally the talkative Jack Moon spoke.
"We're clones, ma'am. No one regrows our organs. They just grow new clones." He shrugged when she didn't reply. "Hey, mister. Did you ever find that gamma bull? I've always wanted to milk one."
The taller Jack nodded his agreement. Liam laughed, and this time it wasn't his practiced chuckle but his true laugh.
"Son, you do not milk bulls." Liam doubled over with laughter.
The Jacks' faith was not misplaced. 2416's radio transmissions were answered by the barge's crew within minutes of his search. They'd been looking for them. 2416 adjusted course, and set the shuttle arrowing over the sea. They flew over a dozen tiny islands where flocks of massive birds circled towering mounds. Taylor-06 did a wide-net search of Staten I-718 on her datapad. It was a commercial junk world where recyclables were stored for future use and distribution. A large sea barge could be seen on the horizon and approaching fast.
They circled a dry bulk cargo barge, and landed on a pad on the deck. Clone workers rushed to secure the craft. Taylor-06 could feel the rocking of the larger boat. The seas of Staten I-718 were rough and choppy. Wilson Nova_2416 joined them in the belly of the shuttle and gestured for The Jacks to hand him a pair of smaller bags. He'd swapped his pilot's suit for a low grade environmental suit.
"You can leave your bags hear on Mr. Duffy's shuttle. No one will bother them." he handed them each a bag. "You'll need these."
"Are these environmental suits?" Liam asked. He hadn't bothered to look in the bag.
"Yes, sir. The boss insisted you have them."
"This all seems like a lot, 2416."
"The suits are actually pretty light," he replied, not understanding Liam's meaning.
A knock echoed through the shuttle, and The Jacks unsealed the doors. With a hiss the doors slid open.
"Wait! Is this atmosphere breathable?" Liam asked in a panic. He took a deep breath as the shuttle's air vented.
After a moment's hesitation Taylor-06 covered her mouth as if she were trying not to breath in the hazardous air. If anyone were watching, she hoped her response was quick enough.
"Staten I-718 is a class B planet. The air is breathable."
Liam released his held breath and relaxed. He busied himself with the straps to his safety harness, hiding his face after his embarrassing outburst. Taylor-06 undid her own harness and followed The Jacks outside. The deck was littered with mounds of slag secured by nets and cables. Large specimens of the local fauna flew overhead screeching at the men and women below. A tower sat sentinel over the entirety, radio antennae and solar panels jutted out from its sides like mechanical flowers. Two of the three other landing pads were also occupied.
Standing outside of the shuttle were Kent Duffy, a tall man wearing an antiquated captain's hat, and a Jack and Jane Moon couple. The man in the captain's hat wore a heavy peacoat and a bored expression. The Moons carried tall poles wrapped in cables and connected to power cells on their backs. They watched the raptors flying overhead. Mr. Duffy waited in a puffy environmental suit, his jolly smile was the kind one reserved for dear friends or close family.
His eyes bulged for a moment as he approached Taylor-06 as if he hadn't recognized her at first. He recovered quickly, and gave her a warm embrace. He whispered her name, and she gave him a slight nod. His smile broadened. Liam exited the shuttle, and hugged Kent like an old companion. They exchanged greetings while Liam scanned their surroundings, soaking everything in.
"Mr. Duffy, your boat is ready," The captain said. "Are you sure you need to inspect the island personally, it all seems a bit unnecessary." He adjusted his collar as The Jacks turned cold eyes on him. "Bringing along two civilians puts multiple people at risk."
"We'll be safe, Captain Burnes. Mr. Theraphosa is one of my oldest friends and a company shareholder. I want to show him what we do here."
Taylor-06 studied the body language of the clones. The Moons all glared at Captain Barnes with hostility. Their DNA patent was often used for security at clone installations and facilities. They tended to police their fellow clones. Despite being used for deep space mining, Wilson Nova_2416 gave the captain a similar look. It was clear they were all very protective of their boss.
"If you insist, we'll drop anchor here and wait for you. Don't forget I have a schedule to keep, sir." Captain Barnes cleared his throat. "Two hours. No more."
He nodded to the owner of the company and his visitors before stomping away. The Moon couple followed after him, scaring away an overzealous bird that dove too close.
"Okay! To the boat. He really does need to keep on schedule." Kent said.
"You guys, keep the birds off the shuttle," 2416 instructed The Jacks.
They saluted and pulled their own long poles from the vehicle. Kent led the way to the waiting boat. He insisted they put on their environmental suits, and waited patiently while they got dressed. In short order their vessel was lowered into the choppy waters and they set off for an island a half mile away. Within minutes their suits were wet, and Liam looked like he was going to be sick.
"Mr. Duffy, where are you taking us?" Taylor-06 asked as she rubbed Liam's back. She was used to seeing him strong and in charge. She'd sometimes saw glimpses of his softer side, but his guard always seemed to be up. Watching him sitting with his head between his legs was a pleasant contrast, though she felt bad for his discomfort.
"Please, it's Kent, Mrs. Theraphosa." he raised an eyebrow expectantly.
"It's Tiffany, Kent."
"Tiffany... it fits you."
Taylor-06 looked past Kent to the clone driving their boat. Ahead of them the island grew larger, behind them the barge pulled further and further away. She saw it as a metaphor. The universe stood still, no matter how much seemed to change to the observer. When Kent and Taylor-06 met they were survivors of a sensational adventure that saw hundreds dead in the depths of uncharted space. He had been a passenger of AST and she, an obsolete construct working as a steward. Liam had saved them in more ways than one.
"Y... you still haven't to... told us where we're going." Liam said followed by a long groan. "I hate the sea."
"I find it rather fun." Kent said. The look Liam gave him was unfriendly. "I said I could get you the halifluerix. We'll find some there."
The waters calmed considerably as they closed on their destination. Looking over the edge, Taylor-06 could see the island sat on a sea shelf which would make it impossible for the barge to reach the island. The shallow waters worked a lazy tide which brought them up to a beach of green sand. The beach was covered by the remains of a dozen spacefaring vessels.
"Make sure your environmental suits are sealed, please," 2416 said as he brought the boat to a halt.
"Is this place toxic?" Liam asked. He'd regrouped once the waves stopped their rough assault.
"Only after prolonged exposure. My partner, Giles, insisted we wear the suits as a precaution."
"Mr. Norman is a smart man."
"Yup. Let's get going. 2416, stay with the boat." Kent looked to the sky. "I don't see any birds, but let's be careful. They'll eat the ship if we don't watch them."
Liam and Taylor-06 followed Kent up the coast and away from the beach. Their path weaved through mounds of junk, fuselage and propulsion components. Taylor-06 recognized hulls of various makes and models, but most were imp class transports. She felt what she assumed was nostalgia looking upon the derelict ships. She'd worked on one for years.
"Kent, are you sure we'll find halifluerix here? Isn't it standard procedure to remove the core nexus from a decommissioned ship?" Liam asked.
"Yup, then they're dropped into suns to insure its AI is completely destroyed."
Taylor-06 gasped, drawing the attention of both men. Their expressions were obscured by the protective screens of their suits, but they were both curious.
"Singapore..." she said. The Singapore had been her home, the ship had saved her from the Pale Garden operatives who'd tried to kidnap her.
"No need to worry. I-"
"I am alive and well, my beautiful friend," a familiar voice said. Singapore's sultry words emanated from every direction.