Where the Heart Is

Twenty-eight continued to roll towards me. “Your health is my primary concern.”

I peeled open a Velcro fastener on my hip and removed a metallic wedge. The thick end was peppered with the holes of a speaker grille and a numeric keypad checkerboarded one major face. I held it up in front of me, as if to ward off the approaching robot. “This is a remote tie-in to my landing module’s onboard computer. If you come any closer, I will cause the landing module’s fusion motors to overload. You, me, and what’s left of the city of Toronto will go up in one giant ball of hellfire.”

The robot stopped. I could hear the pounding of my heart. I stared fiercely at 28. The robot’s crystalline eyes stared back. Stand-off. Five seconds. Ten. Fifteen.

The voices were plaintive: “I only wish to tend to your wounds.” The box-like automaton eased forward slightly.

I hit keys in rapid succession. “Back off!”

Carl rolled off Wendy and she slipped into his arms. “You know, ” he said, gently stroking the small of her back, “they’re going to announce who gets Starprobe 12 tomorrow. If it’s me, I’m going to go.”

Wendy stiffened ever so slightly. “Everybody you know will be dead when you get back. ”

“I know all that. ”

“And you still want to go?”

“More than anything.”

Wendy moved to kiss him. “You’re such a stubborn man.”

The robot came to another halt. “You’re such a stubborn man.”

I looked quickly to my left and right. “How do I get out of here?”

Silence.

I fingered the tie-in wedge again. “Answer me, damn you.”

“There are unlocked doors leading outside down the corridor on your left. But you must tend to your injury.”

I looked down at my hand, caked with dried blood. Thick liquid still welled from shredded knuckles. Damn. I nodded slowly. “Where can I get a first-aid kit?”

“I brought one for you,” said 28. A small slot opened in the base on which the robot’s image cube rested. A hinged plastic box with a red cross flexographed on its lid clacked to the tiled floor. A dull hum, almost a white noise, issued from 28’s twin speakers.

“Back away from it,” I called. Twenty-eight retreated slightly. “Damn it, move right away. Fifteen meters back.” Casters whirred as the robot receded perhaps a dozen meters. “More!” Twenty-eight slowly slid farther back. I stepped forward, crouched, set the interface wedge down, opened the box, and proceeded to mummify my hand in white gauze.

“You really should clean the wound first,” said the multitude from 28’s speakers. “And disinfect it. The plumbing isn’t running anymore, but there is an old supply of bottled water in the men’s room. If you should require—”

“I require nothing from you.”

“As you wish, Carl. We only want to—” I whirled around, pivoting on my heel. Another robot had slipped up behind me, its approach masked by the droning noise from 28. It scooped up my remote control and wheeled across the lobby. Number 28 careened around to block my pursuit. I didn’t know the damn things could move so fast. “We could not allow you to keep that device.” The voices were almost apologetic. “We can allow no harm to come to you.”

Football. I’d played some in high school. Deke right! The robot lurched to block. Deke left! The cube moved again, but ponderously, confused. Right! Left! Right! I barreled past the robot and ran down the corridor to my left. Golden sunlight poured in through glass doors at the end of the hall. I stretched out both arms as I ran, one to push open each of the double doors. Home free!

Another of the info cubes was waiting for me outside. This one was labeled 334.1 wondered how high the bloody numbers went.

Like all the robots, this one spoke with the voice of hundreds. “Do not be alarmed, Carl.”

One side was blocked by a high hedge. Number 334 stood too far in front for me to fake it out. In the distance I could see a pack of assorted robots rolling in from the loading area.

“There is really nothing to worry about.” A few flashes of color appeared within the robot’s tank.

“Why don’t you leave me alone?”

The voices were soothing. “We will. Soon.”

The lights began to dance more rapidly within the cube. Soon the seductive strobe began its hypnotic flashing. “There, now. Just relax, Carl.”

Dammit, I’m a starprober! Keep a level head. Don’t let them… Don’t… Don’t…

The image cube exploded in a shower of sparks. A brick lay in the center of the smoldering machine. “Over here, boy!”