Robots of Avery Five.

Chapter 3

Alexander had arrived at the ball not too late at night. An Ai-way drove him straight to the party from Mr. Ulrich’s shop.

He entered the hall with a straight face—the one he used for business matters. Fulfilling societal duties was honorable, but none of the beautiful women in ruffled skirts and sparkling tops made his heart skip a beat.

But there was a small, one would call it, tickle in his brain. It was a craving that happened every time his eyes found Sadie; it was not something he understood well.

His gaze spotted her, standing by another entrance door, greeting the guests. He was unaware of when he started smiling and enjoying the warmth embezzling his heart.

“Mr. Singapore,” said Ms. Stone. “Don’t be shy. They won’t bite.”

Alexander scanned the hall. All female eyes were on him. None of that mattered if Sadie wasn’t present, but at least his navy-blue toga was popping a few necks.

Ms. Stone dragged the young man toward a group of giggling ladies. The rock-jazz music was low enough to hear them whisper about the Earthian boy with hair like the night. The tallest of the clique commented on his high cheekbones and strong jaw.

“May I present to you the girls which you have chosen as candidates—” said Ms. Stone.

“Good evening.” Alexander began to shake every one of their hands. He didn’t care for the exact number of girls in his group: fifteen, twelve? 

The schedule was to introduce himself, talk to the girls, then go on with the party. By the end of the night, he should have romantic dates set up for the week.

Not long passed before he forgot their names. He enjoyed hearing other men talk about their jobs, politics, and their plans to go back to Earth as married men. Robots of funny shapes and sizes juggled objects, danced, and did magic tricks around them.

“I love your broche, Alexander.” A blonde with curly hair caressed the disc that held the fabric together on Alexander’s shoulder. In it, there was the carved head of a lion.

“Thank you. Imam Ulrich made it himself,” he said.

Some gasped in awe at his response.

“I imagine the Earthian lion has a lot to do with your personality.” Another girl with a deep voice, long features, and a thin nose added.

“I’m not sure.” Alexander went silent for a moment. He hadn’t seen the unique beauty until she spoke. Her brown skin accentuated the beauty of her eyes. “I like lions for many reasons.”

“Is it because they are wild cats?” She made a half-smile as everyone laughed.

“Have you ever seen a lion, Ms.—?”

“Kimiora Khalili. And I’m staring at one right now.”

The jealous candidates rolled their eyes or tried not to pay attention to her comment. But the man grinned at her teasing and continued to interact with the others.

Throughout the night, he sensed Kimiora glide closer to him as she made small talk with the girls. His undeniable attention made her a couple of frenemies.

“So, what do you do, Ms. Khalili?” he whispered while the rest clapped at a dancing robot who shot small glitter bombs into the air.

Kimiora scanned Alexander’s biceps then met his gaze. “I am a historian. I study ancient cultures.”

“Ah, what’s your favorite part about it?” Alexander held his hands behind his back.

“I’m most fascinated by food and how human beings could end a life to eat it.”

“How primitive. That must have been a sad and difficult life, being a slave to what you put in your body. It always ended up being too much or too little. It’s a good thing we have the Met pills, don’t you agree?”

“I’m not sure the ancients had a sad and difficult life. Many of them lived comfortably.”

“You don’t think it’s sad to live only eighty Earth years because of the things they put in their bodies? I mean, some of our ancestors managed to live over a hundred but that was nothing compared to today.” He was now facing her.

“Quality of life is more important than quantity of years. What’s the point of longevity if we are not free?” she asked the question in a lower volume.

The sight of silver locks floating through the crowd stopped Alexander from saying something deep about happiness. Suddenly, the woman beside him was not as important as the one crossing his view.

“Excuse me,” he jostled into the crowd after Sadie.

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Sadie stood on a balcony, contemplating the city, also called Avery Five. Not too creative for the first human settlers, but the enormous city was the only country on the planet. On the horizon, there was machinery expanding the city limits.

The stars in the dark orange sky hid behind the lines of aircrafts rushing to their destinations. Although they were high away, they could still hear the soft whooshing sound of traffic.

“It’s more peaceful out here.” Alexander stepped into the dark spot where Sadie had been standing. The moons illuminated part of her turquoise layered skirt. Her pink areolas contrasting the metallic tone of her translucent top made him fond of the planet’s party outfits. Aver women had no problem showing their breasts as long as a transparent material was covering them.

“Alex, how are you liking the party? Has anyone stolen your heart yet?”

“It’s fun.” He rested his elbow on the top rail and swallowed, thinking about his next sentence. “The girls are nice, but I’m having trouble choosing when the one I’m thinking about is not even on the list.”

“It must be a coding error. Is she part of another group? What’s her name?” Sadie lifted her arm and a panel with the girls’ pictures appeared on top of her arm. “I’m so sorry. I’ve never misplaced a candidate.”

“Ms. Raleigh.” Alex covered her wrist and the panel disappeared. “You’ve done an outstanding job.”

He watched the hairs on her arm react to his touch.

She inhaled. “But the girl you want is not on the list.”

“The girl I want is not even an option and I’d like to understand why that is. There’s something about you, Ms. Ral—Sadie. That keeps making me think about you even when I don’t want to.” He had never spoken so bluntly to a human girl.

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Sadie held her breath in disbelief of his sincerity. There were a few seconds of silence where she imagined what his lips felt like. Then she removed his hand from her wrist and took a step back.

“You flatter me, Mr. Singapore, but I can not correspond to your feelings. The laws of organic advancement don’t allow for people like me to date other humans.”

“How could such a beauty be kept from anyone? It's like the God of Earth is punishing me for some reason.” His poetry awakened her n*****s.  

“The candidates you selected come from prominent families. You’ll be satisfied with your future wife, I’m sure.” She took a deep breath as she tried to keep her professionalism intact. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to cry, though she held her tears by thinking of Cam. When she needed love and human contact, Cam was there to hold her and listen. But he wasn’t real; he was a robot programmed to give the perfect advice at the right time.

“I could speak to the Human Federation for you. What is the issue?” asked Alex.

“Please, don’t insist. I’ve already accepted my life, and it’s not that bad, honestly.” Sadie blinked a few times and lifted her chest. “Because I didn’t get the marriage notification, I got to focus on my studies and learn many languages, including two ancient ones, Chinese and English.”

“That’s amazing, Sadie. It only makes me want you more.” Alexander removed the space between them, making her gasp. No human male had been that close to her. He smelled of Earthian jasmine and Martian mint. She almost fell into his chest to hear his heartbeat. Cam produced no bodily sounds or smells.

“Here you are.” Ms. Stone made them jump away from each other. “Alexander, your girls are asking about you.”

The woman pulled Alexander’s elbow and dragged him back to the party before he could say anything. Then she turned around, and placed her hands on Sadie’s shoulders.

“Have you found a hotel for Mr. Singapore?”

“I didn’t know that was my responsibility,” said Sadie, holding her breath.

“It is now.” Ms. Stone clenched her teeth. “Don’t embarrass me, Ms. Raleigh. I bypassed your history when I gave you this job because you worked hard to get here. Don’t destroy everything you’ve built and don’t betray my trust.”

“Ms. Stone, I am very grateful to you. Mr. Singapore and I were making small talk. I can’t ignore him. He’s a guest in my house,” said Sadie.

The boss took a deep breath and raised one eyebrow.

“Go home, Ms. Raleigh. You’re done for tonight.”

Sadie nodded and obeyed her boss.

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Alex was so distracted he left a few girls in mid-conversation. He kept looking at the balcony, wondering where Sadie had left.

“Have you lost something and should I help you find it?” Kimiora tapped him on the shoulder.

“Huh? No, no, I’m fine,” he replied while still bobbing his head. He noticed the beauty’s annoyance. “Sorry. Kimiora, right?” He shook her hand.

“The lion remembered my name,” she said.

“I thought I was an undomesticated cat.”

“We’ll see. Maybe we should test your abilities somewhere else.”

Alexander’s eyebrows twitched, not expecting Kimiora’s quick proposition. He imagined what she would look like naked. Perhaps they had more than an undeniable attraction in common.

“Where do you want to go?” He lifted his forearm, and she automatically held it and winked at him.

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Cam stepped into the living room with a tilted head. His master plummeted on the sofa and threw her shoes across the room.

“You’re early,” he said.

“I am,” she snorted.

The Ai frowned, analyzing his master’s face, then sat beside her. He ran his index finger down her cheek and wiped a tear. He knew what the liquid was but he couldn’t understand its function.

Why do humans have to secrete liquids to represent different feelings?

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Alexander waved at the Ai-way who had driven him and his companion downtown. “Thank you.”

The robot flew away.

“That’s so Earthian of you,” giggled Kimiora. “Thanking the Ai-Way for his services.”

“I’m being polite,” said Alexander.

“It’s a robot.”

“As my mother would say, ‘Do unto others—’”

“‘What you would have them do to you,’” Kimiora finished the phrase.

“How did you know?” Alexander stuttered.

“My mother buried her Bible before the Human Federation found her. Unfortunately, my father wasn’t a rich billionaire with a get-out-of-jail-free card.” The woman winced.

Alexander’s eyes darkened. He pushed Kimiora against the wall of an old building and tightened his grip against her neck.

“Who are you?” He grunted.

“Let-me-go.” she squeezed his wrist.

“Who are you?”

Realizing that Kimiora could not speak anymore, Alexander let go of her. The girl bent over coughing and rubbing her neck, then she stopped to look up at him.

Around them, the old street was empty and the nearest spacecrafts were too far to notice them. Kimiora froze, then kicked Alexander on his thigh, making him curl over his stomach. Her fist swung toward his face, but he dodged it. He grabbed her wrist and spun her around.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” she said. “I’m not on the list.”

“Yeah, I figured.” He breathed on her neck before she kicked her head back, hitting him on the nose. For a minute, she sent good jabs and strikes that caused minimal damage. Lucky for Alexander, his favorite class as an Earthian child was close combat. When his opponent got distracted, he moved around her punches, lifted her up in the air, and smashed her against the pavement.

“Stop, stop!” She covered her face with her arms. “I’m not the enemy.”

“Then why did you try to kill me?” Alexander clenched his fist.

“Because they told me to do it as soon as I saw you, but I wasn’t sure about it.” Kimiora’s hands trembled in front of her face.

“You seemed solid about killing me a minute ago.”

“I was defending myself. You started it.”

“Who paid you to kill me? Are you with the hunters?” He let her go once again.

“No.” She stumbled up, dusting herself. “I’m with another group. We call ourselves farmers. I was going to kill you tonight, but I can assure you, Alexander, we’re not murderers. We’re human beings fighting for freedom.”

“Right, so you and your psychopath friends thought killing the son of a billionaire was doing justice.” He curled his fingers up by his shoulders.

She stood at a distance without making eye contact. “We didn’t know what else to do. I wasn’t planning on killing you. When I learned who you were, and when I found out about your mother, I was sure you weren’t like the others. We believe in the same things. You just haven’t seen a different perspective.”

Her attempt at brainwashing him was too annoying to keep listening. “What the hell do you want?”

“The Farmers want the right to have a choice. We want to eat the food that grows in the ground.”

“So you want to commit slow suicide? You’re insane. Do you have any idea how many deaths we’ve prevented? How many diseases we eradicated after the Human Federation declared food illegal for consumption? I thought you were a historian.” Lunatic was the main word in his brain.

“I am. That’s why I want that life; because we used to be happier. You can live your lives however it fits you, but we deserve a chance to live ours. Your mother would agree.”

“Don’t talk about my mother,” he grunted.

“The Human Federation uses the metabolic pills that your grandfather created to control the population of twenty planets, claiming they are preventing humans from going extinct. But we are already the minority among the intelligent species. Every year, fewer women are being born. Your family can be an influential force within the Human Federation—”

“The metabolic pills are the ones keeping us all alive,” he interrupted. “I will not speak to reverse that. If I let your ideas spread, millions of naïve parents will choose not to give their children the met pills? People are living well into two-hundred and three-hundred years. My grandfather himself lived three-hundred and twenty-six Earth years. He married when he was one-hundred and five and had my father at two-hundred and eighty. He lived a full life and I will not let you stop others from sharing the same benefits.”

Alexander began walking down the street as Kimiora shook her head.

“The Human Federation will drive humanity toward extinction. I can change your mind, Alexander.” Kimiora scurried after him. “Come to the abandoned café outside of town any day you want. Let’s have dinner together. I promise you’ll feel different.”

He continued walking until he retrieved a hologram of a number pad and called a cab.