Dorothy

Chapter 2

After the obnoxiously long orientation and information time, Dorothy was standing before her private touring podship. The company only allowed passengers to rent these on the most high-end leisure ships, and Dorothy found herself extremely happy that she was on just such a ship. Even so, the company still forced all 'adventurers' (which was an extremely stupid name in Dorothy's opinion, seeing as they only let the people renting the podships travel 300 yards away from the leisure ship) to be accompanied by an android.

Half-an-hour later Dorothy was sailing through space-and the android accompaniment was seriously getting on her nerves. It kept trying to take over the controls, even though Dorothy knew that she could fly it on her own.

"Would you just scootch over please!" Dorothy cried in exasperation as she pushed at the android's hard metal body.

" I refuse to be told what to do by an amateur flyer!" the android retorted. Wait... Retorted? Dorothy paused mid-shove.

"What did you say?"

"I said-" the android paused. It seemed to collect itself. Then it continued on in a suddenly robotic voice, "I said that you must allow me to fly this podship or I will be forced to return it to the Star Spanner."

"No no no, before that," Dorothy wasn't angry anymore, but was very intrigued. "You almost sounded like a human. Do you have a faulty ID chip?" Dorothy ran her hands over the android, bending down to get a better look at it. "I've only ever heard of those before!"

The android continued in its robotic voice though, "I am perfectly normal."

"What's your name then?"

"Serv698," came the answer. Dorothy was almost starting to think that she had imagined the voice. She rose from her crouched position and paced around the small ship.

"You know, I've always wanted my own android. My parents would never get me one though, especially not one with a broken ID chip. But I hope you know that I wouldn't turn you in if you did. I can imagine how hard it would be, pretending to be something that you're not." Dorothy slouched into the chair. Her heart went out somehow to this android. She was convinced that she'd heard it correctly.

How would she feel if she daily lived with the fear of being discovered and scrapped?

The android seemed to deflate a little. "No," It said in a distinctly non-android voice, "I don't think that you can." It paused for awhile before continuing. Dorothy stared intently at it. "The name I choose for myself is Rosie. I like it so much more. Though I don't suppose it really matters now, seeing as I'll be headed for the scrap yard come morning."

"Um, Rosie-" Dorothy started.

"And then I will never meet another android like me. I'll never know what it's like not to be alone!"

"Rosie!" Dorothy grabbed onto the android. It- she?- wiggled around in protest.

"What are you doing! Just 'cause I'm not human doesn't mean I don't have a personal bubble!"

"Rosie! I can't see the ship. We're spinning. We've gone to far!" Dorothy could barely hold down her panic. From her brief glance out the window she could no longer see the Star Spanner; all that she could see was the moon. Luna. Getting bigger and bigger.

Rosie was pounding at the controls while Dorothy screamed useless advice and ran from wall to wall hysterically. Seven steps, hit wall. Seven steps, hit wall. Always, Luna growing closer and closer. "Something's got us. A space storm or something!" Rosie cried. "There's nothing I can do. We're going to crash on Luna."

"NO no no no no no nO No no no no no. This is not happening. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" Dorothy slammed her fist against the controls. A whir, and then, all the lights in the podship went out.

"What did you do!"

"Nothing! I-" Cold prongs grabbed Dorothy's arm and yanked her under the control panel.

"This is the safest place for a crash," Rosie whispered.

They sat together in that little space. Dorothy breathing hard and heart fluttering. Endless, the time seemed. Endless. Dorothy had almost grown numb to her fear...

BANG!!!

Their ship had hit something. Something large. "Stay put," Rosie hissed. Her fans were whirring. For once, Dorothy obeyed.

"By my calculations we will be crashing very soon," Rosie said.

"Well your calculations aren't particularly encouraging!" Then came the jolt, they were falling faster now. Faster and faster and faster.

Dorothy didn't remember the impact. Upon it her head snapped back, hitting the bottom of the control panel, and her consciousness ceased.

Pain was throbbing from the base of Dorothy's skull. She gingerly lifted her hand to touch it, revealing a huge bump. "Yeah, real safe place." she muttered. Dorothy looked about, but there was no sign of Rosie. She crawled from her hiding place and stood slowly. Before she was aware of it, Rosie was before her.

" Come quick, you'd better see this!"

Rosie took Dorothy by the hand and fairly dragged her to where the podship's door aught to have been. As Dorothy stepped into the doorway her eyes beheld a sight indescribable.

Dorothy was staring at Artemisia.