The Fourth Law

Chapter 10, Part 2

The height, skin color, eyes, and that aquamarine ponytail... A pink blouse with a dark purple skirt... Lily couldn't get her mouth to work.

"A... ah... Ai? Is that..." The machine took its hand from Patrick and moved slowly but easily toward Lily. She smiled.

"Hello, friend Lily!"

Lily's hands came up, she reached out, then stopped. "C... can I...?" Ai – Lily was already not thinking of it as a machine anymore – caught her hands. That was the first surprise: they were cooler than Lily had expected.

Lily heard Ned ask Bill Casey, "Wait. They actually know each other? What's up with that?"

"Didn't you read the whole dossier that came with it? This unit's bleeding-edge." he'd replied.

Tears falling easily, Lily held her friend. "Is it really you?" she whispered.

"Complicated, but yeah." They separated; Ai gestured to indicate the whole world. "Show me your home?"

"Yes!"

Responding to the commotion, other kids started coming over. Lily made introductions – Karl turned scarlet when Ai hugged him – and suggested she give Ai a short tour. Bill had asked if Patrick and Ned could shadow them, taking evaluation notes. Lily had no problem with that.

"In fact," she said, "here's one: Ai's not breathing. Once you notice it, it's disconcerting." Ned typed furiously. Ai worked her mouth.

"You're right, I'm not!" she exclaimed. "That feels weird!"

Lily leaned close to her. "I remembered when we stood close, in your home, the feel of your breath. I... missed it."

Ai took Lily's hand.

"Anyway, that's the Office, my flat's up there..."

They walked through the Mesquite trees between the Office and the Dorm, then to the field behind. Three of the boys were kicking a soccer ball about and –

"Look out!" Pedro called. Lily leaned right, but Ai didn't move, as the ball hit her square on the face.

"I should say 'ouch', right?"

"Ai! Are you all right?" Lily was checking her face for... for what, she suddenly thought? Ai could be damaged, not injured. Patrick also wanted a look.

"Dirty; nothing broken. I was worried about its eyes; the lenses are fragile, but it seems okay." As he walked back to Ned, Lily just kept herself from screaming at him to stop calling her friend 'it.'

Pedro ran up and started apologizing. Ai said she was fine and patted his head. He retrieved the ball and ran back.

"Ai," Lily asked, "why didn't you dodge?"

"Dodge? Oh, move out of the way of the ball?" Her finger touched her chin; Lily smiled. "I don't know."

"I guess we're the product of four million years of evolution of all those hominids that successfully dodged things thrown at their heads." Ned laughed. "It doesn't know that, yet."

Lily's temper snapped.

"You will not call my friend 'it'!" Lily yelled at the two men. "Her name is Ai! If you can't be polite, get out of here!"

They stood there, surprised. Hearing all the commotion, Casey came up behind them. "Hey, guys, let's give the girls some room." He took their shoulders, and with a wink to Lily, guided them back to the van.