The Porcelain Afterlife of Momoko Hara

Man or Machine

There were many things I did not understand about this new body, with all it's functions and glitches. I had no control over myself and I wasn't sure I ever would.

The only thing I knew for sure, was my malfunction had saved Olivia's life.

I laid under Olivia's bare arm as she slept. The wires of her IV tangled around my legs as the side of her chest wheezed up and down. Above the cork ceiling of the hospital room was stark white. I laid with my eyes opened watching the liquid of the IV drip down a tube as I listened to their voices.

"Bob, do you think I care about that right now," Mrs. Winter huffed, "I leave you with the most important person in our lives and this is what happens."

"You don't think this effects her too?" Mr. Winter said with a hoarse voice, "I know what I heard. There was an echo on my call, I remember."

"Apparently you don't remember," Mrs. Winter snapped back, "You won't even tell me who was on the call that's so private."

"I told you it was confidential," Mr. Winter eased his tone.

Mrs. Winter scoffed again, "What ever you want to call it Bob," she said and stood into my view, "At least I care enough about Olivia for the both of us."

A pair of heavy footsteps stomped out as the hospital room returned to silence. Beside the IV, Mrs. Winters expression eased. The fire behind her eyes cooled into an emotionless stare.

She scanned the room, looking twice at the door then back down at Olivia. She was watching but what for.

My cameras began to focus on Mrs. Winters every movement as if my systems could read a face like a detailed novel. I had no idea what was to come but my cameras were focused and ready for the moment.

The moment when my mission was no longer just to save myself. It was to save Olivia.

Mrs. Winter reached into a white leather purse from her side and slipped her delicate manicured fingers into the red lining of the bag. As she pulled her hand out I saw the gleaming edge of its silver needle.

She gripped the syringe from the bottom, and the IV bag with the other hand as she continued to look towards the door. After a long pause she focused back on the IV bag and pushed the sharp needle into a port beside the tubing.

As she pushed the contents of the syringe deeper into the IV bag, Olivia's heart quickened and the pulse of a machine began to ring like an alarm.

Mrs. Winter shoved the syringe back into her purse, pulling the tubes under my legs so I could see her race out the hospital room door.

"Come quick!" Mrs. Winter shouted down both ends of the hospital hall with glossy tears streaming her tanned face, "There's something wrong with my baby."

There were many things wrong with what I had just witnessed but even my systems couldn't make sense of it all. I don't think anyone man or machine ever could.