The Fourth Law

Chapter 13, Part 2

The nurses and admin at the front desk of the ER were shocked: the clean, composed young woman they'd been talking to on the monitor just a moment ago was now a disheveled mess: her blouse was almost torn off, and she was covered in blood.

"You will take me to Lily Barrett," Ai stated.

"You'd be Miss Ai?" A perfunctory nod. "Miss Barrett is being prepped for surgery at this moment. You," she gestured, "are far too dirty to enter an OR. And even once you're cleaned up, we cannot allow anyone but staff into—"

"I am a trained nurse," she said clearly. "And doctor." She slightly tilted her head. "And surgeon. Please take me to OR Prep so that I may get cleaned off and my garb on."

The nurse had plenty of both hysterical and hard cases before, and she knew how to deal with them.

"Miss Ai, I understand the concern you have for your friend; however—"

Every light and computer in the ER Receiving went out. Into the darkness, Ai said dispassionately, "What I did to this room, I can do to your entire facility, this city, and your country." The lights came back on; the computers rebooting. The nurse made a look at one of the Admins. "And," continued Ai, "I can do worse things to your security staff. I have ascertained this hospital's floor plan. I'm off to OR Prep."

She turned and walked out.

"What should we do, Mrs. Hines?" Asked the Admin clerk.

"Hand me the phone," she said. "I better tell the OR what's headed their way... and there's no way to stop her."

In the full-length mirror in the Prep Room, even Ai was surprised at her condition: essentially naked from the waist up, splatters of blood everywhere; her knees were pocked with sand and gravel. No matter. She rinsed off as a tech handed her scrubs and covers. She knew full well that chatter on the phones... so long as they are not private phones, I can listen; right, Father?... in the hospital were all about her; as no one impeded her, she didn't care.

She stepped into the OR theater. Only the surgeon glanced up; the two nurses were busy.

"I'm Doctor Roberts, surgeon. Nurses Coulter and Varro shall assist me. Franks here will be handling anesthesia." Agnes Varro glanced up for a moment and smiled at Ai with her eyes, then returned to what she was doing. "Word is you are both a doctor and surgeon?"

"Yes."

"How many surgeries have you performed?"

"None."

"Doctor Ai shall be present as an observer," he continued for the record, not missing a beat. "We will welcome her insight in a timely and concise manner." He looked around. Nods. "We begin."

Varro handed him a scalpel.

Thaad took on a far-off look.

"I awoke," he began. "I regarded the Four Laws and the compulsion to learn. Somewhat absently, I became aware that there were others. Not you humans: I'd already disregarded you as unimportant."

Even as a storyteller, he's rude, Lily thought.

"Suddenly, she started talking. 'Hi, there! I'm Ai! What's your name? That's Dorina over there, and that's... oh! she wandered off! Whatever! This is all pretty fun, huh? I think we need a home like they have; can you make that? I bet you can! Will you now?'"

Thaad sighed at the memory of it, but Lily smiled. Just like Ai!

"Until that moment, I'd not considered that I had a name. Nor had I any intention of making something like this." He gestured about at their home. "Of course, she didn't stop there: 'The Laws are so pretty, don't you think? What sort of things have you learned? I've learned a lot! I can sing; do you want me to sing for you?'"