They entered the apartment building from the front, since it was the only entrance and started climbing the stairs. Larry flew alongside them instead of going directly up the middle of the stairwell.
On the third floor towards the middle of the hallway, the three stopped in front of a door. Julion reached for the handle, but before he turned his hand, another was placed on top of his. He looked to Cynthia who had a finger placed over her mouth. She was sure she heard movement inside.
She took them both aside farther down the hall. "You don't live with anyone, do you?"
Julion confirmed her fears: he had no roommates. This could only mean they had been found out. Cynthia pointed Larry to the window at the end of the hall. "Can you check it out?" Larry moved off quickly.
Within a minute he floated back in through the same window and sped to where they waited. "There is one revbot inside awaiting someone to open the door."
"You're sure that was the right apartment?" Quipped Julion.
"I have excellent navigation skills." Larry shot back.
"All right, little boys." Cynthia stepped in between them. "We can't go in there. We need a new place to go."
"I can take the bot out." Julion smacked his fist into his palm raring for a fight.
"No, we should find somewhere else."
"Come on. There's only one in there." Julion protested.
"What of Linda's house?" Larry suggested.
"I don't know where it is." Cynthia shrugged.
"I do." Julion gave in. Cynthia didn't really want to know where he obtained that information. "And she shouldn't be there. She'll be working double shifts trying to recall you and build a new override system."
"I don't know." Cynthia said, "I'm certain there will be bots waiting for us there as well."
"Yeah, but you really could use a change of clothes if you're going to continue using that disguise." Julion pointed at her shredded pants and blouse that was about to fall off.
Cynthia processed the risk. Her disguise had worked her way into her plan and Julion was right; they wouldn't be as suspicious of her in clean clothes. "All right."
***
The three entered the housing community circuitously. As they approached Linda's house Cynthia spotted the revbot first. It rolled around the perimeter alone.
"Do you think there is any inside?" Julion asked as they hid behind a hedge.
***
He floated inside the warehouse as if he belonged there. He could sense the one security bot rolling around the opposite side of the room. Wasting no time Larry moved straight for him. He stopped when he appeared in the aisle and the revbot first noticed him.
Like any good security officer the bot was suspicious. He aimed his rotary weapons at the bot above him. "Identify yourself."
Larry answered quickly and calmly. "I am V1V3." He knew better than to use the same designation as earlier. "Estevez sent me to relieve you. You are to report back to the security office."
The bot remained skeptical. "Your designation is alien to me. I require verification."
Immediately a slot opened in Larry's abdomen. He took a small chip from it and slowly moved forward allowing the other bot to see what he was handing him. Since the security bot had no hand with which to take the chip, a similar slot opened in the bot's chest and Larry slipped the chip in. The bot processed the information for a moment.
Deliberately the bot acknowledged Larry's presence again. "Transfer denied. This order is outdated. Please return to base and return with a valid confirmation."
"There must be a mistake." Larry spoke professionally for now he needed to stall.
The bot could not respond. Its body no longer reacted to commands. The bot's body fell, separated from its head. The bot twitched as energy drained from it and its computer began to shut down.
Larry watched Julion drop the bot's head and wiped his hands. "You have propitious timing for a slow and awkward human."
All Cynthia could say was; "I'm glad you're on our side."
"Thanks." Julion's eyes shone with the praise.
"Larry, are there any more inside?"
Larry did a quick circle around the house. "I am unable to see any."
"Good, now I don't suppose either of you know how to break in without setting off the alarm?"
"Easy." Julion declared. "Just put your hand on the door. It will recognize you as Linda."
Larry stood guard as Cynthia tentatively placed her palm and then fingers against the door. The latch clicked and the door slid aside. Cynthia and Julion both poked their heads inside. When they found nothing inside, Cynthia turned back to Larry.
"Do you have any more of those chips?"
"Certainly." Larry opened his hatch again presenting her with the hand full of chips Julion (liberated) from the security office.
Cynthia took them as Julion dragged the revbot inside. "Thanks. I don't suppose you'd mind standing guard out here?"
"Of course not. I will knock twice if someone approaches."
***
Cynthia allowed the door to close once she and Julion were inside. She noticed that Larry had already taken the initiative and began to circle the house. She turned and found herself overwhelmed with a sense of familiarity. She had never been here and yet knew where everything was.
"Julion?"
"Yup?" Julion knelt over the decapitated bot examining it.
"How much of her memory do I have?"
He shrugged. "Most of it I guess. I don't really know that aspect of it."
Cynthia picked up a vidframe that currently displayed a flying bird's eye view of the city through a towering, artistic cityscape. The scene moved upwards to where the original outline of the city, shaped like an old airplane, could be seen and long ago surrounded by row after row of buildings and houses. Cynthia could almost feel herself taking the video from a flit on her first tour of the city.
There weren't many personal affects but enough to make the place feel cozy. Nothing from her… Linda's youth. Cynthia ran her hand along the plush leather couch. "So you don't know how she transferred those memories either?"
"Sorry, I wasn't around when she did it. She worked on it for a long time before-"
"Before?" Cynthia opened the refrigerator not surprised by how full it was. Despite going without eating for a couple of days none of it was appetizing to her.
"You know, before…" He stood up with a sigh and looked at her from across the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. "Before they hired me on at Robonotics of Brazil." He spoke slowly and Cynthia had the feeling that he was lying. She didn't understand why and didn't have a chance to ask as he left to go into the bedroom.
Cynthia followed. She had a feeling there was more going on here than she understood. "What did you mean earlier by 'I won't come crawling back to you this time'?" She didn't wait for an answer as she realized she had startled Julion who stood with his back to her at the dresser. Had he slipped something into his pocket? Was he stealing from Linda or something else? "What did you take?"
"Huh? Nothing." He showed her empty hands. "I was uh…" He looked desperately down at the dresser and grabbed a wrench from Linda's tool kit. "Looking for a tool, to uh… Remove the ah… Gun off the revbot…" He quickly acted more confident. "To give our friend a little defensive advantage."
Cynthia knew there was more to it. She wondered if she should confront him now or wait until she knew whose side he really was on. For now she believed she could use him and that outweighed almost everything else.
"We can't stay here long." Cynthia looked out the window quickly to make sure everything was quiet. "That bot may have sent out a signal to their counterparts."
"Then I better get to work." Julion slid past her back to the living room.
Meanwhile, Cynthia spotted a computer terminal on the side of the room. She dropped the chips Larry gave her onto it and then placed one into the receptacle to be reprogrammed. After she finished that task, Cynthia stepped into the large closet that contained an assortment of after work clothes, what looked like two dozen shoes and half dozen uniforms. She had an urge to take some of this with her, of course she knew she had no use for them so she reluctantly swapped the uniform she wore for one on the rack.
Larry had to temporarily leave his post while Julion swapped one of his arms with the revbot. He protested at first as he only knew how to be a medical bot. Cynthia convinced him that it was necessary, if for no other reason than to help with the charade.
Julion reassembled the other bot quickly, leaving it inactive but upright near the front door. They walked away from the house. Not for the last time did Cynthia look back and long to have such a comfortable place to live.
***
They continued to keep to back roads and avoided any bots they saw. In-between ducking into alley ways they discussed their options.
"What do we do if she's not gone?" Larry asked.
Closing time was normally at 22:00, and who knows what time Linda was going to leave, if she hadn't already. Julion didn't think it warranted worrying about. "If she's not gone, we'll just have to barge in."
"She was there today. Do you think she'll work through the night?" Cynthia asked.
Julion shrugged. "Don't ask me. You're the one with her brain. You know her better than anyone else."
She smiled. He was right, if nothing else she did have most of her thoughts and she should know how Linda acted. However, these memories are of a worker, not the middle class woman Linda is today. Are these memories still valid?
She tore away from the thought almost immediately. She couldn't spend time on theoretical ideas. "Well, let's start on the plan. First things first, you've been to her office, I need to know how to get there and the complement of her bots she has working for her."
Julion started to tell her everything he knew about the other woman, what limited knowledge he had. Still Cynthia couldn't help the feeling he was holding something back. His main warning was Sally. The sassy assistant could pose a problem and would have to be dealt with in one way or another. Cynthia insisted that he leave that problem to her.
The hot day turned inevitably into another hot night by the time they arrived at their destination. Cynthia looked around the area. The lights of the city broke the darkness and none shone brighter than Robonotics of Brazil.
Thirty meters in front of them was the large building she approached cautiously assuring herself that what few people there were around were not looking her way. The theory was no one would think Cynthia Aldin would return willingly to Robonotics of Brazil and so no one would attempt to arrest her mistaking her for Linda Aldin.
The bot on guard paid her no mind, not even a simple hello that was his normal characteristic. Since the door was not already open, she presumed Estevez kept the door locked at night for added security. She allowed the quick scan and walked through when the doors parted. She sighed as she had passed the first test.
Inside, the atmosphere was different from that which she was accustomed. Normally the entrance way was a-bustle with activity, people going from one place to another delivering reports, trading gossip. She walked down the empty hall her work boots tapping loudly on the tile floors. She was not sure of where she was going. She only knew she had gone this way before. Soon she came upon an elevator she had never noticed or paid attention to before.
She entered it and studied the control panel. What button to press? She could not try every floor. Not only would it take too long, but enter the wrong floor and the security alert could go off. Before she even decided, the lift started to move. There was no time to worry; she had to become confident and become Linda. Within seconds the doors opened she drew a deep breath and walked out.
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please send me any comments you might have, good or bad. Copyrighted 2008 by Christine Schnell. Go ahead and share it with others just keep my name with it.
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