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dochermes"You Unthinking Hunk of Titanium and Plastic, You"
5/3-5/4/2016
I.
Because they resembled each other more closely than even literal twins, Gabby and her robot could take turns as "Cousin Elspeth" without anyone catching on. The expensive long black wig of real human hair was so different from their own short curly brown hair that it might have worked well by itself. Adept use of minimal make-up helped as well, and the way that Elspeth wore loose sweatshirts and baggy pants instead of Gabby's preference for snug jeans and T-shirts was a clinching element. Over the past few months, they had found this new persona was much more convenient than all the precise timing that had been necessary to keep them from being seen together.
In her dorm room that morning, it was Gabby herself who was made up as Cousin Elspeth. She was fussing with the wig as she dug through her textbooks and papers with mounting frustration. "I need my notes," she grumbled. "I think I know less about East Asian history now than when I first started class."
"In your case, that would only clear away misconceptions you got from Facebook and Twitter," the Infiltrator cheerfully said.
"You should start an Instagram page as Cousin Elspeth," Gabby mumbled as she kept searching. "Put up a wish list. Or maybe start an OnlyFans and haul in some real money."
"I would do nudes as I naturally look, of course. To be safe, I would use the name Elizabeth Gabrielle Marchetti instead of Gabrielle Elizabeth Marchetti. That should fool everyone."
"Extremely hilarious, I'm so sure. Here they are! In with Mom's Old Country recipes, somehow. That's a relief. What time is it?"
Without looking at any clock, the robot replied, "10:38 AM, 10:39 in eleven seconds."
"Thanks. We've got some time then. Our roomie has classes until one and you know Ginny, she never comes back here right away. I actually could use a nap to clear my head."
"That's asking a lot from a nap," added the Infiltrator helpfully.
Gabby tucked her scribbled notes into the right textbook and nodded with satisfaction. She had long become used to her robot twin's constant wisecracks. The pleasantly mild tone of voice helped emphasize that no hurtfulness was intended. Gabby glanced over and met the infiltrator's friendly eyes. She didn't care what Megan Salenger said, there was an independent consciousness inside that titanium skull, one as self-aware as her own. She was convinced of it beyond doubt.
"Any chores you could be doing while I snooze?" she asked.
"It's your turn for laundry," the robot said, "Not that the hamper smells like there's a dead possum in there, I'm just saying. I could clean the inside of our car."
Gabby didn't even notice the way the Infiltrator referred to her five year old Hyundai Sonata as "ours." She was used to it. The robot somehow thought of the two of them as the same entity and saw no conflict in it. Some days Gabby was starting to feel the same way. "That's a good idea."
"Someone eats potato chips while she's driving and drops them in every direction as if marking territory," the robot said as she headed for the door. In the second before she touched the knob, a sharp knocking sounded from out in the hall.
"Who IS it?" called out Gabby just short of actually singing the words.
"It's me, Megan," said the familiar voice.
The Infiltrator swung the door open and stepped aside to allow Trom Girl in. Now in her mid-thirties, Megan Salenger looked considerably younger because of her excellent health and fitness. Only a few inches taller than the petite Gabby, Megan had tousled black hair over an inquisitive foxlike face with sharply aware dark eyes. She was wearing the KDF field suit with its black pants and waist-length jacket bristling with small pockets. "Good morning," she said as she stepped into the center of the room.
"Hi, Megan! I thought you were coming by Saturday," Gabby said, turning to face her.
"I have bad news. Further analysis on this unit has indicated its original programming will reassert itself within the next seventy-two hours."
"What?! I thought you fixed that! You reprogrammed her. She's harmless as a puppy dog."
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," the Infiltrator sniffed, folding her arms across her chest.
"I concluded it was safer for you to be with the unit than to be with any real Human," Megan said. "If anything, her protective attitude toward you made her a highly effective bodyguard. Further analysis contradicts that assurance."
Suddenly afraid, Gabby went over and plopped down on the edge of her bed, next to where the robot stood waiting. "Where are you going with this, Megan?"
"This unit was constructed by John Grim engineers using stolen Trom technology. It is far advanced beyond anything Humans will be able to match unaided for decades. As an Infiltrator, it was designed to pose as you and assassinate your friend Timothy and his KDF team. I reprogrammed her to be nonviolent."
"AND?! Go on."
Megan consciously put softness in her usual blunt tones. "I'm sorry, Gabby. The original protocols are too fundamental to be redirected. Very soon, this unit will begin planning assassinations. I must take it to the Trom council for reconstruction."
"You're lying!" snapped the robot, lowering her arms and clenching small fists. "I would never hurt anyone. I love being a student here. I want to be a teacher myself."
Without realizing it, Gabby jumped up and went to stand beside the robot. "Megan, I can't believe it. There must be some mistake..."
"The margin for error is negligible. This unit is extremely dangerous and a threat to any person it targets. I am confiscating it now."
Although it never had raised its voice before, the Infiltrator screamed, "You don't own me! I'm not going with you. I'm staying with Gabby!" Faster than anything made of flesh and blood could match, it vaulted across the room and slammed Megan against the wall with bone-cracking impact.
II.
As quick-thinking and well trained as she was, the Trom Girl was still limited by Human reflexes and muscles. The Infiltrator pinned her on the wall with a shoulder, snatched the beam projector from Megan's belt with one hand and thumbed the contact patch. Within one-fifth of a second of the robot's first movement, it was lowering a senseless Megan Salenger to the carpet.
To the horrified Gabby, there had a been a flash of action she couldn't follow at all. "Huh? What the hell..? Wait, what did you do to her?" She ran over to kneel by the Trom Girl.
"Her neural shock was set to minimum," replied the Infiltrator. "We have six or seven minutes before she regains consciousness. We must leave." Holding up the flat oblong device, the robot casually snapped it in half.
"Wait, hold on, let me get this straight. Megan is smarter than both of us put together," Gabby said. "She always knows what she's talking about."
"Are you going to let her kill me?"
"Kill you...? I don't think she would do that. Give me a minute to think."
The Infiltrator snatched up a canvas overnight bag from where it was hanging over a chair and began throwing useful personal items into it. "The Trom are heartless. They will erase my memories. The 'me' that you know will be wiped away. Do you want that?"
"No, of course not. But this is happening too fast for me. Why are you packing my hygiene products?"
"You will need them tomorrow." Going back to where Megan sprawled unconscious on the floor, the Infiltrator removed a second electronic device from the woman's belt. This was no thicker than a few playing cards stacked together and she crushed it in one hand. "This was her Link, a communications device she could have tracked me with."
"Really? I always thought it was just a really cool phone. Are you sure Megan's going to be okay?"
"I cannot harm anyone physically. She will not even have a headache. You should stay as Elspeth."
Reaching one hand up to the black wig, Gabby remembered the disguise she was still wearing. "Yeah. Okay. Where are we going? I have classes at nine fifteen tomorrow morning, my attendance has been perfect!"
"I don't know yet, Gabby. None of this is in my... I have never thought I would have to deal with a situation like this. Come on. We'll figure things out as we go."
This was the first time Gabby had ever seen her twin show any uncertainty. It troubled her as much as seeing Megan lying on the floor. She picked up her Navy blue windbreaker from its hook on the door and folded it absently over one arm. Finally, she said, "All right. I'm going with you for the moment but I need time to think this all over."
As they opened the door, Megan stirred on the floor and muttered in her daze. That disciplined mind was already fighting its way back to full awareness.
II.
Driving with its usual precision, the Infiltrator headed north from the Stonypoint campus along Highway 312. Seated next to her, Gabby finally calmed down enough to begin processing what had happened that morning. So unexpected. Ever since she had renewed her friendship with Timothy Limbo, she had skirted the fringes of the Midnight War a few times, enough to be excited rather than terrified. When Megan had arranged for her to have custody of this Infiltrator unit, Gabby had been more delighted than she had ever imagined to be possible. It was like having a new twin sister who was tireless and never moody and strong enough to flip a car over. With someone to share everyday chores and the temp job at the bistro, Gabby had been able to concentrate on her classe more than ever.
But then, Megan had warned a few times that Gabby would not be able to keep the robot forever. The cold-blooded Race of geniuses called Trom would want it for deeper study. Gabby was still wearing the wig and make-up of Elspeth. Looking over at the Infiltrator behind the wheel, something unsettling occured to her. Supposedly, this robot designed for assasination had been rewired so it couldn't hurt anyone. Megan had said that if the infiltrator tried to attack a person, internal conflict would burn its drive out completely. And yet... less than an hour ago, the darn thing had slammed Megan up against a wall as hard as a pro football player could. That shouldn't have been possible.
Maybe Megan had been right, Gabby thought with a sinking feeling. Maybe her twin was starting to go bad. "Where exactly are we going, anyway?"
"We're almost there," the Infiltrator replied, pulling off the highway down a trail of hard-packed sand toward where the North Shore was within sight. In warmer weather, this three mile stretch of beach was a favorite for bonfires and beer parties with students, but the late March night was too chilly for anyone else to out. One hundred feet from the icy Atlantic, the robot brought the car to a halt and turned off the engine.
"I've been thinking," Gabby began, expecting some crack about how it would be a new experience for her or how that explained the smell of smoke. But the Infiltrator did not respond. Ever since Megan's appearance that morning, the unit had stopped its constant flow of insults. That was oddly unsettling. Gabby went on, "I earned a scholarship and I've been working hard to keep my average high. I'm the first girl in my family who will make it through college. I don't wanna lose that."
With dismay but not even a trace of menace in its voice, the Infiltrator moaned, "You're going to let me be destroyed. After all we've been through together!"
"No, no, of course not. But we can hide you. I mean, you can go without food or even air. We can conceal you somewhere that the Trom can't find you. Okay?"
There was a long heavy moment of silence. Any mention of her mechanical nature was always ignored by the Infiltrator, as if its hearing had been turned off. The small hands on thr steering never fidgeted. "I should develop a new disguise."
"Yeah, Megan knows about Cousin Elspeth," Gabby said, adjusting the wig. "Ugh. This thing makes my scalp sweat. Listen, here's an idea. We get you out of sight, then I go and try to talk to Megan about this. I know she's wrong. You're not any danger to anyone."
The Infiltrator turned its head sharply. Strolling along the beach was a solitary black and white housecat with a yellow collar, looking for anything edible. The robot said one word that made Gabby's heart stop for a second, "Targeting."
"What? That mangy old cat is no threat to anyone," Gabby said.
"Target is unaware of our presence." The face that resembled Gabby's own down to the smallest freckle and eyelash turned toward her. "You are in no danger."
"I hope not. Uh-oh, NOW what?" she asked as a single headlight and the rumble of a big Harley closed in behind them.
"Our friend Timothy," the Infiltrator said, opening her door and stepping out to stand next to the Hyundai. Gabby followed her lead. Propping his bike up on its kickstand, Timothy Limbo thumbed an earpod and his visor slid up into its internal track within his helmet. He was wearing the KDF field suit that would keep comfortable in much worse extremes than this.
"I thought I'd find you," he said. "You told me about the parties here where you had to keep your roommate from going home with strange guys."
"Tim! What's up? Did Sable send you to bring us back?" asked Gabby. She zipped her light jacket up and raised its collar as the night air hit her.
"Nah, they didn't even notice me leaving headquarters. Sable and Megan and Jocelyn are having quite an argument. What Sable points out is that we use so much Trom tech, the CORBYs and our Links and the alarm systems in the building. If the Trom decide to withdraw all that, Sable says we'd be operating at a real disadvantage from then on. We've gotten used to having advanced superscience."
The Infiltrator blurted, "You all want to turn me in! You want me to be killed when I haven't done anything wrong at all. I have no friends."
"No," said Tim. "I'm here to make a stand with the two of you. I've got friends on the Lower East Side who'll let you stay with them until we can work things out. Gabby, we've n each other since kindergarten. I'd resign from the KDF and quit Tel Shai before I let you down."
"I know you would, Tim. You're the only person I never doubt." She turned toward the robot, placing a hand on one shoulder. "What do you say? Let's go see Tim's friends."
"I guess... No. Here she comes." The Infiltrator swung her head up. Dropping silently down from the black overcast winter night, the slender form of Megan Salenger touched as lightly as if she had stepped down off a curb rather than from flying hundreds of feet above. The gravity shield strapped to her back gave off neither noise nor light in its operation. Even as her boots touched the ground, the Trom Girl called out sharply, "Protocol One! Immediate response!'
The Infiltrator toppled over onto its side and remained frozen in the position it had been holding when that order rang out. One arm was extended out to the side and remained locked in place. The huge brown eyes were unblinking and unfocussed. The real Gabby gasped and pressed a hand to her own chest. For the first time since they had met, the Infiltrator did not seem Human. It suddenly resembled an amazingly detailed mannequin.
"What did you DO to her?" she yelled at Megan. "How could you?"
The Trom Girl was watching the frozen figure suspiciously. Without looking away, she replied, "This unit has not been damaged. I shut down its motion capabilities for everyone's safety, including yours."
"Stop calling her a 'unit!' She's my friend. My sister! I'm not going to let you take her apart like an appliance you want to repair. You don't know what she means to me."
Lifting her helmet off and tucking it in the crook of an arm, Megan remained restrained in her own response. "You saw her attack me, Gabby. A normal unprepared Human would have been injured with bruises and probably a cracked rib by the force she exerted against me."
"But... but she was acting in self-defense. Tim, help me!"
Moving over to stand brushing up against Gabby, Timothy Limbo folded his arms across his chest and planted his feet well apart. "Come on, Megan. Have a heart."
The Trom Girl seemed satisfied that the Infiltrator would remain immobile. "This unit's targeting system is running. I can tell. It was analyzing the potential threat of every living being within sight and readying to attack. Gabby, very soon it would feel compelled to kill some one it saw as a possible enemy. It's what it was designed to do."
"I don't believe you," Gabby said. "I've lived with her for a year now. She wouldn't even swat a fly. Leave her alone, please, leave us both alone."
Megan Salenger bent over the paralyzed form that looked so much like Gabby. "I have been pleading her case with my superiors all day, Gabby. They make their decisions on logic and reason, not emotion. But I have managed to extract an agreement not to destroy this Infiltrator. Its operating systems will have to be rewritten entirely, but the council has agreed to retain as much of its personality mimicry as possible."
"So she won't have forgotten me? She won't be a stranger?"
"Some memories will unavoidably will be lost. Gabby, I'm trying to help you. Think of this as a surgical procedure to save her, if that helps. Imagine that she has a brain tumor that we must operate on to keep her alive. She may lose some memories. That can't be helped."
Timoth had instinctively drawn Gabby to him, one arm across her shoulder. His voice held the concern and support that Megan had difficulty expressing. "Honey, this is where you need to be strong for... for your friend. She needs you to help her get through this."
"Okay. Okay. I guess it has to be done but I don't have to like it."
The Trom Girl stepped over to interpose herself between them and the Infiltrator. "Stay alert, please. Protocol Twenty-three, immmediate response."
The frozen form rolled onto its stomach and smoothly got to its feet. There was no implied menace in its stance with head lowered and open hands down by its sides. "Standing by," was all it said.
Moving away from Timothy, Gabby Marchetti went over to stand facing the robot. Her voice was on the edge of breaking but she had not started to cry."I'll be here when they bring you back, I swear it. I'll tell you every little detail you might have forgetten."
"I'm afraid. I have never been afraid before," said the Infiltrator. She held out her arms and Gabby rushed in to hold her. They stood in an embrace with their heads on each other's shoulder.
"It's going to be all right," Gabby whispered. "Have faith. Tim and Megan are two people we can trust absolutely."
Some of the sass returned to the Infiltrator's voice, "You're okay for a soft squishy bag of meat filled with fluids."
"Hah," sniffed Gabby as tears started up. "You're not so bad, you unthinking hunk of titanium and plastic, you."
7/8/2022
5/3-5/4/2016
I.
Because they resembled each other more closely than even literal twins, Gabby and her robot could take turns as "Cousin Elspeth" without anyone catching on. The expensive long black wig of real human hair was so different from their own short curly brown hair that it might have worked well by itself. Adept use of minimal make-up helped as well, and the way that Elspeth wore loose sweatshirts and baggy pants instead of Gabby's preference for snug jeans and T-shirts was a clinching element. Over the past few months, they had found this new persona was much more convenient than all the precise timing that had been necessary to keep them from being seen together.
In her dorm room that morning, it was Gabby herself who was made up as Cousin Elspeth. She was fussing with the wig as she dug through her textbooks and papers with mounting frustration. "I need my notes," she grumbled. "I think I know less about East Asian history now than when I first started class."
"In your case, that would only clear away misconceptions you got from Facebook and Twitter," the Infiltrator cheerfully said.
"You should start an Instagram page as Cousin Elspeth," Gabby mumbled as she kept searching. "Put up a wish list. Or maybe start an OnlyFans and haul in some real money."
"I would do nudes as I naturally look, of course. To be safe, I would use the name Elizabeth Gabrielle Marchetti instead of Gabrielle Elizabeth Marchetti. That should fool everyone."
"Extremely hilarious, I'm so sure. Here they are! In with Mom's Old Country recipes, somehow. That's a relief. What time is it?"
Without looking at any clock, the robot replied, "10:38 AM, 10:39 in eleven seconds."
"Thanks. We've got some time then. Our roomie has classes until one and you know Ginny, she never comes back here right away. I actually could use a nap to clear my head."
"That's asking a lot from a nap," added the Infiltrator helpfully.
Gabby tucked her scribbled notes into the right textbook and nodded with satisfaction. She had long become used to her robot twin's constant wisecracks. The pleasantly mild tone of voice helped emphasize that no hurtfulness was intended. Gabby glanced over and met the infiltrator's friendly eyes. She didn't care what Megan Salenger said, there was an independent consciousness inside that titanium skull, one as self-aware as her own. She was convinced of it beyond doubt.
"Any chores you could be doing while I snooze?" she asked.
"It's your turn for laundry," the robot said, "Not that the hamper smells like there's a dead possum in there, I'm just saying. I could clean the inside of our car."
Gabby didn't even notice the way the Infiltrator referred to her five year old Hyundai Sonata as "ours." She was used to it. The robot somehow thought of the two of them as the same entity and saw no conflict in it. Some days Gabby was starting to feel the same way. "That's a good idea."
"Someone eats potato chips while she's driving and drops them in every direction as if marking territory," the robot said as she headed for the door. In the second before she touched the knob, a sharp knocking sounded from out in the hall.
"Who IS it?" called out Gabby just short of actually singing the words.
"It's me, Megan," said the familiar voice.
The Infiltrator swung the door open and stepped aside to allow Trom Girl in. Now in her mid-thirties, Megan Salenger looked considerably younger because of her excellent health and fitness. Only a few inches taller than the petite Gabby, Megan had tousled black hair over an inquisitive foxlike face with sharply aware dark eyes. She was wearing the KDF field suit with its black pants and waist-length jacket bristling with small pockets. "Good morning," she said as she stepped into the center of the room.
"Hi, Megan! I thought you were coming by Saturday," Gabby said, turning to face her.
"I have bad news. Further analysis on this unit has indicated its original programming will reassert itself within the next seventy-two hours."
"What?! I thought you fixed that! You reprogrammed her. She's harmless as a puppy dog."
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," the Infiltrator sniffed, folding her arms across her chest.
"I concluded it was safer for you to be with the unit than to be with any real Human," Megan said. "If anything, her protective attitude toward you made her a highly effective bodyguard. Further analysis contradicts that assurance."
Suddenly afraid, Gabby went over and plopped down on the edge of her bed, next to where the robot stood waiting. "Where are you going with this, Megan?"
"This unit was constructed by John Grim engineers using stolen Trom technology. It is far advanced beyond anything Humans will be able to match unaided for decades. As an Infiltrator, it was designed to pose as you and assassinate your friend Timothy and his KDF team. I reprogrammed her to be nonviolent."
"AND?! Go on."
Megan consciously put softness in her usual blunt tones. "I'm sorry, Gabby. The original protocols are too fundamental to be redirected. Very soon, this unit will begin planning assassinations. I must take it to the Trom council for reconstruction."
"You're lying!" snapped the robot, lowering her arms and clenching small fists. "I would never hurt anyone. I love being a student here. I want to be a teacher myself."
Without realizing it, Gabby jumped up and went to stand beside the robot. "Megan, I can't believe it. There must be some mistake..."
"The margin for error is negligible. This unit is extremely dangerous and a threat to any person it targets. I am confiscating it now."
Although it never had raised its voice before, the Infiltrator screamed, "You don't own me! I'm not going with you. I'm staying with Gabby!" Faster than anything made of flesh and blood could match, it vaulted across the room and slammed Megan against the wall with bone-cracking impact.
II.
As quick-thinking and well trained as she was, the Trom Girl was still limited by Human reflexes and muscles. The Infiltrator pinned her on the wall with a shoulder, snatched the beam projector from Megan's belt with one hand and thumbed the contact patch. Within one-fifth of a second of the robot's first movement, it was lowering a senseless Megan Salenger to the carpet.
To the horrified Gabby, there had a been a flash of action she couldn't follow at all. "Huh? What the hell..? Wait, what did you do to her?" She ran over to kneel by the Trom Girl.
"Her neural shock was set to minimum," replied the Infiltrator. "We have six or seven minutes before she regains consciousness. We must leave." Holding up the flat oblong device, the robot casually snapped it in half.
"Wait, hold on, let me get this straight. Megan is smarter than both of us put together," Gabby said. "She always knows what she's talking about."
"Are you going to let her kill me?"
"Kill you...? I don't think she would do that. Give me a minute to think."
The Infiltrator snatched up a canvas overnight bag from where it was hanging over a chair and began throwing useful personal items into it. "The Trom are heartless. They will erase my memories. The 'me' that you know will be wiped away. Do you want that?"
"No, of course not. But this is happening too fast for me. Why are you packing my hygiene products?"
"You will need them tomorrow." Going back to where Megan sprawled unconscious on the floor, the Infiltrator removed a second electronic device from the woman's belt. This was no thicker than a few playing cards stacked together and she crushed it in one hand. "This was her Link, a communications device she could have tracked me with."
"Really? I always thought it was just a really cool phone. Are you sure Megan's going to be okay?"
"I cannot harm anyone physically. She will not even have a headache. You should stay as Elspeth."
Reaching one hand up to the black wig, Gabby remembered the disguise she was still wearing. "Yeah. Okay. Where are we going? I have classes at nine fifteen tomorrow morning, my attendance has been perfect!"
"I don't know yet, Gabby. None of this is in my... I have never thought I would have to deal with a situation like this. Come on. We'll figure things out as we go."
This was the first time Gabby had ever seen her twin show any uncertainty. It troubled her as much as seeing Megan lying on the floor. She picked up her Navy blue windbreaker from its hook on the door and folded it absently over one arm. Finally, she said, "All right. I'm going with you for the moment but I need time to think this all over."
As they opened the door, Megan stirred on the floor and muttered in her daze. That disciplined mind was already fighting its way back to full awareness.
II.
Driving with its usual precision, the Infiltrator headed north from the Stonypoint campus along Highway 312. Seated next to her, Gabby finally calmed down enough to begin processing what had happened that morning. So unexpected. Ever since she had renewed her friendship with Timothy Limbo, she had skirted the fringes of the Midnight War a few times, enough to be excited rather than terrified. When Megan had arranged for her to have custody of this Infiltrator unit, Gabby had been more delighted than she had ever imagined to be possible. It was like having a new twin sister who was tireless and never moody and strong enough to flip a car over. With someone to share everyday chores and the temp job at the bistro, Gabby had been able to concentrate on her classe more than ever.
But then, Megan had warned a few times that Gabby would not be able to keep the robot forever. The cold-blooded Race of geniuses called Trom would want it for deeper study. Gabby was still wearing the wig and make-up of Elspeth. Looking over at the Infiltrator behind the wheel, something unsettling occured to her. Supposedly, this robot designed for assasination had been rewired so it couldn't hurt anyone. Megan had said that if the infiltrator tried to attack a person, internal conflict would burn its drive out completely. And yet... less than an hour ago, the darn thing had slammed Megan up against a wall as hard as a pro football player could. That shouldn't have been possible.
Maybe Megan had been right, Gabby thought with a sinking feeling. Maybe her twin was starting to go bad. "Where exactly are we going, anyway?"
"We're almost there," the Infiltrator replied, pulling off the highway down a trail of hard-packed sand toward where the North Shore was within sight. In warmer weather, this three mile stretch of beach was a favorite for bonfires and beer parties with students, but the late March night was too chilly for anyone else to out. One hundred feet from the icy Atlantic, the robot brought the car to a halt and turned off the engine.
"I've been thinking," Gabby began, expecting some crack about how it would be a new experience for her or how that explained the smell of smoke. But the Infiltrator did not respond. Ever since Megan's appearance that morning, the unit had stopped its constant flow of insults. That was oddly unsettling. Gabby went on, "I earned a scholarship and I've been working hard to keep my average high. I'm the first girl in my family who will make it through college. I don't wanna lose that."
With dismay but not even a trace of menace in its voice, the Infiltrator moaned, "You're going to let me be destroyed. After all we've been through together!"
"No, no, of course not. But we can hide you. I mean, you can go without food or even air. We can conceal you somewhere that the Trom can't find you. Okay?"
There was a long heavy moment of silence. Any mention of her mechanical nature was always ignored by the Infiltrator, as if its hearing had been turned off. The small hands on thr steering never fidgeted. "I should develop a new disguise."
"Yeah, Megan knows about Cousin Elspeth," Gabby said, adjusting the wig. "Ugh. This thing makes my scalp sweat. Listen, here's an idea. We get you out of sight, then I go and try to talk to Megan about this. I know she's wrong. You're not any danger to anyone."
The Infiltrator turned its head sharply. Strolling along the beach was a solitary black and white housecat with a yellow collar, looking for anything edible. The robot said one word that made Gabby's heart stop for a second, "Targeting."
"What? That mangy old cat is no threat to anyone," Gabby said.
"Target is unaware of our presence." The face that resembled Gabby's own down to the smallest freckle and eyelash turned toward her. "You are in no danger."
"I hope not. Uh-oh, NOW what?" she asked as a single headlight and the rumble of a big Harley closed in behind them.
"Our friend Timothy," the Infiltrator said, opening her door and stepping out to stand next to the Hyundai. Gabby followed her lead. Propping his bike up on its kickstand, Timothy Limbo thumbed an earpod and his visor slid up into its internal track within his helmet. He was wearing the KDF field suit that would keep comfortable in much worse extremes than this.
"I thought I'd find you," he said. "You told me about the parties here where you had to keep your roommate from going home with strange guys."
"Tim! What's up? Did Sable send you to bring us back?" asked Gabby. She zipped her light jacket up and raised its collar as the night air hit her.
"Nah, they didn't even notice me leaving headquarters. Sable and Megan and Jocelyn are having quite an argument. What Sable points out is that we use so much Trom tech, the CORBYs and our Links and the alarm systems in the building. If the Trom decide to withdraw all that, Sable says we'd be operating at a real disadvantage from then on. We've gotten used to having advanced superscience."
The Infiltrator blurted, "You all want to turn me in! You want me to be killed when I haven't done anything wrong at all. I have no friends."
"No," said Tim. "I'm here to make a stand with the two of you. I've got friends on the Lower East Side who'll let you stay with them until we can work things out. Gabby, we've n each other since kindergarten. I'd resign from the KDF and quit Tel Shai before I let you down."
"I know you would, Tim. You're the only person I never doubt." She turned toward the robot, placing a hand on one shoulder. "What do you say? Let's go see Tim's friends."
"I guess... No. Here she comes." The Infiltrator swung her head up. Dropping silently down from the black overcast winter night, the slender form of Megan Salenger touched as lightly as if she had stepped down off a curb rather than from flying hundreds of feet above. The gravity shield strapped to her back gave off neither noise nor light in its operation. Even as her boots touched the ground, the Trom Girl called out sharply, "Protocol One! Immediate response!'
The Infiltrator toppled over onto its side and remained frozen in the position it had been holding when that order rang out. One arm was extended out to the side and remained locked in place. The huge brown eyes were unblinking and unfocussed. The real Gabby gasped and pressed a hand to her own chest. For the first time since they had met, the Infiltrator did not seem Human. It suddenly resembled an amazingly detailed mannequin.
"What did you DO to her?" she yelled at Megan. "How could you?"
The Trom Girl was watching the frozen figure suspiciously. Without looking away, she replied, "This unit has not been damaged. I shut down its motion capabilities for everyone's safety, including yours."
"Stop calling her a 'unit!' She's my friend. My sister! I'm not going to let you take her apart like an appliance you want to repair. You don't know what she means to me."
Lifting her helmet off and tucking it in the crook of an arm, Megan remained restrained in her own response. "You saw her attack me, Gabby. A normal unprepared Human would have been injured with bruises and probably a cracked rib by the force she exerted against me."
"But... but she was acting in self-defense. Tim, help me!"
Moving over to stand brushing up against Gabby, Timothy Limbo folded his arms across his chest and planted his feet well apart. "Come on, Megan. Have a heart."
The Trom Girl seemed satisfied that the Infiltrator would remain immobile. "This unit's targeting system is running. I can tell. It was analyzing the potential threat of every living being within sight and readying to attack. Gabby, very soon it would feel compelled to kill some one it saw as a possible enemy. It's what it was designed to do."
"I don't believe you," Gabby said. "I've lived with her for a year now. She wouldn't even swat a fly. Leave her alone, please, leave us both alone."
Megan Salenger bent over the paralyzed form that looked so much like Gabby. "I have been pleading her case with my superiors all day, Gabby. They make their decisions on logic and reason, not emotion. But I have managed to extract an agreement not to destroy this Infiltrator. Its operating systems will have to be rewritten entirely, but the council has agreed to retain as much of its personality mimicry as possible."
"So she won't have forgotten me? She won't be a stranger?"
"Some memories will unavoidably will be lost. Gabby, I'm trying to help you. Think of this as a surgical procedure to save her, if that helps. Imagine that she has a brain tumor that we must operate on to keep her alive. She may lose some memories. That can't be helped."
Timoth had instinctively drawn Gabby to him, one arm across her shoulder. His voice held the concern and support that Megan had difficulty expressing. "Honey, this is where you need to be strong for... for your friend. She needs you to help her get through this."
"Okay. Okay. I guess it has to be done but I don't have to like it."
The Trom Girl stepped over to interpose herself between them and the Infiltrator. "Stay alert, please. Protocol Twenty-three, immmediate response."
The frozen form rolled onto its stomach and smoothly got to its feet. There was no implied menace in its stance with head lowered and open hands down by its sides. "Standing by," was all it said.
Moving away from Timothy, Gabby Marchetti went over to stand facing the robot. Her voice was on the edge of breaking but she had not started to cry."I'll be here when they bring you back, I swear it. I'll tell you every little detail you might have forgetten."
"I'm afraid. I have never been afraid before," said the Infiltrator. She held out her arms and Gabby rushed in to hold her. They stood in an embrace with their heads on each other's shoulder.
"It's going to be all right," Gabby whispered. "Have faith. Tim and Megan are two people we can trust absolutely."
Some of the sass returned to the Infiltrator's voice, "You're okay for a soft squishy bag of meat filled with fluids."
"Hah," sniffed Gabby as tears started up. "You're not so bad, you unthinking hunk of titanium and plastic, you."
7/8/2022
