The Pieces of My Self

38 - Dead Men and Robots

REMY

Remy's Shop, 15 June 2174, Wednesday

The interior of The Nautical Fix was dark except for the light above a workbench where Remy sat with a bottle of whiskey and a glass. Green and red power lights twinkled like alien stars around the shop floor.

Damas had departed hours ago in his truck, returning Lillian and her daughter to their apartment. Everyone else had gone for the day. The clock on the wall was five minutes from chiming midnight.

Remy downed an inch of amber liquid, then stared at the robot, eyes conjuring the vision of an old friend.

"Henri, you old trickster. Did you pull a rabbit out of the hat?"

Fluffy stood like a passive statue near the charging station at the end of his desk.

He turned his head toward a nearby workbench littered with chains and a boat anchor, wondering why Damas hadn't finished the repairs for an upcoming trip. What was wrong with him? We're all in this together. Everyone has to pull their own weight.

He was annoyed—by Damas, by Lillian's inconvenient demands, by the turns his life had taken. He decided to dump on the robot.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" He reached over with a wavering hand and pushed the robot off the charging pad. "Answer me."

The robot's head turned toward him. "I do not understand the context. Would you like me to fry an egg?"

He slapped his knee and stabbed the air with a forefinger. "That's a good one! No, I don't like eggs. You never knew Henri the way I did."

"Who is Henri?" it said. "There are many things I do not understand. I am not human."

Remy poured another whiskey. "What a great bit of self-evident self-awareness."

"What would you like me to do?" it said.

"I want you to listen. I'm going to tell you stories about Henri Knightly. We'll call this the Knightly News."

"I am listening."

"Did you know we used to fish together as boys?"

"I did not know that. Now, I will remember."

"He was a very smart guy. He saw life as a long game. Everyone else was playing checkers. He was doing 3D chess."

"I know how to play checkers."

"Good. I think that's enough to establish a rapport, you and me. You want a drink?"

"Liquids are not good for my circuits."

"And whiskey is bad for my liver, but I drink it anyway."

"I do not have a liver."

"Lucky you. They say mine is loose. I'm a loose liver."

Remy wheezed a laugh and slapped his knee again, almost choking on the drink. As his fit subsided, he heard a banging sound near the front entrance. "Fluffy, see who that is. If it's one of my boys, tell them to go home to bed. We can talk in the morning. If it's the cops, or just about anyone else, tell them to piss off. But if it's Lillian—" He paused to consider. "If it's Lillian, bring her here. It's probably urgent."

The robot vanished into the darkness.

He heard the front entrance open, followed by the robot's words. "Piss off."