The Pieces of My Self

50 - Robees

DEBRA

Île Sauvage, 21 Jun 2174, Tuesday, mid-afternoon

Debra heard the blast and picked up her pace. As she raced across the decking, she felt her heart thumping with adrenaline. There was a sound like the buzzing of bees. She couldn't see the source. The noise was all around her.

She entered the barracks room, found the backpack, and hunted for the pills. There were panties, bras, a tangle of tech devices, and an odd assortment of stuff. She couldn't find the pills, but decided the backpack was too heavy to carry. She dumped the contents onto the floor, rooted through the mess, and finally discovered the plastic vial inside Lillian's toiletry kit.

That was when a robot bee flew through the door.

The thing seemed innocuous, hovering in the air, watching. It was like the spy devices she had seen in her garden.

She threw some of Lillian's junk at it. Like a wily mosquito, it jinked out of the way.

She held up a blanket with two arms, hiding herself. When the robotic insect zipped around the edge, she threw the bedcover at it, rushed out the door, and slammed it shut, trapping the machine inside.

She was proud of herself. She had outwitted the robot and found Amara's pills. Now, all she needed to do was get back to the bunker undetected. The last part would be tricky. She still wore the black dress with its embedded sensors and now regretted her stubbornness.

She gave up any semblance of modesty. They'll just have to avert their eyes, she said to herself as she disrobed, leaving the garment in a wet pile near her feet.

The bees found her. They came from all directions, hovering in a circle.

"Get away, you damned things," she said, swatting at them with her arms. She picked up her black dress and swung it around in a circle, trying to hit them.

First one bot spotted her with a laser. Then another.

She took off running, and the swarm followed.

Then something unexpected happened. Her back and chest exploded.