Enigma Glitch

Chapter 23: Stargazer III

Victoria bit her lip to prevent a smile. "Trust me, there is nothing honorable about what I do. Besides, if I was not present, only Kayla and her children would have died. Instead, all but three of Gibson's progeny are gone."

"If it had to be a mutually exclusive choice, I'm glad you were the deciding factor to ensure the correct people lived." Carter hissed and clicked in an attempt at a laugh.

"You cannot fake cruelty well, so do not try." Victoria bumped the android with her elbow.

The two went away from the business blocks and made their way back to residential blocks. Their current location was higher-end apartment towers with similar repulsor fields to the skyscrapers. They passed joggers in bright outfits and young adults walking dogs on leashes.

"You suggested Kayla and her children get therapy after today's brutality," Carter said.

"No, I know what you are about to say, and I do not need therapy." Victoria shook her head and folded her arms. "Death has no effect on me."

"I wasn't going to suggest therapy for death." Carter tilted its head toward Victoria. "You should find a way to make peace with your purpose. You were made to destroy, something your donor wasn't happy about. You, in turn, are not happy about it. Maybe you could go on an orbital flight after you sell me."

"Too many bills to pay before a flight can be considered." Victoria chuckled. "I have so much debt, I have to work as a reserve deputy for the government. But thank you for the advice and the concern." She faced a stone wall that towered over her along the sidewalk. "I already thought about that, and I do the closest I can get to."

The pair made their way to a stone arch gateway large enough to allow multiple cars through at once. Carter led the way through endless rows of tombstones.

"I would like to know what you do for therapy." Carter used the sunflowers to point to a large mausoleum. "If you can't afford to take a flight, I can't think of how you would get close to orbit."

"Sometimes, when I travel far enough away from the pollution, I climb trees at night and watch the stars." Victoria gazed upward and let the hint of a smile spread across her face. "I watch the orbital flights darting in and out of the atmosphere and imagine myself in their cockpits. For just a little while, I pretend I was living out the purpose that was originally intended for me. And alone in a treetop, for those fleeting moments of pretend life I conjure for myself, I feel happy. Actually, truly happy."

"That's something to hold onto." Carter led the way through an open archway into a building hundreds of yards long and twenty yards wide.

The interior of the mausoleum was filled from floor to ceiling with foot-wide square panels which bore brass nameplates. Many thousands of entombed ash remains rested with spiderwebs and dust cloaking many of their names.

Carter crouched to reach the clean nameplate for Jennifer Gibson, 1938-2019. The brass ring next to her nameplate was bent, but Carter twisted it back into place and set the sunflowers inside. It wiped a thin layer of dust from a small photograph of the Gibsons when they were young, embracing during a dance in their formal party attire. Jennifer resembled Kayla, except Kayla's nose was a bit narrower.

Victoria stepped back and swallowed hard at the sight of so many ash remains.

"Mrs. Gibson, your husband might not make it out to see you for some time, or ever." Carter performed a bow while on its knees. "I know he never speaks when he's here, but he's been dedicated to writing you a perfect letter." The android placed a folded paper between the marble panel and the brass nameplate. "That's the last version he wrote for you." Carter stood and stared at the grave for a moment. "Goodbye, Mrs. Gibson. Thank you for buying me with your gambling money. I served your husband well. If you're out there somewhere, I hope you two reunite and get to dance and play cards for eternity."

Carter slowly turned around and walked out of the mausoleum with heavy, deliberate steps.

Victoria swallowed a few times and wiped her face before she walked out. She cleared her throat and made sure to face away from the android.

"Which way is your shop?" Carter stood with its back to the mausoleum.

"Six miles north of here." Victoria pointed to the north gate.

"I wanted to say thank you, personally." Carter held out the small item which had been in its hand.

A shrink-wrapped deck of playing cards rested in the android's aluminum palm.

"I do not know how to play any card games," Victoria said. She waved away the android's hand. "I cannot accept that."

"I insist." Carter held the deck out in front of Victoria's hands. "You don't have to play any games with me before you sell me."

Victoria picked up the deck and turned it over in her hands to watch the glimmer of the foil stripe in its plastic wrapper.

"I will play games with you as I refurbish your chassis." Victoria grinned at the robot. "Can you tell me a few rules sets on the walk to my workshop?"

"Six miles?" Carter followed Victoria's lead out of the cemetery. "I should be able to teach you a few different games. Should we started with Blackjack?"

"By all means." Victoria wrapped an arm around the android and walked side-by-side with the machine.

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Author's Note: I'm excited to announce an ebook volume of Enigma Glitch is on the way. Get the paranormal cyberpunk adventures along with amazing cover art, bonus art, and an insightful author's letter. Please keep watch for more news on the launch.