Lucent

Love And Loss

"Oh, I don't want to do it today. Can I have the day off?" Adria moaned from her couch.

Wearing a loose white shirt and pants, L25 entered the lab and approached her.

Adria turned to me and gave me a pleading look. "It's probably going to be my last year. Can't we skip these exercises? What good will it do? I think I might enjoy being soft and fat for awhile."

In keeping with my program, I ignored Adria's complaints and kept my eyes locked on the white wall in front of me. Through L25, I spoked firmly. "Adria, it is only for an hour. It is not good for you to sit all the time. Today, it is strength and flexibility, it should not be too strenuous." L25 held out his hand for Adria, who sighed loudly and took it with ill grace.

She knew there was no use fighting, since she was the author of these programs. Knowing her own weaknesses, she relinquished control over programs that were designed to prolong and improve her life. But that was nearly fifty years ago when she was young and full of expectations. Now, at ninety-two, she was beginning to regret her decisions as she found it harder to keep up with her regimen. Though Adria looked decades younger, she had refused to replace her aging internal organs. In order to maintain her usual level of energy, it had required a more complex cocktail of food and vitamins, and an exercise regimen that I adjusted daily.

Still perched on the stool in the basement lab, but linked with L25, I guided Adria to the upstairs conservatory. She would enjoy the setting sun as she followed L25's slow movements. At the same time, I connected to L19. He was more than a thousand kilometers away in a remote part of the Himalayas and was just done clearing debris from a recent landslide. Two trucks carrying six locals were behind L19's and came to his aid. It took almost an hour to clear the loose rock and dirt. The four men and two women were tired from the exertion and sat on the side of the road resting. One of the men waved for L19 to join them. L19 grabbed a half a dozen bottles of Adria's favorite blood orange soda from the truck and went over to where the group was resting.

"Oh, how nice, thank you," remarked the young woman, whom L19 offered the bottle first. She was in her early twenties with a pretty face. She smiled gratefully as she quickly sampled the drink. Her older friend was more reserved; she nodded her thanks and carefully put her drink aside for later.

"You got something stronger than that, friend?" the man next to the two women asked even as he accepted the offered bottle. He was in his fifties with a hollow face and the thin, wasted body of a FITS addict.

"What were you hoping for?" I asked through L19. While L19 can independently deal with many situations, his programs were out of date by thirty years. Since all previous versions were just extensions of me, Adria did not think it was necessary to update them as independent robots.

"Maybe some FITS." He laughed and waved his hand casually at the truck. "That's a pretty nice truck you got there. Never seen one in these parts and I've lived here all my life. What are you moving? Got something good to sell?" His questions were too quick and eager.

"Afraid not, just my camping supplies and climbing gear. I have taken a few months off to climb some of your famous peaks," I replied. The last three men took the bottles with silent nods.

"Right." The hollow faced man smiled knowingly. "You look like a climber. Where're you from and where's your buddy? It's not smart to climb these peaks without a friend."

"Oh, you need not worry about me. I like climbing alone. I enjoy the solitude. Well, I must be on my way. Thanks for all the help." L19 gave them a friendly smile and turned towards the truck.