Destiny: Quantic Dreams Book 3 by Elizabeth McLaughlin (books for 20 year olds .txt) 📗

the early hours of the morning some generous souls had taken it upon themselves to parcel out more of the food brought from our new android friends. Sitting on the top of the pile was an instant-heat package of waffles and sausage. It was as if I had died and gone to paradise.

The mission of the day was to pack up and await the return of our hosts. Few expressed trepidation about the plan; the glittering prospect of a cure for our ills was worth the risk. Turning back wasn’t an option. Around mid-morning, a group of white heads appeared on the horizon once again. Eleanor walked at the head of the delegation, flanked by four other androids. The group smiled and waved as they got closer, the very picture of open friendliness.

“Good morning, friends!” Eleanor signaled the rest of her gathering to fan out and gather up our supplies. “I’m happy to tell you that we’ve conferred with the rest of our peers and they are thrilled that you’ll be joining us in our home. We have been watching you ever since you successfully made your way to the surface. Your courage, resourcefulness, and tenacity is nothing short of inspiring and we are truly sorry for the hardships you had to endure.”

That soured things a little. The idea that these people could have come to our rescue earlier was frustrating. Something about it reminded me of Gabriel. The attitude smacked of holier-than-thou. Benevolent gods who could have intervened but chose not to.

“There are a few points of protocol before we depart, however.” Hm. Points of protocol? I was already feeling a little penned in. But they had a point. If some strangers had shown up to my house I would expect them to follow my rules. “You’re going to encounter some things that you haven’t seen before. Our city is home to more than our people. You will find smaller beings, animals, and the like. I strongly advise you to not interact with them. They will want to investigate you, and I ask that for your sake, you let them. Much like the organics you’ve already encountered, they are prone to surprising behavior.” The colonists cast dubious looks at each other. Paul’s death was still fresh in our minds and there was no guarantee our hosts would provide any protection “The second point of protocol.” Eleanor searched her electric purple eyes across the group of humans in front of her. “The second point of protocol is that much like your ideological differences, there are those inside who aren’t so sympathetic to the continued existence of humanity as myself and my friends. I can promise you that no harm will come to you while you are our invited guests, but I urge you to stay with your own. It’ll be...more simple. It will also give the impression of deference to our people.”

Deference to our..what? Hang on. Before I could open my mouth, Alan beat me to the punch. “Deference? And why should we show deference to your people? As far as I can tell, you were the ones who approached us. We have asked nothing of you.”

“You should show deference to us human, because we’re-“ One of the other androids began, but a glare from Eleanor silenced him. It was strange. His voice carried the lightest hint of an accent. Why would an android need an accent? More importantly, how could an android conceptualize of one? As with shelter life, nationalities and ethnicities had all but been erased in lieu of a homogenous dialect that was the same no matter who you spoke to.

“You must forgive my outspoken colleague, sir. All he means is that we would appreciate it if you showed the proper respect. As guests.” Eleanor’s tone had sharpened somewhat but it was clear she was trying to remain neutral. Eliza walked up behind me and put an arm around me.

“We’re going in, darling. But at the first sign of trouble I will haul our asses out of there. The vittles and medical care were nice but I’m starting to smell something funny.” She whispered in my ear, keeping her eyes toward the android group. Stepping forward, she spread her hands in a gesture of openness. “Of course. You have my personal guarantee that none of our people will be out of line.”

“Fantastic. Then, let’s get going.”

The march into the machine city was surreal. The facade of crumbling buildings was only that—a facade. Once we were past the outer walls the city transformed into city crawling with light. The buildings were threaded through with metal and electricity. The combination overlaying the concrete made them look like they were alive, arteries and veins of technology crawling through the remains of humanity. Animals like the lizard Dad and I had found on patrol skittered over the ground. I saw more reptilian machines and even mammalian ones. Machines the size of small dogs emerged from shadows to inspect the newcomers. We kept moving forward as instructed. Pairs of android eyes peered out from windows and doorways. None of those gazes looked hostile, but we weren’t exactly being welcomed, either.

Eleanor and the rest of her group dropped us off in a large dome-shaped building. Beds and linens peppered the floor, prepared ahead of time for our arrival. “We understand that you’d probably like to get some rest and settle in. I know that there are many of my people who would like to meet you and ask questions, but I think it can wait a couple of hours. You are not prisoners here and may enter and leave as you wish. My only request is that if you choose to exit the building that you use your tablets to notify us. Our defense systems are highly targeted and could misidentify you as an animal.” Another chill ran through me. Defense systems? Shit.

“Thank you for your hospitality. We would like to meet you sooner rather than later if possible. We have people back