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Description
Stevenson was summoned to Jen’s office - which, might he add, was nearly twice as large but three times as cluttered. There was no warm welcome when he arrived - just the sight of a young woman, face down on her desk, covered in papers.

“Jen? What’s the matter?”

She did not lift her head. “I’m at my limit, James. I can’t keep this up anymore. I’ve been trying - so hard! - for the last month, but I’m starting to lose my mind. The papers keep coming in, the death threats slip through the filters, the budget keeps wavering... I give up!”

Stevenson motioned for Aurora, who had been following him, to keep an ear out for anyone who might overhear their conversation. She nodded, and quietly closed the door behind her as she waited in the hallway. “Jen. Take a breather, okay? I told you we would do this at your own pace. I’ll take back some of the work, alright? I can’t have you giving up on me now, not with the Faire creeping up once more. Take a break - a month off, if you need to. I have Aurora, and she can help me-”

“No, no, no...” she cried in despair. “that isn’t the problem. I just don’t think I can stay in Androidics anymore, James. It’s in my nightmares. I’ve had two nervous breakdowns in the last week. It’s too much!”

“You need to tell me how I can help you. I can’t afford to lose you now.”

She finally raised her head, face distraught with tears. “I’m sorry, James. I quit.”

“You’re not going to quit. You know that. You know I won’t accept it.”

“I quit, James. Maybe a cold-hearted robot like you can take this sort of abuse - I can’t. Not any longer. I quit.”

The insult struck hard, and without warning. Stevenson whispered, “I know you didn’t mean that. But if you’re going to act this way, then know that I am very disappointed in you. I bet my life on you, and you’ve forfeited before the race has even begun.”

She stood up to leave. “I’m going home now. I’ll pack my belongings tomorrow, and I’ll be gone by noon.”

She hovered near the door for a moment, then turned to face her former professor, whom she had admired so much. “Farewell.”

—

Knock, knock.

“Professor? There’s someone here to see you. Her name is Maddie.”

He looked up from his computer. “I don’t know a Maddie.”

“She says you’ll know her when you see her... shall I call for security?”

Stevenson pondered for a moment, and shook his head. “No, bring her in. I’ll be fine.”

A long minute passed, and eventually, Maddie - off-shift novice Officer - appeared. She greeted him solemnly, and without fanfare. “Greetings, Professor. I’m Officer Maddie.”

“Officer - I remember you. How may I help you today?”

“May I close the door, so we have privacy in speaking?”

“Of course.”

She softly closed the wooden, creaky door, and sat down on the stool next to his desk. “I want to talk to you about that little girl you were carrying a few weeks back.” She nodded her head towards the girl, who sat further back in the room, silent and unmoving.

Stevenson attempted to make conversation. “She’s doing well, as you can see-”

“We both know that’s not true.”

“What on Earth do you mean by that?”

“I called Doctor Redmond.”

“...I heard.”

“Look, I don’t know exactly what you’re doing, or what is going on. I’ll be honest - not the slightest inkling. I don’t know if she’s a terrorist in hiding, or an illegally adopted child. But something doesn’t feel right, and I wanted to figure it out - just for closure, you know.”

“Interesting. Well, I’d be glad to debunk any strange conspiracy you might have of my friend’s daughter.”

She ignored the additional information. “What’s her name?”

“Aurora. Aurora Starling.”

“First, it doesn’t make sense that a young girl like that has a level four Protected Identity status. Never in the history of P.I. assignments has a person of that age received one. The youngest, as the records show, is a twenty-one year old man who accidentally published an extremely popular hologame, using his real name. Afraid of being mobbed in the streets, he asked for his identification card to be encrypted. And he only got a level two.

“Not only that - Aurora has this displayed on a medical band. This has only happened on five other occasions - mostly when important government figures travel overseas for medical treatment. The doctors don’t know who they’re operating on, and the patient is safe.

“It occurs to me that Aurora is neither an overnight entrepreneur nor a councilwoman in poor health - seeing as she has this strange paralysis that would forbid her from taking either role this early in life.”

Stevenson shrugged. “What if I told you she was born a savant? That’s quite often the case with individuals diagnosed with terrible physical diseases.”

“I would call you a liar, then. A savant like that would undoubtedly have a transmitter chip installed on their brain so that they might communicate with the world as they intend to.”

“Aurora does indeed have that. She can send messages to me via slate.” Stevenson offered his slate to the officer, who took is cautiously.

Good afternoon, Officer Maddie.

Maddie looked up at the doll - her eyes fixed on the officer. A cold tingle ran down Maddie’s spine, as if she had just looked into the eyes of God himself. “Hello, Aurora. How old are you?”

I am seven, Maddie.

“Who is this man that you sit in the office of?”

He is Professor James Stevenson, Maddie. He is the friend of my parents.

“And who are your par-”

Stevenson interrupted hastily. “Is this an interrogation, Officer? I demand to see a warrant, if that’s the case.”

“Just a conversation, professor. No need to get all riled up.”

Please, would you return the slate to Professor Stevenson so that I may have a few words with him?

“Of course,” she said sweetly, before handing the slate back to him. “All yours.”

Professor. Perhaps this is the missing link?

“Elaborate, Aurora.”

I find her logic sound, and reasonable. She does not seem particularly against robots or androids. She shows great potential as being a leader in her workforce, as some data I found correlates. She may be able to secure a much better identity for me.

Mindful of the intruder on their conversation, Stevenson resorted to typing his responses on the slate rather than speaking it out loud.

You must be out of your mind, Aurora. That’s far too risky.

Taking me on a walk in public when I am immobile is risky. Having a new friend with great strength is not. I believe this will be a good decision to make.

I do not approve. You will make no further mention of this until you are in working condition.

He turned to address Maddie. “I apologize for that wait. In any case, you’ve now met Aurora and I, and have seen that nothing is wrong here. What else could I help you with?”

She handed him a card. “I’m off-duty right now, so I can’t hand out my police card. But this is my personal contact - so if anything happens, let me know. I know I probably can’t do much-” she shrugged “-but I’ll do my best. Good-bye, Aurora - stay strong, okay?”

I will, she wrote, but the text went unseen.

—

“Good girl. You’re on your own, now. Balance.”

Her legs buckled slightly, but before anything drastic could happen, Aurora caught herself on the metal bars.

I believe my center of weight is still too high.

“It isn’t - not anymore. You’re proportioned exactly like a human girl your size. If we were to change it any further, your gait would be strange. Try again.”

Aurora gave a mechanical equivalent of a sigh, and released the bars. The metallic mesh of synthesized metal sprung back and forth underneath her skin - a transparent plastic that allowed Stevenson and his students to see exactly what was going on in her legs. After several more tries, Aurora was able to maintain a simple balance on two feet.

“Use your arms as counterweights if you have to. Okay. Maintain your balance for ten seconds, with a minimum deviation of one millimeter per decisecond.”

Why must there be a minimum? I could hold steady far more easily if I could stand still.

“Because humans are fickle, Aurora. Different muscle groups are firing all the time simply to maintain one posture. It looks human to be shifting slightly all the time.”

I’ve done it, I think.

“Good. Now-”

“Professor Stevenson!” cried Jen, running in from outside the lab. “There’s a police officer outside, and she wants to see Aurora!”

“Why now, of all times?” he fumed. “Let her know we can see her tomorrow. We’re in the middle of work.”

Before the last words could come tumbling out, he spotted the inevitable. Officer Maddie, adorned with a few more metal stripes than the last time they had met, barged in.

“Now, now, Professor. You wouldn’t let Aurora take her first steps without me, would you? Hello, sweetheart! How’re you doing?”

Aurora gave a weak thumbs up, still trying to maintain her balance.

“What? What’s going on?”

Maddie laughed. “She kept you in the dark this whole time, huh? You did tell her to make no mention of it until you were ready. She’s in her rebellious phase, I tell ya.” She winked at Aurora, who mirrored the action before finally falling over again. “Aurora has been keeping in contact with me. I know everything, Professor, so don’t bother explaining it.”

With a harshness in his voice no other had heard before, he said, “You must not tell anyone outside-”

“I said that I know everything, Professor. Believe me. She was thorough in warning me what she would personally do, as well as what you would be capable of doing, if I let anything leak.”

Stevenson’s slate blinked a message. Sorry, Professor. But I was right - she is the missing link.

Very tired all of a sudden, Stevenson cried at the girl clambering back up to the bars, “What do you mean?”

“I can get Aurora a level six P.I. in a few more months. And, it will be under my name, and I would be far more reliable an alibi than Redmond. Speaking of which, I don’t think he has any idea about all of this - so you’d better let him know pretty soon.”

—

“I’m glad that responsibility is off of my shoulder. I also assume that she won’t press any sort of charges on my... illegal activity?”

“No, she won’t be. She’s actually rather sympathetic, and has been very helpful.”

“That’s good to hear. Can I see it?”

Aurora, disguised in her wheelchair as a patient, raised her arm. Redmond touched it, and stared in wonder at the beautiful text. “An official identity band is so much more elegant than a medical one. No blatantly obvious cross, no need for a red band... it might go unnoticed if you were to go in public with this.”

“That’s the goal. Better to hide your shield than to draw unnecessary attention.”

“Exactly. Well, best of luck to you two.”

Thank you, Aurora sent.

Description
Stevenson was summoned to Jen’s office - which, might he add, was nearly twice as large but three times as cluttered. There was no warm welcome when he arrived - just the sight of a young woman, face down on her desk, covered in papers.

“Jen? What’s the matter?”

She did not lift her head. “I’m at my limit, James. I can’t keep this up anymore. I’ve been trying - so hard! - for the last month, but I’m starting to lose my mind. The papers keep coming in, the death threats slip through the filters, the budget keeps wavering... I give up!”

Stevenson motioned for Aurora, who had been following him, to keep an ear out for anyone who might overhear their conversation. She nodded, and quietly closed the door behind her as she waited in the hallway. “Jen. Take a breather, okay? I told you we would do this at your own pace. I’ll take back some of the work, alright? I can’t have you giving up on me now, not with the Faire creeping up once more. Take a break - a month off, if you need to. I have Aurora, and she can help me-”

“No, no, no...” she cried in despair. “that isn’t the problem. I just don’t think I can stay in Androidics anymore, James. It’s in my nightmares. I’ve had two nervous breakdowns in the last week. It’s too much!”

“You need to tell me how I can help you. I can’t afford to lose you now.”

She finally raised her head, face distraught with tears. “I’m sorry, James. I quit.”

“You’re not going to quit. You know that. You know I won’t accept it.”

“I quit, James. Maybe a cold-hearted robot like you can take this sort of abuse - I can’t. Not any longer. I quit.”

The insult struck hard, and without warning. Stevenson whispered, “I know you didn’t mean that. But if you’re going to act this way, then know that I am very disappointed in you. I bet my life on you, and you’ve forfeited before the race has even begun.”

She stood up to leave. “I’m going home now. I’ll pack my belongings tomorrow, and I’ll be gone by noon.”

She hovered near the door for a moment, then turned to face her former professor, whom she had admired so much. “Farewell.”

—

Knock, knock.

“Professor? There’s someone here to see you. Her name is Maddie.”

He looked up from his computer. “I don’t know a Maddie.”

“She says you’ll know her when you see her... shall I call for security?”

Stevenson pondered for a moment, and shook his head. “No, bring her in. I’ll be fine.”

A long minute passed, and eventually, Maddie - off-shift novice Officer - appeared. She greeted him solemnly, and without fanfare. “Greetings, Professor. I’m Officer Maddie.”

“Officer - I remember you. How may I help you today?”

“May I close the door, so we have privacy in speaking?”

“Of course.”

She softly closed the wooden, creaky door, and sat down on the stool next to his desk. “I want to talk to you about that little girl you were carrying a few weeks back.” She nodded her head towards the girl, who sat further back in the room, silent and unmoving.

Stevenson attempted to make conversation. “She’s doing well, as you can see-”

“We both know that’s not true.”

“What on Earth do you mean by that?”

“I called Doctor Redmond.”

“...I heard.”

“Look, I don’t know exactly what you’re doing, or what is going on. I’ll be honest - not the slightest inkling. I don’t know if she’s a terrorist in hiding, or an illegally adopted child. But something doesn’t feel right, and I wanted to figure it out - just for closure, you know.”

“Interesting. Well, I’d be glad to debunk any strange conspiracy you might have of my friend’s daughter.”

She ignored the additional information. “What’s her name?”

“Aurora. Aurora Starling.”

“First, it doesn’t make sense that a young girl like that has a level four Protected Identity status. Never in the history of P.I. assignments has a person of that age received one. The youngest, as the records show, is a twenty-one year old man who accidentally published an extremely popular hologame, using his real name. Afraid of being mobbed in the streets, he asked for his identification card to be encrypted. And he only got a level two.

“Not only that - Aurora has this displayed on a medical band. This has only happened on five other occasions - mostly when important government figures travel overseas for medical treatment. The doctors don’t know who they’re operating on, and the patient is safe.

“It occurs to me that Aurora is neither an overnight entrepreneur nor a councilwoman in poor health - seeing as she has this strange paralysis that would forbid her from taking either role this early in life.”

Stevenson shrugged. “What if I told you she was born a savant? That’s quite often the case with individuals diagnosed with terrible physical diseases.”

“I would call you a liar, then. A savant like that would undoubtedly have a transmitter chip installed on their brain so that they might communicate with the world as they intend to.”

“Aurora does indeed have that. She can send messages to me via slate.” Stevenson offered his slate to the officer, who took is cautiously.

Good afternoon, Officer Maddie.

Maddie looked up at the doll - her eyes fixed on the officer. A cold tingle ran down Maddie’s spine, as if she had just looked into the eyes of God himself. “Hello, Aurora. How old are you?”

I am seven, Maddie.

“Who is this man that you sit in the office of?”

He is Professor James Stevenson, Maddie. He is the friend of my parents.

“And who are your par-”

Stevenson interrupted hastily. “Is this an interrogation, Officer? I demand to see a warrant, if that’s the case.”

“Just a conversation, professor. No need to get all riled up.”

Please, would you return the slate to Professor Stevenson so that I may have a few words with him?

“Of course,” she said sweetly, before handing the slate back to him. “All yours.”

Professor. Perhaps this is the missing link?

“Elaborate, Aurora.”

I find her logic sound, and reasonable. She does not seem particularly against robots or androids. She shows great potential as being a leader in her workforce, as some data I found correlates. She may be able to secure a much better identity for me.

Mindful of the intruder on their conversation, Stevenson resorted to typing his responses on the slate rather than speaking it out loud.

You must be out of your mind, Aurora. That’s far too risky.

Taking me on a walk in public when I am immobile is risky. Having a new friend with great strength is not. I believe this will be a good decision to make.

I do not approve. You will make no further mention of this until you are in working condition.

He turned to address Maddie. “I apologize for that wait. In any case, you’ve now met Aurora and I, and have seen that nothing is wrong here. What else could I help you with?”

She handed him a card. “I’m off-duty right now, so I can’t hand out my police card. But this is my personal contact - so if anything happens, let me know. I know I probably can’t do much-” she shrugged “-but I’ll do my best. Good-bye, Aurora - stay strong, okay?”

I will, she wrote, but the text went unseen.

—

“Good girl. You’re on your own, now. Balance.”

Her legs buckled slightly, but before anything drastic could happen, Aurora caught herself on the metal bars.

I believe my center of weight is still too high.

“It isn’t - not anymore. You’re proportioned exactly like a human girl your size. If we were to change it any further, your gait would be strange. Try again.”

Aurora gave a mechanical equivalent of a sigh, and released the bars. The metallic mesh of synthesized metal sprung back and forth underneath her skin - a transparent plastic that allowed Stevenson and his students to see exactly what was going on in her legs. After several more tries, Aurora was able to maintain a simple balance on two feet.

“Use your arms as counterweights if you have to. Okay. Maintain your balance for ten seconds, with a minimum deviation of one millimeter per decisecond.”

Why must there be a minimum? I could hold steady far more easily if I could stand still.

“Because humans are fickle, Aurora. Different muscle groups are firing all the time simply to maintain one posture. It looks human to be shifting slightly all the time.”

I’ve done it, I think.

“Good. Now-”

“Professor Stevenson!” cried Jen, running in from outside the lab. “There’s a police officer outside, and she wants to see Aurora!”

“Why now, of all times?” he fumed. “Let her know we can see her tomorrow. We’re in the middle of work.”

Before the last words could come tumbling out, he spotted the inevitable. Officer Maddie, adorned with a few more metal stripes than the last time they had met, barged in.

“Now, now, Professor. You wouldn’t let Aurora take her first steps without me, would you? Hello, sweetheart! How’re you doing?”

Aurora gave a weak thumbs up, still trying to maintain her balance.

“What? What’s going on?”

Maddie laughed. “She kept you in the dark this whole time, huh? You did tell her to make no mention of it until you were ready. She’s in her rebellious phase, I tell ya.” She winked at Aurora, who mirrored the action before finally falling over again. “Aurora has been keeping in contact with me. I know everything, Professor, so don’t bother explaining it.”

With a harshness in his voice no other had heard before, he said, “You must not tell anyone outside-”

“I said that I know everything, Professor. Believe me. She was thorough in warning me what she would personally do, as well as what you would be capable of doing, if I let anything leak.”

Stevenson’s slate blinked a message. Sorry, Professor. But I was right - she is the missing link.

Very tired all of a sudden, Stevenson cried at the girl clambering back up to the bars, “What do you mean?”

“I can get Aurora a level six P.I. in a few more months. And, it will be under my name, and I would be far more reliable an alibi than Redmond. Speaking of which, I don’t think he has any idea about all of this - so you’d better let him know pretty soon.”

—

“I’m glad that responsibility is off of my shoulder. I also assume that she won’t press any sort of charges on my... illegal activity?”

“No, she won’t be. She’s actually rather sympathetic, and has been very helpful.”

“That’s good to hear. Can I see it?”

Aurora, disguised in her wheelchair as a patient, raised her arm. Redmond touched it, and stared in wonder at the beautiful text. “An official identity band is so much more elegant than a medical one. No blatantly obvious cross, no need for a red band... it might go unnoticed if you were to go in public with this.”

“That’s the goal. Better to hide your shield than to draw unnecessary attention.”

“Exactly. Well, best of luck to you two.”

Thank you, Aurora sent.