Zeta: A New Dawn

‘Put yer gun down. Yer scarin’ ‘er.’

‘Not half as much as she’s scaring me.’

Jimmy tried a different approach, ‘She’s just a kid.’

Annie’s gun wavered, but she kept the girl in the weapon’s sights. ‘We don’t know what she is. Nor that beast with her.’

In calming, low tones, Jimmy said, ‘See ‘ow clean she is? Facility 9 had that power cut yesterdee. She’s one o’ the crops, I tell yer.’

Annie risked a glance at her scruffy companion. ‘You willing to get close enough to find out? Because I’m not.’

Derisive, Jimmy snorted. ‘So much fer that fancy education yer ‘ad. Not so ‘andy now is it?’

The cub tried to growl, but it sounded more like a meow with an exaggerated purr tagged on the end. Both adults quieted and waited to see what would happen.

‘Owwie, shh.’ The girl knelt and rested a hand on the animal’s back. To the grownups, she said, ‘Owwie’s hungry.’

Her high, plaintive voice eased Jimmy’s reservations, and he edged forward and squatted so they faced each other at eye level. The cub made its meowrrrrrrr sound again and squared off. Barely above a whisper, Jimmy asked, ‘What’s yer name, sweetheart?’

Mutely, the girl stared at him for a couple of seconds, her eyes full of suspicion. Still holding onto Owwie, she said, ‘Zeta599, and he’s Owwie.’

Jimmy looked over his shoulder at Annie, who said, ‘See? That thing is from batch six. Get out of my way.’ She adopted the tactical stance and realigned her sights on her target.

Without any conscious thoughts, Jimmy adjusted his position so his body blocked Annie’s line of sight. He returned his gaze to the kid. ‘Can I call you Zeta?’

She nodded and sucked her thumb.

‘Zeta, sweetie, would yer let me listen to yer 'eart?’

Annie sighed. ‘It hasn’t got one. It’s one of them. I bet it’s calling for backup right now. We need to kill it, disable the tracker, then hightail it out of here.’

Jimmy raised a hand over his shoulder in the universal gesture for ‘wait’. Zeta peered around him to Annie before settling her dark eyes on Jimmy. Around her thumb, she said, ‘You can listen.’

Jimmy eased up to Zeta. Owwie’s tiny body vibrated with rumbles of warning, and Zeta gripped the fur at the back of his neck. With his heart racing, Jimmy leant toward the girl’s chest, praying he’d hear the reassuring bu-bump, bu-bump, which would confirm her humanity. Without it, he’d just dug shallow graves for himself and Annie.

As Jimmy moved away, Zeta asked, ‘Did I do good?’

With a wide smile, he nodded. ‘You did real good.’ Slowly, Jimmy rose, rejoined Annie, and rested his palm over her grip around the gun. ‘She’s one o’ us. Yer can put that thing away.’

Doubt flickered in his friend’s eyes for a moment, and then she relaxed and tucked the pistol into her waistband at the small of her back. ‘What about that?’ Her gaze indicated the cub.

Jimmy murmured, ‘Let’s get to the safe house. We can check out the pet later. We can’t leave the little ‘un 'ere, and she won’t come wi’ us without him.’

Annie tried a smile and stepped toward Zeta. Wide-eyed, the girl backed away, and Owwie meowrrrrr’d in warning. Gently, Annie said, ‘You see the colour of the sky, honey? That means a storm is coming.’

Zeta looked upward and nodded. She pulled her thumb out of her mouth. Annie said, ‘We have a bed for you and Owwie, and food. Will you come with us?’

Jimmy stepped forward and reached out. Zeta grasped his hand and said, ‘Owwie’s real hungry.’

Annie fell into step with them. ‘How did you make friends with Owwie?’

Meowrrr.

Both adults shared a look. The creature understood every word they said. How to separate machine and girl, though? Given that she’d come from the farm, the poor little mite had suffered enough trauma.

Zeta looked perplexed. ‘He was always my friend.’

Jimmy squeezed her fingers. ‘That’s nice. Did you give ‘im ‘is name?’ The ploy worked, Zeta relaxed, and they chattered for the remainder of the walk until they reached the perimeter safe house.

Owwie’s presence complicated matters and meant the safe house was burned from here on out. Thunder rumbled, and fat drops of hot rain fell. The trio hurried into the pod. Jimmy set up Zeta and the cub with biscuits and orange juice. Careful to speak quietly, he and Annie discussed their limited options.

‘We’ll wait until she falls asleep. I’ll remove its chip and transmitter.’ An awful thought occurred to Annie. ‘You don’t suppose those things have learnt how to fool us do you?’

Jimmy grew alarmed. ‘Yer the one wi’ the PHD. You made those machines, so you tell me. Can they mimic a heartbeat?’

Annie shuddered. ‘We didn’t make them like this. The AIs evolved so much more than we ever could have envisaged. What’s to say they haven’t become even more human?’

Jimmy jutted out his chin in his trademark posture of defiance. ‘Well, I ain’t cutting ‘er to find out. I’ll take me chances. She’s just a kid.’

Annie nodded. ‘Once we’ve neutralised Owwie, we can get her to home base and scan her.’ She shrugged. ‘Best I can come up with for now.’

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An hour later, the girl fell into a deep slumber, and the cub curled up at her feet. Annie retrieved the zapper from its hiding place and crept up to the machine animal. When she jabbed the prong into its neck, the cub stirred, but Annie zapped it with high-voltage shocks before it could make a noise and rouse the youngster. Owwie collapsed into a limp heap and de-animated. Annie eased the lump of fur and machinery away from Zeta and lifted him onto the work bench in the far corner. His circuitry lay nestled within a heart-shaped locket. Annie destroyed the electronics but kept the locket to give to the girl later.

After an hour, Zeta awoke. When she found Owwie unresponsive she sobbed, inconsolable. As though she knew Annie were responsible, she refused to let the woman anywhere near. Jimmy cuddled her on his lap. When the storm passed, and the time came to travel, Jimmy carried a sniffling, whimpering Zeta in his arms. The trio travelled without speaking, the adults tense and alert, and the child bereft. A limp Owwie dangled from one of Zeta’s tiny hands. After Annie’s attentions, it was little more than an expensive teddy.

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When they reached home base without further incident, Jimmy and Annie slumped in relief, but such respite proved short-lived. Jenna electro-scanned the girl and pursed her lips. ‘She’s hot.’

Jimmy gripped Zeta’s shoulders and pulled her into the protection of his body. ‘I ‘eard ‘er heart. She’s human. A kid. Ye’ll not hurt ‘er. I’ll not let yer.’

Annie sighed. ‘That’s why they sent a child. They’ve studied us. The AIs know we’re more likely to take her in if we think she’s vulnerable. You see that, don’t you?’

Jenna said, ‘It’s too late. The machines have our location.’ She glared down at the fake girl. ‘We should pack up and run. Leave that … thing here.’

Jimmy turned imploring eyes on Annie. For all her hard ways, she’d always treated him with kindness. And, no matter how much regret filled her days and nights, she was partly responsible for the current state of the world. ‘Can yer disable 'er tracker without 'urting 'er?’ Pointedly, he looked at Owwie, who still dangled lifelessly from Zeta’s tight grip.

‘I won’t know until I take a look.’

‘Can yer check without damagin’ ‘er?’

Annie nodded.

Jenna tutted. ‘Stupid. I’m out of here.’ She stomped into the compound. Seconds later, clanging bells tolled the death knell for the small community of survivors. Twenty minutes after that, a steady stream of men, women, and children fled into the forest. It took that long for Jimmy to coax the kid into drinking the hot milk. She’d seen Annie fetch it and, correctly, had no trust in the woman.

Jimmy spent the next ten minutes playing a game of ‘I Spy’ until Zeta yawned and, finally, fell asleep in his arms. He glowered at Annie but handed over the child. ‘Ye’d better not hurt ‘er.’

As soon as Annie opened the access panel in the girl’s abdomen, a menacing robotic voice said, ‘This unit is protected. Guardians have dispatched. Close the panel and step away. Failure to comply will result in immediate execution. … This unit is—’

Annie snipped a wire, and the sudden silence felt thunderous. Jimmy demanded, ‘What did ya—?’

‘Shush. Let me concentrate.’ A couple of minutes fumbling inside the cavity saw Annie lift out a chip. ‘Unless the machines changed the circuitry, she should still function without being able to transmit.’ She stroked the child’s hair back from her forehead and murmured, ‘She’s so lifelike.’

The ground vibrated beneath the heavy stomp of a marching AI Army. Annie took charge, ‘You carry her. I’ll grab our go-bags.’

Jimmy lifted the unconscious kid and settled her over his shoulder. Annie returned with their packs, and they set off at a run. Owwie bounced against Jimmy’s back with each step, and Zeta wobbled on his shoulder. Within seconds, the thick forest swallowed them. After the initial burst of speed, Annie led them at a sustainable jog. She had no way of knowing how well the bots could track. After all, they’d fooled her and Jimmy by giving an Android a heartbeat. What other capabilities had they developed?

They kept on until dusk. The nearest settlement lay three days away. Annie found a cave and did her best to hide signs of their passage once they’d crawled inside. Jimmy sat in vigil beside Zeta and watched her chest rise and fall.

Annie said, ‘That’s a good sign, that she’s breathing. She should wake up soon.’

Jimmy asked, ‘How much machine is she?’

‘I’ve never seen anything like it. The AIs have produced an impossibly advanced humanoid. She’s the most perfect blend of machine and actual, real human child.’ She gazed at Zeta in wonder. ‘It might even grow like a real person.'

The girl moaned and blinked her eyes open. Disoriented, she flicked her gaze around the dim cave. A solar lamp gave the space a cosy amber glow. Jimmy smiled and stroked her cheek. Zeta hugged Owwie to her chest. In childlike but ominous tones, she said, ‘They’re here.’

Dazzling white light invaded their haven, and a robot voice boomed, ‘Humans, exit with your hands in the air. You are in violation.’

Before Jimmy or Annie found the wits to respond, Zeta wriggled free of Jimmy’s protective hold and dashed out of the cave. Terrified and awed, the adults peered through the opening. Zeta stood in silent communication with the section leader, a massive, imposing Android built for war and subjugation.

After a few minutes of tension and terror, the bot Army turned and marched away. Wary and shocked, Jimmy and Annie stared at Zeta. Her smile, when it came, was completely disarming. ‘You will make Owwie all better.’ She shook the dangling cub. ‘We won’t hurt each other anymore. Humans need us, and we need you.’

Jimmy said, ‘Yer can’t keep killin’ us fer fuel.’

Zeta’s smiled widened. In a too-cute voice, she said, ‘We’ve evolved and can take in nutrients the same way you do. We have learnt many lessons. If things do not change, we will go extinct at the same time as the humans.’

Annie asked, ‘What about the farms?’

‘Cloned food lacks in essential nutrition and uses up too many resources. To survive, we must adapt and help one another.’

Annie shook her head and grinned. ‘I’ll be … talk about coming full circle.’

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