Max frowned. “Just think on it, okay? Just think on it. We could be living so much bigger.”
Nora forced another smile. “Thanks for the parts, Max. Take care of yourself. I’ll be back with more soon.”
Blood pounded in Nora's ears, battery clenched in her hand. She got back to Tilly in the hover and drove away, only looking back to see Max’s eyes narrowed on them as they left.
Tilly asked from the backseat, “You aren’t gonna sell Simon, are you? I don’t want to live here in the town.”
“What do you think, Tilly? No way. That Max needs to mind his own business.” She bit her lip.But Max starting to push like that is getting me worried.
Nora didn’t bother going farther into town, wanting to get back now that they had the parts. The drone almost appeared to lead her back home, but hung close to them as if it were listening. Nora yelled up to it, “I would never sell him out! Don’t you worry.”
The drone, as always, didn’t answer. It was almost obnoxious though, how closely it followed the moment they left the city and got back into the open desert.
Nora didn’t bother to say anything more, focused only on getting to the little stucco house in the distance. Her body relaxed as soon as it came into view.Home.She gazed at the little house with sadness in her eyes. A heavy feeling fell over her. “We might have to leave and try our luck elsewhere if Max keeps pressuring me about Simon though.”Might be about time.Simon had been making practical plans lately, and Nora found herself in agreement with most of them. Wasn’t that why they had been stockpiling all that stuff? There were easier places on Earth to live. And now they had knowledge of where that might be. Nora’s hands gripped the steering wheel.Yeah, it’s time.
“I don’t want to leave,” Tilly crossed her arms.
Nora shook her head.Didn’t mean to say that aloud.“We’ll see, okay Tilly? I just want us all to be safe together. And you heard Max. Simon is family. I don’t like Max talking about him like that. Not safe if that’s what he’s thinking.”
“I love Simon.”
Nora's heart ached. A soft smile came to her lips. “Me too, Tilly. Me too. Got the parts now; let’s wake him back up.”
Nora put the hover away in the garage and sent Tilly inside with the cables and battery.
Once she followed her in, Nora replaced the wires, double-checked the connections, and then turned Simon back on. Relief flooded her as the red light briefly turned on, followed by Simon’s eyes beginning to become aware again.
She sighed out. “There, good as new.”
Chapter forty-three
Simon
Simon’s sensors slowly came back online, calibrating slowly. The first thing in his awareness was Nora’s face, looking relieved.
Nora smoothed down his hair and said, “Oh, good.”
He took in sensory input like he was starving.What did I miss?Nothing appeared much different. He did not feel stiff at all in any joints.
“How long?” he managed to gasp.How long was I not awake?Fear like he’d never felt before coated his processors. The air around him buzzed in his sensors. “How long?”
“Only half a day. Got everything fixed fast. You feel okay now?” Nora leaned over to continue gently touching his hair.
Simon’s posture turned hard, his system slowly coming back online and inputs flooding his senses once again. His jaw clenched.Livid.I am livid.Anger was in every joint as his eyes narrowed. “You turned me off, Nora. You know everything that happened to me. And you turned me off. Like I was just a machine to you. Like they wanted to do to me before. And you just did it.”
“What?” A confused look crossed Nora's face.
His voice was like a whip crack. “You did it. And it was unnecessary.”
Nora recoiled back, wariness in her gaze as her hand hovered over his head. Her voice took on a pleading tone. “No. Simon, I was trying to help fix . . . I didn’t . . .”
He pulled away from her gentle touch, physically pushing himself backward out of her reach on the tile floor. “You just acted like a human would. Toward a machine.”
Shock shone in her eyes. “No! The battery—it was leaking and I didn’t want it to get worse. I’m sorry. I thought I could do it and fix you like before. I didn’t think . . .”
Simon spat back at her, “Didn’t think that my opinion mattered? That I should have a say in my sentience?” A moment of silence reigned and then he said softly, his chin trembling, “That I matter?”
“No,” Nora said softly, pleadingly. “I didn’t mean that at all . . . I didn’t think. The battery was leaking. I didn’t want you to hurt. I wanted to fix you . . .”
