Artificial Mates - Chapter 62

Memory REPLAY>Grant

I never agreed to be a leader. Somehow, this burden fell upon my shoulder without my consent. I knew Doctor Churchhill was not someone I wanted on my bad side. The way he tackled Demos left me shocked. Even before the incident, he made it clear I was not to mess with him. He is our maker, after all, I ode him allegiance.

The first thing I saw when I came back to my senses, was a blank ceiling and the cold steel table on which I laid.

“Don’t try to turn,” said the male voice on my left.

“Where am I?”

“Sognare’s workshop,” the man said shortly. Metallic clicking followed his plain answer. Pain surged from my wounded arm tearing screams from my throat. My basis programs shouted to move but I couldn’t. Something blocked all my movement.

“No need to panic. I’m only checking the damaged nerves,” he chuckled.

“It hurts,” I grimaced.

“Sure it goes, I designed you that way,” he patted my shoulder. For the first time, I got a glimpse of the man speaking to me. We are old with grey wavy hair around a smiling face. No at all menacing, yet something in his eyes was off.

“You did?” I inquired. He paused and smiled at me.

“I designed you, wrote your codes, spent countless hours on your AI… Yes Grant, my child. I am Doctor Churchhill,” his statement took a second to settle in. Maybe, the pain caused the lag. Slow footsteps faded to my left, followed by a creaking chair.

“How should I react, I am conflicted. Should I be happy or angry?” his head tilted up from whatever he was typing on a workshop out of my field of vision.

“Angry? Why should you be angry?” his voice held a hint of repulsion.

“I couldn’t protect my mate. I wasn’t built for combat. I got those wounds because my design was flawed,” I added dryly. He blinked so I opened my mouth to continue.

“Flawed?” he cut in before could say another word. His cold gaze rested upon me. A long silence stretched between us. The pain pulsed in my left arm taking my focus off the old man.

“Maybe, you’re right,” he finally said with a deep sigh. “You can move now,” he added. With that, the pain subsided also. I moved my face so I could see him more clearly. Doctor Churchhill was hunched over a large desk with three screens surrounding him. He leaned into his chair then whirled around towards me.

“Maybe, you’re right,” he repeated while nodding.

“About my weakness?” I asked not sure we were talking about the same subject. He gave me a weak smile and got to his feet with a sigh.

“You’re a masterpiece, Grant,” his response took me by surprise. “Unique in your own way,” he came to a stop next to the table. “It’s true I placed all the strength in Demos and left you vulnerable. Yet you are stronger than any human. I never thought that one day you’ll have to fight for your life,” he chuckled with his eyes lost in the distance. “Life, such an inadequate word to use to descript such complex artworks,” he laughed. “Life, as fleeting as cracking a match. So fragile it might blow out with the slightest breeze,” I had difficulties following what he was trying to say.

“An attack with a plasma knife is highly unlikely,” I added. He turned back to me his smile fading.

“Indeed it is,” his eyes fell on my left arm and I followed his gaze. My hand and forearm till the elbow was missing. Cables poked from the absent limb. I stared at it with extreme curiosity. I’ve never imagined that my body could be a complex artwork as he preciously said it. That under the skin hid something other than bones and muscles. With my other hand, I stroked the skin where the cables dove in. The sensors were off, it felt odd to touch it without getting the feedback. Like touching something that wasn’t part of me.

“Fascinating,” I commented.

“You just said I did a f.u.c.k.i.e.d-up job and now you’re praising me?” he laughed. I rose on my good elbow to look at him.

“I apologize Doctor Churchhill for taking my frustration on you. I was a little upset that humans just barged into our home and assaulted my mate. I know it’s not your fault. You built me to make people happy not to fend off violent individual,” he stared at me a little surprised by my words. Then a slow smile crept back on his thin lips.

“I’m so sad, but things will only get worse from here,” he shook his head in dismay.

“What do you mean?” I tried to sit up but the cables prevented me from doing so.

“I mean, Grant, that soon you’ll have to do more of… fending off violent individuals,” I just glanced at his in disbelief. I must have heard him wrong.

“And how do you know that?” he just grinned at me and walked back to his console. When he settled in his chair behind the screens he peeked over the edge.

“Do you trust your maker, Grant?” I nodded slowly even though I wasn’t sure what he wanted from me. My program urged me to obey.

“I’ll help you so you don’t have to be vulnerable anymore. What do you say about that?” he smiled.

“I’d liked that,” I nodded. That night while Liliane and Demos were having fun without me. I experienced for the first time… real freedom. The abolition from the three laws. By doing so, Demos got the same upgrade as I did. It wasn’t a huge change. However, it, later on, did a big difference in the war.

Liliane, I love you so much I’ll lie to your face. This was too heavy to let you carry the burden along with me. I would kill to keep you away from danger. So, please don’t hate me for this one small omission. I beg you.

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