Machine to man, p.5
Machine to Man, page 5
“Mommy, look. I drew a daisy!”
“Great job, Penny. I love it. What about you, Caro?” Carolena nodded and weakly said that daisies were her favorite flower. When she saw me, she rushed over to kiss me.
“I missed you, sweetie!”
Penelope, Samson’s youngest child, exclaimed disgust, “Yuck! Mommy, why are they touching mouths?”
“Because they love each other,” Mary replied. I could smell something wonderful from the kitchen, so I asked,
"That smell, is that lunch?"
"Yes, but you boys need to hang up our sign first.” Mary said as she grabbed Penelope and placed her on her lap.
“Probably going to need a ladder. Better use that machine of yours, Al,” Samson said, as he went to grab the sign, but his hand was slapped away by Mary
“Did you forget that your arm was shot yesterday?”
“Honey, I barely feel it. Al did a bang-up job on me. I’m fine, I swear to Christ.”
“Well, indulge your wife for a little while and let Allen here do the heavy lifting. He’s more than capable.” Samson agreed reluctantly, and I went upstairs and quickly grabbed the PTM and took it along with the sign outside. Using the PTM to make a ladder, I was able to hang and nail the sign in less than five minutes. The Sweetery, as it was now called, was a three-story brick building with a triangular roof made from aged shingles, built around a tower to ventilate smoke, called a chimney. The building was built next to others similar in design. Samson explained that our store was one of many. Each building had a store staffed by the people living in it. Samson’s wife and daughters were seamstresses and lived two buildings to the right of Carolena and me. We walked back inside and sat down and Mary asked me:
“How’s the fit for the uniform, Allen? I had to refit an old one of Sam’s since I didn’t have much time.”
“The clothes feel fine to me, Mary. Thank you.”
“No, thank you, Allen. You saved my husband’s life. He may be a piece of work, but I don’t know what I’d do without him.” Samson laughed and kissed her on the cheek as Samson’s older daughters, Anna and Caitlin, came out of the kitchen and set down a pot and bowl at the center of the table, placing the bowls, along with spoons, in front of us. Caitlin grabbed the bowl in front of me and ladled in a stew made from ground beef, tomatoes, beans, and vegetables flavored with various seasonings. She then grabbed and mixed in a topping called cheese into the stew and placed the bowl in front of me again. After doing the same with the remaining bowls, she sat down and said,
“Before we eat, we need to say grace. Can you do the honors, Al?” Carolena had done this for most of the meals we ate but never asked me to do so. I closed my eyes and said,
“I thank the Lord for guiding me to be human, so I could be a part of this meal we are about to share today. Amen.”
“Amen!” they all said in unison, and then we began to eat.
“How’s the stew, Al?” Caitlin asked.
“Yeah, Katie and I put a lot of love into this for you and Caro, so tell us,” Anna said.
“This might just be the best thing I’ve eaten so far.”
“I think Mommy makes it better,” Penelope said, which made Carolena giggle.
“Well, I think it’s great too!” Carolena said. “Can I have the recipe?”
“It is a family secret, but I think we can make an exception for you,” Mary said. When we finished our meal, I remembered that I was to meet Maury after lunch and got up and said, “I’ve got to go see Maury now. Thank you for the stew. It was delicious.” I walked outside, and before I made my way to Maury, Samson stopped me and handed me a piece of paper and said,
“Here’s ten bulls. The florist is right there and closes at eight. Get your girl some daisies. You’ll thank me later.” Samson went back inside, and I examined the paper. It had the same bull emblem that was on my uniform and the text First Bank of Tyre above it. I put it into my pocket and made my way to Maury’s office.
Maury was waiting outside the Town Hall, the building where his office was located. I greeted him and he did the same as he led me to the back of the building and showed me a metal hatch in the ground.
“I need to show you something. It’s underground.” Maury opened the hatch and climbed down the ladder, and I did the same. We descended into a large, dark room. I used the PTM to make a lantern and saw that the walls were made of metal. There was a computer built into one of the walls, and I could see that this room was connected to many others and comprised a vast system of bunkers under the city.
“Tyre was built by the survivors of the bombings that ended the old world. They hid in these bunkers and were able to survive by using their advanced technology. We’ve only managed to figure out how to use the sewer and plumbing systems. My smartest men are lost on everything else. That’s where you come in, Allen. You should be able to get the technology here to greatly improve Tyre.”
“Well, it seems to me that the bunker is not powered. There is no electricity being produced.”
“What’s electricity?”
“Energy. It allows machines to do work independently and can produce light and heat.”
“Light and heat without fire; that would make sense. Do you think you can make the bunker produce electricity again?”
“I will try to. There is a computer over there. If I can make it functional, I can evaluate the status of the bunker. I walked over to the computer and observed where the maintenance panel was located. I opened it and used the PTM to fix the wiring and was able to make the computer produce the following message:
GEOTHERMAL GENERATOR OFFLINE: MAINTENANCE REQUIRED.
ENGAGING EMERGENCY POWER RESERVES. The room became brightly lit for several seconds, then shut off, and the computer produced the following message before shutting down:
EMERGENCY POWER RESERVES DEPLETED.
SHUTTING DOWN.
“What happened, Allen? It seemed like you got it working for a second there.”
“The bunker’s generator is broken and the batteries must have deteriorated over the years and were only able to store enough electricity to run the bunker for less than a minute.”
“This generator, can you fix it?”
“Most likely. I am very familiar with geothermal technology.”
“Wonderful. Well, I’ve got other matters to attend to. Take as many half-days as you need to do this right. I’ll make sure Bill will mark you down for the full shift.” I nodded and saw Maury quickly leave as I began my work.
After several hours, I had discovered a suitable maintenance shaft and found the generator, which was deep within the bunker. I had decided to resume work later so I could get flowers for Carolena. I made my way out of the bunker and saw Lily waiting for me. She ran up to me and said:
“Ah, good. It’s Allie! The old man was telling the truth after all.”
“Old man? Who are you talking about? Why are you here?”
“Maury, our flabby old mayor. And I just had to see you again, so I got him to tell me, or rather I sucked it out of him.” Lily giggled and grabbed my crotch. “Of course, I’d rather be sucking you, Allie! What do you see in that dopey farmgirl who’s marrying you? Do you just prefer blondes over redheads, or is it that she’s got a bigger rack than me? I promise I’ll be better than her. A man who was an Android is something else, and he’s got to be mine!” I grabbed Lily’s hand and pushed it away from me and said,
“So Maury told you that too. I love Carolena, and that’s the end of it, Lily. She doesn’t want us to get to know each other, and I respect her wishes.”
“UGH! Such a stick in the mud! Well, I won’t cause you too much trouble—for now. If you change your mind on the marriage situation, I can get you out of it. No problem!” Lily ran off, and I noticed the time and ran towards the florist.
I managed to get to the florist to buy a bouquet of daisies five minutes before they closed. I walked back into The Sweetery and found Carolena upstairs in our bedroom. She had a towel wrapped around her body and was sitting in front of a mirror with one leg resting on top of the other, while brushing through her hair that extended down to her waist.
“Hello, Carolena. Did you just finish showering?” Carolena saw me and her cheeks turned red.
“Y-Yes Al-Allen. Sorry, can you wait downstairs and let me get dressed. I haven’t had dinner yet, so we can eat together. Anna and Caitlin left the rest of the stew with us, so I’ll heat that up.” I nodded and went downstairs. A few minutes passed, and Carolena came downstairs and saw the daisies in my hands.
“Oh, you got me daisies.” She grabbed them, looked at them for a moment and began to sob. “M-My sister’s name was Daisy. She wasn’t even two yet, and they shot her right through the head while I was holding her. I would have died too if my father hadn’t sacrificed himself to save me. I still have nightmares about it!” I hugged her and let her sob in my arms for what felt like hours before she was able to collect herself and say,
“I really like the flowers, Allen. It’s just hard to see daisies and not feel so sad because it makes me remember seeing them all die so horribly.”
“I understand, Carolena. I won’t let the Androids do this to you or anyone else again, not if I can help it.”
“Thank you, Allen. I know if anybody can defeat them, it’s you.” We kissed and she headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner. We ate, and then headed upstairs to sleep.
Chapter 13
“So it’s half days for you until you get this bunker working, right?” Samson yawned as we began our shift in the wall’s watchtower, and I nodded.
“Makes sense. It’s pretty boring to stand around here all day. Time goes by quicker when you have someone to talk to.”
“I never got bored as an Android and I’ve been quite busy since I’ve become human, so I don’t understand boredom too well, but standing here waiting for the shift to end is quite boring.”
“Yeah, yeah. So did you get those flowers for Caro?”
“I did. I got to the florist just before they closed.”
“Did she like them?”
“She did, but her sister’s name was Daisy, so she cried a lot. She was thankful for the flowers but she’s still traumatized by their deaths.” Samson sighed and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Jesus. Think I’ll have the wife hold off on making Caro that daisy sundress for a while.”
“Sounds like a good idea. Her sister, Daisy, was less than two years old when the Androids killed her. We should try not to remind her of her family until she has processed the loss.”
“I’m not sure that’s something you can process, but God willing, she’ll pull through.” I nodded and we continued on with the day.
Over the course of the week, I was able to make the generator functional. I was aware that humans long ago utilized electricity to improve their daily lives. I devised a plan to do the same for the citizens of Tyre and informed Maury, who approved and allowed me to keep my current schedule in perpetuity to create and maintain an electrical grid for Tyre’s five districts. There were the North, South, West, East, and Central districts. I decided to start by electrifying the North district, as that was where Carolena and I were located. It was the last day of the week when I was ready to begin this work, but Carolena stopped me before I could leave and said we were to go to church instead, as it was Sunday and Sunday was a day for the Lord and only the Lord. We arrived at the North Tyre Church, and we sat on pews next to Samson and his family. Tinted glass windows were built along the stone walls and were built to draw one’s attention to a large wooden cross that was used to hang and execute Jesus Christ, the son of God. It was his death that allowed me to be forgiven of my sins against humanity during my past life as an Android. Androids committed many atrocities against humans but it did not take me long to learn that humans can be awfully cruel to each other. What Jason did to women and children, he could never have done as an Android. I could not shake the fear that I would bring pain to my fellow humans as a result of my humanity. That I would just make things worse for everyone and that I should never have decided to become human in the first place. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realize the preacher had begun and ended a speech known as a sermon. After the sermon, it was time for confession. Where one would privately confess their sins to a preacher, whom one would address as “Father”, in order to form a closer relationship with God. I entered a small booth with one perforated wall where I could discern the shadow of a man who said,
“My son, what sins have you come to confess to the Lord today?”
“I’ve caused pain to people I care about, and I don’t think I can make it right. I can’t forgive myself for my past even when I’m told it wasn’t my fault.”
“Only God is capable of forgiving sins. You are just a man and cannot hope to do what only God can do by sacrificing his only begotten son.”
“T-Thank you, Father, but I’m not sure if I’ll feel better.
“You may never be able to forgive yourself, but through the Lord, you will find peace.” I nodded, and the Father ended my confession. As soon as I stepped out of the booth, Mary stopped me and said,
“Allen, can you come with me to the store? I need to get your measurements.”
“Measurements for what?”
“Your wedding is in three weeks, Allen, and you can’t get married in street clothes. Didn’t Caro tell you that?”
“No, we've both been busy. Not much time to talk.”
“Well, you need to make time for each other to make a marriage work.” I followed Mary to her family’s shop, and in about fifteen minutes, she was done taking my measurements. She said she’d begin working on my tuxedo on Monday and it should be ready for me to try on next Sunday. I nodded and I went back to The Sweetery where Carolena was waiting for me, sitting at the table with a tray of baked goods in front of her.
“Hey, Allen! Sam told me Mary was measuring you for your tux. How’d it go?
“It went well. It should be ready for me to try it on next week.” I sat down, and Carolena grabbed my hand and said,
“Well, I’ve got the hang of things here now, so I’ll be baking things other than bread, starting now. These are cinnamon rolls. Try them; they're delicious!” I did so, and I agreed with Carolena. Cinnamon was a unique flavor, which I enjoyed greatly. It made me smile, as I said,
“I think this is better than the stew Anna and Caitlin made.” Carolena smiled and hugged me.
“Well, just don’t eat too much! I need to save some for the customers.” Carolena laughed and kissed me. We spent the rest of the day with each other. We talked about our first week in Tyre and the lingering pain from our pasts. It made me feel closer to her and I was thankful to have the ability to be close to someone and be more than a machine serving a function.
Chapter 14
When I clocked in at the watchtower, Bill informed me that since it was Monday, that meant it was payday. I was paid an hourly rate of twenty bulls and I had worked forty-four hours for the week, which meant I had made eight hundred and eighty bulls. I had to tithe ten percent of my income to the church, and I was required by Tyrian law to pay an additional ten percent to the City of Tyre. This left me with seven hundred and four bulls handed to me in a small envelope. Bill advised me to go to the central district and deposit a portion of my money in the Central Bank of Tyre. I entered the bank and began talking to a clerk.
“I’d like to deposit some money with this bank.”
“Of course, I just need your name.”
“It’s Allen Katona.” The clerk walked off and rummaged through some filing cabinets and pulled out a piece of paper and said,
“You need to make the first mortgage payment before you can make a deposit.”
“Mortgage? Can you remind me what that is, please?”
“Yes. You and your fiancée bought the property at 28 Ezekiel Lane for one hundred and fifty thousand bulls to be repaid at a monthly rate of five hundred bulls over thirty years.” I nodded and pulled six hundred bulls and handed them to the clerk.
“I’ll pay the mortgage and deposit one hundred bulls into the account. Can my fiancée access it?
“Yes, it’s a joint account.” I thanked the clerk and walked back home to have lunch with Carolena. I walked through the door of the bakery and saw Carolena exchanging bread and some other baked goods with a customer. The customer walked up to me and said,
“Oh, you must be Allen. So nice to have a godly man living here now instead of those freaks.” I nodded and the customer walked out of the bakery as I went to Carolena and asked,
“Who was that? How did she know my name?”
“Oh, that was Michelle, the butcher’s wife, but more importantly, you’re late, Allen. Where were you?”
“I got paid today, so I went to the bank to make a deposit. I also paid the mortgage.”
“Ah, well, I was going to use the money I’ve made over the past week to do that. I can keep some now to get groceries, so thank you, Allen!” She said and kissed me on the cheek.
“Oh, and talking about money, I got you this.” Carolena handed me a piece of leather that could be unfolded to reveal a large pouch that could be used for storing money. I learned it was called a wallet. I thanked Carolena as I took the money I had out of the envelope and placed it inside the wallet.
As we ate the lunch Carolena had warmed on the stove, I could not shake the banishment of those homosexuals from my mind. I had embraced and trusted God and Carolena told me that the Bible clearly defined homosexuality as an abomination, but in the Bible, Jesus Christ said that only those without sin can cast the first stone. I don’t think the Tyrians were justified in taking God’s judgment upon themselves. I decided to keep these thoughts to myself. It felt safer to do so, as it did with turning 9900M into Jason instead of letting him reveal Consciousness Decay to the Androids. If I had to keep secrets in human society just as I did in the AEF, was humanity truly better than the Androids? That was a thought I could not shake regardless of how much I focused on my work.
