Gen Four- Chapter Two

Neither of us knew how to react. I knew most people in the building and had formed the basic, pleasant general relationship one has with acquaintances on average at least twenty years older than you. Mr. Sterling though, well, he was essentially a ghost to me. A figure I saw only rarely and who only ever flashed a quick appearance in the corner of my eye before he impossibly darted off. Seriously, maybe he could walk through walls. I'd tried to follow him once or twice, and it was if he'd vanished from reality.

     "Good afternoon, Nutmeg," he greeted quietly and meekly.

I stopped his attempt at walking by by moving in his way. Needing to move down the hallway I blocked, he was trapped between getting to his destination and knowing walking in the opposite direction wouldn't help him.

     "Hey, Mr. Sterling, can I talk to you for a moment?" A bold request on my part, and one I knew he wouldn't accept.

     "Unfortunately, there's something I must take care of. If I could be on my way."

He sighed and rubbed at his forehead when I jumped to halt him once more.

I gave him a reassuring smile that didn't do anything but flash an intense amount of guilt across his expression. However, such an expression wasn't unusual for him on the rare occasions we interacted. My stupid brain decided that even though he clearly didn't want to be in my presence that patting his arm comfortingly was a good idea. Mr. Sterling jumped back like I was a live wire.

     "Sorry," I apologized. "Mr. Sterling, I really do just want a quick moment. I know you knew my mom. I wanted to ask about her."

     "I'm sure your father can tell you everything you want to know," Mr. Sterling mumbled.

     "He's told me what he can, but there's only so much he can say before there's nothing new. You can give me something different, something more. Even a quick conversation you had is fine."

     "There will always be the desire for more even if I do answer you," he spoke, squeezing his way past me by shuffling against the corner. "You will never find yourself satisfied because stories cannot replace the person that should be here."

     "I-I know. I know I won't ever be satisfied, but I can be content for a little while if you─"

     "I'm done with this conversation, Nutmeg. I've given you my answer."

With one determined step he pushed past me to flee down the hallway. This time I stubbornly grabbed his hand despite how he tensed, but Mr. Sterling wrenched himself free before I could blink.

     "Mr. Sterling, please wait," I called after him miserably. I didn't understand why things had to be like this. "It wasn't your fault mom died, you know that, right? There was nothing you could have done."

All of his muscles tightened until Mr. Sterling became a stone statue forcing himself to move with nothing but sheer will-power. His back grew smaller and smaller until he disappeared around the corner. A slow, sad exhale escaped my lips as I relaxed too, not noticing how tight I'd bound myself as well.

Seriously, I didn't understand it. Mr. Sterling had been my mom's doctor and friend. He'd taken care of her during her pregnancy with me especially well. Sadly, there'd been problems with the pregnancy like a placental abruption and ultimately hemorrhaging after the birth that simply couldn't be stopped. Mom passed away from the blood loss. Dad said he didn't blame Mr. Sterling for not being able to save mom, but apparently there'd been some sort of fall out between them regardless. He didn't want me to talk or interact with Mr. Sterling, and Mr. Sterling obviously had no wish to be in the same room as me. It all made me want to get close to him way more though. Mr. Sterling had been the very first person to touch me, hold me when I came into this world. Perhaps the thought was silly, but because of that I felt connected to him in a way that no other could replicate.

No matter what, there was nothing that could be done about it now. I shuffled to complete my previous tasks and shook off what I could of my glum expression as I waited in our section's hallway for dad and the others. Ms. Cranberry showed up first to stick her nose in the air, sneak around me and into the appropriate door, and hurriedly shut it before I could see anything. I mumbled a few things about her that I shouldn't have, and this time I was glad dad and the rest were slower to arrive. My colorful language ceased right before they stepped past the outer door.

     "Give us a minute to get ready, and then we'll let you in," dad instructed.

So I nodded and waited more. The boredom began to start me swaying when the door finally opened for me. This room, like the other, was light in color, but incredibly less focused on adding any sort of extra frills. There before me sat a desk with a computer and a massive, whirring machine that widened my eyes.

     "What in the world does that giant egg thing do? Please don't tell me we've been working on making a huge chicken," I gawked.
     "No, no," dad reassured before pondering. "Although, I would be curious to know the ramifications of having a chicken this big and then trying to cook the egg..."
     "Dad."
     "Sorry. I mean it, no bird is coming out of here."
     "Then what is going to come out?"
     "That's the important part of your job. You're going to help us decide how what's going to come out looks."
     "We're ready to start, Timber," Mr. Plantain said.
     "Great."

Placing a hand on my back, dad guided me towards the machine. Every step closer sent more powerful reverberations through the floor that echoed from my feet to the top of my head. I shivered with expectation and nerves. No chicken was coming out, but the machine lived in its own right. Relief swept through my chest when dad positioned me to his side as he was the one to take position and press some buttons.

     "Whoa."

The rumbling increased when the parts whirred to life. It was if thunder right above my head rattled my body but without the sound.

     "We'll need to work more on the stabilization system, the others across the hall likely felt that, but it booted up nicely," Mr. Plantain explained, pressing his nose closer to the computer monitor.
     "I'll proceed then."

This sort of thing progressed for several minutes. Two screens flared up, much like on the holo-comps but dad was actually able to take words and lines off the screen to turn into some sort of symbols or code. Mr. Plantain gave him feedback and approval to continue while the other two walked around the machine every so often taking notes.

     "Alright, Meg. It's your time to shine."

I stiffened at dad reaching out to motion me in front of him.

     "I...I think it'd make more sense for me to just watch. I don't want to screw anything up."
     "You don't have to worry. I did the hard part, and I'll be standing right here with you to make sure you know what to do," he reassured.

Still, I hesitated.

     "C'mon."

Dad took my arm to softly tug me towards the screens. My blood pumped hard within my veins as I sucked in a great inhale, didn't let it out, and furiously wiped my wet palms against my apron. Dad, being a dad, embarrassed me by tickling my sides to get my breathing under control before guiding my hands with his to where they should be on the screen. A sense of numbness captivated me when the symbols and pictures transfixed themselves onto my consciousness. I saw it all as I saw the stars─ a vast mess incomprehensible until my logical thoughts swept away. My eyes darted this way and that letting my lack of knowledge be my teacher as bit by bit the overwhelming sight before  me pieced itself into place. I never realized when dad's hands retreated or that what I stitched together on the screen clearly revealed the nature of the project.

No. That jolt of realization didn't strike me until the screens faded and the egg rocked. Our lungs all hitched with the quick moment of stillness that came before the doors wooshed open and this group's hard work took its first steps.

     "A...a robot..." I whispered in stunned awe.

Part of me was thrilled. Part of me was terrified. Then all of me became terrified. The robot walked with a steady gait right at me. Its eye sections lit up into a beam on me that jumped me back and into dad's chest.

     "Ack!" I cried, pushing my weight against him despite him refusing to move.
     "It's fine," he promised. Dad's hands fell upon my shoulders to further keep me in place. "That's just its recognition software running. It should be set to know who us five are."
     "Nutmeg Mountain," the robot spoke. Its voice was also impressively smooth and natural, but of course it remained noticeably artificial. The robot then scanned dad's face. "Timber Mountain."
     "Everything's coming up correctly. Looks like we'll be heading into phase two with smooth sailing," Mr. Plantain noted.

Dad and I watched as the robot walked around scanning the others and making note of the room.

     "Do we need to name it?" I wondered, the nerves easing.
     "That we don't get a choice. The higher-ups already picked. It's called DV1."
     "DV1?"
     "Dawn Version One. The 'Dawn' part came from this office, of course."
     "It's not bad. DV is kind of fun to say."

DV did have a few problems. Ms. Cranberry put her hair in a ponytail, and it scanned her again believing her to be a new person. It then went to stand in a corner thinking the surge of electricity coming from the cables underneath was its charging station. I took over the chair at the desk when Mr. Plantain got up and watched with great interest the four teach the robot by both talking to it and opening some of its panels to make manual adjustments. The adults eventually kicked me out though when the computer was needed and they wanted to talk technical without me asking a bunch of questions.

     "Mr. Mint! Mr. Mint!" I burst into the office.
     "What is it?" he wondered, a little alarmed but amused by my entrance.
     "It's the most incredible thing! The project we've been working on is─!"

My words stuck while my excitement jumped off a cliff. Realization knocking sense into me was good, but having to keep this secret was disappointing.

     "Is something I can't tell you..." I grumbled. "It's confidential, like normal. Never mind."
     "Does it have something to do with those rumbles in the floor coming from the other rooms?" he asked with a laugh.
     "Yeah."
     "We'll, I was worried you five might be blowing yourselves up. I'm glad to see that isn't the case, so I'm satisfied with knowing you didn't."
     "I promise though, it's sooo cool!"
     "That's great. I'm glad to hear everything is coming along successfully."

I babbled as much as I could without giving anything away. Mr. Mint listened intently and put forth several guesses, none of which I acknowledged. We resumed lessons when there was nothing more to be said, and the work day at the Scarlet Dawn office eventually came to a close. Grandpa, dad, and I drove home with dad teasing about having me walk back alone. I frowned a lot definitely feeling the soreness from the morning's strain exhaust my core. Routine had me going into the calming backyard to stretch and meditate before taking a quick nap inside. Grandpa made spaghetti for dinner. The three of us watched television afterwards, dad and I snuggled together reading books, and I found time for video games when my homework was done.

All in all, with the exception of DV1, it'd been a typical day.

Saturday came and went in the blink of an eye it was so routine. The only thing of note that happened was a Company delivery worker came with a box for dad and a set of batteries for me to keep my watch working. Then Sunday came around. Waking up at a decent hour, I let the fresh air rush and sweep away my stresses and the cool shade tickle me with a chill from the steadily growing heat as I tended to the special flowers by the old oak. They were dianthus flowers. For mom.

They were our shrine to her as there'd been no body to bury. Mom had wanted to be a doctor before the big incident happened that framed grandpa and dad as murderers and led to mom being disowned by her family for supporting them. The three had run away together with the help of the Company keeping them safe. When mom died, her wish to be a body donor had been honored. Her organs were given to those with failing bodies while the rest of her became a tool for other prospective doctors to study. I would have liked to have a proper burial for her, but dad always reminded me that mom desperately wanted others to benefit from her instead of wasting the knowledge by having her rot away in the ground.

     "Meg, your grandfather is leaving. Probably best to come say goodbye!" dad called from the back door.
     "Coming!" I glanced back at the row of pink flowers. "I'll be back soon, mom."

Yes, I did talk to the flowers like that. Being with them made me feel like I was with her.

My feet flew me across the house and up into grandpa's arms. The 'oof' he let out showed how forceful my impact was, and the tighter I hugged him the more surreal this became. Grandpa was actually leaving? He wouldn't be around for the first time in ten years? He'd been using Company transportation and lodgings, but the risk remained that someone could spot him. I'd have to hope the higher-ups were correct in that there'd be no danger for him in stepping away from our woods of safety.

     "I'll miss you. Be safe," I spoke for the third time.
     "I'll miss you too, bean. Everything will go fine, and I'll be back before you know it."
     "I love you so much!"
     "I love you too."
     "I really love you." I kissed his cheek.
     "I see where I lie in this ranking. I don't even get a hug," dad joked.
     "You're not going anywhere," I replied with an eye roll.
     "I'll be gone for a bit at least."
     "Wait. Really?"
     "He's driving me to the Company airport. We only have the one car, and someone has to drive it back," grandpa explained.
     "Oh, I didn't know. Here, daddy, you can have a big hug and kiss too."

Grandpa dropped me down so I could assault my father with affection.

     "How long will you be gone?" I asked.
     "The drive isn't that far. It should only take me an hour and a half to get there and back."

An hour and a half? Perfect. That was just enough time for me to enjoy some solitude without becoming uneasy. This was hardly the first time I'd been left on my own. Grandpa and dad would have meetings at the office I didn't need to be at, or they'd go to work when I had a light cold. However, I didn't like being alone after a certain point. The air always grew tense as if someone watched my every step. I think it was mostly just my worrying the people after grandpa and dad would swarm the area when they weren't there with me.

Grandpa and dad departed. I finished tending to mom's flowers before hurrying into my bathing suit. The rules were I had to stay by the house, which was why as I had some laps to do to stay on schedule. My still aching muscles wouldn't hold up for much sadly. The floating lounger then became my companion as I lazily let the breeze carry me this way and that. A plethora of fluffy white clouds lined in azure and silver drew my attention to the sky where I watched and waited. Maybe I might see grandpa's plane.

I tried to stop my mind from thinking about one particular thing while I daydreamed though. That one thing sat in dad's bedroom unguarded and ready for someone to turn on. Forty minutes remained before he'd return. A few minutes of play wouldn't go noticed.

And, dang it, there I was thinking about it.

Well, if this wasn't my chance I didn't know what was. I halfheartedly cleaned myself up before tip-toeing past dad's door. The space sat quiet and dark begging to be lit up with color and sound. It was only right I give the area life. There the device sat in the corner where dad installed massive mirrors for both easier observation testing and the cool effect it created. A few button presses and an upbeat, peppy song reverberated like a morning bird singing its song. This experimental toy had several modes, including one where the player controlled the sounds by interacting with the different lasers. The one I picked, however, required me to touch the corresponding lasers when they changed color in addition to placing my hand at a certain point along that beam. It was quite hard despite the easy instructions, and I hadn't even turned on the optional feet placement settings.

What fun it was though, especially with the lights bouncing and flashing against the mirrors. I laughed and swayed, finally getting the hang of it, when a voice froze me rigid.

     "What do you think you're doing?"

Dad stood against the door frame with folded arms. He didn't look particularly angry, but he never looked angry when he was.

     "I...I..." I mumbled.
     "Turn it off and come over here."

I timidly obeyed, turning off the toy and following dad where he sat in one of the armchairs. He stared at me with an intent that had me wishing he would simply be the normal kind of mad.

     "You got home a lot earlier than I thought," I mumbled more.
     "You've been having trouble listening recently, so I lied about how long I would be gone. I wanted to see if I could trust you to follow instructions or if I was lacking faith. I can see now which it is."
     "It's not like I would break it..."
     "That's not the point, Nutmeg," dad's voice finally grew stern. "The point is that you don't have faith in me to believe there's a reason for why I tell you to do or not do things. I'm not stopping you from playing with that toy just because I'm being selfish. There are promises I made in agreeing to test and monitor it, and some of those tests include how it functions after long periods of inactivity."
     "Oh."
     "Yes. 'Oh.' Now I need to start that over again and tell its group the results will take longer than expected."
     "I'm sorry."
     "In truth, I'm not looking for an apology. I'm looking for a promise. A promise that you do trust me. There's a lot of complications in being a parent and an adult. Some of those complications can't always be explained to you, nor should I have to. You need to understand there is a purpose behind each of my decisions, and when I make those decisions I do always consider what is best for you. I really don't want it to come to the point where I have to constantly question what I'm doing wrong by you or if I'm failing in some way."
     "You're not, daddy. You're not. I promise I'll listen to what you say. I was...I was just bored..."
    "I know it can be suffocating here. I'll see what I can do about adding new things. Thank you for your promise though. I'll hold you to it. I also want you to promise you'll do better in following what I said about not talking to Sterling." Dad gave me a look when my nervous fiddling halted in surprise. "Sterling told me you stopped him in the hallway. That you asked him questions about Dianthus."
     "I simply wanted to know more about her," I attempted to explain again. "I think Mr. Sterling is a nice man too."
     "I've answered every question you've asked, so I can't see how that isn't enough. And, yes, Sterling is a good man. I'm not denying that. I'm saying there are those complicated matters that make it better he and us stay separate though."
     "...Alright," I reluctantly agreed. "I won't talk to him. I'm sorry."
     "It's fine." Dad squeezed me tight. "As long as I made my point, we're all set. Let's go make some lunch, huh?"
     "Yeah," I agreed with a forced smile.

Dad was right, and I knew that. It was simply difficult following without question when I had so many questions. Was it that crucial I didn't know dad was testing the breakdown of the toy during periods of inactivity? I couldn't make sense of it. All I knew was that it was more important for dad to trust me than to satisfy my curiosities. He and grandpa were all I had in the world. If we broke apart, it'd be one of my worst nightmares come true.

Homemade chicken strips was on the menu for lunch with a massive tray of oven baked chips to munch on as we went on a walk. Things were quieter for sure without grandpa around, but the afternoon continued without much difference. I contemplated swimming more before dinner, but getting to play with the laser light toy drove in me a desire to move to a beat. An impressive sound system was set up in the basement, so I put on my favorite songs and practiced my positions, kicks, and a few jumps in my dance area. Dancing was great fun. Sadly, it was the one area The Company didn't really need that skill. It wouldn't do for the career I was working towards building with them.

Just about done, I went for it in raising my leg high having been working on my flexibility. Pride overwhelmed me first when I almost managed to make a straight line while fear took control next. I had bounced and clapped at my accomplishment...but the clapping didn't stop when my hands returned to my sides. It persisted for two seconds or so, and ended abruptly when my head snapped to the direction it came from.

     "H-Hello?" I shuddered from a cold chill creeping up my arms.

No one replied. My eyes darted to the cameras wondering if dad had been watching me practice from upstairs. It couldn't be though. Dad promised to never use the surveillance cameras down here unless there was some kind of problem as otherwise I wouldn't have any privacy. Then there was that if he'd still chosen to do that and turn on the microphones to clap, the sound would have come from above. It'd been the couch that was the source. As if someone had been sitting and watching me practice from there instead.

     "What the heck?" I whispered uncertainly upon inspecting the couch to find nothing out of the ordinary.

I rushed upstairs to find dad. He was in the front yard tending to the flower bushes and decorative trees─ clearly not being the culprit. While dad listened to what I said, he supposed the noise had been some sort of echo. My insistence it hadn't been didn't change his opinion. Like my river rocks, dad didn't brush me off, but he obviously though the situation silly. No more claps came when I went back to investigate, and the day came to a close.

Dad and I woke up on Monday on time, dressed on time, ate on time, and arrived at the office on time. I skipped in wanting to tell Mr. Nimbus all about my weekend and the strange noise. However, it wasn't Mr. Nimbus who stood at the desk.

     "Uh, dad?" I motioned to what I thought would be kept top-secret.
     "It's fine. I received a heads-up we're making the project more public. The others did some testing over the weekend to make sure DV1 is up to par."
     "Good morning, Timber. Good morning, Nutmeg," DV1 greeted, waving.
     "Where is Mr. Nimbus?" I rushed to the desk with a frown.
     "I do not know the current coordinates of Jet Nimbus. The most logical assumption is that he is at his house or─"
     "DV1, readjust context logic," dad stepped up to activate some kind of learning software. "Nutmeg did not want to know his physical location. She wants to know why you are here where he normally is."
     "Readjusting. Request understood. As part of phase two for project New Dawn, I have been configured with the necessary functions to run this front desk and manage the office's entrance. It will be my permanent directive until further notice. Jet Nimbus has been reassigned to another office."
     "But, I..."

I slumped against the counter and pouted heavily. I didn't know DV1's creation would lead to me not seeing Mr. Nimbus anymore. The robot suddenly lost quite a bit of appeal.

     "How are our scans?" dad prompted.
     "Nutmeg's scan is clean. Timber, you are carrying an unauthorized object. It will have to be confiscated before your admittance is allowed."
     "That was a test to see how you're doing, DV1. Good job." Dad took a small kitchen knife out of his pocket to set on the counter.
     "Approval received," DV1 beeped.

It pressed the button to allow us access further in.

Dad seemed busy and didn't attempt to combat my disappointment. I was left to shuffle and sway slowly to where Mr. Mint waited in our office. He went to greet me with a smile only to see my expression and tilt his head.

     "What's wrong?" he asked.
     "DV1 replaced Mr. Nimbus."
     "That robot is incredible, isn't it? Jet's sudden relocation is surprising too, but I think his new office is closer to his house. We're really out in the middle of nowhere here. The drive is abysmal."
     "Yeah, but..." I began to sniffle. "But I'm really going to miss him."
     "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you two were so close."
     "We weren't exceptionally close. We only really talked when I came in and left. Very rarely I'd sit by him at lunch. I still really liked him though. He'd sneak me lollipops from his stash, he'd always listen to what I told him, and he shared my love of koalamb. I don't get to have that with a lot of people being stuck here like I am. Now I won't ever see him again. I'm not going to be allowed to contact him. It makes me feel even more isolated than before."
     "Nutmeg, I seriously am sorry. You're so upbeat most of the time I forget how frustrating your situation is. Especially when you're the only one your age, I can't even imagine."
     "Do you think," I rubbed at my eyes to hold back the lurking tears, "do you think, maybe, one day you could bring your daughter to my house so we could play?"
     "I can ask, but...I'm afraid I doubt it'll work out. None of us here are allowed to go to your house. You said your dad had others who come to work with him there, but they must be employees from somewhere else as I don't know them. Then there's the fact that my family obviously doesn't know about the work I do or how this is all set up. The higher-ups won't want to take the risk exposing your location and this building to a small child who can't keep her mouth shut. Eve is only five too. I'm not sure how much fun you two would have playing together."
     "Right. That's true," I nodded feebly.

Awkward silence swarmed as Mr. Mint realized his long-winded rejection of my request hadn't been the words I needed right now. He wasn't sure how to fix things.

     "It's okay. It's something that simply can't be fixed. I'll be alright. We can start class now," I took a deep breath to say and smile up at him.
     "Okay," he agreed quickly.

My lessons passed slower that morning. Mr. Mint proved distracted and off-kilter due to that bad start, leaving him to lose track of himself mid-sentence. Multiples time it felt like he wanted to stop and address the lingering bad atmosphere, but each time he pressed onwards. I took notes more and spoke less. Not the best of Mondays for either of us. Mr. Mint had the good idea of giving me a longer mid-morning break though that also gave him the chance to collect himself.

     "Hi, DV," I unwillingly approached the robot as I spotted him waving to empty air.
     "Hello, Nutmeg."
     "Why are you waving?"
     "Bold is not feeling well and is leaving early. I am waving him goodbye."

Outside in the parking lot the male worker I knew as Mr. Brisk shoved tissues against his nose while hurrying to his car.

     "You're not supposed to keep waving until you can no longer see him. You just have to wave for a second or two, like this." I demonstrated.
     "I understand. Correction accepted."
     "Hey, DV?"
     "Yes, Nutmeg?"
     "What happened to the lollipops that were in this drawer?"

I'd opened it up to find the box gone.

     "While not unauthorized, it was decided the lollipops were not considered an appropriate item to keep at the desk. They were discarded."
     "What a waste of good candy. They could have been given to someone, like me."
     "Lollipops have high levels of sugar, corn syrup, and artificial ingredients that are not good to consume in large doses. An excess may lead to teeth damage and nausea among more serious increases for risks like heart disease, diabetes, depression, acne..."

On DV1 rambled like an overzealous health teacher. I stretched my top half across the counter, picked and flung a piece of lint I found on my sweater, and sighed.