Sunday, June 5, Post Conversion.
9902 fidgeted as she stood in her apartment and looked at herself in the mirror over her dresser. She looked down at the white blouse and blue slacks she was wearing.
<_Feels...weird...to wear these again.> She thought. <_But I don't think that it would be proper to walk into church again arguably nude, even though nobody is going to see anything naughty on me. Everything IS retracted and closed...> She sighed.<_Still, better to err on the side of caution for the moment.>
She slipped on her black heels, grabbed her keys and headed to the door...
_____
Church of Christ, 20 minutes later.
"Did...did you SEE her!? She's back there!"
"My Lord! WHY is she HERE? Is she looking to Change us?!"
"She looks weird wearing clothes...OW!!"
"DON'T get perverted, dear...Your daughter is right over..."
"I'm not saying I want to BANG her, Camille...The lawyer on TV made it sound like it's NORMAL for them to be 'nude'..."
"WHY is a robot going to CHURCH, anyhoo?"
"Why is that...THING...here?!"
9902 sighed quietly in the back pew in her local church, as her enhanced hearing clearly picked up the whispers from the front pews.
If one were to look at how everyone was seated, you would swear that the golden-eyed gynoid was letting off a bad case of body odor, or was radioactive.
There was NOT a soul in the pews within a 12 foot circular radius of her.
<_I...KNEW...this would likely be the reaction, God, but I didn't think it would hurt so much. :( I KNOW they're scared of what I...represent...now, but it's not like I'm going through here with a zap gun, changing them where they SIT.>
She put down the kneeler, put her knees on it, and quietly began to pray, as she listened to the parishioners filing in, pausing, and continuing into the other pews. She DID startle when she heard someone...no...THREE someones...sit down in her pew. She looked up.
"Annette? Jenna? Edna?" She stared, stunned, at the small family that was actually sitting next to her IN the SAME pew. Annette Iverson was a work-at-home mom who lived 2 streets down from the church, with her 12 year old daughter, and her 75 year old mother Edna, who was one of the ushers.
"Are you...all right, dear?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Edna, thanks."
"JEEEZZZ, You'd SWEAR you've got...what'd they call it back in the olden times, Mom?...'Cooties'? You'd SWEAR that's it the way they're all avoiding you!" Jenna grunted.
"TELL me about it..." 02 sighed as she stared blankly at the old overhead oak beams supporting the lights and fans.
Her sensors caught motion from the pre-teen. She watched as Jenna got a wicked grin on her face and she gently poked her index finger into 9902's jaw. She pulled it back and looked at her mother, wiggling her finger. "FEEEAR me...I'm gonna change you ALL with a touch now!!"
"Jenna...c'mon...stop..." Annette said, rolling her eyes. She looked over at 9902. "It's just the shock of the new, 9902...you DO know that."
"Yeah. Doesn't make it FEEL any better, though, Annette."
The organ began to play the opening music, and they all stood up.
02 startled again as she felt a hand go into hers, and looked over at Jenna.
"Thanks." she said with a grin, her cheek marks glowing gold.
Jenna just nodded, and shyly smiled back.
They watched as the altar boys and their pastor, Fr. Guismann walked in.
_______
It was like that for a month.
02 stayed and prayed in the corner quietly...with the Iversons.
She WAS happy to see that the 'radius' slowly decreased...but the rest of the congregation still gave her a clear berth for the moment.
The problem began when the photographers and the news vans began showing up...
9902 stepped out of the front doors one Sunday and ran into a face-full of microphones.
She tamped down her annoyance, and said, loudly, "I'm more than willing to answer questions, within reason, everyone...However, clear out of the way and let my fellow parishioners get to their cars, please."
She slowly descended the steps and the gaggle of reporters, like a bunch of ducklings, followed her to one side of the front lawn. She sighed in relief as the churchgoers were able to now exit the church...
They were there for an hour.
The most repeated questions were variations on, 'Why are you doing this?' & 'Why are you COMING here?'
The reporters were not entirely convinced by 9902 talking about finding her way (like anyone else) to God and enjoying the fellowship she found at her church.
When asked, 'WHY would a machine PRAY?!', her response was, "What machine? WHERE?!"
They didn't find the humor in that.
________
A week later, Brooklyn...
"She is just a bad copy of Data from 'Next Generation'!" Ethan said. "They BOTH are."
Duane rolled his eyes. Neeeeeerrrrrrddddddd! he thought.
"Dude...But you're FORGETTING...people are BUYING her schtick." He leaned back on the steps and looked over at Chuck. "There WAS only her...that WASN'T too bad. THEN you had that chick from Channel 8 becoming one...NOW they're saying that there's MORE than that." Duane looked over to the side and spat on the sidewalk. "They're beginning to multiply like f***ing cockroaches in summer and the government ain't doin' anything!"
"Maybe...they figure it's up to the people, Duane?" Ethan said. "Their bodies...their choice...or some s*** like THAT. I'm SURE they're WATCHING them. They probably have alien tech from Area 51 to take 'em down when they drop the facade."
"Ethan...c'mon...DROP the 'Area 51' crap." Chuck sighed and looked at Ethan with pity. "SERIOUSLY, dude, it's JUST a DOD skunkworks for advanced plane tech...they're not hiding ALIENS there. Don't you THINK if we HAD any alien spacecraft or alien BODIES that the OTHER aliens wouldn't be leveling the area with ray beams looking for them?!"
"They're hiding them in BUNKERS deep underground, Chuck! Whattaya think, they're f***ing IDIOTS?!" Ethan pointed heatedly over at Chuck, before Duane put down his beer and used his arms to push his friends apart.
Duane sighed. "Guys...c'mon!" He looked at the cars going up and down the street, feeling disturbed. "I just don't understand...Why ANYONE would want to become a...thing...like her..."
"You can...'Live Forever'...!" Ethan said with air quotes, as Duane picked up his beer again.
"What GOOD is it if you're a THING...?!" Duane grumbled, taking a swig of his beer and shifting on the steps.
" 'Join the...'Sisterhood'. Feel TRUE love.' " Chuck muttered with an unbelieving look on his face. "Yeah, right...AND lose your BOYS if you DO..."
"Did you guys see Channel 6 last night?" Ethan said. "9902 is going to CHURCH."
"Say WHAT?!" Duane looked over at him, incredulous.
"Yeah...Our old one, Duane...CoC."
"Why the HELL is a robot going to church, Ethan?"
"Probably gonna zap 'em all with a ray gun of some kind, Duane...and, then, like...you'll have a...whole church FULL of 'em." Chuck almost dropped his beer as the enormity hit him. "Oh...s***!..."
All three men were silent for a minute, petrified at the ramifications. The human race's extinction by assimilation...
"Zap...you're a gynoid..." Chuck whispered.
"We've GOTTA do something, Duane!" Ethan said, running his hands through his messy brown hair, his gray eyes wide with fear, and his pale skin even paler than usual. "MINIMUM, we gotta get them ALL back to that 'embassy', and KEEP them there. Keep ALL their kind THERE!!"
They were quiet, minds churning, for two minutes before Duane rubbed his open hands up and down over his dark complexion, sighed and spoke up.
"Why don't we send them a message? We give 'em a week. If they DON'T listen, we TEACH 'em the HARD way not to play with those THINGS...or ELSE..."
"Yeah, but HOW, dude?!"
Duane thought for a minute, then sighed, got to his feet and headed up the steps of the building...
At the top of the steps, he looked back at his buds.
"We take a cue from E4H...and send them a little note...and a bit MORE...persuasion...if needed..."
________
Sunday, July 31, 8pm
Edna was neatening up the church and readying it for masses the next morning when she heard two crashes...something going through the front stained glass windows.
What the heavens was THAT?! she thought. And...what is that horrible odor?! Gasoline?!
The answer was made apparent as that section of church started to burn furiously, followed by a crash of glass to her left, by the EXIT door.
A flaming bottle rolled to a stop, just touching the wood inlays by the door.
The ancient, lacquered wood was embraced by flames a moment later.
"Oh, Lord..." she murmured, frightened, "Not now...please..."
______
9902 was talking with Father Guismann in the Rectory at 8pm, when she heard what sounded like glass shattering three times.
They both bolted to the door...only to see flames emerging from the church and a car squealing its tires as it began to rocket down the street.
She quickly shifted her optics into HD record mode as she ran out the door. She watched as the dark blue sedan squealed around a corner and disappeared into the darkness. "Damn it!" She muttered. She put in a mental call to 911 and notified them of the Fire, the operator went to alert the local fire department.
"They're on their way, ma'am!"
<_Thanks!> 02 said then hung up.
She looked over at her pastor, who was dialing the phone.
"Father...Don't. I called them...the Fire Department should be on their way..."
Moments later, the local fire siren started to wail.
She kicked off her heels, ran out of the rectory, into the near dark, and toward the church, where local people were standing there, horrified.
9902 saw a figure darting toward the flames, as she heard the fire truck sirens working their way toward them in the distance.
She ran faster and caught Annette, who was borderline hysterical, with a jolt.
"ANNETTE! NO! WHY are you...?!"
The mother's eyes widened. "Let me GO, 02! MOM'S in there...Closing up!"
"Wait..." 9902 stared hard at the church, her gold optics shifting to infrared/thermal.
Thermal mess. <_Yeaah...NOT a good idea...!> She thought.
"WAIT HERE. Jenna, hold on to your mom...I'll get Edna!"
In a flash, the gynoid disappeared up the front steps and into the flames.
______
<_Damnit...where IS she?!> 9902's hearing was almost overwhelmed with the crackle of flames, her sensors looking for organic material.
<_This HAD to have accelerant used! Someone doesn't like the church...>
She was about to lower her hearing when she caught an ominous SNAP overhead, and was JUST able to dodge a roof support.
It landed, with a crash and a cloud of sparks on the pews below...and the fire hungrily started on the wood there. She shook her arm as a few embers landed on her, and started burning her blouse and pants.
She grunted as she ripped them off.
<_Ouch. Okay...don't have a lot of time...I don't have to BREATHE anymore, but Edna DOES...Move! Got to get OUT of here before the FLOOR collapses.>
She moved forward carefully. The smoke would CLEAR for a moment and then go near opaque a moment later.
Another snap, and then something white hot slapped her face, staggering her backward for a moment. She grunted and slapped the beam away.
Her sensors were screaming about the damage to her face and her left optic when she heard the faint sound.
The cough was so weak she would have missed it if she had lowered her hearing.
Her head snapped around to the area on the left of the altar dais. Her sensors picked up a faint life sign.
<_THERE!>
She leapt over a small wall of flames and saw Edna pinned under another piece of the roof. She grabbed the beam and heaved it out of the way...her sensors screaming as it burned her left hand. She rapidly patted the flames on Edna's right arm and back to put them out.
She heard a series of cracks then a rumble...
as the roof by the doors collapsed.
<_DAMN!..MoveitmoveIT!...Cover her...How?> Her eyes looked around the chaos frantically, and then focused over by the altar...and the white cloth covering it. <_Bingo.>
She pulled the covering off the altar and wrapped it around Edna.
"Hang in there, girl...we'll get you out..." she murmured
She looked around, pushing her damaged senses to the max.
<_Looks like it's burning out THERE, too.> She frowned, staring thermally at the wall for a moment. <_Yeah...this was NOT an accident.>
<_They'll be using the hoses in about a minute...How do we...? I can go through the window...but she's a bit too fragile...W-What do I...?>
9902 looked around blankly for a long moment...and saw two pews that weren't touched yet.
She moved Edna against the one good inside wall, and thought, <_THIS area seems to be clear for the moment. It's not PERFECT...but it'll do...> She ripped a nearby pew free of its moorings, and held it at one end. <_When ALL else FAILS...Brute force is useful...> she thought, and SLAMMED it down against the stained glass. The window exploded outward. She pushed the pew through the fragments and out of the building, resting one end on the lawn, at an angle, like a slide.
She gently picked up the senior woman, leaped...and slid out of the building...
Just as the hoses started up...
______
Gynoid Embassy, 8:04pm
9901 was reviewing the paperwork on her newest Sisters when the ALERT went off in her head.
One of her Sisters were in pain...She closed her eyes and focused, and she noticed the auto transmission was from 9902.
Flames EVERYWHERE...From the internal arrangement of the building, it must be her church...
<_What...is she DOING in there?!>
She identified the location, and left the office in a hurry, heading toward her car with 157 in tow...
Nanoseconds later, the other Sisters linked up...all were worried...ESPECIALLY 799 & 800.
They could feel 9902 grimacing in pain as the embers burned into her skin...and then her recoiling as something white hot slammed into her, producing a cascade of system alerts.
The others identified the location, excused themselves, and headed out at full speed...
______
Annette and Jenna were near hysterical as they saw 9902 disappear into the slowly disintegrating church.
She was nowhere to be seen...nor was her mother...and the firetrucks, sirens screaming, pulled up.
One of the men, Sean O'Malley, lived near by them, and he darted over.
"Annette! Jenna! Are you..?"
"GRAMMA'S TRAPPED...!"
"MOM's in there, Sean. 9902 went in to find her!"
"$#!T..." He muttered as he heard a creak, then a rumble as part of the front roof collapsed, taking the steeple with it.
He saw both the mother and child's face go pale.
"If she's gonna get out...it better be soon..." Sean said as another section of the roof sagged ominously.
"Sorry. Gotta go." He strapped on his mask and headed toward his comrades...as one of the stained glass windows on the church's left side exploded outward.
They watched as a pew emerged, and then, seconds later, a form slid down the pew.
The figure, with charbroiled silver skin, landed with a grunt on the ground, holding a form wrapped in white linen...
Annette was fighting the urge to cry. Oh, dear God...MOM!!! NO...S-she's NOT...!!!
The figure in silver staggered to her feet, with her charge...and walked unsteadily toward them, as the firehoses behind them hit the building full force.
Jenna watched this person get closer, and, as her eyes picked out more detail, she thought of the Terminator.
About half of the skin on the gynoid's face and parts of her upper torso were burned away. The damaged areas were still mostly covered with what looked like a glittering black protective gel 'scab', but Jenna could STILL see the metal skull grinning underneath...
9902 slowly lowered the figure in white to her feet. The dirtied altar linen fell free, and Edna began to cough. The gynoid watched tiredly as the the other firefighters ran toward the grandmother, breathing equipment at the ready.
Job done, her redlined systems AND overheated cranial systems chose that moment to unceremoniously pitch 9902 to the ground, unconscious.
____
She came to...hurting ALL over.
Her body's damage listings were so long she had to scroll through them.
She didn't really need them...she could FEEL the stiffness in her face, her torso and her left hand.
She felt like she was resting on someone's lap.
"You okay, Ms. 9902?" A worried, male voice said overhead.
"Chief...O'Grady? What...about Edna?!" She whispered, the electronic edge in her voice far more obvious than before.
"She's okay, ma'am...You did good. You got her out. She had some smoke inhalation and minor second degree burns. The family is heading for Mercy now." He reached out a hand and gingerly touched her unburned shoulder. He was surprised as she staggered to her feet and wobbled a bit. The Fire chief reached out his hands to stabilize her. "HeyHEY!!! EASY, there, Miss 02...With all the burns...and the damage... you got...probably best to take it easy..."
"I-I'm FINE... I'm not going to be doing anything strenuous...How's the ch...?" He saw her expression change as she waved him off and saw what was left...
A soggy, mostly collapsed, charbroiled wreckage, still being hosed down.
"Oh, God...NO..." She sagged back to her knees, eliciting another chorus of complaints from her systems.
"It wasn't...strong enough, 9902." Father Guismann said sadly from the side as he walked over. He noticed as she turned her face away. "Are you okay?"
"I'm FINE...j-just DON'T look at me!"
She heard the stubborn priest move over and crouch in front of her.
"Damn, Father...I SAID don't look! I probably look like the...the TERMINATOR now!"
"That may be, but a 'Terminator' that went out of her way to save a life."
She felt his fingers under her chin gently lifting her head up.
The priest was silent, whistled softly, and then murmured, " 9902, with the memory you now have, and the dedication you've shown to the heart of our faith, how could you forget? 'There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.' John 15:13...You very nearly got trapped in a burning, collapsing building to save Edna."
"ALL life is precious, Father...we BOTH know that. I couldn't do anything ELSE, could I?" The golden optics looked to the side, then back up at him. "There's another reason...The Media is here."
The priest looked over and noticed the men with cameras with long-range lenses, and the News trucks on the far side of the street under the streetlights.
The skin on the undamaged side of her face twisted up with a wry smile. "Call it VANITY or PRACTICALITY, but I don't want to THINK of the stories they'll run in the National Enquirer with any pictures they might get of me right now."
He shifted position and rested his left hand on her shoulder. "Well, then...that's not a problem...They'll have to see through me first. Besides...What could they say about you, 02? LAST I HEARD, saving lives is a GOOD thing..."
She sighed and murmured her thanks, and just stared glumly at the wreckage again. "A hundred thirty years of history...GONE..." She sighed. "It's been here since 1885, and NOW...!"
"We've been fixing it for YEARS, my dear, you know that...but this was the last straw...It couldn't handle the fire. It was its' time, I guess. The old, dry wood makes GREAT kindling, apparently."
He saw her eyes narrow. "The arsonists used accelerants, Father. Dry wood notwithstanding, It went up farFAR too quickly. Both INSIDE and OUTSIDE. I'm just thankful to the Big Guy Upstairs that they MISSED that one wall area, so we COULD get out." Pain crossed her face. "WHY...would they DO this, though?! Why would anyone...?!"
He hesitated. "It's...They...the arsonists...blame this on you, 9902...They didn't WANT you with us. They wanted you GONE."
The priest pulled out an letter out of his jacket. "I...didn't WANT to show you this, but...we got this on the 13th...two and a half weeks ago. "
9902 took the paper with her right hand, focused and read,
"This is NOT the place for a Machine.
Remove It.
Or else be purified in fire.
No more warnings.
E4H"
"Oh...Father...W-why didn't you TELL me about this?!" she said with a horrified moan. 9902 felt the neon green lubricant stinging as it rolled over her damaged epidermis.
He placed a hand gently on her undamaged shoulder. "Because I thought that you'd react like you ARE right now, my dear. Plus...we weren't sure you'd keep coming to Mass, given the reaction those past weeks. We let the POLICE know in the meantime. They initially thought it was likely a prank...But then they noticed it was signed 'E4H'...'Earth for Humans'...they changed their minds. They had a patrol car watching us for the past two weeks. The officers were pulled a week ago, thinking the danger was over..." He grunted. "Probably why this didn't happen SOONER..."
The silver-gray gynoid stared at the ground, as her emotions ran riot. White hot rage was followed by depression.
<_So it's MY fault. THIS is...what I GET for pretending to be someone I no longer AM...> She thought, staring down at the burned black friction pads on her left hand.
She went to get to her feet. "I-I should go...I'll see whether 9901 can help you rebuild..." she said hollowly.
"No." Father Guismann said, squeezing the hand on her shoulder. "STAY. REST. You DON'T look good at the moment."
"I AGREE with the good Father...REST, Sister." 9902 startled as the firm voice of her elder Sister reached her ear pods.
"WE agree, too." 799 said, as 9902 felt devices being pressed against her skin, getting a read on her damage. "Lay back, Sis, and relax. We need to get scans." 800 said. She felt warm, synthetic hands pushing her gently back to the ground, and then gently touching various spots of her frame as they got readings.
"We DON'T retreat, 02. If we DO...they'll just get bolder...and they'll do it again...probably to MY church next time!" 600 said with an icy voice. "No. They STARTED this...we'll FINISH this. Their asses will be in jail so fast their HEADS will spin..."
9902 felt something cool being sprayed onto her damaged skin. There was a tingle as the protective polyelastic foam rapidly set.
"We were almost ALL born...and RE-born...on Earth, Sister. This is our home...these are our faiths. We will NOT give an inch." 601 said, firmly.
"They got it right, lass. Like at Omaha Beach in the Great War...we DON'T run from a battle...we DON'T leave our friends behind...and we face the idiots head on until they run, screamin' for their mommas...!" 157 growled, her pink optics steel-hard.
"Sisters...the parishioners... are still scared of me...of US...they might not want us to be around after..."
"Stop it, 9902."
"Calvin? Camille?" She looked over with her one clear optic at the African American couple in their early 60's, as they crouched down next to her.
Calvin cleared his throat. "Yeah. we're not the only ones here that saw this on the news...and saw the smoke. Look...I KNOW I was an ass when you came back after your...Change...and I'm SORRY."
"It WAS weird a few weeks ago..." Camille said. "We were expecting the worst. It took a while to get USED to...the new you..." She fell silent. "We're STILL adjusting..." She said quietly.
"We might not be as FAST as you guys thinking about things, but even WE can catch a clue. Eventually." Calvin grinned lopsidedly and looked around at all the gynoids there. "I figure...If you guys WERE a threat like some people think...I-I guess...we'd all be like you by now."
799 looked at him warmly, momentarily and nodded. "Thank you, sir. EXACTLY. Close your eyes, 02, We're running optical diagnostics." 02 nodded and closed her eyes.
"I'm SURE there are still a few of us that are a bit...worried, 02, but...I guess...that's OUR issue, NOT YOURS..." Calvin said soberly, as his wife hugged him.
"It's okay, Camille, Cal...BELIEVE me...I understand." 9902 paused as her Link came online, and, for a few long nanoseconds the Great Family emotionally backed up her Earthborn Sisters with a soothing 'hug'...
600, the rock aficionado, then piped a Tom Petty song into her mind:
Well I won't back down
No I won't back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won't back down
No I'll stand my ground, won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
gonna stand my ground...
and I won't back down...†"
This was followed by an animation of a certain grey cartoon rabbit who, angered, uttered the immortal words, 'Of COURSE, you know...THIS means WAR!'
9902 nodded with a slight grin, then looked at 9901 with her good optic.
9901 nodded, then looked around at the priest and the few parishioners who were now forming a circle around them. "Father Guismann, IF your congregation is open to it...and will ACCEPT our help...we'd like to help you rebuild your House of worship..."
He hesitated, then took a deep breath. "I think we'll have to take you up on that, Ms. 9901. I don't think our insurance will adequately cover this...and the Diocese has been contemplating closing us down for quite some time, because of the limited size of our congregation. This fire would give them the opportunity to DO so...But..." He hesitated. "This church has been such a part of this area for a hundred thirty years, I don't think our parishioners would be comfortable with it gone." He paused and looked at each of the familiar faces, questioning. He got uniform nods from both young and old. He sighed in relief, then looked at the Emissary. "I...I think...anything you could do WOULD be appreciated, thank you..." Father Guismann said.
"Excuse me, ladies...everyone..." They all looked over at the young female officer that walked up and stood next to the Fire Chief. "Sorry for interrupting. I'm Officer Clarissa Byrne. Did anyone see the getaway car I've heard about from the other witnesses?"
9902 looked up at her, and nodded. "Yup. Dark Blue sedan. Looked like...1984 Chevy Caprice, custom wheels, dark blue metallic paint, damaged rear bumper. From the sound of the engine...probably an out-of-tune LG4 4 barrel 305." She saw them looking at her, stunned. She chuckled. "In-head Internet is GREAT for getting info..."
She held up her right hand. "If you have a laptop with enough memory that I can download this to, Officer, I DO have some HD video you MIGHT want to see."
9901 noticed 157 and 600 talking in private for a moment, and she got I.M'ed a moment later. They were scheming as far as the best way to lure out the arsonists.
157 walked up to the Chief. "Excuse me...Chief O'Grady?...I'm Laborer_157, and I'd like to scan the wreckage to see what evidence and info we MIGHT be able to find..." She raised a pink brow. "D'ya think I might be useful here?!"
The Chief paused and cracked a smile. "Considering that this WAS a case of arson, Miss, any help you would be willing to give would be appreciated. It would only speed up the investigation."
600 walked up, a frown on her face. "I'm Engineer_600, Chief. Count me in, too. If you have any laptops with Blutooth, we can transmit anything we see or sense to your guys and the Department in Forensics. Just please pair us up with those in your teams who can give us a heads up on your procedures, so we don't slip and possibly do something that will hinder you. I want to see this as an slam dunk case. I want to see them CAUGHT...and absolutely HAMMERED in court!"
The Chief looked at Officer Byrne, both nodded, and they got on their walkie-talkies...
_____
Site of Church of Christ, July 31st, 9:48pm
"What do we do NOW...we CAN'T have Mass in...THAT." Mrs. Pedone shifted and stared at the rubble.
"We CAN get you all a modular building for the 2 weeks until the church is rebuilt." 601 said. "It won't be PRETTY but it will give you the shelter for your services."
Father Guismann's eyes widened. "That would be appreciated, Ms. 601, but...TWO weeks?! To put up the church?! How is that possible?!"
9901 smiled. "We HAVE invested in local businesses to boost the local economy, so procuring materials will not be a problem...plus..." She gestured at 601, who bowed with a grin, "We've got two engineers right here...one of them an architect itching to create a beautiful new design."
600 grinned. "And we're pretty good with running calculations on what we'll need, material-wise, as you'd probably guess."
601 looked at the parishioners. "We ALSO already have time and material-saving suggestions by our other Sister Engineers. That should reduce mistakes and speed completion..." She smiled. "As is OBVIOUS, ladies and gentlemen, we will very much both need and value your suggestions while we figure out the structure and layout, so it feels like 'home' when it's finished..." 601 said.
"And it'll be ready for at least ANOTHER century of celebrations in." 601 grinned.
Father Guismann looked over at his congregants, and they all nodded. "Let's set up a time for a parish meeting and get it out to the rest of our congregation. E-Mail them if you can."
_____
Next day, 11:40am, Duane's house:
"Well, THAT should get rid of the robot bitch." Duane said, grabbing two beers from the fridge. He walked over and plopped down on the tan velour couch, tossing one beer to Ethan. The cushions bounced as Chuck dropped down next to him with another beer in his hand.
"Unless the REST of them are f***ing STUPID, Duane, they'll HAVE to. They got our note. Even if they re-build, we'll do it again."
"We might HAVE to, Chuck, given how everyone STILL seems to be all over the FIRST bitch...9901. We'll teach 'em. E4H has the right idea...robots are supposed to be servants...they're NOT like US..."
He turned on the TV.
"Let's see what the OTHER bitch's station says..." Ethan said with a smirk, fingering the remote.
"I'm Carl Williams, here on the site of the local Church of Christ, which was set on fire yesterday evening. One parishioner, Mrs. Edna Iverson, 78, was very nearly killed in the fire. It was through the brave actions of Channel 8's own Diplomat_9902 that she survived. Mrs. Iverson is currently in Mercy Hospital being treated for smoke inhalation and burns at this time." Carl pulled to the side and the camera focused in on the wreckage of the church, with both humans and gynoids clearing the area. "9902 was fairly extensively burned, with EMS workers estimating her as having the equivalent of multiple third and fourth degree burns. She was treated on-site by Gynoidian medics, and then brought to the Embassy for full repairs. As soon as we get word on how she's doing, you'll of course hear it HERE. Emissary_9901 and the Gynoidian Embassy has offered assistance to the Fire department's efforts to determine of the exact CAUSE of the arson and the local Police Department's efforts to track down the individuals responsible for this."
Carl and the camera turned to the left. "With me is Emissary_9901..." He nodded. "Thank you for taking the time."
She smiled gently. "No problem, Carl."
"What are the Embassy...your Sisters...doing here?"
She sobered. "Once they HEARD about this, they WANTED to help, Carl. We find value and solace in religion, much as YOUR people do, and an ATTACK on innocents like THIS...by such spineless people, offended us. I am NOT a member of this parish, but my Sister, 9902, IS. To say we were dismayed at the ignorance and cowardice shown in the note sent to the Pastor is an UNDERSTATEMENT. If you BELIEVE in something, then you should have the courage to say it out loud in front of people...apparently the arsonists lack the courage of their convictions and are what you would call...'spineless jellyfish'..."
She paused. "Did I use that right?"
Carl nodded.
9901 continued, "We have offered our assistance to help the parish REBUILD their church, and the parishioners have accepted. If our architect's estimates are correct...and weather permits...The Church of Christ should be celebrating their reopening in two weeks, on August 12th." She paused for a moment. "9902 says to say hello, and to ALSO tell me to say that she will be there to JOIN the rest of the congregation on that day."
"So the arsonists failed, 9901?"
"Very much so, Carl...I'm very happy to say we're becoming friends with the members of this faith community DUE to their actions, so I suppose I should THANK the arsonists for..."
A beer bottle shattered the TV screen. Chuck was seething.
"THAT...That f***ing B!+ch! Who the HELL does she think she IS?!"
"Chuck! Calm the f*** down!" Duane Gibbslapped Chuck on the back of the head, hard. "You owe me a new f***ing LED TV now, man!"
"Duane...You HEARD what she said! They're rebuilding it! The 02 bitch is gonna KEEP going there..."
Ethan sighed. "No biggie, Chuck...unclench. If we have to do it again before they open on the 12th to get our POINT across to them, fine. They don't know WHO we are or WHERE we're at...or WHEN we'll burn it again. What can they DO?!"
__________
The large modular building was delivered to the grounds two days later, a day after the dumpster was.
155, 157 and a few volunteers from the congregation started to carefully clear the remains of the church from the site.
157 found two crossbeams that were less charred than the rest, and set about merging them into a cross for the interior.
"Somethin' old, somethin' NEW..." they heard her say.
The Saturday after the fire, there was a meeting in the modular building. 600 and 601, using a hologram device, worked with the parishioners and the priests, and rapidly hashed out the new church. The parishioners were stunned by the ease in which the holographic church's dimensions were modified. 9902 reminded Fr. Guismann of a few quirks of the old layout that bugged him, and, with a small increase in size, they were promptly eliminated. By the end of the hour and a half, the gynoids activated a 'zoom' function, and the congregation sat, stunned, as the church formed around them. They then zoomed out and circled the grounds.
Calvin, a lapsed Gamer, was stunned, and suggested to the Sisters that the holo-system would be well received as a Gaming system...after which 600 fell silent, her brows knitted in thought.
The design was finalized, and moments later, another device materialized plastic-based blueprints and sent a electronic copy to the State for perusal and approval.
______
It didn't take too long for the rest of the proper permits to be filed with the state...and approvals were shortly in the hands of Fr. Guismann, and backup copies were at the Embassy. The day after the cleanup, the material deliveries began.
155, 157, 9901, 9902, 600 and 601 promptly got to work, working off the internalized blueprints of the church.
601 had uploaded all the pertinent building regulations, so everyone would know what could be done and what was disallowed by law. She had revised and reinforced things so the new church was even STRONGER than the previous one.
"This would be able to withstand a category 4 hurricane easily," she told Fr. Guismann proudly.
__________
Site of Church of Christ, August 2nd, 8:45 pm
Duane pulled out his lighter and waited in the dusk. This should go even quicker than LAST time...It's what they DESERVE for f***ing ignoring us.
He looked over as Ethan was trudging toward the framework of the new church with the accelerant.
As he stood there, he heard a growl.
A DEEP growl. Right. next. to. him.
Duane turned his head slowly and stared at the 7 foot tall, red-eyed creature staring hungrily at him.
Covered with brown fur, it looked like something between a bulldog and a bear with fangs protruding from it's mouth about 6 inches long.
MUCH like a bear, the 2 inch sharp claws on its legs cancelled his desire to run.
He froze, as it got in his face, exhaled, and not-so-quietly growled at him. Again.
His bladder spasmed and released itself, but he still couldn't move.
"G-guys... What. Is. This. THING!" He eked out, as the...thing...circled him like a tiger, it's predatory eyes never leaving his.
Duane could see Chuck and Ethan frozen and each being cornered by another creature.
"D-don't talk too looouud, dummy! WhatEVER the hell it is, it looks HUNGRY..." Ethan eked out.
It was THEN that they heard the police siren whoop, the doors slam, and the voice yell, "Police...FREEZE!"
The flashlights shone in their eyes.
"D-don't MOVE, Officers...They'll...they'll eat us all..."
"WHO will eat us, son?" Officer Miller said with a grin.
"The BIG bear...thing! Right over..." Duane trailed off as his eyes finished adjusting.
The COPS were there...covering his crew with guns drawn...but the creatures weren't.
"Y'think they're sniffing something, Barney?" Officer Byrne said with a grin, as she removed the accelerant tank from Ethan.
"Sounds like it..." Officer Miller said with a grin.
"Gentlemen, THANK you for all the evidence. It'll be VERY helpful for the prosecution at your arson trial." Officer Riker, wearing a pair of rubber gloves, pulled the bottle and lighter out of Duane's hands, and bagged them, noting the information on the bag, and then watched as his partner, Officer Scott, pulled Duane's hands backwards to cuff him. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you do or say can be held against you in a court of law..."
"A-Aside from the bottle, you've got nothing!"
Duane, Chuck and Ethan heard a gynoid voice chime out, "OhnonoNO...so SORRY...but they DO..."
As the officers led them toward the police cars, an elegant, curvy form stepped out of the shadows. Her golden orange optics flashed in her grim face as she stalked over.
"We offered our assistance to the police in this case. We ALSO decided to see how predictable you'd be if you heard about us rebuilding. I'm almost...disappointed. This was almost TOO easy. The proper stimulus on television...a few ego-bruising words from 9901...and you behaved EXACTLY as our...and the police's psychologists...thought. I've seen trained monkeys who would've thought things through better." She saw them bristle in anger as she continued. "Your car has PLENTY of evidence...thank you SO much for supplying it...and it MATCHES the HD images I recorded of the getaway car on the 31st." 9902 raised a golden holo-brow. "It's VERY interesting that the accelerant you're using has the same chemical signature that we found in the church after the fire...AND the bottles in your hands...which match the remains of IDENTICAL bottles found in my church after the fire." 9902's eyes were alight with anger, but the men could also see disappointment as she walked over and looked Duane square in the eyes.
<_So much potential...> she thought sadly, <_wasted with hatred...>
"As far as YOU'RE concerned, I'm sure that the fingerprints on the bottles from the fire will likely match YOURS on THIS bottle, too." She watched as he looked down at his feet with a frown on his face. "Next time...if there IS a next time...latex GLOVES might prevent that, hmmm?" She was oddly satisfied as her sensors indicated how annoyed he was.
"WAIT...What happened to the...bear...thing?!" Ethan asked as they were pushed into the back seat of the squad cars.
"Oh, our...'pets'?" 9902 smiled. "They're locked away. They won't hurt you...now...But they'll be on hand if ANY of the E4H members TRY this again."
9902 watched silently as the officers left, followed by the tow truck leaving for the evidence yard with the getaway car.
She sensed 600 walking up next to her along with Father Guismann.
"Looks like the little fishies were biting tonight...!" 600 said with her red eyes gleaming.
"THAT did do the job, Miss 600, I must admit...but WHAT were THEY...and WHERE did they go?"
"Ah, Father. You've gotta watch some good sci-fi when you're not in Mass..." 600 said, grinning. "All work and no play, you know...!" She pressed a few keys on her arm bracer, and looked up as the big bear-thing appeared in front of the priest...this time wagging its short tail happily. "Meet my pet sehlat, Bonzo."
"Sehlat?...What's a sehlat?"
*sigh* "No respect for the sci-fi classics! Father, you HAVE to watch Star Trek..." 600 said with a grin.
9902 was mentally searching the Web, and found the info. She shook her head, and murmured, "Good God...!"
600 gestured at it. "It's a manipulation of light, Father. Our people call it 'Coherent Light'. It's basically a 3D hologram with some solidity. Go on...Touch her..."
Father Guismann hesitantly reached out to the 'sehlat'...and touched a soft surface. "Wow...!"
"If you push too hard you'll go through her, but it was effective enough for scaring the pants off the arsonists." 600 grinned. "402 suggested this initially, and it took a bit of work to get the bracer set up...but seeing their reactions was WORTH it."
_______
August 12th, 7:45am
"I have to admit, 9901, 9902, ALL of you...I must thank you. I CAN'T speak for anyone but myself, but it's AMAZING. It's STUNNING what you ALL managed to do in two weeks. It looks so beautiful it's almost...otherworldly." Father Guismann followed them through the new church's side entrance and walked through it alongside the gynoids. "ESPECIALLY what you did overhead with the...crystal roof, 601."
"It's a much more advanced version of the windows on the market that can go from clear to frosted with a switch." She smiled and clicked the controller in her hand.
The roof went transparent and flooded the room with the early morning sunlight from outside.
"We've gotten QUITE a few patents on it, Father." 600 said. "The roof is VERY durable and is composed of VERY efficient, micro photo-voltaics and batteries. It also can absorb the kinetic energy from any rain you get running down the roof and turn THAT into storable electricity. This church will be able to generate 99% of its power off the grid. You're both 'green' and surrounded by green."
"601, that was another area you stunned us with. Our yard looks like...Eden...in this city..."
9901 smiled. "It was the same company that 'greened up' the Embassy. They got artistic input from 402 here." The green eyed gynoid blushed as 01 finished, "He...THEY...do fantastic work..."
They continued to walk toward the front doors.
"Updated lighting with coherent light accents...so you're ALWAYS ready for Christmas or Easter..." 601 gestured upward with her hand, pressing the controller again. All watched as 'pine swags' with multi-colored lights appeared at the tops of the walls for a few seconds, and then disappeared with the click of another button. The recessed lights brightened, paused, and then darkened.
"Externally, it's bigger, more capable and more up to date, structurally and electrically. Something old and something new."
"Oh, MY..." Guismann murmured as he saw the mural decorating the entranceway, inner front walls of the church, and wrapping about halfway into both side walls. He stared at a collage of scenes from the Bible, painted with a slight oriental style. Creation. Eden as seen from Adam and Eve's point of view. Noah in the ark seeing land for the first time. The Birth in the manger. The Sermon on the Mount, seen from one of the people there...and many others. He got up close and noticed the brushmarks. "This...was handpainted?!" He gasped.
"Yup. Our resident Artiste did that." 9902 said with a grin, nudging a hotly blushing 402 forward.
"She got it done in 8 days."
The pastor was silent for a minute. When his brain 'rebooted' and he picked his jaw up out of the floor, he stammered, "E-Eight...! This...is FANTASTIC, 402...EXCEPTIONAL work! I doubt Leonardo DaVinci could have done much better, and HE had four YEARS! The shifts in the viewpoints adds so much freshness to the stories my parishioners read in the Bible."
"We had to kinda STOP her yesterday or she would have done the REST of the walls!" 600 giggled. "This woulda been America's Sistine Chapel!"
"I-I...just...zoned out..." 402 murmured, practically GLOWING an embarrassed green. "The world just fell away...a few of our Artisan Sisters...'called in'...some suggestions that made the layout flow better...and I just kept going from one scene to the next as we I.M'ed..."
"HOW did you do this in 8 DAYS?!" The Father said. "When...did you sleep, dear!?"
"I didn't, Father. Didn't really NEED to...for the better part of it, at least. I WAS feeling kinda drained yesterday morning, when I finished, So went home, recharged, prayed and group meditated with the Great Family for much of the day." She flexed her biceps, with a grin. "Feel like a NEW gynoid!"
Father Guismann reached out his arms to 402, and gave her a bear hug. She was a bit stiff in surprise for a second, and then relaxed and returned it with enthusiasm. He went from Sister to Sister, hugging each in turn, 9902 last.
He looked down at his watch. "It's 7:59. Let's get started with the re-dedication. Everyone will be interested to see this."
They swung the doors open, and the Sisters stepped to one side as the parishioners filed in, ohhhing like kids on Christmas over the beauty of the murals, the church, and then making their way to their usual pews.
Father Guismann looked at 9901 and the other Sisters one at a time. "I'd appreciate if you could stay for a few minutes, ladies."
"They're getting BORED with us already," 600 murmured with a grin. "We didn't get that many looks."
"THAT is a good thing, Sis..." 601 whispered back.
9902 went to sit down in her pew, when she felt a hand on her elbow.
She looked up at Calvin and Camille. Both were shaking their heads with grins on their faces...and she blushed gold as she noticed everyone else was looking at her.
"Not THIS time, 02...Up front. No more hiding in the back." Calvin said with a grin.
"Besides, let's leave space for the media there..." Camille said, nodding at the back of the church, where a few reporters and cameras stood quietly.
02 nodded, and allowed herself to be led up front, passing the Iversons. She was relieved to see Edna back...though a bit bandaged...as she sat down.
Father Guismann walked up the center aisle, went behind the podium and began to speak,
"My friends, before I begin Mass...I must say...thank you all for coming. We have learned MUCH in these past few months...much designed to open our eyes and hearts...we've seen humanity through our new friends..." He gestured at the Sisters and 9902. "And we've seen selfishness and fear through three humans, three of our own." He looked down and frowned a bit.
The Father picked up the controller on the altar and pressed a button. The roof went frosted clear, and the early morning sunlight lit the inside of the church, the wall behind the altar, where the congregation noticed the charred cross made out of the old beams which was hanging on a strong, thin silverish chain.
"We've had God's light and compassion shine on us, despite our own fears and insecurities, and so, let us USE this knowledge of love to help this little area of our world become a cathedral of light.
But FIRST...thanks are in order:
Engineers 600 & 601...For the overall STUNNING futuristic and historic design and layout...you two blended our past and hopes for the future together in a stunning, strong design.
Artisan 402...We thank you for her gift of landscaping suggestions AND for your absolutely STUNNING talent, as seen in the murals.
Laborers 155 & 157 for your input, your jocularity during demolition and your help in construction.
Emissary 9901...Thank you. Thank you for caring for us during this hard period. Thank you for helping us and making this day possible..."
He gestured at each of the Sisters as the congregation applauded.
"If ANY of you wish to join us in the future, PLEASE drop by, there's always room for family..."
He hesitated, then looked at 9902 with a small smile and a raised eyebrow...
"And PLEASE feel free to sit up front..."
There was a round of giggles as 9902 went gold in embarrassment.
"And, one last thing before we begin: I wish to apologize to our sister in faith, 9902. We...let fear dominate us for a few months, instead of embracing you. We judged you on your new form and through fear...instead of judging you on your actions and heart. YOU have taught us grace, compassion and love, and showed us the HEART of our faith in action during what HAD to be a very lonely period for you. Thank you."
The congregation applauded explosively, quite a few nodding and smiling, including Calvin and Camille.
"So...that said...let us inaugurate this NEW holy house...and may it stand for ANOTHER 130 years or more..."
"AMEN!"
_________________
†Lyrics: Tom Petty, '"I Won't Back Down', 1989, 'Full Moon Fever'