Dyllys
Chapter Three

Dyllyswas sitting on the exam bed with her legs hanging over the end. Faran watchedas she swung them back and forth childlike. He wondered if it was a habit frombefore or if it was something that she had seen and decided was appropriate todo. It was hard to tell with her. He tried to see what her eyes said but shelooked distant. Almost as if she didn’t want to be here.

Thedoctor came back and Dyllys’s legs stopped moving. She looked at him andblinked.

“Ihave never seen a model like her. How old is she?” the man asked.

“Myaunt said that she was over two hundred years old,” Faran supplied.

“Twohundred? She must be one of the first models. No wonder she looks so different.It would account for her memory store being so long,” the man said pointing atthe wings on Dyllys’s temples. Faran hasto admit that it now made sense that she had wings when other androids did not,their minds were still able to hold all the information they needed, they hadno need to expand outside of themselves as Dyllys had.

“Sois there anything you can do to help her?”

“Well,to tell you the truth, you should just tell your aunt to get a new model. Thedegradation of her synthetic parts is not terrible, but her organic material isway past fixing, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. To fix her she would haveto go back to the factory. They are the only ones that would know what to dowith her. I don’t have her model information and the scans I can do aren’tsophisticated enough to pinpoint the problem. I think it’s time to upgrade,young man. The new AS-24 model that just came on the market would be a perfectreplacement for her. They look similar and their programming seems to be aboutthe same. Though, to tell you the truth, I think the sophistication of thetechnology in your Dyllys here is far superior to any of the models I have everseen. Seems almost like a prototype. You should think about donating her to thehistorical museum here when you shut her down. She doesn’t seem like somethingthat should be discarded and forgotten.”

Faranshook his head and stood. Dyllys stood as well. “Thank you Doctor for youradvice, I’ll think about it.”

“I’msorry I couldn’t be of more help. I’ll give you the number for DavenportElectronics. I’m sure they would be interested in helping you.” The Doctorhanded Faran a number and he thanked him. He gestured for Dyllys to follow himand they wandered through the lobby where Faran could see many patrons all waitingto get help with their androids. It was still strange for Faran to see so manyandroids here without them being a part of the military. It shouldn’t havebothered him so much. Tossu was a very old colony under the Ordalis Government.They had only occupied Radden for a small handful of years. There was still alot of resistance on Radden. Faran never could understand why people felt theyneeded to be free of the Ordalis. What they offered was so much better thanwhat those planets had before.

“Sowhat do you think Dyllys? Should we call Davenport Electronics? Do you thinkthey would have a solution to your problem?” Faran held the card in his handflipping it back and forth between his fingers. He didn’t think such a bigcorporation would be willing to help Dyllys, not when she wasn’t even one oftheir products.

“Thereis nothing wrong with me. The doctor’s data was incorrect. I have no celldegradation. The only dysfunction I am suffering from is memory loss.”

“Maybeyour self repair system is the problem,” Faran said mostly to himself. He wasstaring off into the distance. Dyllys did not reply.

* * * *

Glorywas frantic when Faran and Dyllys returned. She ran out to meet them with adangerous look in her eyes.

“Wherewere you?” was all she said.

“Dyllysand I walked to town last night. I’m sorry that I worried you, Aunty.”

“Youtook her to town. Faran you really shouldn’t have done that. She’s never leftthis estate before, and for very good reason.”

“Neverleft the estate? No wonder she doesn’t feel anything, having been stuck herefor the past hundred years.”

“Youdon’t understand. There are people looking for Dyllys. We’ve been trying tokeep her safe.”

“Lookingfor her? For a hundred years? I’m sure whoever was looking for her is longsince dead. Did you ever think that new stimulation might be what would breakthrough to her?”

“You’rereally going to help her?”

“Iam.” He couldn’t say more than that. He couldn’t tell Glory that he was usingDyllys to escape from all of them.

“Wellthen there are things you have to understand. Dyllys can’t leave this villa.And before you object, there are good reasons for it. When Salazar took Dyllysfrom Tossu he met up with the beginnings of Davenport Electronics. They weredoing similar research to Salazar’s. They wanted him to join their research.Salazar met them around the time that he was starting to feel remorse for whathe had done to Dyllys. He refused to join them. The reason Dyllys is far moresophisticated then Davenport Electronics can produce is because she was humanbefore. Salazar didn’t want them to get any ideas so he brought her back here.Salazar had been to so many different worlds in his life that DavenportElectronics has never been able to replace her. Mainly because we don’t let herleave this place.”

“That’sridiculous. Don’t you think if they knew what Dyllys was that they would try tohelp her? You have been keeping her away from the one place that could possiblyhelp her.”

“Idon’t share your faith in people Faran. I’ve seen far too much cruelty comefrom the Ordalis, and Davenport Electronics is their lap dog. If you think thattaking her to Davenport Electronics is the way to save her, I may have acted inhaste. She doesn’t need that kind of help.”

Faranhad never seen such hatred in anyone’s eyes. He realized that he didn’tunderstand Glory at all. What hold did Dyllys have over her that she acted soprotectively? It wasn’t as if the story she had told him had happened to her.What did she stand to gain from helping Dyllys?

“Iwasn’t going to call them anyway. Dyllys didn’t seem to want their help.” Glorylooked relieved.

“Wheredid you take her anyway?”

“Hetook me to the doctor for a checkup,” Dyllys interposed.

Glorylooked at Faran. Faran shrugged his shoulders. “I just wanted to hear whatsomeone else had to say about her. You have to admit, your version of thingssounds like some sort of fairy tale.”

Gloryshook her head. “Sorry if I romanticized it, just the ideals of a lonely woman.Come inside. You must be famished after your little tryst.”

* * * *

Itwas the sound that woke her. It was the middle of the night. She could see themoonlight shining in from her window. She got off her bed and gazed outside.Only when she reached the window did she realize that it wasn’t moonlight shewas seeing. Hovering in the sky above the house was a ship. It covered theentire sky above the vineyard. She had never seen such a ship before. It seemedmenacing, threatening almost, and suddenly she thought of Faran and she feltshe had to be near him. She dressed with conflict in mind, choosing a jacketand pants rather than one of Glory’s dresses, and ran from the room. She didnot call out for him, instead she listened, and then she heard it, hisheartbeat, distinct, just like Glory’s and the Doctor’s. They were alldifferent. But it wasn’t just Faran’s and Glory’s she heard this night, sheheard many others, ones she had never heard before.

Sherealized, as she emerged from the vines, that Faran was arguing with someone.The space in front of the house was ablaze with light. Dyllys felt as if shehad emerged into day. She walked up behind Faran silently taking a positionparallel to Glory.

“Itseems the choice was made for you,” the man in front of Faran said. He pulledout a gun and trained it on Faran.

Dyllysreacted instinctively. She would not let harm befall Faran, she would diefirst. She ran in front of him, her arms outstretched, and stared into the coldeyes of the man in front of her. “I will allow no harm to come to my Padrone,”her voice was forceful and hard. Glory had never heard her sound like thatbefore.

“Don’tworry Princess, we won’t hurt your Padrone if you only come with us and don’tmake any fuss.”

“Iam unable to make a fuss. But I cannot leave my Padrone.”

Farangrabbed her hand and pulled her back away from the man with the gun. “Dyllys,just run. Get as far away from here as you can.”

Dyllysturned and looked into Faran’s eyes. “I cannot leave you. I will not.” Faranthought he saw tears swimming in her eyes and then they were gone in a flashback to the cold stone mask that she wore.

Theman with the gun gestured to those behind him and then Dyllys was staring atthe unconscious form of Faran as he slumped into the arms of the waiting men.Glory was screaming at them to stop. The man she was beating on just brushedher off like she was a tiny bug and carried Faran away. Dyllys stared at Glory who was sprawled onthe ground. Glory looked back at Dyllys, her face streaked with tears andblood.

“Lookslike your Padrone is coming with us, Princess,” the man spoke at Dyllys ear.Dyllys was still looking at Glory.

“ThenI will come.” Glory turned her gaze away from Dyllys and sobbed. Dyllys turnedaway and left Glory without a second glance. In her mind she had a sudden flashof a similar moment long ago when she had left behind Faran to follow Salazar.Dyllys was determined not to make that same mistake again.