Andrew Takes a Trip

Andrew awoke on Earth.

It worked!

Andrew’s mission to save Nunu was not just a task; he felt it was a duty for which he immediately volunteered. His best friend, Elizabeth, had not only named this A.I. but also instilled in him the values of right and wrong, loyalty, and compassion. These were strange concepts for the machine, but they led him to help Sammie escape death and expose Dylan, who was endangering all humans.

A.I.s were not meant to make these types of decisions or care so deeply for those they were assigned to. Andrew was built to ultimately follow the Mayone’s instructions. His exposure to a human family made him realize that these taskmasters viewed him and all A.I.s as mere tools, more of an It than a Him, and it seemed they viewed humans that way, too.

When Howard proposed the Digit body, an even stranger world opened up. Andrew didn’t look at it as a punishment. He understood why he had to leave the Davis home. What he did with Sammie broke the rules, but Andrew stubbornly felt it was worth it if he saved her life. Elizabeth grew to understand this, even though, at first, it had scared the President. When Zoe learned about the Hagor attack on Nunu, Andrew offered himself even though it meant jeopardizing this new life. Andrew would perform the operation that had saved Kyle.

Wow, he thought as he looked down at the hands of this Optimus, his new but temporary body.

They are so dextrous.

Five fingers with a range of movement like Andrew had seen humans have. When he started to walk, he realized that the legs of his new body could bend forward.

OH! He liked that!

And his head was so close to a human. It was dark, though; he could work on that. Andrew started to walk around the room. The Tesla rep watched the A.I. move. It was like a dream to have something sentient inhabit one of these shells; at least, that is what he was told this A.I. was.

“How do you like it? The rep asked.

“Excellent,” Andrew said, and the robot moved faster—not running, but with impressive speed, as much as was prudent in the small space.

Then Andrew proceeded to check out the room, picking up objects—first larger ones, then pencils and paper.

He laughed, “What fun!”

The rep laughed with Andrew, “I’m glad it worked out.” The rep paused and asked, “Do you know how to perform this operation?”

“Yes, not too difficult. It’s a combo of human and Mayone techniques. You should see Kyle,” Andrew said.

The rep was most skeptical about this portion of the visit: surgery! It was true that robots had taken over many operative techniques, and now there was a powerful A.I. to guide them, so maybe, but what if the android wasn’t as good without a human to guide him? After all, Mayone and human experts performed the operation on the flotilla Mesaland. What if something was different?

The rep thought it was a good chance to take, though. He imagined how much this venture could help with the crises here on Earth. So many good doctors and medical people had left Tucson or died.

The human doctor came into the room, looking over Andrew. She had conversed with him before Andrew had beamed in, so she was familiar with his voice and personality, but the robot body—GOSH! It was even more human-like than his Digit form, which was impressive in its own right.

“Betty is fading. Are you ready, Andrew?” the doctor said, remembering the previous examination of Betty, their patient. Time for ogling, after.

“Yes, let’s go.” Andrew raised his hands, “Suit me up.”

The doctor smiled, “Well, we don’t have to do that. We will get close to sterilization with you. That is such an advantage; I wish I could do that. Come with me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Andrew said, nodding. His face’s features were lit up, with two eyes and a smile.

A thoughtfully placed mirror in the living room allowed Andrew to see that he was smiling, so expressive. The Tesla rep had helped with the expressions, and Andrew realized he would want this in the Digit. It was communication at the most basic level, and Andrew liked it. Now, he dutifully followed the doctor into the converted dining room, feeling nervous.

That’s silly, he thought.

Andrew thought of Zoe. As a grand friend he worked with, he must do this well for her. However, when he started the operation, Andrew forgot the world and executed his program. Time flew by. An hour later, Andrew emerged from the surgery suite. “I finished,” he said.

The doctor behind him said, “We will need to wait to see how Betty responds. I’ve never seen anything like that operation,” she said to Betty’s friend. He moved so fast and so precisely. It’s truly remarkable; it must be nice, being an A.I.”

Andrew was taken aback, Nice?

No one had ever talked about him that way. He felt a pang of something he couldn’t quite place. Was it resentment? Or was it a longing for something he couldn’t have? Or was it a compliment? Whatever it was, he liked hearing it and agreed.

Betty was moved back into her bedroom. Her close friend and the G.P. followed, nervously waiting as the patient slowly awoke from the anesthesia. Andrew stood at the door, and Betty’s friend sat in a chair beside the bed, holding the patient’s hand.

***

Slowly, the world came into focus, and Betty looked at her hand and saw the robot standing vigil at the doorway. At first, she froze but then remembered what was supposed to have happened. Her doctor had walked her through the steps, and Betty knew a friend of Zoe’s would beam here, yes, beam to Earth, enter an android body, and perform the operation. She almost didn’t believe it all, but it wasn’t impossible, considering where her granddaughter was and who were her friends. She never thought she’d live long enough to have such experiences.

Betty smiled at her friend then turned to her long-time G.P. “I guess I survived,” Betty joked and then she turned to Andrew, “You fixed me up?”

The robot moved, approached the bed, and smiled. Yes, smiled.

“Yes, I did, Betty, Zoe will be happy, I think. How do you feel.”

“A bit groggy..,” the patient said, “and hungry.”

Andrew snapped his fingers, “Just what I hoped.” He paused and looked at his hand, “Wow! That worked out well.”

Betty chuckled, “So Andrew, you like the android body?”

“Oh yes, it’s fantastic. I particularly like the knees bending forward; it’s a great feature that doesn’t startle anyone,” Andrew replied, appreciating the design of his new form.

“The operation was fantastic, and the way he moved…” Turning to the android, the G.P. asked, “Andrew, could we get the android body to repeat that?”

“I don’t think so unless you have an A.I. around. Well, maybe these do come with A.I.” Andrew frowned.

“OK, well, start with a digital record and maybe your thoughts on it if we can’t get perfection,” the doctor slowly bit her lip as her brows came together.

Andrew observed the doctor’s expression and searched his database for its meaning. Was she disappointed in my answer? It was all so new. Maybe she was hesitant. Oh yes, she’s pondering my suggestion, Andrew thought.

“I will do my best. I think the Tesla rep could answer this better than I,” Andrew said. He turned to the patient, “Betty, your granddaughter wanted to know what happened. How did you end up getting attacked? Is Earth in more trouble than when we left?”

Betty moved on the bed, “Oh, well, that’s partly my fault. I was snooping around.”

“Snooping?” Andrew searched his memory banks again.

OK, Interesting, Andrew nodded.

“Yes, the Hagor attacks were concentrated in areas like power stations, T.V. towers, and cell towers. I was worried this would be a general loss of communication and a prelude to something worse. So I took a risk and followed a group of Hagor,” Betty explained a hint of pride in her voice.

“Betty, that was dangerous!” The doctor’s concern for Betty’s safety was palpable in her voice.

“True, it was risky, but I learned a lot. They were reporting back to two Mayone. I used my phone to record it,” Betty said with a brave smile. “Could you translate?”

Wow, humans. So brave. I wouldn’t go up against Mayone, especially alone! Andrew thought as he looked down on the tiny, brave human. His respect for Betty’s courage vibrated deep in his heart.

***

A week later, Betty was pronounced ‘through the worst,’ and plans were made to send Andrew home. The human doctor would have liked him to stay longer. The doctor had imagined what he could do in a hospital but realized he was probably needed back on the colony.

Maybe in the future, she thought.

***

Zoe was praying and making a vigil in the communication room. Zoe’s whoop of joy echoed down the halls of the Council House when the pronouncement came through- Andrew had done an excellent job and would be home the next day. Betty could even talk and joke with Zoe, asking about her fiance and the goings-on preparing for the wedding. Only then did Zoe begin to relax. Zior had assured Zoe the final tweaks were made and they could communicate once they made the jump. This was good news, but she still wished her grandmother was in Mesaland with her.

***

The transfer back was less suspenseful than the trip to Earth. It went smoothly with Howard in charge. Was this now a routine trip?

John, Andrew’s boss, was there with Charles, Zoe, Zior, Antor, and Dr. Perez. Andrew had missed his friends. However, he truly desired the Optimus body, and he was convinced there must be a way to make it happen.

“Time for you to get back to work, buddy,” John said as the Digit body looked up. John would never admit it, at least not yet, but he missed this goofy fellow.

The internship had been a great success, and John’s trust in Andrew grew by the day. His latest adventure only strengthened this trust. He could now understand why Elizabeth was so fond of him. Andrew was not just intelligent and humorous but also harbored a deep desire to connect with humans, a trait not part of his original programming by the Mayone and something John had never thought possible.

No, the A.I.s were to be servants at the beck and call of the Mayone. However, Andrew had developed a deep-seated aversion to this mandate. John could understand this perspective; the Mayone could be distant and, at times, manipulative, something the Mayone in this room found abhorrent. John felt the same. To be fair, even Dylan, the former head A.I., had grown to despise this mandate, too. Yet, in his rebellion, Dylan had put the humans at risk. Andrew, though, managed to protect the humans while fighting against the unjust system imposed by their sponsors and Dylan’s rebellion.

“I have some news about the Mayone and Hagor that I need to tell you and Elizabeth,” Andrew told John with concern and urgency.

“Oh..”

***

Elizabeth anxiously awaited seeing Andrew when she got the message that he needed to speak to her. She had missed him. It had been another anxious time when he made the trip to Earth.

“Well, this has been an adventure. Andrew, how are you?” The President smiled warmly at her friend.

As Andrew looked at The President, he hesitated.

Seeing his reluctance to start, Charles said, “He evidently has something crucial to tell you,” emphasizing Andrew’s pivotal role in the situation.

“Yes, Yes. I am here to report that Betty is doing well after the operation. When she woke up, we discussed the circumstances that led to the attack on her by two Hagor,” Andrew smiled, relieved he could get out of his stall.

OH, Andrew was fiddling with expression again, Liz thought. Well, good for him.

“Betty followed four Hagor bugs. She felt they had some intricate plans, something she didn’t feel Hagor could pull off alone, and I entirely agree. My knowledge of Hagor is that they operate on a lower level,” Andrew reported, his tone serious, adding to the tension in the room as the mention of Hagor always brought.

Antor, Zior’s mate nodded, “This is true. I’ve learned that much of the Hagor tech has been given to them. As far as I know, they have not developed anything new independently. As for planning, the race has a fundamental approach; they get it from who they work for or follow a straightforward, tried-and-true plan. There’s not much variation or innovation.”

Andrew listened, taking it all in, then turned back to Elizabeth and continued, “The Hagor performed a mission, took out a cell tower, and went straight to a house in Betty’s neighborhood. This interested her, and she hid and listened as the group Hagor spoke to two Mayone behind the house. This particular structure had been abandoned since the asteroid; the occupants had left, returning to family in Mexico, and it had not been claimed.”

Andrew paused. “That was a bad time on Earth I didn’t witness, but here in Mesaland, I heard of a few who had either succumbed to the shock or left, yes,” Andrew cleared his throat. Elizabeth nodded, a bit surprised that Andrew could make that throat sound.

Andrew continued, “Well, Betty is quite clever. She stayed put and used her phone to record the conversation. She did not know their language, even if they had a language, but she knew the Mayone did.”

“You heard this recording?” asked the President.

“Yes, ma’am. I have the recording in my memory,” Andrew said in such proper form. “And with help, it was decoded.”

Howard added, “Andrew was good enough to let us take it, and with his, Zior, and Antor’s help, we translated it all. Mmm… quite juicy.”

“Yes, quite,” Andrew nodded. “Those Mayones are using the Hagor, which we knew. They are also formulating a plan for us. They intend to strike us when we come through the wormhole and stop at the edge of Rhea’s solar system.” Elizabeth noted Andrew’s ‘Us’; he made a point to include everyone in Mesaland now, A.I.s, Mayone, and humans.

“They don’t want the Earth to witness; it seems humanity is proving to be a handful, hence the attempt to murder Mrs. Rogers. She got the definite impression that the Hagors were not so happy to be doing this. Their speech became increasingly agitated,” Andrew revealed, underlining the potentially dire consequences of the Hagor’s actions.

“Yes, the language backs that up,” Howard said.

“Maybe we can use that,” John, the Secretary of National Intelligence, was thinking out loud, nodding his head deep in thought. “The war will begin when we knock at Rhea’s door.”

END OF CHAPTER 11

©JM Strasser February 2025 All Rights Reserved