Chapter 12

The adults were assisting the new arrivals in other areas of the ship. Leslie assigned each of the thirteen-year-olds jobs to 'hold down the fort' while they were away. Leslie had instructed the thirteen-year-olds to use her first name. However, when Joan called her former teacher by her first name, she still heard 'Mrs. Howard' in her mind.

Joan sat upstairs with little Tina and baby Katy. She blew on Katy's belly, causing her to reach up her hands and feet to grab at Joan's face.

"Not so stinky now, huh?"

Katy gurgled a nonsensical reply.

Tina was drawing on the wall. "Joan, wook at my cow."

Picking up Katy, Joan took her to examine the drawing. The blue cow stood on orange ground. Joan was surprised she could identify the drawing as a cow. "That's very pretty, Tina. Are you finished?"

"No, not yet."

"I need to feed Katy."

Tina turned back to her artwork. Joan grabbed a bottle sitting in the dispenser. She seated herself in the rocker.

"Wellow." Tina told the marker in her hand.

The line she drew was still blue.

"No blue, ywel-low."

There was an audible ting. "Repeat after me Tina, yel-oh." The AI waited for a response.

"Yell-low," Tina chimed. Soft clapping caused the little girl to curtsy. She looked up to see if Joan was watching.

Joan responded with thumbs up and a wink.

Katy held her bottle, her eyes drooping toward sleep. Tina was adding a yellow sixth leg to her cow. Joan hoped it was a leg. She smiled, watching the picture mutate into a surrealistic experience.

Katy dropped the bottle. Joan set it upright. She shifted the baby up to her shoulder. The burp was a bit wet. Once Katy was asleep, she laid her in the crib. Closing the top placed Katy into a mini med-bay-like chamber that let the AI closely monitor her while keeping her environment controlled.

Joan pulled off her sundress, placing it into the recycler. In a few minutes it would cleaned and returned. Tina tossed her dress into the slot also.

Tina took Joan's hand and led her to the door. "Need to go potty, Joan."

Nudity in the pod started becoming the norm. The kids playing video games in the common room did little more than glance in their direction. Strangely, it seemed easier for her, Eve and the other thirteen-year-old girls than for the boys.

Ted and Bert started using the workout machines on the lower level. That spectator sport possessed a few things that held her attention.

The trip to the toilet proved successful. The AI posted a star under Tina's successful potty attempts tally.

Once back in the playroom, Tina led Joan to the rocker.

"Rock me please?"

As soon as she took her seat, Tina climbed into her lap. "You my new mommy for me too, Joan?"

"Would you like that?"

"Ahha."

Tina burrowed herself into Joan's nude torso, falling asleep in about four rocks.

All her life, her parents kept pushing her; 'you are going to college'. Aunt Donna was married and had six kids. Momma always referred to her as a breeder, as though she were a lesser person. Compared to her mom, Aunt Donna seemed much happier.

"Mr. AI."

"You have no need to address me with a title."

"Sorry. Can I ask a few questions?"

"Yes, Joan, you may."

"Do I have a choice to not take the test when I'm fourteen?"

A pause ensued. "That would be most irregular, Joan."

Stroking Tina's back, she pondered her next question. "I really like watching after kids. What if I just want to have and raise kids?"

"As a volunteer, you have a choice as to when you conceive a baby. As a concubine, your sponsor has the choice of when and who the father will be." That was something Joan hadn't fathomed. Mr. Jenkins had mentioned something like it before, but hearing the AI made it more real. "At this time, your experience with small children is limited."

"I am a certified sitter." Even as she said the words, she knew her argument was flimsy.

"Your statement is verified in the Red Cross records."

Joan decided she might need to start listening to Randy and Louis about the AIs.

"May I make a suggestion, Joan?"

"Yes." Joan stood, taking Tina over to her cottage-toddler-bed.

"During your sleep training cycle, would you like an overview of the various options a sponsor has?"

Bending down, Joan pulled back the sheet. Tucking Tina in, she kissed the sleeping girl's cheek.

"I think that's a good idea, Mr. AI."

A gentle tapping caught her attention.

"Nice view." The complement came from behind her.

Turning, she saw Ted standing in the doorway.

In a whisper, he inquired, "Since you're naked, I was wondering if you would mind me practicing for my oral exam?"

"Pervert," she branded him, as she moved to the singlewide bed to sit down. "My answer is," she spread her legs open wide, lying back, "I need you to climb on the bed and put something in my mouth so we don't wake the little ones while you practice.

The AI grabbed Bill's attention. 'Bill Jenkins, report to Med Bay Two.'

Slipping out the back of the mess hall, Bill began walking toward the spine of the ship.

'May I ask why?' Speaking subvocally was becoming second nature.

'The Concubine Tiffany Jenkins has been injured.'

Bill picked up the pace, striding, cutting around, and closely brushing people as he passed them.

'How long ago?'

'Approximately three minutes and forty-seven seconds.'

"Shit." Bill no longer concentrated on using subvocals. "How bad is Tiffany hurt?"

'The Concubine Tiffany Jenkins suffered a C-1 spinal injury with bilateral tear along the cerebellum, pons and medulla oblongata. Her viability is being assessed at the moment.'

Bill sprinted. Volunteers warned by the AI either moved or helped to clear a path.

Entering Sick Bay, Bill ran into a female Marine. She absorbed his momentum, stopping Bill from plowing into the group around the med tube.

"What happened?" Bill screamed.

A big bald headed Marine spoke. "A concubine attacked her."

Bill agreed to have his people help as long as they would be safe. "Where was her security?"

"Sir," the female Marine interjected. "When the concubine," she pointed at a crumpled nude male, "first grabbed her, Corporal Mendez moved to secure him." Bill looked at the Marine who towered five inches over him. "The torque from the corporal pulling him away from him caused your concubine's neck to strike the edge." She tapped the hard square edge of an opened tube.

Bill spun back to the Corporal. "So you let him try and kill her!" No one responded. "I wasn't told for almost four minutes." Still no response came from the silent Marine. The heat of the moment tore at Bill's gut. They wouldn't even say if Tiffany would live.

Bill pivoted and threw an overhand right at the corporal. Private Byrd countered. It wasn't wax-on or wax-off. The block, whatever she called it, broke bones.

Joyce stood by his tube as it opened. Salome held Theresa as she watched over Tiffany in a nearby tube. Joyce motioned for Bill to hush. She then pointed to his ear and mouthed 'ask the AI'.

'What does Joyce want me to know?'

When the video of Jason's attack on Tiffany was shown to the ship's company later, more than one woman fainted at the sound of the breaking bones. The unnatural angle at which Tiffany's head lay after she crumpled to the floor unhinged a few more stomachs.