Q185

"Cue, the compactor is down again and...didn’t you hear me calling?"

"My apologies, Mrs. Downs. My audio sensors are at a reduced range. Shall I fix the compactor?"

"Yes, yes.... It must be the infusers again. Nothing has been right since that electrician was here."

Q185 turned and left. As he did, Mary could not help notice a low humming sound coming from his torso.

Gregor entered from another entrance and found Mary looking across the room, long after the android had gone.

"Mary, is everything okay?"

"Oh, yes dear. Well, the compactor’s acting up again...."

"What? Again?" Gregor spoke agitated.

"I sent Cue to fix it. Gregor, have you noticed anything different in Cue? The past three or four days,.well, he seems a little off."

"No, I hadn’t noticed. I’ll look after him though."

That same day, as dusk began to settle in, Gregor was in the basement looking in on the stock.

"Sir, you asked for me?"

"Yes, Cue, come over here," waved Gregor.

He was standing by a small machine with two clamps and a series of dials across its face. It was the android’s recharging station.

"Turn around," said Gregor.

He opened a compartment in the small of Cue’s back and connected the two clamps.

"Those sick Peobles are taking a little longer to cure than we first thought."

"Yes, sir," said Q185 mechanically. "I am afraid their production will be delayed by thirty-six to forty-three additional hours."

"Indeed? Quick, your power levels are at forty-two percent. Have you been down at night?"

"Yes. Perhaps there is a fault in the current."

"Maybe you have a bad wire?"

Quick started, his metallic frame showing the slightest jerking movement. Gregor noticed it and did not let on. In fact, he knew a great deal about robotics and concealed it from everyone except his wife who knew him all his life.

"I will run a full diagnostic if you like."

"No, Quick, that won't be necessary, I guess. Just keep a close eye on it. I don't want to find you leaning against a tree with no resources."

Gregor snapped the compartment closed and walked to the robot’s front. The two stood there a moment, face to face. Quick waited. It seemed as if Gregor were about to speak. He turned and walked away instead. At the foot of the steps, he turned and looked back.

"Tomorrow, we’re going into town for a bit. I have some business there."

Robert Gouche paced back and forth within his shop. As he did, his eyes darted from the clock on the wall to the door. Finally, he stopped and pounded his fist on the desk.

"Why, that no good lyin’-."

He was cut short by the sound of metal scraping across cement behind him. He turned and saw Quick standing in the doorway.

"Well, it’s about time! You’re fifteen minutes late. You can tell Downs that I’ll add it to your time. Now let’s get going. I got thirty ton of stone to move, tin man."

The sun came up and the solar collectors emerged from the ground, unfolding like flowers to collect its earliest, brightest rays.

Q185 was coming from the horizon, his silhouetted form getting larger and more in focus at an incredible rate. He was on a one man land-hopper and moving at one hundred and fifty kilometers. As he approached the domes, two large doors rose up from the ground which led to a tunnel and the garage.