Chapter 2: Chapter 2 – Homewards

Wave blinked, and they were already so far away that the scene of the accident blended with the background, a moment later the traffic obscured her view. She took a breath and rubbed her eyes. Years ago, this image would have been burned into her memory. But the place of her first horrendous memory was already taken by a settler who had guilelessly walked into one of the dinosaur traps.

She liked the Med. He told her about his work, accidents that were even worse than hers, or celebrities he had already saved. All with the black humor that was apparently reserved only for paramedics.

Then the ride got scary. Together, they listened to Citadel City Radio, or CCR for short. One of the songs that had sprung from Aki's own pen. Wave had leaned her head against the windowpane, ignoring the brightly colored ads her lens projected onto every inch of the concrete-gray surface of the buildings. Instead, she breathed on the windowpane, watching her breath create little specks and watching them fade away again. She was so absorbed by the music that she was on the verge of forgetting that stupid accident when she was startled.

The Med was humming along with the song. Sometimes note for note the same, then in variations that seemed to support the original. It wasn't weird but fit perfectly. After a while, he even joined singing. Wave felt a tingle run down her arms. When the Med spoke, his high voice didn't resemble Aki's at all. Yet, when he sang, he managed to imitate him with an uncanny resemblance. It was the same thrill that Aki had left when his bass first sounded in her ears.

She turned over to him and had already opened her mouth to say something. She wanted to express her admiration, wanted to tell him at the same time how eerily similar his voice was to Aki's. But he didn't sing, he kept his eyes focused on the road. She frowned and eyed him for a few moments until a crowd on the side of the road distracted her. Virtual placards floated above them. 'Respect robot rights,' one read. 'We have feelings too,' showed another. On closer inspection, she recognized paint flashing between the garments instead of skin. They were no beings of flesh and blood, but robots.

In their black uniforms, Security Corps officers flanked the demonstration. The Secs, as they were called for short, formed the police force of Citadel City. Whether they were protecting the robots or the passersby who were widely avoiding the procession of machines, was another matter.

Wave had an ambivalent opinion of them. They were supposed to protect the citizens from danger, but that did not always apply to the settlers of the outside world. Especially not those who stood in the way of the city's expansion. A pity, because she thought that the city had developed for the better in recent years. At least it gave itself the appearance. Members of all races were welcome and the city actually housed beings from all corners of the universe.

The music was interrupted by another moderation. Even those the Med spoke along flawlessly and Wave's goosebumps rose another three levels. Was this a repetition or did the Med have some kind of clairvoyant superpowers? Not out of the question, anything was possible these days. If even robots believed they possessed a soul, then surely a Med could also imitate her favorite radio host perfectly.

It didn't help to think about it this way and the goosebumps remained.

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