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“Avas, there appears to be a timeline disturbance at the inaugural games at the Flavian Amphitheatre in Rome, in the year 80AD,” Gregory said the AI system, as the Avas assembled on the bridge. “If not rectified, it will result in a major rift in the timeline.”
“What sort of a timeline disturbance, Gregory?” Nurse Ava asked, taking change. Since evacuating from Pliny X19, the Avas had taken it upon themselves to fixing the minor lumps and bumps in the timeline, though they left anything significant to the professionals know to them as The Sara Lance and Her Team of Legends.
“Someone has an iPhone? Bottles of Coke are being served to the crowds?” pondered Inventory Ava. Collecting small anachronistic artefacts was one of their regular jobs.
“Not enough murders?” asked Security Ava, having researched just how murder-y these ‘games’ in Ancient Rome were.
“Sara Lance,” said Gregory.
All the Avas gasped.
“Gregory, we need more information than that,” said Nurse Ava, a tight feeling in her chest. Sara Lance meant everything to the Avas. She was the one who had told them that they were human, that they were special and had souls and could make their own decisions. It was thanks to her that they’d taken the initiative to get themselves off Pliny X19 in Bishop’s Seasurfer Time Ship. It was a bit wonky, but Engineer Ava had managed to get everything working fairly well, including the AI system which they called Gregory. Why Bishop had had a time ship on Pliny X19 the Avas didn’t know, but they knew better than to question their good fortune.
“This does not appear to be the Sara Lance you are familiar with, Avas,” said Gregory, to the obvious relief of the Avas. “This one appears to be a robot version of Sara Lance. Somehow she has ended up in the first century AD, and is being used as a fun side-show of sorts at the games.”
“A side-show?” asked Assistant Ava, taking notes. “Is she a comedian?”
“She is a killer,” said Gregory. “The historian Suetonius writes that there was a mute, Gallic woman of extreme beauty, agility, strength and power at the games, and she proved to be unbeatable for many weeks. She became a favourite of the crowds, though as the weeks went on, her brutality waned, and she increasingly gave her opponents a quick and painless death.”
“Suetonius wrote about her? Oh, no, this is bad,” said Assistant Ava. “There shouldn’t be powerful women in Roman history.”
“Why does he suppose she was Gallic? Because she’s blonde?” asked Inventory Ava.
“Perhaps she was found in Gaul and brought to Rome?” suggested Security Ava.
“How is there a ‘robot’ Sara?” Engineer Ava asked. “And how is she in Ancient Rome?”
“I think we need to worry less about the ‘hows’ and more about the ‘what are we going to do about it’,” said Inventory Ava.
“The Ancient Romans weren’t very keen on quick and painless deaths,” said Security Ava, sensing that aspect was probably an issue.
Nurse Ava nodded. “We must retrieve her, right, Avas? Gregory?”
“What does Suetonius says becomes of her?” asked Security Ava. “Or would we rather not know?”
“To skip to the end, it would appear she was beheaded, however that caused even greater alarm and, should events be allowed to unfold in that manner, it will throw all of science from the year 80 onwards into disarray, when it is discovered that though she bleeds, this Sara is not human,” Gregory explained. “She must be extracted before the crowds become sick of her, and her true identity causes a major rift in the timeline.”
“But what would we do with her?” Assistant Ava asked.
“We have to bring her here,” said Nurse Ava. “We have to help her.”
“But she’s not The Sara,” said Inventory Ava, reverent yet unsure about this idea.
“No,” said Nurse Ava. “But she’s A Sara. The Sara treated us like humans, like individuals. She showed us that we are not replaceable, and it is thanks to her that we’ve found out so much more about ourselves. Inventory Ava is brilliant at fantasy baseball. Security Ava likes ballet. Assistant Ava has gotten really into Japanese cuisine. Engineer Ava has taken up flower arranging. Chef Ava likes board games. I love reading sappy romance and young adult novels. We never would have learnt these things and so much else about ourselves if not for The Sara. So maybe this isn’t The Sara, but This Sara needs us, just as once we were not The Sara’s Ava, but she needed us all the same, and we were there to help. So maybe now, what This Sara needs is some Avas.”
“I shall prepare tunics, stolas, shawls and sandals for us,” said Inventory Ava.
“Gregory and I shall arrange exactly where and how we shall extract This Sara,” said Security Ava.
“I will plot us a course,” said Engineer Ava.
“It will be approximately 27 degrees Celsius, clear, with 70% humidity,” said Assistant Ava.
The remaining Avas nodded in agreement, grateful for the clear and accurate information, and all happy that everything was under control.
As she set off to do some quick research on This Robot Sara before getting changed, Nurse Ava had a funny feeling in her stomach as she recalled The Sara. Though The Sara had initially threatened her, Nurse Ava understood that that was because she had been afraid and confused, and was sure that The Sara would never actually hurt Any Ava unless she truly had no other choice. She couldn’t. She was much too in love with Her Ava. Nurse Ava wondered what being in love with A Sara would feel like, and if This Sara, though apparently a silent killer robot, somewhere deep inside, had a love for Avas too.
The Avas knew they wouldn’t have a lot of time to incept and extract This Sara, and could end up in all sorts of trouble if they got caught. Plus, there was the additional challenge that they were all women, and unescorted women at that, in the highly patriarchal and male-dominated world of Ancient Rome.
“I could have dressed as a man,” said Security Ava as they tried to act as inconspicuous as possible, walking along the dusty streets of Rome, mindful of horse droppings and dog droppings and the mysterious, smelly liquid which pooled in the gutters.
“Oh no, you’re much to pretty,” smiled Assistant Ava kindly. “How does my hair look? Is my shawl ok?”
“You look fine,” said Nurse Ava, feeling nervous but doing her best to hide it.
“What if we can’t get to Sara? What if the guards become suspicious? Oh, I really don’t want to be fed to a lion,” said Assistant Ava.
“Hold your nerve, Assistant Ava,” said Inventory Ava. They hoped they were dressed correctly for the task at hand, and that they would not be asked too many questions. “We will get to This Sara. We must. The timeline will be in tatters if we do not. If The Sara’s Ava could fix the timeline, then so can we.”
They soon reached the Flavian Amphitheatre which would later become better known by its common name of The Colosseum. However, instead of heading into the stands along with the other early arrivals who wanted to get the best seats before the day’s game began, they headed around to where Gregory had shown them was access to the hypogeum underneath the arena floor. It was a veritable maze under there, but Engineer Ava had memorised the plans, and knew where about the slaves were being held before their events, such as they were. The issue was that they did not know where specifically This Sara was being held.
The hypogeum was filled with guards and soldiers, cleaners, healers, delivery boys, animal handlers, and machinery operators, not to mention the gladiators, slaves and prisoners of war who would be ‘providing’ the ‘entertainment’.
“Oh, I don’t know about this,” said Assistant Ava, wringing her hands, feeling that as women, they rather stood out.
“Hush,” said Security Ava. “She must be nearby.”
“Haven’t we already been down here?” Nurse Ava asked, worried they were going in circles and finding the stale air, stench of sweaty bodies and animal waste quite overwhelming.
“No,” assured Engineer Ava. “Security Ava is right. This Sara must be near. Wait - ” she said and stopped. “There.”
Sure enough, standing with a straight back in a line of slaves, was This Sara. The Avas approached, doing their best not to look at the other slaves. Sara was dressed as a gladiator of sorts, though without any chest protection or helmet, and in just a short tunic. Her hair was braided, and despite her the leather manicae on her elbows and wrists, greaves and tunic, the Avas could see that This Sara was rather battered and bruised. Nurse Ava wished not for the first time that the Seasurfer had a proper medical bay, rather than just a first-aid room which was effectively a large storage room with a couple of fold-out chairs. Well, she thought, not every time ship could have everything.
“Does she have any weapons?” Assistant Ava asked.
“She doesn’t appear to, but this is A Sara Lance,” said Inventory Ava, a little in awe of seeing A Sara in person. “She could turn anything into a weapon should she wish.”
“We have to go, now, before our presence becomes suspicious,” said Nurse Ava, looking around. She didn’t like how blank and lifeless This Sara’s eyes were. Was it because she was a robot? Or because she was hurt? Or something else? Nurse Ava didn’t know, and was a little afraid of the truth.
“Is she chained?” asked Inventory Ava.
“Around the ankle, look,” said Assistant Ava.
“I’ve got it,” said Engineer Ava, kneeling down and pulling a lock-pick out from inside the folds of her stola.
This Sara went along with what was happening, and gave no indication to anyone nearby that the Avas were trying to break her out.
“There,” said Engineer Ava. “Done. Inventory Ava, care to open a portal?”
“But there’s other people around!” hissed Assistant Ava.
“No one will believe then,” said Security Ava. “They are slaves. Most of them will be lucky to see dusk. This Sara’s disappearance will cause an uproar, but a disappearing gladiator-slave is a lot less questionable than a robot in the year 80. Come on, Avas, we have to go, and we have to go now. Inventory Ava, open that portal back to the ship.”
Inventory Ava did as she was asked, and the four Avas, with This Sara between Nurse Ava and Security Ava, going with them. A moment later they were back onboard the Seasurfer, in the bright lighting and clean surrounds.
“We made it,” breathed Assistant Ava.
“Gregory, is the timeline fixed?” asked Inventory Ava.
“With This Sara removed from Ancient Rome, the timeline is back in order,” said Gregory. “All of her actions are removed from Suetonius’s account of the games, but perhaps that is for the best.”
“Perhaps it is,” said Engineer Ava. “Without the gory end, she does not become a legend.”
“She’s still a legend,” said Nurse Ava quickly.
Sara looked at her.
Nurse Ava swallowed. “Would you like to have a shower?” she suggested for lack of anything better to say and thinking that This Sara needed a shower before any of the Avas. She also wished that Security Ava didn’t look quite so tense, and that Assistant Ava looked a little less nervous.
Sara just stood there, unmoving, showing no emotion. Nurse Ava didn’t like it. It made her sad and uncomfortable, at the same time. She wanted to give This Sara a hug, but also didn’t want to get killed.
“Have a shower,” she said, wondering if Sara required specific directions. “Gregory will make you some clothes, and I’ll patch up your wounds once you’re all cleaned up, ok?”
Again, Sara didn’t respond.
“I promise I’ll be gentle,” Nurse Ava said with a soft smile. “I am gentle. I’m not like that nasty doctor you knew. I’m not a doctor, I’m a nurse. I can’t do what she did, I don’t know how. But I do know how to clean, dress and manage your injuries. But first, you really do need a shower. Come on, come with me, I’ll show you the way.”
Nurse Ava was a little surprised that Sara followed her to the bathroom and instantly began to strip of, revealing more bruises, grazes, cuts and bumps than Nurse Ava really wanted to see. She felt sorry for Sara, and wondered how much pain she could feel, or if that had been programmed out of her too.
“Nurse Ava? I’ve got some bathroom supplies from Inventory Ava for Sara,” Assistant Ava said, from without.
“Thank-you, Assistant Ava,” Nurse Ava said, stepping out into the corridor and taking the towels, clothing and toiletries from her friend. “I’ll give this to the patient, then go and get my first-aid kit. I think I’m going to need the big one.”
“She - she doesn’t heal?” Assistant Ava asked quietly. “Oh, dear, that’s not good.”
“It’s ok,” Nurse Ava reassured her. “I believe she heals normally. Some of her bruises look days, if not weeks old. At least on a surface level, she appears to be properly human. She’s not identical to The Sara, remember? They’re different from one another. Unique.”
Assistant Ava nodded. “I really do hope this goes well. The Sara, she - she is very special.”
“I know,” Nurse Ava said. “Now, I wonder if This Sara knows how to work the shower.”
After Sara had showered and dressed in underwear and a crop-top, she allowed Nurse Ava to tend to her wounds. She never made a sound, never protested, and never flinched when Nurse Ava knew that something she did would have hurt. It made Nurse Ava’s heart sore to think that her patient accepted what was being done to her without question or comment or even the occasional “ouch”.
“All done,” Nurse Ava said with her most friendly smile when she was finished. “You can finish getting dressed now. Then I can show you to your room, where you can have a sleep. Or Chef Ava could make you something to eat? Do you need to eat? I think you must, because though you’re very toned, you are rather on the skinny side, whereas my memory of The Sara is of her being more… well, she has a very wonderful body too, only she has a couple fewer ribs showing. Not that that’s an insult, only… I think you’re supposed to eat? I - I’ll talk to Chef Ava while you get dressed. There’s a comb there for your hair, too. Unless you’d like me to help with that? Or - or not? I’ll leave you too it.”
As soon as Nurse Ava was alone in the corridor, she leant against the wall and exhaled heavily. This was hard. Harder than she thought it would be. Was it supposed to feel so hard? She kept remembering The Sara, the sparkle and life in her eyes, her passion, her determination to get back to Her Ava. The way that The Sara had told the Avas that they were special and unique and extraordinary. It hurt Nurse Ava to see This Sara in such a state, with no fire, no spirit. As though that had all been programmed out of her.
And yet…
Nurse Ava blinked back tears and forced herself to stand up straight, shoulders back, chin up. This Sara had fought. She’d fought and she’d fought and she’d fought in that gladiatorial arena, over and over, for weeks at least, possibly even a few months. She could have given up. Though she’d been killing, she’d been showing mercy too. Nurse Ava didn’t know how This Sara’s programming worked, but to fight like that…
Nurse Ava took a deep breath and focussed on her arguments in case any of the other Avas challenged having This Sara on board. Not even the League of Assassins could remove the humanity of The Sara. Not dying, and losing her soul, and developing blood lust had been enough to destroy the soul of The Sara. Poison it, perhaps. But she had been stronger. She had overcome it, with her team, her friends, Her Ava.
Perhaps that was all This Sara needed too. People who loved her, people who cared, and maybe An Ava of her own.
The days passed, and the Avas continued on with life pretty much as normal, although with Sara now occupying one of the bedrooms. She was a very quiet houseguest, she literally never spoke, but she also just stayed in her room. Nurse Ava brought her meals and recommended each day that she took a shower, after which Nurse Ava would check her wounds, which she was very happy to note were healing at a regular human pace. Gregory alerted Nurse Ava to the fact that Sara would spend an hour in the morning working out in her room, and another hour in the afternoon, which Nurse Ava didn’t like particularly as she thought This Sara should be resting, but she realised that Sara didn’t have anything else to do.
“Would you like something to watch?” Nurse Ava asked on the fourth day after she had checked Sara’s dressings.
Sara sat on the bed, stared blankly ahead and said nothing.
Nurse Ava pursed her lips. “Gregory, could you put one of those nice hour-long pretty scenery compilations with the relaxing music on the TV, please?”
“Right away, Nurse Ava,” Gregory replied, and the screen came to life.
“May I watch this with you?” Nurse Ava asked.
Sara looked at Nurse Ava for a moment, before turning her gaze to the TV screen. Nurse Ava took this to be a yes, and sat on the bed beside her. The scenic video started with a drone-shot of a sandy white beach with sea the colour of Sara’s eyes. However, Nurse Ava thought sadly, This Sara’s eyes didn’t sparkle the way the sea did in the sunshine. They should, she thought, only they didn’t.
Nurse Ava loved these films. She’d spent very little time on Earth, but she thought it looked beautiful. Perhaps she was imagining it, but as the days passed, she suspected that This Sara liked the films too. She always seemed a little less tense, a little less tight in the jaw and the shoulders after watching one.
“Perhaps we could go there one day,” Nurse Ava said a few days later after they’d finished watching yet another scenic video filled with drone shots of dramatic snowy mountains, lush, green rolling hills, and huge, majestic waterfalls, interspersed with macro-images of blooming flowers, rain drops dripping from leaves, and more traditional films of caribou in the snow, and turtles on the beach. “See some of those places.”
Sara looked for a moment at Nurse Ava, then back at the blank screen.
“I think the world looks nice,” Nurse Ava wistfully. “It’s pretty. One day… One day, we will see more of it.” She knew her words didn’t come close to describing what she really thought of the scenes she saw. So many places to go, things to see, beaches and rivers and lakes to swim in, hills and valleys to walk across, mountains to hike, waterfalls to marvel at, starry skies, sunrises and sunsets to admire. She wondered if The Sara and Her Ava enjoyed those sorts of things. Nurse Ava supposed that they did.
Their routine continued. Sara began to use the gym to work out in, rather than just her room, and occasionally ate with the Avas in the galley too, which took some getting used to for everyone. The Avas gave her a few books to read; Around the World in 80 Days, A Short History of Europe, How to Invent Everything and the Mary Berry’s Complete Cookbook. Nurse Ava smiled when she noticed that all the books had bookmarks, provided by Inventory Ava, in them at different points.
Sara’s physical wounds continued to heal, and Nurse Ava suspected more and more than there was something akin to healing going on in Sara’s brain, or whatever central processing system that she had, as well. Some days Nurse Ava worried she was making up This Sara’s progress, but she was sure, so sure, that whatever was happening inside this Sara’s head, that in any battle between any programming versus any version of Sara Lance and the things that made her Sara, the Sara part would always win.
Nurse Ava needed those aspects, that loyalty, that bravery, that liveliness, that love, to win.
“Are you my Ava?”
If Nurse Ava hadn’t been sitting down, she would have fallen over. She looked to her side. Sara’s eyes flicked over to her for a fraction of a second, and then back to the screen, then back to Nurse Ava. There was something about her eyes Nurse Ava hadn’t seen before. Those eyes which were the same as The Sara’s, but so blank and lifeless looked… well, not quite sparkling. Not quite full of life. But perhaps there was a glimmer, a spark to them which hadn’t been there before.
“I - If - if you would like that,” Nurse Ava said tentatively, her heart racing with delight and trepidation. “If you would like me to be your Ava, I would like that very much. I - I would like you to be my Sara, if you’d like.”
Again, Sara’s eyes flicked between Nurse Ava and the screen, but she said no more.
Nurse Ava had never felt anything like this. She wasn’t sure she was supposed to, or had been made to, but she now realised that she’d spent the past couple of weeks falling in love.
Sara moved her hand ever so slightly across the bed so her pinky touched Nurse Ava’s. Her eyes flicked over and caught Nurse Ava’s for a moment. Nurse Ava smiled, her eyes filled with tears. A muscle near Sara’s mouth flickered ever so slightly, but it had flickered. Nurse Ava wanted to pull Sara into her arms, to hold her, to hug her and kiss her and tell her she knew just how wonderful and strong and amazing she was, and that she would overcome all this awful programming, Nurse Ava knew she would. But for now, this tiny movement, this moment, was enough.
“Yes,” Ava said confidently, her heart full. “Yes, I’m your Ava.”