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I had 47.5 minutes until PerihelionDrone and Dr. Mensah and the shuttle would pick up the crate I was supposed to be in. There was still time to go back. I'd left the armored suit and a secure message explaining I would meet them and Murderbot 1.0 on the dock at the first rendezvous time. I could turn around and delete the message and get on the shuttle, and no one would know I'd considered going off mission.
But Murderbot 1.0 had learned so much from its time wandering. Its memories of stations and humans had helped me understand much more about the world outside of enslaved planet surveying, but I wanted to see it for myself and this torus seemed as good a place as any.
Perihelion was going to be furious with me.
I wondered if I could spin this as part of my trauma recovery. Surely there had to be something about expressing my autonomy in some of the files Perihelion had shared with me. I made a note to look into that later.
BE's section of the torus was weird, an artificial desert. I was unwilling to stay in BE territory for a moment longer than I needed to and took several transports to another corporate territory. It looked like an artificial jungle. I cycled through what I knew about infrastructure and what it would take to create a jungle like this. I didn't like some of the artistic choices, but I was fascinated by how they kept everything so green.
One of the buildings stretched higher than the others. I wanted to see the jungle from above. This was still a corporate building so I made my way cautiously inside. I couldn't hack the way Murderbot 1.0 could. It was frankly staggering how quickly and creatively it could create new code. Despite its limited ability to talk to other SecUnits, it was great with security systems and lower-level bots. I would never tell it this, but its kindness to systems with less processing capabilities was one of the reasons I'd chosen to stay with it and Perihelion instead of on Preservation Alliance.
I followed the crowd of humans to a lift and paid passage to the viewing area with one of the hard currency cards I'd been given as payment by Pansystem University of Mihira and Newtideland. It was nice to have my own currency. I checked the security cameras in the lift and I felt I was doing an okay job at pretending to be a human. Sure I was the most visibly uncomfortable human in the lift, but someone had to be.
The view was incredible. Green stretched in every direction, visible through large transparent windows on all sides of the room. In the distance I could barely see the next corporate territory. I watched the trees move and began researching the flora and fauna.
Two humans started shouting at each other and a child screamed. I knew this was within the range of normal human behavior but I felt adrenaline release and had the extrasensory experience that the transparent walls might be closing in around me. I didn't want to get back in the lift so I slipped out the emergency stairs. The stairwell still felt small, but it was open enough and away from humans. My breathing slowed and I felt a little foolish. I made a note to tell Perihelion I was experiencing a disproportionate reaction to auditory stimuli.
Then I felt the ping.
There was a SecUnit in this building, maybe on the next floor down. I paused, pretending to take a break from the exertion of the stairs as I processed. The SecUnit was performing a routine security scan. It probably sent these pings on a schedule, checking for bots and other attempted infiltration.
I stood frozen as I thought. I could just leave it there. Freeing another SecUnit could compromise Murderbot 1.0's mission. But could I really walk away from another SecUnit? What if Murderbot 2.0 had left me, frozen in the hallway until all the BE humans were dead or far away and my governor module killed me? I couldn't do that.
I walked slowly down the stairs, waiting for the next ping so I could determine the SecUnit's location. When I was fairly sure I had the right floor, I slipped into the security system and checked the cameras. The SecUnit stood in front of an office. Inside, a supervisor was (ew) having sex. What a waste of security. This was good though. The humans were distracted and the rest of the floor was empty. I double checked my packet and the code inside. I took a deep breath and sent it.
I followed what Murderbot 2.0 had done with me. I froze its governor module and the new SecUnit opened helpme.file. I waited an excruciating 237 seconds until I received a tentative ping. I secured the connection and opened it.
Is this real!? I am free now?
Wow, this SecUnit communicated expressively. I made a note to tell Murderbot 1.0 that when it finished being mad at me.
You're free, I sent. I can help you escape from this building, get some clothes, and hard currency cards.
Where are you?
I sent my location and watched on the security cameras as it crept towards the door to the stairwell. It stopped outside the door and stripped the external pieces of its armor and helmet, leaving it in only a suit skin. Good thinking. It didn't look like an augmented human but it looked less like a SecUnit.
It came through the door and I got a look at its face for the first time. I blinked rapidly to control my expression. It was the most beautiful SecUnit I'd ever seen. Not that I'd seen that many SecUnits, but it looked like it belonged on the entertainment feed.
"Hi," it said.
"Hello. We should go."
It nodded and followed me down the stairs. I was doing my best with Murderbot 1.0's code to edit the new SecUnit out of the security cameras and make it seem like I was alone. I wasn't as good as Murderbot 1.0 so it was important we left before the supervisor realized the SecUnit was gone.
We reached the door that opened behind the building. I pulled off my jacket and handed it to the SecUnit. It signaled thanks and pulled it on.
Wait a moment, it sent.
What?
I need to reach the others.
I understood. It was not the only SecUnit enslaved by this corporation in this building. I sensed it straining to connect with more than one SecUnit several floors below us, probably in some sort of ready room.
Freeing more SecUnits will compromise your escape. I felt I had to say something. This corporation will have to tell the other corporates and political entities on the torus if all their SecUnits go rogue. If it is just you, they won't want the press.
I felt the new SecUnit's disapproval through the feed. I thought of SecUnit 1 and SecUnit 2, and touched the earring I wore that contained SecUnit 2's remains. I nodded my understanding.
I will be able to reach them, I sent.
My time with Perihelion and Murderbot 1.0, as well as the other Pansystem University of Mihira and Newtideland transports had expanded my processing capabilities. I established connection with three SecUnits, froze their governor modules and sent the clip and helpme.file.
It's done. We should go.
The new SecUnit nodded and followed me out.
I was working too hard to edit us out of security cameras to spare much attention for how the new SecUnit responded to the jungle. I don't know how Murderbot 1.0 does this so easily. It is exhausting. I led us to a mall I'd passed earlier that had cubicles for clothing shopping. The new SecUnit needed different clothes and it would give us a moment to plan. Once inside the store, we squeezed into a cubicle together and I sighed in relief.
Who are you? It asked. You weren't in the file.
I gestured that it should begin perusing the clothing selections. My name is Three. The SecUnit in helpme.file freed me 8254 hours ago from Barish-Estranza enslavement.
The new SecUnit was stiff as it sorted through clothing. I sent it the walk-like-a-human code Murderbot 1.0 shared with me. Oh, I should've thought to share that with the other SecUnits. It began running the code and its posture immediately changed as it looked through a selection of kaftans.
What would you like to be called? I asked it.
How could you possibly expect me to know that? I've been my own person for under 10 minutes! I think of myself as me.
I supposed that was fair. I didn't regret going by Three. It felt good to have everyone acknowledge that I used to have something like a family when they addressed me. But I had chosen it without considering the wide array of possible names. I signaled acknowledgement and stood there while it scanned flowing pants with concealed pockets.
We need to leave this section of the torus and find a hotel, I sent.
A hotel? I want to explore! I've never been outside of this section of the torus.
Never been outside of this section of the torus? How long since you were activated?
Approximately 2315 hours.
Oh this SecUnit was very, very new. Murderbot 1.0 had far outlived SecUnit life expectancy even before its memory was wiped. It was the oldest SecUnit I'd ever met. But even compared to me, this new SecUnit was young.
A hotel first. I sent. We need to talk.
--
We made our way across two sections of the torus. I laid a false trail as best I could over the neighboring torus and then hid us in the next one. We ended up in a hotel for passengers waiting for transport shuttles. I sat down heavily on the bed. The new SecUnit looked at me in wonder.
"Please sit if you'd like," I said.
It sat immediately, falling back against the bed and testing the bounce of the mattress. I was surprised. It'd taken me several cycles to understand that I could sit whenever and wherever I wanted.
"So what do you do?" It asked, looking around the room.
"I am a security consultant."
"They pay you? And the humans know?"
"Yes, and some of them. There are good humans with power outside of the Corporation Rim."
I found myself looking at the new SecUnit. While I am not as averse to eye contact as Murderbot 1.0, I don't seek it out. I couldn't help but take in the lines of its face, its smooth skin stretched across its support structure. The way it took in the room with such wonder, experimentally tipped back and forth on the mattress.
"Do you enjoy it?"
"Enjoy what?" I said, looking away.
"Being a security consultant."
"Yes. I enjoy executing smart missions and helping humans that are kind. I like working with the SecUnit you saw in helpme.file."
"What else do you enjoy?"
I could feel and see from the corner of my eye that it was looking at me now. I supposed that was only fair.
"I like to learn."
"What about?"
"Science, engineering, mathematics."
"A nerd."
I laughed with surprise. "Yes, I suppose so."
In background, I'd been assembling helpyou.file with all the information about passing as an augmented human and navigating various transports both as a passenger and stowaway that I had from Murderbot 1.0. It also contained my favorite documentaries, The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, and Worldhoppers. I sent it to the new SecUnit.
"Would you like to talk about your experience of enslavement?" I asked, wincing at my own awkwardness. I was trying to cover the bases. Escape, passing as an augmented human, processing your trauma. I realized I wanted the new SecUnit to like me.
The new SecUnit got up and glanced at me before beginning to move methodically around the room, touching everything. It touched the walls, the display surface, tried all the manual buttons to control the lights, the temperature, and the shade over the small window.
"Enslavement," it said emphatically. "It's weird to be able to say that. Why do you ask about my experience? Isn't it the same for all SecUnits?"
"The basics are the same, but the details vary greatly. We don't have to talk about it, but it can be important to share."
It glanced at me again as it picked up a decorative imitation fauna and shook it around.
"I've been in that building most of the time. The corporation does a lot of dealing with… criminals. Also weird to be able to say that. The negotiations often erupted into violence so they purchased five SecUnits and a repair cubicle. I wasn't taken to a negotiation outside of that building. The other SecUnits had been there for longer, I was a replacement."
"Where did you go outside of the corporate building?"
"They had us fight."
"They had you fight?" I felt an uncomfortable sensation in my organic parts.
"Yes, the corporation hosted SecUnit fights every 20 cycles or so. Two of us would fight each other until one of us went into involuntary standby. One of the SecUnit's kernel was destroyed so I was purchased as a replacement."
"That's… really horrible."
"It was awful," it said. It stood on the chair across from the bed and bounced a little, stretching to touch the ceiling. What an odd thing to do. It was fun to watch. "I only had to do it twice but the others had lost count of how many matches they'd been forced into. Is that not what you did when you were… enslaved?"
I explained briefly about BE's lost colony projects and indentured servitude. I told it more about SecUnit 1 and SecUnit 2 while it touched everything in the bathroom.
"You should take a shower," I suggested. "Showers are nice."
"Can I touch you?" it asked, coming to stand in front of me.
I was silent for 3.2 seconds. "Why?"
"I've never touched anyone before except to hurt them."
I blinked as I sorted through my feelings. I didn't hate being touched but I didn't find a lot of use for it either. I'd watched the new SecUnit touch everything in the room with a clinical curiosity that I thought I could tolerate. I remembered moments of kind touch from SecUnit 1 and SecUnit 2, and from the Preservation and Pansystem University of Mihira and Newtideland humans.
"Yes. You can touch me."
It tentatively placed its hands on top of my head, running its fingers through my hair. My eyes closed. No wonder fauna liked that. Its fingers grasped my ears, ran across my closed eyelids, my lips, down to my neck, circling my data port. This was incredibly strange, but not unpleasant. It wasn't sexual (yuck) but it was personal in a way I hadn't experienced before. It made me aware of my body.
It prompted me to stand and asked me to take my clothes off. Being without clothes made me anxious due to my association with being in a cubicle or, more recently, a MedSystem, but otherwise I didn't mind the experience. I did and the new SecUnit continued to examine me with the same clinical curiosity it's displayed as it picked at the thread on the fraying window covering.
"Oh you have on-board projectile weapons?" It said, examining my arms. "Cool. I've only got energy weapons." It pulled up its sleeve to show me.
It continued, moving down my body, feeling my legs and my inorganic feet.
"I always thought it was weird we had skin on our fingers but not our feet," the new SecUnit said as I got dressed.
"They expect us to get heavy stuff dropped on our feet, not to go climbing."
The new SecUnit was on the carpet, running its hands along the fibers. "It would be fun to sink your toes into this."
--
The new SecUnit spent 1 hour and 13 minutes in the shower. This was extravagant, even for a human. When I went into the bathroom to check on it, it exclaimed about the sensation of the water on its skin, and the smells of the different soaps. I lay on the bed as I waited, assembling some preliminary notes on variations in SecUnits. I wondered how much time enslaved contributed to these variations. We'd need a much larger sample to do proper research. I wondered how I could get one.
"Why are my fingers wrinkled?" it asked as it came out of the bathroom.
"Skin does that when it is submerged in water for a long time. It helps with grip."
It picked up the imitation fauna and shook it again, seeing if its grip was different. It seemed to enjoy the noise.
"I need to leave in 36 hours to meet SecUnit. You can come with us to Preservation Station if you'd like."
"I want to kill the supervisor that made us fight."
I was stunned. Neither Murderbot 1.0 (despite its private name) nor I had sought revenge on the corporates that created us.
"You may be killed."
It thought this over. "I still want to try."
"You can't do that until after SecUnit and I are off this planet with our retrieved clients. I already may have endangered the mission by freeing you and the other SecUnits."
"That's fine," the new SecUnit tried out a shrug, testing both shoulders. "I'll stay on the torus then."
I didn't know how to respond. None of these choices were the choices I would've made. They weren't the choices I wanted the new SecUnit to make. I wanted to new SecUnit to come with us and touch everything on Perihelion and see Murderbot 1.0's face when it asked if it could touch it. But freeing this SecUnit wasn't about me, no matter how much I wanted to keep watching this SecUnit.
"What would you like to do until then?"
"Do you know about adrenaline rides?"