04:04
Episode 4: Milk Run Mechanix
Part 4
Violet gripped her phone tight. Five feet away Laurel Swanson used her sword to slash at a metal gauntlet attached to her forearm. The phone stopped ringing and someone answered.
“Blue G Food Division. Research and Testing,” said a calm female voice. “How can I help you?”
“Wait a minute. Is this Henry Rickenbacher’s number?” asked Violet.
“This is the reception desk. Mr. Rickenbacher is in a meeting. If you would like to leave a message….”
“I need to speak with him right now!” Violet shouted. “Tell him Violet Capagio is calling with serious questions.”
“Ma’am. Please calm down. Mr. Rickenbacher is in a meeting. I can put you through to someone who can help you. Is that okay?”
Violet swore silently and gritted her teeth, then relaxed.
“Sure,” she said into the phone.” Just a minute.” She put a hand over the receiver and turned to Laurel.
“What was that woman’s name at Blue G?” she shouted at Laurel.
Laurel hit the gauntlet with the sword hard enough to send a shower of sparks up but the only effect of the strike to have the sword fall off its hilt. She looked up at Violet, angry and frustrated.
“What?” she demanded.
“The woman — with the cat glasses. What was her name?”
“Barnes. I didn’t get a first name.”
Violet repeated the name into the phone.
“Thank you,” said the calm lady. “I’ll connect you right now.”
The phone clicked and rang.
“Artifacts. Barnes.” said a familiar voice.
“Miss Barnes? This is Violet Capagio. I need some information — NOW.”
“Oh Christ! Is the box okay? Did it open up?”
“Yes,” hissed Violet through her teeth. “We’re fine. Thanks.”
There was a frustrated sigh from the phone.
“Of course I’m relieved that you are both all right. Did the box open?”
“Yeah. It opened, and I wouldn’t go so far as we’re all right. My partner has a silver bug attached to her arm and it won’t come off.”
“Oh crap,” said Miss Barnes. “Okay. Listen very carefully Miss Capagio. You have less than three hours to get your friend up to the address in Duluth. Do you understand?”
“No I don’t fucking understand!” Violet shouted into the phone.
Laurel heard Violet. She stopped her prying and turned to listen.
“What the hell is going on?” continued Violet.
“The object is an Ezeru,” said Barnes. “It’s a curse.”
“It’s cursed? How do we break it?”
“No!” Miss Barnes shouted. “It isn’t cursed. It IS a curse. It attaches itself to a person and brings bad luck until the person dies.”
“What’s he saying?” asked Laurel.
Violet laughed at Laurel “Phew! It’s Barnes,” she shouted. “She had me worried there for a second.” Violet addressed the phone again, a relieved smile across her face. “She’s a robot. This won’t effect her.”
There was no answer from the phone.
“Right?” continued Violet. “I mean you can’t curse a toaster or a car so you can’t curse a robot. She’ll be fine.”
Miss Barnes spoke. “The Ezeru wouldn’t attach unless there was something to curse. As unbelievable as it may be, Laurel must have a soul.”
Violet’s eyes flicked to Laurel. The smile, now fake, never left her face.
“You mean the robot is a real person?” she whispered into the phone without moving her lips.
“Correct. No soul means no attachment,” said Miss Barnes. “Attachment means….”
“Soul,” finished Violet, her voice barely audible.
“Q.E.D. You have fewer than three hours to get to Duluth or Miss Swanson dies.”
Violet hung up her phone and looked around. The bodies of seven cross-heads lay on the ground freezing. Violet thought she could hear police sirens in the distance.
“Get back into the car,” she ordered Laurel.
The robot walked to the car and stumbled over a bloody, severed hand of a dead cross-head on the way, stubbing her toe. She looked down at the hand, scrunched up her face as though trying to figure something out, and walked on. When she go to the Galaxie she reached to open the door and the handle came off in her hand. Violet came around to the driver side and took the handle from her.
“I’ll drive,” she told Laurel. “There’s something I gotta tell you and you can’t drive while I do.”
“This is my car,” Laurel protested. “I’m the only one who drives it.”
Violet folded her arms and looked around, expecting the police to arrive at any moment.
“All right,that thing on your arm is going to kill you.”
“How? I’m a robot.”
“Bad luck, that’s how. It’s magic, and If you drive this car you’ll probably take me with you.”
“Bad luck? You mean I’m cursed?” She laughed. “I can’t be cursed.” Laurel pointed to her head, tilted it and smirked. “Robot.”
“Sweetie, you just tripped and the door handle came off in your hand.”
“And? So what?”
“Have you ever stumbled before?”
Laurel thought for an instant, then looked surprised, then smirked.
“You can’t curse a machine. No one can.”
Violet was silent.
“What?” asked Laurel. “You can’t. Everyone knows that.”
Violet swallowed. She looked into Laurel’s purple eyes and said. “Sweetie, Barnes said that thing only attaches if there is a soul.”
Laurel’s expression went from superiority, back to puzzlement and then to dazed as the realization dawned on her.
“I have a soul,” she said in reverent tones. “I’m — I’m real.”
“Yes, Pinocchio. You are a real girl. Now get in the damned passenger seat ’cause we got less than three hours to save you.”
Laurel brandished her metal-encased forearm at Violet.
“You said they were a fucking cereal company! You said this would be a milk run. God damn it!” Laurel looked up in the familiar pose of access the internet. “They make mini-subs for the government, too!” she shouted. “Less than a minute of research! Christ on a crutch, check out our clients first.”
Violet glowered at the girl. clouds of vapor jetted from her nostrils.
“The clock is ticking. We have less than three hours to save your life.”
Now they could both hear sirens approaching from the distance. “Get. In . The. Car.”
Laurel flicked off Violet and then sprinted to the passenger side. She carefully opened her door, climbed in and opened the door for Violet. The two sped off down the entrance ramp and back on to interstate thirty-five, heading north.
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