Coffee Cup Dreams (A Redpoint One Romance) (11 page)

It looked just like where they'd left. "You're
sure we're here?"

"Don't worry, we're here," Rachel said
pointing up at a range of symbols on a plaque towards the
ceiling.

More geometric shapes, but in a different
configuration than the valve box. "You can read that?"

"No, I can feel it." She waved at the bots
detaching themselves from the pod. "Come on, bots. We have work to
do."

The same three lined up behind Tish as she
followed Rachel into the maze of corridors. Some of it looked
exactly like where they'd been before, while other areas took on a
bizarre shimmering effect, making her doubt where the hard surfaces
were. With it came a buzzing at the back of her head.

"Repair or containment fields," Rachel said,
pointing to one of the shimmering surfaces. She lifted her
identification band. "Boss, we're on the west side of the problem
area. Where do you want us?"

"Everywhere," Arthur Getty responded. "I'm at
the main power relay and I'm close to reactivating. It looks like
there's another problem with the relay on the south side. There
might be a computer relay down, as well, on the
northeast."

Tish looked up at another plaque. Why didn't
someone add new plaques in Galactic Standard to help out people
like her? And directions of a compass?

"The relay repairs won't do any good if the
computer relay is shot," Rachel said.

"And don't I know it!" Frustration came
through the words loud and clear. "The breach is threatening an
evacuation of several sectors. We need to lock it down
fast."

Rachel gave Tish a pained expression even as
she answered, "We'll head for the other power relay. I think my bot
and I know how to take care of that one."

Too many places to be and not enough of them.
It made her wish she were past the training phase and could
actively help.

Tish stared down a juncture of a corridor and
pointed, suddenly sure. "Computer relay is that way and up two
flights?"

Rachel dropped her band and stared at her.
"Yes, it is. Think you can get there?"

"Sector 3122 Maintenance Shaft 2, computer
relay on the northeast side," Tish repeated, finding the words
rolling off her tongue. She glanced down at the three bots looking
up at her. "These guys can lead me if I get lost. I won't guarantee
knowing how to get back, though."

"Fix the thing and I'll gladly hunt you
down."

"Deal."

But the moment Rachel was out of sight the
feeling of certainty deserted her. Alone on a spaceship that didn't
even have useful signage? Fixing a system she'd never seen before?
Feelings about her location just appearing within her head? Was she
nuts?

When her footsteps faltered, one of the bots
took the lead, whistling encouragement. Tish stepped it up,
climbing two sets of metal ladders to higher levels, the bots
levitating up behind her.

Okay, she could do this. She could find
it.

But looking at the tangle of blackened
conduits, singed metal pieces, and sparking wires hanging out of
the small cul-de-sac of the problem area corrected her thinking.
Finding the place wasn't the problem. Fixing it would be, and the
area looked fried. Smelled fried, too, and not in an appetizing
way.

But the bots knew no such hesitation. They
charged forward, arms, tools, and probes appearing from all points
in their bodies. Tish moved forward to help move and hold various
parts while the bots started the work of repairing the area. Her
feet tangled with the tools and arms, almost causing her to fall
into the mess.

One wanted aluminum. She fumbled through the
pouches on her belt, trying to remember Rachel's recital of what
was in each, until she found it. But then she lost track of which
bot has asked for it. They were moving around too fast. The bot
asked again, and Tish realized it had moved up near the
ceiling.

Another asked for silicon as it raced by her
feet, nearly upending her in its speed. The other water.

Water?

And then Tish lost track of everything any of
them wanted. All three bots were stark white, with no color or
pattern to help her tell the difference. And they were so fast.
Moving from one area to the next in the blink of an eye.

Tish stepped back. "Okay, wait. This isn't
working."

All three bots stopped what they were doing
and turned eyestalks towards her even while several arms continued
to work.

Too bad Tish didn't have any paint so she
could color-code them. But then, when the hatches and holes opened
up when they were in a repair tizzy, she might loose that visual
reminder as well. Or if they were ever cleaned? How well would
paint stick to their outer shells?

She had to do something.

She grinned suddenly, her hands flying to her
hair. "I know what to do."

In a few twists she had the holographic hair
ties out of her ponytail. She reached for the closest bot and
wrapped one near the top of one of its eyestalk. Three ties for
three robots, and none left for her hair which fell uncontrollably
down along her face and shoulders.

"There. Now I can tell you apart." She pointed
to each of them in turn, choosing the names carefully. "Crimson,
Violet and Aqua. Now, who wanted the silicon?"

Aqua responded. Finding the water was more
difficult than the metals until she realized there were small tubes
of various fluids in one of the pouches almost to her
back.

A crackle on the far end preceded a great
cloud of smoke. Tish coughed while the ventilation system worked to
clear the air. The circling holographic colors of the hair bands
became invaluable in seeing where the bots were and giving her
warning before stepping on one.

She felt a tug on her sleeve. Crimson looked
up at her, one of its arms tapping on her left wrist.

"What do you need?" Tish asked, her right hand
on her utility belt. It continued to tap on her wrist, even when
she moved it.

Right on top of her mobile
computer.

Tish shook her head and pulled pellets of
various metals out of the belt pouches. "My computer isn't
available. Here, try these."

But Crimson would not be distracted. It
followed her as she backed away, refusing everything she pulled out
of her belt. Aqua turned as she passed, the eyestalks bobbing up
and down, then joined Crimson.

Tish stopped backing up. Two sets of eyestalks
stared up at her while the tapping continued. "Fine, you made your
point!"

She slid the computer off her wrist in one
fast movement, sliding the memory stick out of it before it dropped
away into the waiting hands. She hoped she'd been wrong on what
they'd wanted.

But no. With the device free from her wrist
they grabbed it and proceeded to tear it apart between their
fast-working hands.

Tish slid the memory stick down the front of
her blouse before one of them could get an idea that they needed
that, too. Aqua and Crimson whistled at each other. They backed
away and raced into the smoke in different directions, each with
pieces of her former computer.

Okay, the thing had needed replacement for a
while, but now she had nothing. She didn't even know if there were
any shops around where she could buy a new one once she saved up
for it. Or get a wrist computer shipped to Redpoint One? How long
would that take?

Tish sighed. Not good. What would she lose the
next time?

A fit of coughing doubled her over as more
smoke poured out of a crack between components on the wall. She
backed away, her heel coming against something hard. Her arm went
out as she tipped back, searching for anything to stop her
fall.

Her forearm scraped against something hard and
jagged, bruising her skin through the sleeve as she slid down it.
She landed hard on the floor, her shoulder against the metal. The
slightly cleaner air near the floor allowed her to breath
again.

She heard a nearby squeal, but her eyes were
watering too much to see which one of the bots it might be. She
pushed herself to her hands and knees and crawled away from the
source of gushing smoke.

A moving orbit of red appeared before the body
of Crimson emerged from the smoke. It clicked at her, holding out a
three-fingered metal hand.

Tish shook her head, gasping out, "What do you
need?"

Crimson whistled urgently. Tish coughed while
fumbling for a bead of titanium. But Crimson ignored it, whistling
again.

"I don't understand. What do you want?" Tish
stopped in a spasm of coughing.

She felt miserable. Her eyes stung and
watered, her lungs ached to take in a deep breath of clean air. And
she'd been doing so well figuring out what each of the bots needed
for their repairs.

Crimson reached out and tugged on her sleeve,
its whistle starting out low and rising in pitch. Tish moved
forward towards the tug. Maybe Crimson could point to which pouch
it needed.

But the more she moved forward, the more it
backed away. Always whistling, and when she hesitated, reaching out
to tug at her again.

Whatever. If the thing wanted her to follow,
then she would follow.

Crimson picked up speed, calling her to
follow. Tish did the best she could between the coughing fits. She
didn't think it was her imagination that the smoke was growing
denser. She had to stay right on top of Crimson to keep it in
sight.

Her hands detected a rib in the surface of the
floor. Past it, the floor took on a different texture. Crimson
stopped and beeped at her, the arm gesturing towards her
waist.

That request was plain and clear. Tish took
off the belt and handed it over, but complained, "I thought I was
supposed to dole it all out."

Crimson made a series of noises as it left her
that sounded a bit too much like laughing.

Tish tried to follow, but hit her head on a
solid metal wall in her way where one had not been before. She
cradled her hurting head while another coughing attack seized her,
squeezing her stinging eyes shut.

She reached out with her hands and crawled
along the floor, trying to find a way around the wall. Where did
Crimson go? She couldn't hear the bot at all. She cracked opened
her stinging eyes, hoping to see the red hair tie.

To find the air cleaner.

Not only cleaner, but she could see the dusty
light of the overhead lighting. Colored spots glowed on a wall
across from her.

And it was getting better. With every moment
the air cleared. Eventually she saw the wisps of moving smoke
getting sucked up into the ceiling, revealing a small long white
room with a heavy door with a small round portal sitting on
opposite side.

She stood up, shaking a little on still-weak
legs. A small portal in the door she stood next to showed nothing
but dark smoke. Air she did not want to go back into.

She stumbled to the other side of the room to
peer out the other portal. Perhaps it would lead to another part of
the station.

Instead, it showed a view of the outside of
the station. Of a starfield with a slow-moving spacecraft in the
distance.

No getting out that way.

She turned her attention back to the small
space. No cabinets to harbor spacesuits. The controls didn't look
familiar. Did she dare play with them and lose her ability to
breathe?

She lifted her identification band. Time to
call for help.

But, it was no longer there.

Tish let her head rest against the glass of
the portal looking into the station. She must have taken it off
when she took off her personal computer.

Great. Now how did she get out of
here?

CHAPTER TEN

ONE PART FIXED, and another broke.

Arthur knew he should just roll with it.
Repair what was needed and move on to the next problem. But, today
he viewed it as a personal affront. The station might be old, but
the self-repair systems kept it in good shape.