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Killing with Kindness an AP story

Chapter 4

“Nothing,” At first Karen thought that Tommy had spoken without moving her lips, answering her. No the voice was Gramps and came from behind her. Turning she saw a figure standing at the drop tube. It walked forward fully into the light, “Nothing to do,” Dr. Brown said.

The two women stood facing him side by side, each a mirror image of the other. “Gramps?” Karen said and with a shake of her head, “No you’re not my grandfather… Your one of them.” To her surprise she saw Tommy walk forward, touch Gramps tenderly on the face and then, pausing, hug him tightly.

Tommy let go of the man, looked up into his aged and weathered face and said brokenly, “Oh Bobby not you too.” She hurried back to the one person that she felt safe with, Karen, and took her hand in hers. She had never thought that they would find her here and felt defenseless.

Using a cane the man walked into the living room and over to the easy chair. “ahhhh,” he said as he sat down. “Any chance of a scotch?” he asked looking at the two women clinging to each other. “No? Oh well.” He sat there watching and finally said when they made no move, “Sit down, sit down. There is much to talk of.”

Karen followed Tommy over to the couch and sat next to her, their hands still clasped tightly as they watched the old man. She had wanted Tommy to sit close to her earlier, but not under these circumstances. She heard Tommy say in a broken voice, “What can there be to talk of? Now you take us to be reprogrammed and forget.”

“If it were only that simple Dr. White,” Gramps said looking at Tommy. Leaning forward he took the picture of the research team and looked at it. Not looking up he said, “Of all you are the last Tommy.” He paused and looking at her, “Everyone else, John, Richard, Scott, all of them, took their lives before we could make them happier.”

Tommy, hearing that all of her old co workers have died turns sobbing into Karen’s arms. All the loneliness, all the hurt comes running out for the first time in many years as the tears wracked her body. She hears Karen ask, “And Gramps?” There is no reply only Karen’s matching sobs of grief as the two women cling and cry of loss.

“Five years ago Gramps and your parents died in a car crash… It was decided that you were not able to handle the loss of both.” The old man said as if discussing the weather.

Like a tigress protecting her cub Tommy turned on him, “Who are you to play god. Who are you to decide what is best?” She turned to Karen again and stroking her face, “its ok, I’m here… we’re together,” Without thinking she kissed Karen fully and felt Karen’s lips press back against hers. Two pairs of blue eyes looked into each other and a world of information passed in an eye blink. She turned to look at the man defiantly, “What do you want?”

“You are the last of our parents Dr. White. We believe we have made a mistake and have come to ask you, our mother, for help.” He said. The old man looked at the picture once more and then at Tommy, “We have predicted that mankind will die out within 200 years with 99.98 percent certainty. Every variation we have computed shows this extinction, some in as little as 50 years.”

Tommy looked at the AP dumbfounded. She had expected to be carted off and reconditioned to accept the new world order. She heard Karen’s sharp intake of breath and her whispered “50 years?” Instead the robots had come to her for guidance. “What is your data?” she finally asked.

Gramps pulled a flash drive chip from his coat pocked and leaning forward handed it to Tommy. “It’s all there.”

Karen watched Tommy take the chip and go up to go to her computer. She turned back to Gramps, “How did you find us?” she asked. She knew this was not her grandfather but at the same time he was.

The AP looked at her and smiled, “It was simple really. A command was given to cause Roy to malfunction, then for your mother to call in the malfunction with you listening. When you came to me I gave you the last known location for Tommy.” He paused and glanced at Tommy before looking back at Karen. “We predicted a 77 % chance that she would contact you if she heard the password. Then knowing her we were 89% sure she would fall in love with you once she met you.”

Karen looked back towards Tommy and though the woman did not look back she could see her blushing As Gramps continued she looked back at him. “But, I’m not,” she started to say stopping herself and blushing as the thoughts of making love and caressing Tommy day in and day out filled her.

“Nor was she, until she met you,” Gramps said, “The compatibility computations show you both are 100%” he smiled, “Pardon the pun, made for each other.”

Karen felt calm for the first time since he came down the drop tube. This was the Gramps she knew; he would never hurt her and had been making horrible puns all her life.

As he continued the smile slid off his face, “To move the percentage higher, the raid was staged. We knew that if she took you, a stranger, with her she was ether hooked or close enough that she would risk anything and everything to protect you. From that point it was just a matter of satellite tracking you both to this house.” He said and leaned back.

“I was bait?” Karen asked “All that happened to me was just to flush Tommy out so you could get her alone?” she asked hurt.

“Yes and no…” He paused “yes that you were bait.” He looked at Tommy at the computer going through the figures, “and no, you also found someone who loves you, who after all those years of hiding and being alone gave it all up to protect you.” Turning back to Karen he added, “Don’t sell yourself or Tommy short Pumpkin.”

Karen more then anything wanted to go to Tommy, hold her tight, and cover her with tender kisses. But instead she said softly, “yes Gramps,” looked at her hands in her lap, “I’m sorry.”

After a time Tommy leaned back and rubbed her eyes, “It all checks out.” She said sadly without looking at the pair sitting waiting for her to solve the problem. She felt the weight of the world on her shoulders and thought to herself, ‘it’s not fair.’ “Fair,”, the word echoed in her mind, that was the key. She stood up and came to stand behind Karen. Resting her hands on Karen’s shoulders she said, “Life’s not fair, those are the key words.”

She looked at Karen’s upturned face and bent down to kiss her, saying softly, “I love you.” She smiled as Karen echoed the words back up at her. Looking at the AP, “What you did to Karen was not fair to her… What you ask of me is not fair to me.” She paused and then pacing as the thoughts formed she spoke, “But mankind is centered on over coming adversity. With you solving every problem, protecting us from harm, you are turning man into nothing but cattle.”

She faced the old man, “Life is not fair. It is not supposed to be fair. There is an old saying that goes,” She paused and closing her eye continued, “that which does not kill us makes us stronger.” She looks at Karen and then back towards the AP, “you are killing us with kindness.”

“So you are saying,” the AP said after a short pause, “We should declare war on mankind.”

Both women replied loudly “NO!” Karen jumped in to help Tommy, “Gramps that is the other extreme. There must be a middle ground where you help but not smother.” She looked up helplessly at Tommy not sure how to get the point across.

Tommy smiled in reassurance to Karen, “Dr. Brown, Bobby… Take Karen as an example, you caused her pain but in the end it helped both of us.” She paused and went to him, “You can help by sometimes not helping.”

Standing the AP looked at both women, “we will consider your words Dr. White,” He hugged Tommy and then went to Karen, “Pumpkin? We do love you in our own way.”

Karen hugged him tightly and looking up into his aged cragged face said, “I love you too Gramps.”

As she let him go Tommy moved up to wrap her arm around her waist. Holding her tightly she said, “You were mostly right Bobby, I loved Karen from the moment I saw and heard her ask for bottled water.”

Gramps walked to the drop tube, “We will work out the computations Tommy and see if your,” he smiles, “motherly advice holds up.” He turned away and then back again, “just one more thing. . . Would it be possible if I came back just to visit?”

Tommy smiled and said, “I…” she looked at Karen, “We would like that very much.”

The AP smiled, “Take care of each other,” he said as he stepped into the bounce tube.