Turning around to see who was holding the glass, Amanda’s eyes widened, and she let out a shout of joy. Standing next to her chair was Keiko, her synthetic skin even more vibrant and fresh than before the explosion. The humanoid smiled and bowed slightly.
Despite her badly sprained ankle, Amanda leapt from her chair and wrapped her arms around the robot. Keiko responded by lifting her arms and wrapping them around Amanda as best she could.
Amanda pulled back and looked into the robot’s eyes. “I… you …”
“I was not supposed to be here?” Keiko's mouth turned up in a smile.
Amanda looked over at Carmen and Zane for help. “How did this happen?”
Zane set his glass down, walked over, and placed his hand on the robot’s shoulder. “Your father placed two explosive devices in Keiko’s body. One of those devices was in her legs and contained enough power to destroy anything around her. Our guess is that Alexander Mironov had requested that. Your father also placed a smaller one inside her titanium torso. The smaller one was meant to destroy her internal technology in case a competitor took her. That way, her body could be reused in the event that it was recovered.
“Anyway, apparently the one inside her torso failed to go off. It could have been an accident, although some speculate that it was by design.” He then looked at Keiko with a wry smile. “In any event, the Swiss and the French had no use for her once the investigation was complete, so they allowed us to take her back to Arlington. Brett worked around the clock with some of NASA’s best in order to restore her outer shell and literally bring her back to life.” He patted Keiko’s shoulder. “And here she is.”
“I have been very fortunate,” Keiko said. “Your father was a kind man and was the one who originally gave me life and a purpose. And now I have been brought back to life by another fine man.”
“You know, I never had a sister…” Amanda said.
“And the good thing about a mechanical sister,” Keiko replied, “is that she can be put back together again.”
“Your father’s work is paying dividends, even as we speak,” Zane said. “As of right now, Keiko is an official employee of Delphi. And we’re also going to share pieces of her technology with the DOD. The NASA engineers who examined her feel she is decades ahead of any robot we have in service.”
“Your father was an amazing man,” Carmen said. “You should be proud of the heritage that he left behind.”
“I am. I certainly am.” Amanda kept her arms around Keiko as she looked into the robot’s aqua-blue eyes. “Every time I look at your face, I see my dad.”
Keiko’s eyes blinked. “And what now? What can I do to help you enjoy your vacation?”
Amanda stuck her finger on her lip as if thinking about it. “For now, just having you here is enough. Just keep me company until I get this thing off.” She stuck her booted foot in the air. “Then I’d love for you to show me around the city.”
“Amanda, we’ve made some arrangements in that regard,” Zane said, breaking in. “We obviously can’t allow Keiko to spend too much time in public. There are too many people who would love nothing more than to take her, reprogram her, and then put her to bad use. But, we made some special arrangements.”
Carmen crossed her arms. “My uncle Valente has many connections here. He made a few phone calls, and well, one thing led to another, and he was able to arrange private tours of every major site in Florence.” She gestured toward Keiko. “Which means Keiko will be joining you.”
“Now, how great is that?” Amanda exclaimed.
“And I have another gift for you,” Keiko said. “Mr. Foster has programmed me with a year’s worth of information on this beautiful city. Carmen’s uncle seems to think I know more about Florence than any of the experts.”
Zane raised both of his eyebrows in an exaggerated manner as if he knew a secret. “Yes, it seems our Chief Technology Specialist has taken a sudden interest in archaeology lately,” he announced in a dramatic tone.
“Zane,” Carmen said, shaking her head.
Zane ignored her. “And it seems he now spends a lot of company time worrying over how a certain young lady is going to enjoy her trip. The operative in me says there may be something to that.”
Amanda blushed but didn't stop smiling. She looked at Zane and Carmen, who both gave her mischievous smiles. She then reached down, picked up her orange juice, and held it out in a toast. “First things first!”
EPILOGUE
Alex Morrow thumped his hand on the steering wheel, the music of Fall Out Boy blasting inside his Honda CRV. He knew he’d probably be hard of hearing fifteen or twenty years from now, but he didn’t really care. He was living the dream and wasn’t about to turn back to the boring life his parents had forced upon him in childhood. He was two years out of college and was determined to live life his way.
The software engineer glanced out of his window as he passed through the Mojave hills. There was a large depression on his left, a dry lakebed from years gone by. The scenery was beautiful out in the desert, yet another thing Alex liked about his job.
Realizing he was almost at the office, Alex reached over and lowered the volume of his iPod. A minute later, he rounded the final curve and entered the heart of the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, a division of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. At the end of the road and directly in front of him was a sight that inspired awe among the dozens of tourists that passed through each day: the Mars Antenna. The white seventy-meter dish was the flagship antenna of the Deep Space Network, or DSN, the international network of antennas that provide a variety of functions for space agencies around the globe.
But while tourists were generally awed by the look and monstrous size of the structure, Alex had always been more intrigued by what it could do, directing interplanetary spacecraft and listening for the secrets held by the universe. It was a dream job and one that he hoped he’d never have to leave.
There were a number of buildings clustered around the giant antenna, and Alex pulled into the parking lot of the largest one, a nondescript white structure that screamed old-school bland. After finding an empty space close to the entrance, he wasted no time in getting out of the car and running inside. He didn’t care if someone saw him moving that fast. It was too important. He had recently discovered that Kadyn Grimes, a beautiful grad student from UCLA, always entered the café at eight sharp to get her fix of caffeine, and he had less than a minute to spare.
Pushing his glasses further up his nose and coughing to clear his throat, Alex strode down the main hall and entered the café. He was just in time. Kadyn was at the end of the counter waiting for her usual, a caramel mocha with a double-shot of espresso.
“Oh, hey Alex!” Kadyn said.
Never good with women, Alex always found himself particularly nervous around Kadyn. He was a sucker for straight blond hair, of which she had copious amounts, and her gorgeous smile was the icing on the cake.
“Morning.” He tried to make his voice sound deeper. He couldn’t help but notice that Kadyn was dressed smartly as always, with cream dress pants and a navy cap-sleeve top. Alex gestured toward her drink as he walked to the counter. “I see you have your usual—”
“Morrow, I need you to get back here as soon as possible. Something has come up.”
Alex turned around at the sound of the familiar voice. Standing at the entrance to the café was a man in his early sixties with salt-and-pepper hair, a silver goatee, and wire-rimmed glasses. He was Dr. Stetson Clark, Alex’s supervisor in the Division of Radio Astronomy, or DRA. The DRA was involved in the study of celestial objects using radio waves. Alex’s subgroup, whose mission was not advertised to the public, monitored the universe for sounds and communications. It was the stuff of science fiction, the kind of work that made Alex excited to get out of bed each morning.