On ruined planet earth in a tiny life cube Dal is crying: If I jump I hit
the hard. If I reach I hit hard. Hard everywhere. No way out. Teddy sings but
I know the songs. I must get out. Will Monkey king rescue me? No. When
mommy closes the hard top I will poke Teddy up to get out.
Sal Smit looked up from her immersion array. She pushed back her
dense brown curls and gasped. She hadn’t heard a sound from the baby for a
long time. Finding a link between transformation myths and the neohuman
shape changers was so exciting that she had forgot to check on Dal. It wasn’t
that she didn’t care for her child. While designing and creating her tiny brown
skinned girl, Sal had learned what it was to love another creature even more
than she loved her research.
She scanned Dal’s crib cube and stared in disbelief. The baby-proof
hatch was open. Dal had vanished. Sal leapt into her baby’s space. “Dal!
Dal!” she shrieked. Then her eyes darted up the loose wall tiles to the ceiling
air vent. Its’ lock had been deprogrammed. The cover gaped open revealing a
dark hole. How could any creature have bypassed the warning sensors to
steal her baby? Shaking she rang the alarm. She jabbed her probe into the
vent and heard the sound of something scrabbling.
“Dal! Dal! come back. Creature, bring back my baby or I’ll tear you
apart!”
Sal leapt for the ceiling and clung to the edge of the vent. She reached
her arm into darkness and slithered her probe along gingerly. She touched a
little foot. Gently she grasped it and pulled. Dal screamed but she was stuck.
Sal grabbed the second foot and yanked harder. Suddenly the baby shot out,
knocking Sal to the floor. Sal rocked and kissed her screaming baby as their
digesto clothing sucked up their tears, snot and Dal’s urine.
The roboguard entered silently hovering near the ceiling. Sal’s head
jerked up. She stared into the mouth of the weapon. Discinto ray gun! Oh my
gods! She pulled Dal tight sitting motionless and tried to slow her pounding
heart. Dal whimpered. The robot’s steel eyes glared. It opened its mouth
baring needle fangs.
“Sal Smit?”
“Yes sir.”
“Why did you call Emergency? There is no intruder.”
“My… my baby disappeared. I feared she was kidnapped.”
“Your child was crawling in the air vent. Did you put her there? That’s
child abuse, a major offense. Answer me.”
Sal’s mouth was dry. What could she say? Did she have snot on her face?
The robot zoomed in. Sal and Dal shrank back against the wall.
“ Did you put her there?”
“No sir. Please sir. She escaped her cube and climbed the wall.”
“Babies don’t climb walls.”
“ Please, she did sir.”
The roboguard scanned the wall. “Correct. Her DNA is smeared all over these
wall tiles. She’s too smart, too muscular. Get better locks.”
“Yes sir.”
“I will issue just one bad parent warning. If there is any other incident
your baby will be apprehended.
One Year later
“Mom, it’s Sal. Emergency. Please reply.”
“What is it now Sal? I’m busy with my beautification. Just look at my
hair.”
“You look great mom. I hate to barge in like this but it’s Dal?”
“Oh dear gods. Is my darling sick?”
“No. But mom, I must buy her a Super Baby Virtual Reality gym.”
“Sal, that’s ridiculous. Why does the sweet little tot need a gym? It’s
hard enough paying your rent.”
“Mom, she just found my multi tool and deprogrammed the lock on the
garbage discinto chute. I grabbed her foot as she was sliding into the
compactor.”
“Hells! That’s too close. Program better locks.”
“She deprograms them to get out. She’s screaming crazy from
claustrophobia.”
“You gave her too much muscle and brain power and skimped on her
beauty .”
“We’ve rerun this argument so often mom!’
“I told you Dal needs beautification and tranquilization.”
“That didn’t work for me mom .”
“Obviously. That’s why you’re so dull brown and muscular. Do you
think I would be a singing star if I looked dull like you?”
Sal had never wanted bright straight hair and big golden boobs. She couldn’t
alter her body the way her mom,Diva Fay did. She knew it was necessary for
her mom’s star career and that mom had kept it up for decades.
” Mom, Dal needs the gym now.”
“O.K. I’ll sell my gold torc.”
Sal was speechless. Her mom blew a
kiss and was gone. Sal felt warmth rush over her. Thanks to Diva Fay, Dal
would soon play in the wide world of virtual reality.
