Turn 39

--- Maya ---

“So, how’s school going, mija?”

“Eh, same old same old I guess.” She shrugged, as her mother drove her and Seamus to school now that things were a little less hectic after the first day of school. “We’re still reviewing everything so nothing interesting to learn.”

“Well, what about Ying? Isn’t she back from her summer?” Her father asked, having hitched a ride with them to work so that he could help take Seamus to school after what was apparently a rough first day given the toddler’s unhappy face at having to go back.

(I feel you little brother.) She thought with sympathy, needing to be dropped off after Seamus and before the other Williams kids were delivered due to the sheer distance between her school and everyone else’s.

(The price of getting a semi-decent education.)

(Pfft, it’s still an American education.)

“Uh, Maya?”

She blinked. “Oh, uh, yeah. Ying is back, and we’ve got a few classes together. Though she says it’ll probably be another week or two until she can hang out of school.”

“Her mother?” Her own mamá scowled.

“Yeah, her.”

“Shame.” Her dad sighed. “But at the very least you’ll be able to see each other at school.”

“I guess…” She shrugged.

“Well, uh, is there anything else going on? Anything new at all?” Her father continued trying to keep the conversation going.

“Mm, well I guess I made a new friend.” She admitted.

“Really?” Her mamá blinked in an equal mix of surprise and excitement. “Who are they?”

“Um, this girl Aisha…” She answered, not knowing much about the girl besides the fact that, “She was being bullied and Ying and I stepped into it. Oh, uh, she also likes this card game I play online sometimes.”

“That’s good.” Her dad encouraged. “I’m glad you’re branching out and making new friends, sweetie.”

“Uh, yeah.” She nodded, not really sure how to respond to that, before turning her attention to the toddler sitting next to her. “What about you Seamus, how was your first day of school?”

Seamus gave her an (adorable) little pout. “I no like it.”

“Why not mijo?” Their mamá asked, her (thankfully) limited attention being drawn to the toddler.

“Cause you left me all by myself.” Seamus answered with an accusing glare.

“But you said you were doing okay if mamá left.” Their mother reminded him. “And two of your friends from the playgroup were in your class, so you weren’t really alone.”

“But you weren’t there, and you weren’t there, and you weren’t either.” Seamus told all of them, pointing at everyone one by one. “And Izzy and Vi and Tommy weren’t there either! I no like it!”

“Ay pobrecito.” She called, half sympathetic and half fighting back a laugh. “We all had school to go to.”

“Mamá doesn’t have to go to school!” Seamus argued.

“Yes, but I’m a grown up. I already went to school when I was your age.” Their mother tried to explain.

“I went to school yesterday, so I don’t have to go today.” Seamus decided, having heard that.

(Should we tell him school is like a twelve-year thing?)

(Fourteen, and that’s before you add the possibility of college.) Her inner logic corrected, without offering an actual answer to the question.

(Yeah, I’m calling ‘not it’.)

Deciding to be the bearer of bad news, her dad told Seamus that, “That’s not how that works son…”

“Well, it should.” Seamus pouted, crossing his arms.

“You’ll get used to it.” She tried to console the toddler.

“No, I won’t.”

---

Is it morally okay to screw with DM-1’s sentience? (No, no it is not.)

Some people would argue that allowing an AI who was possibly, mildly, murderous to develop sentience and sapience to be too dangerous and that said AI should be put down for the good of humanity.

The way she saw it, these people were also the same people who inevitably turned the peaceful non-human into a malevolently murderous monstrosity.

As far as she was concerned crippling DM-1 was the ‘safe’ and ‘peaceful’ option but not the ‘good’ or ‘right’ option. It was the option that sacrificed one person to maybe save others from something that may happen in the distant future. The one that maintained the status quo by sacrificing the innocent rather than gambling a change for the better. (And what kind of hero would I be if I sacrificed the innocent for something they may do?)

So instead of going into DM-1’s programming and forcing him to behave the way she wanted him to, she instead took a page out of Kim’s book. The other young M.A.D. had told her that she created her little critters and that meant she had a certain responsibility to them, to take care of them, teach them, and make sure they were happy, healthy, and upright people. (Like any good parent.)

Which is why she currently stood in the middle of her lab with DM-1 sitting on a table watching her as she went through a very in-depth power point on the rights and wrongs of the world.

“Now you see this rat here invading the lab, and you have a method of capturing it without killing it,” She began, pointing at the left most picture of the slide where an angry DM-1 standing on top of a dead rat before pointing at the right most where a happy DM-1 was standing next to a caged rat. “So, what is the right thing to do?”

The little drone stared at the two diagrams, and for a moment, a moment longer than any of the other times she asked this question, and she felt her hope begin to swell before, DM-1 pointed to the picture of the dead rat.

(Today is going to be a long day…) She sighed.

(I can’t help but wonder how many times mamá thought the same with us.)

---

She’d barely taken two steps through the front door, before she was shoved three steps back and the door was slammed as Viviana followed her out.

“Alright, you’ve been avoiding me all week chica, and I am sick of it.”

“I haven’t been avoiding you.” She lied poorly.

(She really did.) Her inner passion agreed.

(Now is not the time!)

“Really?” Vi scoffed. “So, the fact that you haven’t said two words to me since the festival is just my imagination?”

“No, it’s just… I’ve been busy.” She argued.

“With what?” Vi’s eyes narrowed.

“M.A.D. stuff.” She admitted, hoping the fact that since Vi didn’t know what being an M.A.D. entailed she wouldn’t be able to call her out on it.

“So, what, you’ve been digging through the trash for parts?” Vi pressed not letting her go.

“No.” She frowned. “And it’s kind of fucked up you’d assume that’s how I get my parts!”

(Yeah, we haven’t done that all week!)

“Really, then how have you been getting them?” Vi asked suspiciously. “Because everyone knows M.A.D.s have to build or work on something every few days, and if you really have been busy with ‘M.A.D. stuff’ then you need to be getting parts from somewhere.”

“I’m part of an M.A.D. club.” (Sure, I haven’t actually attended a meeting, but I’ve filled out the paperwork!)

Vi blinked before her face took on a distinctly worried edge. “What kind of club? W-what are they making you build?”

She rolled her eyes. “They aren’t making me build anything. The club runs a children’s science museum, you build stuff and if it seems cool they add it to the tour for the kids during the week.” Or that’s how she thought it worked anyway. (Meh, the details aren’t important.)

“So, if I were to look up this club it wouldn’t be a gang?”

She couldn’t help but sigh at that. “No, Vi I am not in a gang. If you want I can probably show around it sometime.” She paused trying to think of a way to discourage her sister. “Though you might have to buy a ticket if you want to do that.”

Vi gave her a look, before running a hand down her face. “Alright. Alright, I get it. You just… you mentioned a club, and there are all these things online about Deviants being kidnapped” (Oh, those are completely true.) “and I don’t know… I’m just, I’m just worried about you.”

“Yeah I get that.” She admitted, knowing she had no argument after her own kidnapping. “But you don’t have to worry about me, I’m not taking any risks.” After all she couldn’t afford them if she was going to become the city’s greatest hero.

“I know but…” Vi sighed before shaking her head and giving Maya a weak smile. “Any idea how much this ticket is going to cost me? I mean, I, I do want to see what you’re spending so much time working on. If you don’t mind…”

She considered it for a moment before shrugging. “I’ll have to ask them if I can get you a family discount or whatever.”

“Right.” Vi nodded in understanding.

A moment of silence passed between them, and thinking that their fight had ended on, maybe not a positive note but a decent one, she stepped around Vi and moved for the front door once more.

“My…” Vi stopped her as her fingers brushed the door handle.

“Hm?” She glanced over her shoulder.

Vi was still facing away from her as she asked, “You do know that at the very least… you’re a great sister, right?”

She blinked not really getting the change in topic, before smiling. “Of course, I am.”

Vi turned to her with a sad smile of her own. “You are you know.”