the cyborg change the setting. Then he punched the communication button and said, “All annihilators. Insane units are hidden in our city. Search for any units without antennas. Capture any units that do not have antennas and bring them to me. At once.”
13
Seven No More
D on’t you understand, Cee Dee? People are supposed to make their own decisions.”
Seated cross-legged across from Abbey, Cee Dee stared at her intently. She had been listening carefully, but a puzzled expression was on her face, and she shook her head. “I don’t see how I could do that. How would I know what would be the right thing? How could I know what to do?”
Abbey smiled, understanding. “You won’t always make the right decision,” she said. “You’ll make mistakes—but that’s OK. Everyone does.”
“But I don’t want to do that. I am afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
“I don’t know,” Cee Dee confessed. “I’m just afraid to become what you want me to be. Who knows what might happen to me? I might even die.”
Abbey said quickly, “Cee Dee, nothing that could happen to you could be worse than what’s
already
happened. Believe me, there are all kinds of imprisonments. I’ve been in a few jails and dungeons since the seven of us came from Oldworld. Some of them were pretty bad. There were rats and fleas sometimes, and you know how much I hate dirt and like to have everything neat. But that’s not the worst kind of imprisonment.”
“It sounds very terrible to me. What could possibly be worse than that?”
“What could be worse is to have your mind lockedup as yours has been. Even when we were in prison”—Abbey looked away, remembering—“there was hope, and as long as you have hope you can survive almost anything.”
For a long time the two girls continued their conversation. At last Abbey threw up her hands in desperation. “I know you’ve had a hard time, Cee Dee, but you’re going to
have
to begin to think for yourself. You’re almost grown up now. You’ve got to think of what it’s like to be a young woman just coming of age.”
“To the cyborgs that means nothing,” Cee Dee said and looked distressed. “What does it mean in your world?”
“For one thing, it means you’ll have to choose a husband.”
“In the cyborg world there’s nothing like that. There are breeding mothers, and that’s all.”
“I know you’ve told me about all that, and it’s just terrible.”
“Tell me again what it was like in your world.”
“Well, when a girl gets to be a certain age, she begins thinking about courtship. That means that she has to decide which one of the young men who are courting her she will have for a husband.”
“But how does she know the right one?”
“Sometimes she doesn’t, and to marry the wrong man is a huge mistake. That is one of the most terrible mistakes a girl can make.”
“See. I might do that—and that could be perhaps worse than being a cyborg.”
Sharply Abbey rapped out,
“Nothing
is worse than being a cyborg! Now listen to me. You’ve got to understand that it’s
normal
for men and women to get married and to have families. They will love each other andlove their children and raise them the best they can. Teaching them right and wrong and discipline.”
Cee Dee gave Abbey a hopeless look. Then she threw out her hands in a gesture of despair. “I’ll never get it right,” she moaned. “I just can’t even think of such things.”
Abbey went close and put an arm around Cee Dee. “Sure, you will,” she said with an encouraging tone. “After all, you’ve just escaped from the Peacemaker and that awful tyranny he had over you. You are so much better now. And I’ll be right with you, Cee Dee. I’ll teach you what to do.”
“Will you really?”
“Of course I will. After all, that’s what we’re really doing right now.”
Cee Dee touched the antenna that still dangled from her temple and said nervously, “But as long as this thing is here,
13
Seven No More
D on’t you understand, Cee Dee? People are supposed to make their own decisions.”
Seated cross-legged across from Abbey, Cee Dee stared at her intently. She had been listening carefully, but a puzzled expression was on her face, and she shook her head. “I don’t see how I could do that. How would I know what would be the right thing? How could I know what to do?”
Abbey smiled, understanding. “You won’t always make the right decision,” she said. “You’ll make mistakes—but that’s OK. Everyone does.”
“But I don’t want to do that. I am afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
“I don’t know,” Cee Dee confessed. “I’m just afraid to become what you want me to be. Who knows what might happen to me? I might even die.”
Abbey said quickly, “Cee Dee, nothing that could happen to you could be worse than what’s
already
happened. Believe me, there are all kinds of imprisonments. I’ve been in a few jails and dungeons since the seven of us came from Oldworld. Some of them were pretty bad. There were rats and fleas sometimes, and you know how much I hate dirt and like to have everything neat. But that’s not the worst kind of imprisonment.”
“It sounds very terrible to me. What could possibly be worse than that?”
“What could be worse is to have your mind lockedup as yours has been. Even when we were in prison”—Abbey looked away, remembering—“there was hope, and as long as you have hope you can survive almost anything.”
For a long time the two girls continued their conversation. At last Abbey threw up her hands in desperation. “I know you’ve had a hard time, Cee Dee, but you’re going to
have
to begin to think for yourself. You’re almost grown up now. You’ve got to think of what it’s like to be a young woman just coming of age.”
“To the cyborgs that means nothing,” Cee Dee said and looked distressed. “What does it mean in your world?”
“For one thing, it means you’ll have to choose a husband.”
“In the cyborg world there’s nothing like that. There are breeding mothers, and that’s all.”
“I know you’ve told me about all that, and it’s just terrible.”
“Tell me again what it was like in your world.”
“Well, when a girl gets to be a certain age, she begins thinking about courtship. That means that she has to decide which one of the young men who are courting her she will have for a husband.”
“But how does she know the right one?”
“Sometimes she doesn’t, and to marry the wrong man is a huge mistake. That is one of the most terrible mistakes a girl can make.”
“See. I might do that—and that could be perhaps worse than being a cyborg.”
Sharply Abbey rapped out,
“Nothing
is worse than being a cyborg! Now listen to me. You’ve got to understand that it’s
normal
for men and women to get married and to have families. They will love each other andlove their children and raise them the best they can. Teaching them right and wrong and discipline.”
Cee Dee gave Abbey a hopeless look. Then she threw out her hands in a gesture of despair. “I’ll never get it right,” she moaned. “I just can’t even think of such things.”
Abbey went close and put an arm around Cee Dee. “Sure, you will,” she said with an encouraging tone. “After all, you’ve just escaped from the Peacemaker and that awful tyranny he had over you. You are so much better now. And I’ll be right with you, Cee Dee. I’ll teach you what to do.”
“Will you really?”
“Of course I will. After all, that’s what we’re really doing right now.”
Cee Dee touched the antenna that still dangled from her temple and said nervously, “But as long as this thing is here,
Similar Books
