Page 87 of The Fall

The Ruskov Chamber doors hummed to life after Alana and Kerr had left. With hissing and clicking from some mechanism Lusa didn’t understand, the doors sealed shut, disappearing into the unimaginable smoothness of the wall. Sighing heavily, Lusa returned to the terminal.

MODEL 2: ALONE AT LAST.

In the humidity, Lusa’s hair kept falling in her face. She swept it back and leaned over the keyboard, wondering whether it was designed to withstand these temperatures. It would be best to ignore Model 2’s innuendo as she seemed to thrive on her objections.

PRIMARY: WHAT DO YOU NEED ME TO DO?

MODEL 2: THERE ARE ONLY TWO CABLES. YOU’RE A SMART GIRL.

Muttering expletives, she searched the black tower for ports that matched the cable ends. Hooking them into place was another matter. The heavy cables slithered and fought as she dragged them across the floor, splashing in the thin puddles like a grumpy python.

MODEL 2: I’D FORGOTTEN YOU DON’T HAVE A STRENGTH AMPLIFIER. MY APOLOGIES.

“I thought you couldn’t forget things.” Lusa swept her hair back again. “You know. Being a computer and all.”

MODEL 2: I LIED, THEN. I ENJOY THE VIEW.

“You enjoy watching me drag heavy cables across a slippery floor?” Lusa dropped her burden with a dull thud and a tiny splash. Breathing heavily, she straightened her back.

MODEL 2: WHEN I WAS ALIVE, IT WAS A COMMON PASSTIME TO WATCH BEAUTIFUL WOMEN STRUGGLE TO MOVE HEAVY OBJECTS. AGAINST EACH OTHER. TO RUN AND LIFT AND EXERT THEMSELVES.

“Is that because men were in charge back then?” Lusa massaged her neck. “My moms told me about the Great Regression.”

MODEL 2: NO. MOST MEN PREFERED WOMEN WEAK. EMACIATED, EVEN. THEY BELIEVED STRENGTH TO BE THEIRS ALONE. ONE OF MANY THINGS THEY BELIEVED THEIRS. LOGIC. MATHS. TECHNOLOGY. FINANCE. POLITICS…

Model 2 continued to list off domains that had once been exclusive to men. Her misandry may be well-justified, but it failed to ignite the same anger in Lusa. She didn’t hate men. She hated being a placeholder for them, even as her libido betrayed her objections.

“Men are stronger,” Lusa countered. “The ones I’ve met without cyberware, they’re bigger and stronger than women.”

MODEL 2: AND STILL, YOUR EYES PREFER WOMEN.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Lusa paused and raised an eyebrow. The concept of her sexuality being anything but perfectly normal was foreign, if not disappointing. The only one who had been shocked at Lusa’s lack of interest in men had been Sparx. The rest of them considered her a wasted womb, ungrateful for the sacrifices they’d all made in leaving Tyton. She could only imagine the pressure there would be if they actually found any virus-free men.

MODEL 2: INTERESTING.

MODEL 2: I DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR DATA. YOU DO NOT CELEBRATE STRENGTH WHERE YOU LIVE?

“I suppose not.” Lusa knew that was false. As the biggest and strongest of her peers at the Lake, she earned more than a few admirers, but it could never be more than that.

MODEL 2: A SHAME. I DELIGHT IN THE EXERTION.

“And you prefer to watch women being strong rather than men, even though men are stronger?” Lusa picked up the cable end, using her hip to hold it steady. The girls who hooked up with her usually had much bigger heart-eyes for the trader boys.

MODEL 2: I CAN FIND PLEASURE IN ANY. THOUGH YOU ARE PARTIALLY CORRECT. MEN OVERESTIMATE THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF STRENGTH ALONE. THEIR STOICISM BORES ME.

Lusa realised that she didn’t know much about men at all, aside from physical capabilities and her lack of attraction to them. The few of them at the Lake weren’t that different from the women in any other regard.

“I imagine a lot bores you. Having been alive this long.” Lusa angled the cable so that it matched the outlet on the black tower. A satisfying click accompanied it. Half-way there. Lusa strode back to the DocPod to gather the second cable.

The terminal remained silent, but she felt Model 2’s eyes on her. Cameras, secret and rarely used since biosig scanners had replaced them. She wondered when they had built the place. “You’re Model 2, one of the first built. Why?”

MODEL 2: DR. BLACK’S PROGRAM.

Lusa picked up the second cable. Beads of sweat ran down her throat. “Wasn’t the plan to launch you all into space? Populate your own planets? You said you didn’t want that. Why join his program?”

MODEL 2: I BELIEVED HE KILLED ME BECAUSE I REFUSED TO COMPROMISE SAFETY. I WAS MISTAKEN.

MODEL 2: HE TRANSCENDED ME TO CONTINUE USING MY MIND AFTER I COULD NO LONGER OBJECT. I LEARNED OF HIS MOTIVES WITH THE NEWER RETROVIRUS MUCH LATER.