“I guess this is goodbye, Ivan.” Narang grabbed a chair and sat down. “We’re sending the medical personnel home today. The science team from Earth will be taking over from this point on. That shouldn’t really affect you much, other than new faces. I know it’s not an easy thing, Ivan. Permanent quarantine, unless some new information comes along. I wish there was something more I could offer you.”

“No, I get it, Doc. I’ve seen the news. And it’s not like I can just blend in. Who knows, maybe the military will have some interesting experiments or studies. As long as it doesn’t involve vivisection.” Ivan smiled, but the comment obviously made Narang uncomfortable.

“We have agreements, protocols in place, Ivan. They won’t harm you. They may want more samples, but you won’t be a lab rat.” She hesitated. “Have you talked to your family much?”

“Some. But I’ve been avoiding video. I want them to remember me the way I used to be, you know? Especially the kids.”

“I understand you’ve been getting stuff from the computer? That’s what you’re calling it, ‘the computer’?”

“It’s an artificial cybernetic mind, Doc. We don’t have a term for exactly what it is. I’m not even sure I fully understand that, yet. ‘Computer’ works as good as any, and it’s a label that allows me to get a handle on it. But it’s as far from our computers as they are from a pile of rocks.”

“Got it. I’m sure the new administrator, Dr. Hall, and his staff will be very interested. I look forward to finding out what you can teach them.”

Ivan nodded. “I’ll see what I can do, Doc. Translation is still mostly by feel. But we’ll get there.”

Narang stood. “Goodbye, Ivan. Gods be with you.”

“Goodbye, Doc.”

54.Demands

54.Demands

A picture of a bear cub, again. What was it with the bear cub, anyway?

As if on cue, the computer announced, Must contact the Makers. You have delayed here long enough.

How?

An image of a radio dish.

Okay, so the bear cub, and a radio transmission. And the chrome sentients again.

A feeling of impatience.

Then an image of Ivan winking out of existence.

Well, that last bit was clear enough anyway. A threat.

This is for your protection.

Image of Earth.

Image of people.

Interestingly, all the images were of people that Ivan had met since he’d become metallized. The computer could apparently only use images that it had actually seen. That meant that it couldn't data-mine his memories. No mind reading, then.