The Morning After the Day Before

Posted on Mon 22nd Apr, 2019 @ 6:10pm by Elizabeth Anderson M.D.

1,055 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Deck 1554, Rock Falls Bridge
Timeline: MD 4, 0745

Elizabeth came down the stairs fast, trying to outrun her thoughts. Dressed in black tights, a long light blue shirt that stretched half-way to her knees, but had a knot tied in the left side now, and matching blue sneakers with rainbow ties, she exited her building and walked quickly down to the nearest riverside quay. At this time of morning, she could see Walt and Willie anchored in mid-river slightly down from her, their Ferengi crew cleaning the decks. Looking the other way, Rock Bridge Inn, maybe half a kilometer away at the end of the river, loomed over the River Walk. The water cascaded down the wall behind it into this level of the river, and not far in front of it, the Rock Falls Bridge crossed over.

She shook out her arms and began her stretching routine, trying to think of nothing but her body, her muscles, the stretching and what the next step was. In a few minutes, she felt warmed up, and she turned to the still-empty walkway, beginning a slow jog up the slight incline that led toward the bridge. The counselor concentrated on keeping her steps even and her breathing smooth, thinking only of the run, the feeling of a slight breeze against her face.

Coming to the foot of the bridge that turned in a small curve into the path, she had a choice of taking the bridge or going on to the Inn. As always, she chose the bridge and sped up across the river and down the other side, passing park land, condo entrances, and wooded areas as she ran along the river in the opposite direction. She passed a closed hot pretzel vendor and kept running, past the paddle wheelers, empty of cleaners now, heading for the next bridge. The circuit would bring her back where she started, measuring one kilometer, and she decided this was an 8-lap day.

As she ran, she entered a mindless zone. Some part of her noted the things she passed, kept track of her pace. At the start of the second lap, she was up to her 2.5 minute kilometer, speeding quickly, but not inhumanly. Anyone who knew she wasn't human wouldn't be impressed. Running didn't actually do anything for her body, but she had discovered she could distract her processors when she ran, so when she didn't want to be inundated with data, with news, with reports, with emotions that she still didn't understand ... then she ran fast.

Toward the end of her eight kilometers, she noticed someone sitting on a bench on her quay. Not that she owned it, but she thought of it as hers because it was closest to her office and apartment. Drawing closer, she realized it was Ischemia Addams. Slowing down as she neared the quay for the last lap, she turned on to it, waved at the woman and went up and down the distance a couple of times at a slow job again, to account for the fact that she wasn't breathing hard. In fact, during the last few laps, she hadn't been breathing at all. She stopped a few feet away from Addams, putting her hands on her knees and leaning her head over, as if she were at the end of an exhausting run. Her hair was in a pony tail that hung over her head.

After a moment, she stood up, flipping her hair back and smiled. "Good morning, Ischemia. I don't expect that you're waiting for me, but it's nice to see you anyway."

Addams smiled. "You do that so well," she said, not explaining exactly what she meant. "In point of fact, I am waiting for you, if you're finished for the morning?"

What's this about, then? Anderson wondered. "Sure. What's up by you?"

"Just a couple of questions for you. I've heard you're quite involved with Jade Lantz's humaniforms. What can you tell me about them?" Ischemia asked, trying not to sound too much like the lawyer she was ... and failing.

Elizabeth brought a frown to her forehead. "In what way? I can't break client privilege, of course. What exactly do you want to know?"

Bluntly, Addams said, "Just how smart are they?"

In the silence that followed the question, Anderson wondered what the lawyer had in mind. Had that weaselly inspector decided to cause problems for Jade's people? She shrugged, "As smart as they were programmed to be, I guess."

Ischemia laughed, "Really? That's your answer? I think you can do better than that. I need to know if they have a greater potential than they were designed to have."

"Don't we all?" Elizabeth shot back. "Aren't you exceeding your potential? Aren't your sisters? Maybe I am. What about those Ferengi out there?" she pointed to Walt and Willie, just pulling up anchor to head for opposite sides of the river. "Are they exceeding their potential?"

The lawyer eyed the counselor speculatively. "An interesting point of view. But I'm not here to get involved in a discussion about intelligent design with you. I have a reason for needing to know."

"Then I suggest you ask them. There's nothing more I can tell you, Ms Addams." She started to walk away.

"A moment ago, I was Ischemia," the lawyer said.

Elizabeth turned back toward her. "A moment ago, you weren't trying to get me to divulge anything about my clients. If you want to be the lawyer," she shrugged, "then you aren't my friend Ischemia."

"What about friend to friend, then?"

"You don't know me very well if you think I'd tell a friend anything confidential about clients, either," Elizabeth replied, thankful that she could sometimes keep emotions at bay.

"Oh, well, I had to try." Addams got up from the seat. "Buy you a coffee at the Inn?"

"Never touch the stuff," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "Thanks anyway. I have a client coming shortly, and I need to clean up and look a bit more like a counselor, a bit less like a track athelete."

"Something else another time, then." Elizabeth nodded and Ischemia watched her walk away, wondering what she knew about the humaniforms. Perhaps she had approached this all wrong. With a sigh, Addams turned toward the turbolift. She had definitely approached this all wrong.

 

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