“So, she is asleep. Just like that?” The android I had hired commented.  His head was thin and rectangular, with a single blue upper reticle, altogether its shape reminded me of a pistol.  If one gathered scraps and did their best to construct the human shape, this would be the result of the rest of its body. Cables and ribbons hung between the gaps in its plating and from the back of its head into its neck and down its spine. The plastic mask I provided now dangled off the side of its head, no use for the artificial visage anymore. The entire thing is made of silver black gun metal. Several decades line its body, scraped and scratch listing incomplete model numbers.

In all my years, I never thought I would have this chance.  As I looked upon the bloodied container, a new wealth of hope filled me. I could hardly believe my eyes and I could not look away for fear it was a dream, I nodded my head in response to the android’s question. “Indeed, she is.” I faintly commented.  Rising from the container, I looked around the room.  I had paid for a squad of five and yet, before me, was only four. “I see there are only four of you that returned. I am sorry for your loss.” I said, hoping to cover for my previous lack of acknowledgment.

Then the machine said something most peculiar to me. “309 will live again, like your girl. He is in stasis, sleeping.” the android lifted a small rectangular chip from his bloodied breastplate. “He needs a new body. One I expect you to pay for.”

“Heh, me pay for a body for your mistake. Why do you expect me to pay for it? I hired you to retrieve her, not to refurbish your aging bodies. You knew the risks when I hired you. If you did not consider the complications that is your own fault.”

The android’s reticle twisted and turned, focusing on me, more, closely, I didn’t enjoy seeing my own concerned reflection gazing back.  A loud creek grumbles as the hanger motors opened the doors revealing his intentions. “Then our contract ends, there is no negotiation.”  The open doors stole the breath from my lungs. It terrified me, not to mention being berated by my suit as it whipped me in the winds.  I could feel my feet growing unsteady as the open hanger threatened the unknowable plummet.

“Wait! Stop!” I screamed. “We can work something out.” the hanger of the ship’s doors closed as my will bent.  What more could I do?  I held no position to argue against it. “I should have known better. Our colony lacks any military grade android parts though. How about a trade? Something of equal value?”

“That is fair. We will require more seeds.”

The surreal nature of the situation leaves me shaking my head. It has been a long time since I went to the outside world. Androids used to be the servants of man. Now they drove a hard bargain.  Where they have learned this kind of behavior. I suppose through observation over time they have become akin to such things.  Still, what could they want with seeds?  There is no real place to plant them, and even still what would artificial beings like them want with anything biological. I had to know, and so I asked. “Why exactly do you want seeds, anyway?”

“Unmodified seeds are the most valuable thing in the world. They are one of the few things we cannot fabricate. Unlike our greedy peers in the empire, we seek to build a new biome and restore the world as we remember from our nativity, before your cursed decay spread.” the android replied.

Impossible, it won’t be done.  Not by their hands. I kept that thought to myself not wanting to give any reason for further torment from the machine. “Yeah, well, good luck with that.” I grunted walking back over to the capsule gazing inside at the fair-skinned girl resting soundly.  At our salvation.

The ship carried us over the ruins of an old city, through the slumbering lands that grew rotted.  We fly through an even more lonely sky, over a vast sea and over mountain passes and fleshy fields; until we reached a desert wasteland of hollowed buildings for as far as the eye can see.

As the ship descended to the ground, a secret hanger door split forth from the sandy soil. Two people waited on the platform for our arrival. A young woman with black hair named Vanity and a much older man, a doctor, Hellibor Winters, who was given charge of this girl. When the ship landed the doors opened to reveal the ark in which she rests. I could hear Vanity shout, “They did it!” from even within the confines of the ship.

“Brilliant. I told you we could trust them.” Hellibor grumbled in his usual gruff voice.  As I made my way out of the ship Hellibor stood stoic as ever in contrast to Vanity’s excitement. Before I even said a word Hellibor says to me “Bring me the capsule.” in that familiar, commanding tone.

“It is good to be home.” I thought to myself.

“There was a complication.” I muttered. “We need to give the androids a bit more payment before they will release the girl to us.” I regrettably informed them.

I still remember that low growl Hellibor let out under his breath.  It was the kind of growl that let me know there would be repercussions for this later. He turned to Vanity, gesturing with his hands. “Vanity, do it, go get another seed for Brainer to give these swine.”

“Yes, Sir Hellibor.” Vanity replied, so formally as usual.  I can’t help but notice the sway in her step as she headed inside the building.  One of the few pleasurable things left in the world.  “So, you recovered a specimen.” Hellibor commented.   I stand side by side with Hellibor as we watched the machines go about their normal activities.

“It’s a girl as you had hoped, yeah, but one thing, she woke up during the extraction. It means they broke the seal on the ark.”  I couldn’t even look him in the eye. Soon noticed my palms were sweating inside my suit.

To my surprise, his reaction was not as sour as I had expected “It should not matter.” he grunted. “If she is infected, then the contaminants should have no effect on her.”

“They almost threw me out of the ship. I think they would have thrown her too. What a way to negotiate extra payment.” Hellibor let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head as he placed his hand on my back.  It was reassuring, to be honest it was the first time I had felt a touch in, well, ages in fact.  It felt unnatural.  Heh, I suppose Hellibor felt much the same way as he whirled his hand away as soon as he realized what he had done.

Vanity returned with a pair of test tubes. “Two seeds,” she chirped, holding out the measly pair in my direction. “They are still cold.” she happily commented as though it mattered.

As I reached for the two seeds I felt a heaviness grow in my gut.  “They will take this as an insult.” my mind screamed.  Two seeds for what they just did.  That was hardly any payment at all.  Though their contract never specified any amount, but it was still clearly plural.  I took the two suspended seeds from her, “This is all you are giving them.”

Hellibor nodded with confidence.  Together we walk to the drop ship’s hanger doors to present our, payment. The leader of the group moved to the lip of the hanger, towering above us like a giant. He jumped down onto the platform, looking at the pair of reflective tubes in my hand. “May I inspect them?”

As I reached to the skeletal metal hand, Hellibor chimed in. “Before we pay, I want to inspect the girl myself. Make sure she is without blemish. To do that, I will need to run scans on her.”

“That will not be happening without my payment. We agreed payment upon delivery. We delivered a specimen. Our end of the deal is complete. Now you must oblige yours.” the sternal android replied.

“Brainer give him the seeds.” Which surprised me. Then again, I guess even Hellibor even knew when to quit.

I extended my open palm. The android plucked one sample from my hand and scrutinized the vial. “This will do, where is the rest of our payment.”

“That is it. One seed for one person. You wanted double payment, so I have graciously allowed two seeds.” Hellibor stated with authority, I was hoping the machine would surrender to such a ridiculous request they deep down I knew what was to come.

“I do not take your humor lightly.” the android groaned.

“As you said before, there is nothing more valuable than a seed.”  It was a fool’s attempt, but none the less I could tell in that unfeeling machine’s eye, I had not impressed.

The android chuckles with this grating, artificial, inhuman laughter. “Now you, you know humor,” it said pointing to me. “I have a feeling however, this girl is worth far more to you than those seeds are to us. If you wish to continue your little game of negotiations, I will destroy her and call it a loss.” The smug masks melted off all our faces. I looked over to Hellibor to see if he wants to continue or not.  His body is stiff,  I could not read him at all, but I could see the fear of failure stabbed clear through him from the machines little comment.

It was right; we needed her far more than the androids needed our seeds. We had searched for years to find someone held in stasis, and now we had it. So close to the goal, Hellibor’s foolish pride was the only thing holding us back; and he would sacrifice his pride, because he must. “How many do you want?”

“As many as you have inside that little shelter of yours.”