Human Company | Page 4

and the cavern became
quiet except for slight echoes and whispers coming from the bowels of
the garage. I began to fidget with growing impatience: I couldn't wait
all day for her.
I resolved to leave, then changed my mind when my ears picked up a
new sound. Never loud, a scraping and brushing got closer and closer
until, finally, I saw her emerging from the tunnel where White Mech
had come and gone. She was spreading sawdust on the oil and acid
drops and sweeping them into a bucket.
As she moved onto the launch pad, I stepped silently from the alcove,
blocking her retreat to the tunnels. Intent on her work she did not
immediately notice my presence, giving me time to take a good look at
her.
They say that the women who created the Femdom settled on
Snowshoe because it was an isolated planet that no one else wanted.
The isolation gave them the time and privacy they needed to remake
themselves into bios, perfect women that were bigger and stronger and
healthier than humans.
And it does make sense that women who could tame a planet and build
the elevators could remake themselves. But like their failed elevators,
the remake must have been flawed: human births were becoming less
rare.
I could see why no one wanted to be human. She was dirty; of course -
- old oil stained her clothes; grease smudged her cheek; and black
grime hid under her fingernails -- about what you would expect from a
mechanic. But the dirty yellow hair and crooked teeth made her look
strange. And she was small: about my size and flat chested. Just a kid.

When she turned back to the caverns, the unexpected sight of my feet
startled her. She gasped and stood open mouthed while her eyes ran up
and down my body.
I gave her my meanest sneer. "So you like to spy on boys, do you?"
"I meant no harm." Her voice squeaked.
"I should thrash you good."
She cringed a little then nodded hopefully towards the big tunnel. "I
can show you the mechanicals."
I snorted. The bribe was so flagrant. Who did she think I was anyway?
Still... See the mechanicals? Was that what the card meant? Maybe I
could ride one. Redblood would have to take me seriously then. She
would have to help me save the Elevator.
"I know all the mechanicals," she persisted. "Flasher is nice, you could
meet Flash Mech."
I put my fists on my hips and tapped my foot impatiently. "Well, all
right. But I should report you."
#
"I know all about the mechanicals," she said as she led me down White
Mech's tunnel. "They call me Tiny, I can show you everything, I never
talked to a boy before."
"The mechanicals call you Tiny?"
"No, the women, mechanicals don't talk."
We stepped out of the tunnel onto a ledge overlooking the garage. I
squinted into the bright sunshine and saw an elaborate system of
tunnels, ramps, and ledges covering the steep walls of an open crater.
On the crater floor, tanks and vats surrounded the waters of a shallow
lake. A confusing network of pipes interconnected the tanks, and from

one vat, a torch flamed from a long tube rising into the air. Rainbow
colors glinted off islands of oil film floating on the lake.
Several mechanicals lay on the lakeshore with their wings spread out
into the sun. A few others crept about their duties among the tanks. One
mechanical swam in the water. Its legs spread straight out and rose and
fell like oars as it propelled itself forward.
Tiny tugged at my sleeve and I let her guide me down the ramp towards
the lake. At the bottom, she released me and disappeared into an
opening in the crater wall. I peered after her, and when my eyes
adjusted to the dim light, I saw racks of legs, sensor balls, and other
parts for the mechanicals.
"I got batteries," she said when she came out. She had untucked her
blouse and pulled the tails into a sack to carry something heavy.
We walked out onto the crater floor past several mechanicals sunning
themselves beside the water. They remained motionless as we passed,
but I saw their sensor balls turning as they tracked us.
"This is Flasher," Tiny said as we approached a brown mechanical.
Clearly, the name came from the glow of light that slowly rippled
under the brown surface of the mechanical. But despite the snappy
name, the stir of internal lights, the gentle sway of wings in the breeze,
and the slow rotation of sensors gave Flasher a lazy appearance.
Tiny handed me a fist-sized ball. "Throw her a battery."
I examined the dull red ball