Nicole gasped. In her mind’s eye she saw the friendly octospider standing in the cul-de-sac, juggling many balls to the delight of the children. She tried to tell herself that she should be rejoicing because Richard’s prostate cancer had been cured, and should not be concerned about the death of a relatively meaningless octospider. But the image of Hercules continued to haunt her. They are an altogether different species, she told herself. Do not judge them by human standards.
As she was about to leave Dr. Blue’s house, Nicole suddenly had an overpowering desire to know more about Katie. She remembered that one recent night, after an especially vivid dream involving Katie, she had awakened and wondered if perhaps the octospider records might allow her to see more of Katie’s life in New Eden.
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“Dr. Blue,” Nicole said as she was standing in the door, “I would like to ask a favor. I don’t know whether to ask you or Archie. I don’t even know if what I’m asking is possible.”
The octospider asked her what the favor was.
“As you know,” Nicole said, “I have another daughter who is still living in New Eden. I saw her very briefly in one of the videos the Chief Optimizer showed us last month. . . . I would like very much to know what is happening in her life.”
9
D:
Iuring a conversation the next day, Archie told Nicole that her request to see videos of Katie could not be granted. Nevertheless, Nicole persisted, taking advantage of every opportunity when she was alone with Archie or Dr. Blue to reiterate her request. Because neither of the octospiders ever indicated that images from Katie’s life in New Eden did not exist in their files, Nicole was certain that the video data were available. Viewing these data became an obsession with her.
“Dr. Blue and 1 talked today about Jamie,” Nicole said late one night after she and Richard were in bed. “He has decided to enter optimizer training.”
“That’s good,” said Richard sleepily.
“I told Dr. Blue that she was lucky, as a parent, to be able to participate in the events in her child’s life. I then expressed again our concern about knowing so little about what’s happened to Katie. . . . Richard,” Nicole said in a slightly louder voice, “Dr. Blue did not say today that I
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would be unable to see the videos of Katie. Do you think that signals a change in their attitude? Am I wearing down their resistance?”
Richard did not respond at first. After some prompting, he sat up in bed. “Can’t we go to sleep just this one night without another discussion of Katie and the damn octospi-der videos? Jesus, Nicole, you’ve talked about nothing else for over two weeks. You’re losing your balance—”
“I am not” Nicole interrupted defensively. “I’m simply concerned about what has happened to our daughter. I’m certain that the octospiders have many many segments they could put together to show us. Don’t you want to know?”
“Of course I do,” Richard said, sighing heavily. “But we’ve had this same conversation several times already. What is to be gained from having it again at this hour?”
“I told you,” Nicole said. “I sensed a change in- their attitude today. Dr. Blue didn’t—”
“I heard you,” Richard interrupted crossly, “and I don’t think it means anything. Dr. Blue is probably as tired of discussing the subject as I am.” Richard shook his head. “Look, Nicole, our little group is coming apart at the seams. We desperately need some wisdom and sanity from you. Max grumbles every day about the octospiders’ invasion of his privacy, Ellie is downright lugubrious except during the rare moments when Nikki causes her to smile, and now, in the middle of everything, Patrick has announced that he and Nai want to get married. But you are so obsessed with Katie and the videos that you aren’t even able to give advice to anybody else.”
Nicole gave Richard a harsh glance and lay down on her back. She didn’t reply to his last comment.
“Please don’t be sullen, Nicole,” Richard said about a minute later. “I’m only asking you to be as objective about your own behavior as you usually are about the actions of others.”
“I’m not being sullen,” Nicole replied, “and I’m not ignoring everyone else. Anyway, why must I always oe the one who is responsible for the happiness of our little family?
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Why can’t somebody else play the role of group mother occasionally?”
“Because nobody else is you,” Richard said. “You have always been everyone’s best friend.”
“Well, now I’m tired,” Nicole said. “And I have a problem of my own, an’obsession,’according to you. . . . By the way, Richard, I’m disappointed in your apparent lack of interest. I always thought Katie was your favorite.”
“That’s unfair, Nicole,” Richard said quickly. “Nothing would please me more than to know that Katie was all right. But I do have other things on my mind.”
Neither of them said anything for about a minute. ‘Tell me something, dear,” Richard said then in a softer tone. “Why has Katie become so important all of a sudden? What has changed? I don’t remember your being so incredibly concerned about Katie before.”
“I have asked myself the same question,” Nicole said. “And I don’t have a straightforward answer. I do know that Katie has been in my dreams a lot lately, since even before we saw her in the video, and that I have been having an intense desire to talk with her. Also, my first thought after Dr. Blue told me about Hercules’ death was that I had to see Katie again before I died. I don’t really know why, and I don’t know either what I want to say to her, but the relationship still seems terribly incomplete to me.”
Again there was a long silence in the bedroom. “I’m sorry that I was a little insensitive just now,” Richard said.
Nicole reached over and caressed her husband. “I accept your apology,” she said, kissing him on the cheek.
Nicole was surprised to see Archie so early in the morning. Patrick, Nai, Benjy, and the children had just left to go next door to the schoolroom. The rest of the adults had still not finished breakfast when the octospider appeared in the Wakefield dining room.
Max was rude. “Sorry, Archie,” he said, “but we don’t allow visitors—at least not those we can see—before our morning coffee, or whatever this shit is that we drink with breakfast each day.”
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Nicole rose from the table as the octospider turned to leave. “Don’t pay any attention to Max,” she said. “He is in a permanent bad mood.”
Max now jumped up from his chair, holding one of the mostly empty packages in which there was a little cereal remaining. He swooped the container through the air, first in one direction, then in another, before sealing it tight and handing the package to Archie. “Have a few quad-raids,” Max said in a loud voice. “Or did they move too quickly for me?”
Archie did not reply. The rest of the humans felt awkward and embarrassed. Max returned to his place at the table beside Eponine and Marius. “Shit, Archie,” he said, facing the octospider, “I guess pretty soon you’ll be marking me with a pair of those green dots. Or will you just terminate me instead?”
“Max,” Richard shouted. “You’re out of line. At least think of your wife and son.”
“That’s all I’ve been thinking about, friend,” he said, “for almost a month now. And you know what, Richard? This Arkansas farm boy cannot figure out anything he can do to change . . .” His voice trailed off. Suddenly Max slammed his fist against one of the chairs. “Goddammit!” he yelled. “I feel so useless.”
Marius began to cry. Eponine scooted away from the table with the baby and Ellie went to help her. Nicole took Archie with her into the atrium, leaving Richard and Max alone. Richard leaned across the table. “I think I know what you’re feeling, Max,” he said gently, “and I empathize with you. But we don’t improve our situation any by insulting the octospiders.”
“What difference does it make?” Max said, looking up at Richard. “We are prisoners here, that’s obvious. I have allowed my son to be born into a world where he will always be a prisoner. What kind of a father does that make me?”
While Richard was trying to soothe Max, Nicole was receiving from Archie the message that she had been seeking for weeks. “We have obtained permission,” the
octospider said, “for you to use the data library today. We have compiled videos featuring your daughter Katie from our historical files.”