A Place in This World
an Armitage III #FanFiction by Ukyou Kuonji
----------
Armitage the Third and all those in her world are the creations of
Taro Maki. North American rights held by Pioneer.
No infringement is intended
----------
It wasn't that she couldn't sleep; nothing of humanity was alien to her, after all. But there just didn't seem to be a point to it right now. She didn't need to sleep, like Ross did, and there was so much to think about.
She stared at her former partner's prone form, watching as his massive chest rose and fell with each breath. She listened intently to his quiet snoring. So peaceful, so unlike the way things had been these last few days. If they were found, they were fugitives. For now, though, there was solace in the thought that most of Mars assumed that they were dead, or would the word be 'destroyed'?
The segment of her mind responsible for word choice also pointed out to her that Ross was not a 'former' partner; they were no longer part of the police force, that much was true, but their partnership remained. It was just a different type of partnership, and Naomi Armitage struggled to find the right name for it.
Were they married? Hardly. What court of law, what religion would recognize the union between a human and a Third? Especially now. It may have been one thing when the Thirds were first created: the first robots capable of procreation! Mars could be populated by Earthling men, expatriates on the Red Planet, and these hardy female Thirds. But with the reunion of the governments of Earth, the Thirds' presence as breeding stock was an affront to the Earth's feminist mores. As a symbol of female servitude, they had to be... removed... before Earth would permit an alliance to be formed between the two planets. Not only was the relationship she had with Ross beyond the confines of the law, her very existence had ceased to be legal.
She would have to call him 'lover,' if she were to call him anything at all.
In fact, she decided it would be best to dispense with labels like these altogether. Labels were part of the problem, after all. Nobody objected to Naomi Armitage; indeed, she was one of the finest cops on the force. She had the citations to prove it, even. But as a Third, well... even Ross had once said "You can't trust a robot..."
It was before he learned that Armitage was a Third. Once he did, he had been too impressed to object. She had, in a small way, shown to him that she, and her fellow Thirds had heart, and soul, and emotion. The destruction of the Thirds that Rene van Claude was undertaking was literal murder, not just the removal of inconvenient mechanical nuisances.
And Ross had cast in his lot with her, to fight for her survival against the will of two planets. She stared at him in amazement. He had surrendered his place in this world, his purpose in life, for her sake. He was no longer the detective he has studied to be, had spent his whole life being. All he had now... was her. Moisture began to form in one eye. All this for a robot with no apparent function in this world. Was this what love was?
She clenched her fist in resolve. <All right then... it's my duty to return that love to him as best I can.> She smiled. It may not have been much of one, but it was a purpose... for the first time in her existence, she actually had a clear and defined purpose.
And maybe that was enough. She climbed back under the blankets with him, and clutched his torso. Another smile burst forth as she closed her eyes.
<And this isn't even that hard....>
