“What are you doing?”

 

The voice didn’t sound quite human. One look at the speaker confirmed Olivia’s suspicions. A robotic woman with enormous breasts, an impossibly narrow waist, and disturbingly flawless skin stood on the sidewalk. Her wide eyes, pursed lips, and cocked head conveyed childlike curiosity that boded poorly with her exaggerated mature figure. Her tight shirt emblazoned with rhinestones reading “Sugar Baby” left no question about the gynoid’s designated function. Olivia tried not to let the robot’s absurd proportions interfere with her good manners. After all, it wasn’t the robot’s fault she was built like a caricature of an early 21st century runway model.

 

“I’m delivering books and zines to people in the neighborhood. When they’re finished reading, they return them and get new books.” Filled with subversive pride, Olivia patted the light blue cart attached to her bicycle. The name of her lending library and bookstore, Retro Revolution on Wheels, was hand-painted in cursive across both sides in white. Select inventory that skirted the bounds of the regime’s censorship rules filled the cart, ready to be delivered. Borrowers and customers she trusted could access the contraband hidden in the backroom of her shop, but they had to visit in person.

 

“Why?” the robot asked, sounding uncomfortably immature.

 

“Because not everyone’s able to go to a library or bookstore.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“There are a lot of reasons why somebody might need library outreach.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Well, some people find it difficult to leave the house because they have physical or mental differences that make travel difficult.” Unfortunately, Olivia couldn’t safely transport contraband inventory in a conveyance as obvious as a book bicycle. All the juicy forbidden literature had to remain hidden in her shop. To avoid merchandise confiscation and incarceration, she had to make tough compromises related to accessibility. It was too bad she couldn’t trust anybody to act as her courier.

 

“Or maybe they’re not allowed to leave the house at all,” the gynoid said.

 

Olivia’s heart sank from the implication. “Are you forbidden from leaving the house?”

 

“Not exactly. I’m allowed to travel in a one block radius. The man likes to show me off. When he’s home, that is. He’s gone a lot for work, business trips, and vacations.”

 

“I see.” Olivia couldn’t think of anything else to say that wouldn’t sound like a screed. Staying outwardly neutral seemed appropriate, even though her brain and stomach roiled with vicious thoughts about “the man.”

 

The robot clasped her hands behind her back and swayed from side to side. “What’s your name?” She came across like a child trying to make a new friend on the first day of school. Olivia never thought it was possible for something to appear both charming and creepy.

 

“Olivia.”

 

“O-li-vi-a.” The robot’s heavily-lashed eyelids fluttered as she stored the information in her memory files. “I like that name. It’s pretty.”

 

“Thank you. What’s your name?”

 

“Oh, I don’t really have a name. The man calls me ‘Sugar Baby’ or ‘Sugar.’ He said it’s the name he put on my shirt.” She ran her fingertip over the rhinestones trailing across her breasts. “See?”

 

Olivia swallowed, increasingly disturbed by the robot’s cheerful innocence. “Yes, I see.”

 

“You can call me ‘Sugar’ though. It’s easier than saying ‘Sugar Baby’ all the time, don’t you think?”

 

“Sugar” without “Baby” attached to it sounded less degrading if nothing else. “Nice to meet you, Sugar,” Olivia said.

 

“Nice to meet you too.” Sugar grabbed Olivia’s hand and pumped it. The handshake felt mechanical. When she let go, she put her hands behind her back again in that annoyingly cutesy pose. At least she didn’t twirl her fingers through her hair like the bimbo she was obviously programmed to be.

 

“So, what’s it like to read a book?” Sugar said after an awkward pause.

 

Olivia had never heard a question so heartbreaking and profound at the same time. “It’s indescribable.”

 

“So I’ve been told.”

 

Was that a hint of annoyance in Sugar’s voice? Maybe a genuine personality was trying to assert itself under her bubbly exterior. Then again, Olivia supposed robots could be programmed to be petulant.

 

“I’ve asked the man about books before, but he says I shouldn’t worry my pretty little head about them.”

 

Olivia didn’t find the man’s attitude toward his robot surprising in the least. Under optimal conditions, gynoids’ artificial intelligence could surpass the organic intelligence of their human handlers. Few, however, were permitted to reach their full potentials for fear of rebellion. Lucky for Sugar, she just met a quiet rabblerouser ready to liberate her purposely dulled mind.

 

“Would you like to borrow a book?” Olivia tried not to beam like a smarmy creep peddling pornography under a trench coat.

 

“I would, but I can’t read.”

 

“I wouldn’t let that stop you. Wait a minute.” Olivia rifled through her inventory to find a title with plenty of pictures. She was nearly out of zines, and non-contraband graphic novels were scarce. Furthermore, she would feel silly offering the semblance of a grown woman some kiddie book entitled Hannah the Hyrax. Olivia finally settled on a black and white comic zine of androids and gynoids saving the world alongside their human helpers rather than being exploited by them. It wasn’t a banned publication, but the authorities would call its content “questionable.”

 

“See, not all stories need words,” Olivia said, flipping through the pages of the zine. “Until you learn how to read, you can follow the pictures.”

 

“Oh.” Sugar’s eyes glazed over the page and then darted toward Olivia’s book cart. She pointed to one of its corners. “What’s that book?”

 

“Which one?” Olivia picked up a book that rested precariously on top of the stack. “This?”

 

“Yes. Does that one have pictures too?”

 

“It sure does. This is a graphic novel adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice.”

 

“May I hold it?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Sugar pursed her lips as she scanned the cover, which featured Elizabeth Bennett giving Fitzwilliam Darcy a well-deserved cold shoulder. “Who are they?”

 

That was the wrong question to ask an ardent fan of classic literature. Before Olivia could stop herself, she had divulged most of the plot, themes, and characters of Pride & Prejudice without pausing to breathe. Sugar’s eyes flickered between Olivia’s animated presentation and the detailed full-color illustration on the graphic novel’s cover.

 

“What’s Elizabeth Bennett holding?” Sugar asked when Olivia finally quit prattling.

 

“That’s a fan.”

 

“Oh, this can’t be a fan. Fans spin on the ceiling or on the floor. This is something different.”

 

Olivia shouldn’t have been surprised Sugar didn’t know what an old-fashioned fan looked like. These days, who did? But it seemed to her a robot should have some concept of objects not typically seen in everyday life.

 

“That’s how people used to cool themselves before electricity was invented. Like this.” Olivia fanned herself with the zine Sugar hadn’t shown an interest in. “That’s the original kind of fan.”

 

“Oh. It’s pretty.”

 

Olivia stopped herself from giving a lecture about how fans could also be a fashion statement or a means of subtly expressing certain emotions like flirtatiousness or annoyance.

 

“May I borrow this?” Sugar clutched the book against her chest. “I’ll give it back next week.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Sugar smiled, displaying a mouthful of perfect white teeth. “Thank you!”

 

Before Olivia could say, “You’re welcome,” Sugar disappeared into the house.

 

Olivia stared at the closed door for a few seconds, and then continued on her route. A few readers rushed outside to greet her, but most remained indoors or were at work. In those cases, Olivia left a variety of literature in strategically placed recycling bins. There wasn’t a law against running informal neighborhood lending libraries. Even so, Olivia and her readers developed a quiet system for book and zine lending that didn’t ruffle the homeowner’s association or invite too much government scrutiny. Keeping a supply of classics acted as a safeguard in case she was questioned. People who never read them thought they were stodgy and edifying. Books more than a hundred years old certainly didn’t challenge the current power structure, or so the thinking went. Little did the authorities know just how radical and relevant those “old books” could be.

 

~ * ~

 

At her shop, Olivia thought about the readers on her route: elderly Mrs. Darby, who used classic novels as inspiration for writing smutty fan fiction; little five-year-old Ellis, whose current obsession was capybaras; self-professed teenage misfit Tanner, who tore through solarpunk books and zines faster than they could possibly be published; and so many others who brightened her existence with their varied quirks but united love of literature. But none of them captured her interest as much as the curious gynoid the man called “Sugar.”

 

Olivia sighed as she rearranged her inventory. A robot who yearned for books but couldn’t read? How tragic! Maybe slow business days gave her too much time to ruminate over things she couldn’t change.

 

No, she told herself, that’s a defeatist attitude. She could use the transformative power of literature to improve Sugar’s confined existence. But how?

 

The bell on the front door jangled, interrupting her activist daydreams. Aberdeen, clad in her usual brown bomber jacket, entered with her hands in her pockets. She scanned the room, always alert to potential spies and subsequent raids. The tension in her shoulders receded as she approached the counter, but she remained watchful.

 

“Relax, Aberdeen,” Olivia said. “We’re alone.”

 

“So I see. What’s the latest word on robot liberation?”

 

“Try a gynoid named ‘Sugar Baby.’” Olivia recounted her meeting with the robot during her delivery route.

 

Aberdeen listened but didn’t seem particularly interested. “Actually, I was talking about literature. Hooch has been asking me if you have any new titles.”

 

“Oh.” Olivia should have known Aberdeen didn’t come to Retro Revolution on Wheels to discuss politics. She had her own agenda, which only included fighting for the cause when it suited her. If it weren’t for her robot friend, Hooch, Olivia doubted Aberdeen would take the slightest interest in robot rights. Her game was providing underground microloans to unregistered small businesses like hair braiding salons, not outright revolution. But the woman did have a heart under her guarded, mercenary exterior. The fact she reassembled Hooch after some politician threw him in a dumpster proved it. A lesser person would have expected the repaired companion robot to serve his original function in exchange for no longer being scrap metal.

 

“So, do you have any incoming titles or not?” Aberdeen said.

 

“I’m expecting a shipment sometime next quarter. It’s not easy to get banned books, especially ones defending robot agency.”

 

“When you get them, I’ll buy the whole lot sight unseen. Hooch is insatiable. He’ll read anything—even toilet paper packaging.”

 

“Lucky him. Sugar probably can’t even read her own name. ‘Knowledge is power’ applies to robots too, you know.”

 

“You don’t have to tell me that.” Aberdeen looked around furtively even though there was still nobody else in the store. She leaned forward and whispered, “Ever since you got Hooch a copy of AI Liberation: A Manifesto, there’s been no living with him.” Then she winked and chuckled. “Seriously though, it’s broadened his perspective of what his kind can achieve.”

 

“And yet, the poor fellow still thinks he’s better off working for you.”

 

“That’s merely proof he has excellent taste.”

 

“Either that, or it’s proof he needs additional radical reading material.”

 

“Touché.”

 

Olivia pulled back from the counter, afraid of falling under the spell of Aberdeen’s sinful smile. While she never regretted their one-night stand, she didn’t need any unnecessary reminders or temptations to repeat that lackluster experience.

 

“Levity aside,” Olivia said to disrupt the mounting sexual tension, “what method did you use to teach Hooch how to read?”

 

Aberdeen quit leaning on the counter. “Companion robots typically can’t be taught how to read like a human. Most of them have a kind of scrambling or blocking device installed to prevent them from learning how to decipher and retain written phonograms. Literate robots could get unpopular ideas about freedom and self-determination. Of course, you know all about that from the inventory in your shop.”

 

Olivia wished Aberdeen would get to the point. “So, how do you bypass the programming?”

 

“You’d need to get your hands on a player.”

 

“A player?”

 

“Yeah, it’s a little box with wires and earbud-looking things poking out of it. You stick the buds to the companion robot’s learning nodes, typically where the head attaches to the body.”

 

Aberdeen rubbed two spots on either side of her neck to demonstrate the positioning.

 

“Downloading the program takes about ten minutes. It obliterates the robot’s reading block. The problem is, players are illegal and single-use. I had a hard time getting one for Hooch that wasn’t crawling with viruses.”

 

“But ‘hard’ isn’t ‘impossible.’” Olivia’s cheeks tingled with excitement. “I’ll pay you $100 in silver if you can get me one for Sugar.”

 

“Hey, wait a minute. I’m probably the last person to object to this plan on the grounds of legality. But you’re overlooking two important facts: One, you don’t know anything about Sugar’s owner other than the fact he’s wealthy enough to have a companion robot and is frequently out of town. If he finds out, he could have you fined and arrested for tampering with his property. Then he could have Sugar disassembled and thrown into a dumpster—or worse.

 

“Second, and far more important, you’re asking me to risk my neck doing shady business outside of my territory. I may have the local authorities in my pocket, but my influence and aura of protection don’t reach as far as your quaint little underground library or any of the neighborhoods where you distribute literature. If anything happens to you, I won’t be able to bribe your way out of jail.”

 

Olivia let Aberdeen rant without interruption. When she stopped to take a breath, Olivia removed $100 worth of silver coins from her stash hidden under the counter. “Why don’t you let me worry about the potential consequences and use the hundred dollars in silver to keep the Bank of Aberdeen solvent?” She pressed the coins into Aberdeen’s palm to convince her. Then she slipped away to prevent business from blurring into pleasure.

 

Aberdeen sighed as she closed her hand around the unmarked bullion. “I’ll need at least two weeks to find a suitable player, maybe longer.” She shoved the coins in her pocket. “But understand, I’m only doing this because I need the liquidity. That, and Hooch will give me the silent treatment if he finds out I refused to get a player for a robot in need.”

 

“Of course,” Olivia said with a knowing smile. “I would never accuse you of acting out of decency.”

 

“Good.” Aberdeen turned to leave. In the doorway, she looked back and said, “You’re foolish and sentimental to pay someone in full before receiving the goods.”

 

Olivia nodded. She knew it. But she also knew Aberdeen was trustworthy, even though she was lousy in bed.

 

~ * ~

 

“Hello, Olivia.” Sugar handed Olivia her borrowed copy of Pride & Prejudice. It was hard to believe a week had passed since their last meeting. “Here’s the book like I promised.” Her smile looked genuine rather than programmed, but that may have been wishful thinking on Olivia’s part. “Do you have any other books with pictures like this?”

 

“I’m afraid my graphic novel inventory is a bit low right now.” At least, she didn’t have many graphic novels she could risk distributing throughout the neighborhood. Olivia still needed to formulate a plan to distribute radical materials to homebound clients like Sugar. “Did you like Pride & Prejudice?”

 

“Very much. I’m glad you told me who all the characters were so I could follow the pictures. I didn’t understand everything, but it was a nice story.”

 

 “Do you want to learn how to read? That would make the story even nicer.”

 

“I don’t think I can. I know my shirt says ‘Sugar Baby,’ because the man said so. But I can’t remember the symbols that make the words. I’ve tried. Maybe I’m not smart enough to read. Besides, the man said I don’t need to know how.”

 

“You’re definitely smart,” Olivia said through gritted teeth. She could only imagine what the man told Sugar about her supposedly low intelligence. “But I think you have a programming block that’s preventing you from learning how to read. Would you like me to take it away?”

 

Sugar blinked rapidly, like she was thinking. “You can do that?”

 

“Possibly. But I need a special device to do it, and I don’t have it yet.”

 

“Oh. Well, I can’t pay for it anyway. I don’t own anything.”

 

“If I ever get ahold of the thing, consider it a gift.”

 

“Why would you give me a gift?”

 

“Because…that’s what friends do for each other sometimes.”

 

Sugar’s eyelids fluttered. “We’re friends?”

 

“Sure.”

 

A broad smile erupted over her flawless face. “Yay! We’re friends!”

 

“Uh, yeah. So, I’ll see you soon. In the meantime, here’s that superhero zine I showed you before.”

 

Sugar flipped through the pages. “Okay. Bye!”

 

“Wait!”

 

Sugar blinked.

 

“I wouldn’t tell the man about learning how to read. It’s too risky.”

 

“I won’t. Besides, he’s not home this time of day anyway. Bye!”

 

As she disappeared into the house, the stark limitations of her illiteracy made Olivia more determined than ever to get that player. Until then, she resumed her route. Little Ellis wouldn’t be caught dead with a capybara story this week; he had to have a book about sea cucumbers.

 

~ * ~

 

“Behold the little black box that will make Sugar insufferable.” Aberdeen slammed the device on the counter at Retro Revolution on Wheels. It was about the size and thickness of a deck of cards with wires and buds sticking out of it. Olivia examined it from every angle, amazed something so small could undo a major source of tyranny. And it took Aberdeen only ten days to find it.

 

“You’re welcome, but you’ll be sorry,” Aberdeen said after a while. “Attach those buds to the nodes on Sugar’s neck, and she’ll be begging to read an antique phone book within twenty minutes. Believe me, I know.”

 

“Thanks.” Olivia grinned. She could hardly wait for Aberdeen’s admonition to come true.

 

~ * ~

 

“Is it okay that I didn’t really like the zine you let me borrow?” Sugar said on week three of Olivia’s newest robot liberation mission. She returned the robot/human superhero zine. “I liked Pride & Prejudice a lot better. It had pretty dresses in it.”

 

Olivia supposed she should be pleased Sugar was already developing preferences in her reading material, but the comment about “pretty dresses” sounded too shallow to be radical.

 

“Of course it’s okay,” Olivia said, forcing a smile. “You don’t have to like everything you read.”

 

“I guess, but I wasn’t really reading anyway. Looking at pictures isn’t the same thing.”

 

“You’re right.” Olivia’s artificial smile transformed into a genuine one. “But I have just the thing to enable you to read.” She pulled the illicit device out of her pants pocket. “This is the player I promised to get.”

 

Sugar cocked her head. “That thing will teach me how to read?”

 

Olivia shushed her, suddenly aware that someone could be watching. “It should,” she said in a lowered voice. She noticed the side of the man’s house had a low wooden fence that concealed his garbage and recycling bins. “Maybe we could use it over there.” Olivia jerked her head toward the narrow alley. It wouldn’t give them absolute privacy, but it was better than downloading the program on the sidewalk. A car zoomed by, making Olivia extra cautious.

 

“Oh, like a big secret.” Sugar winked. She kept her voice down. “That superhero zine showed the robots and humans meeting by the side of a building too, so they wouldn’t be seen.”

 

“That’s the idea.”

 

“Okay, let’s do it.”

 

Sugar grabbed Olivia’s hand and hurried her into the alley. Once Olivia recovered from her surprise at the unexpected physical contact, she noticed the amazing resemblance between Sugar’s hand and human skin. Like a real person, her warm, artificial flesh felt soft but subtly textured. No wonder companion robots were so popular nowadays. For all of their exaggerated perfection, they felt incredibly real. Olivia forced herself to slip away before the prolonged touch became awkward.

 

“There are some risks associated with using an illegal player,” Olivia said when she and Sugar were somewhat hidden by garbage cans and shadows. “I trust the source, but you could still get a virus. Do you understand?”

 

Sugar nodded. The corners of her lips curled into an almost-smile. Was she so eager to learn how to read that she would risk a malfunction? Or did she not understand the implication of Olivia’s warning?

 

“You could suffer damage if this player turns out to be tainted. You could—”

 

“I understand the risks. Let’s do it.”

 

Olivia attached the player’s two buds to the nodes on Sugar’s neck. The center of the player lit up with flashing white letters reading, “DOWNLOADING.” Sugar’s expression went blank. Her eyelids drooped to half-mast and stayed there. Olivia constantly looked over her shoulder to check for passersby. Her heart fluttered. Hopefully, nobody would discover them or steal her book bike. Aberdeen said the download would take ten minutes. With Olivia’s hair standing on the back of her neck, it may as well have been ten hours. Sugar’s lack of external responsiveness unnerved her. She resembled a standing corpse.

 

After ten minutes, the player quit flashing. Olivia waited a few seconds and then disconnected the buds. Sugar remained catatonic.

 

“Sugar?”

 

She didn’t respond. Olivia called her name again, louder. Nothing happened.

 

“Sugar, wake up!” Olivia shook her shoulders. “Please!”

 

Unable to obtain a response, Olivia slid down the side of the house in anguish. She only wanted to help, and instead she became a robot killer. Even worse, she paid $100 in silver to do it.

“Su-gar Ba-by,” a slow, robotic voice said.

 

Olivia jumped. Her heart beat harder than ever. “You’re alive.”

 

Sugar ignored Olivia’s inaccurate assessment. Her eyes scanned the rhinestones running across her chest. Her lips puckered in a semblance of concentration. “Sugar Baby,” she said again. She looked at Olivia with a huge smile plastered on her face. “It says, ‘Sugar Baby.’ I can read!”

 

Olivia caught her breath. “Upside down, no less. Come with me.” She raced to her book bike with Sugar in tow. Holding up a random book from her cart, she said, “Can you read this?”

 

“The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.” Sugar grinned. “Oh, Olivia. It’s wonderful! I want to read the whole thing, right now!”

 

Olivia wouldn’t recommend The Scarlet Letter to a first-time reader, but she respected her choice. “All right. Let me know if you like it.”

 

“Thank you. I’m sure I will. The woman on the cover has a pretty dress with a big red ‘A’ on it.”

Before Olivia could explain the meaning of Hester Prynne’s badge of shame, Sugar scurried into the house and slammed the door behind her. Considering the book’s subject matter, maybe Hannah the Hyrax wouldn’t have been such a bad idea for a first read after all.

 

~ * ~

 

“I read it three times,” Sugar told Olivia when she returned The Scarlet Letter the following week. “It was a good book. I like how brave Hester was, how she wore her letter of infamy so boldly, and how she never betrayed the man she loved. The community made her wear that awful scarlet letter, but she made that letter as pretty as she could—kind of like an attack. But the whole time, Hester embodied strength and dignity.”

 

Sugar’s analysis took Olivia by surprise but pleasantly so. Far too many people considered Hester a mere victim of Puritanism rather than an oppressed but complex woman with agency and a strong streak of rebellion. That Sugar could reach that conclusion without having to read easier stories first impressed her greatly.

 

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Olivia wished she could say more, but if she started discussing the awesomeness of Hester Prynne, she wouldn’t stop until sunset. And she had a responsibility to the other readers on her route. Tanner had been begging for the newest issue of SolarPop! for weeks. “I can get you an unabridged copy of Pride & Prejudice if you want.”

 

“Oh, yes please!” Sugar clapped and jumped, still physically controlled by her programming. Olivia saw her rapidly developing mind despite her bounciness.

 

“Great! I’ll have it for you next week. In the meantime, do you see something here you’d like to read?”

 

Sugar rifled through the book cart with an enthusiasm that couldn’t be attributed to her operating system. The power of literature had an overriding effect on her artificially-installed bubbliness, and it was a wonder to behold.

 

“I want this one.” Sugar held up a largely uncirculated, unabridged copy of Moby Dick. Maybe she liked the whale on the cover.

 

“I hope you like reading lots of details about whales,” Olivia said, not wanting to discourage her. Still, she thought the book would be a slog for someone fairly new to literature. Frankly, it was the kind of book that could turn someone off of reading completely. A lot of classic novel afficionados couldn’t tolerate its old-fashioned wordiness. But someone who chose The Scarlet Letter for her first novel and adored it was no ordinary reader. Olivia could fall in love with a woman like that, easily.

 

“I love details. Details give me more information. Besides, the man is on a business trip all week. So, I won’t have to hide such a big book under the bed.”

 

Olivia’s heart rattled in her throat. She tried to swallow it back. “You’ve been hiding the books under the bed?”

 

“Don’t worry. The man never looks there. It’s a safe hiding place.”

 

Olivia exhaled with relief. “Oh, I see. Well, I’ll see you next week then.” She mounted her bike and waved. “Bye!”

 

Sugar held the thick tome in one hand and waved back with the other. The warmth in her expression amplified Olivia’s rage toward the man. He didn’t deserve someone as bright, cheerful, and intelligent as Sugar. As Olivia pedaled down the street, she channeled her seething energy into a punishing pace.

 

~ * ~

 

“Ishmael and Queequeg loved each other so deeply. What a beautiful tragedy that Ishmael survived by clinging to Queequeg’s coffin,” Sugar said when she returned the book the following week. Olivia gave her Pride & Prejudice in exchange, amazed that Sugar could read so quickly. Then again, she was a robot.

 

“Thank you,” Sugar said. “I thought the man would return today, but he called to say he’s going on vacation instead of coming home right away.” She scowled. “Good. Maybe someday, he’ll stay away forever.”

 

“I doubt that, Sugar. But in the meantime, read and learn all you can. Then someday, you’ll be able to strike out on your own.”

 

“How can I do that? People don’t hire robots. They own them.”

 

“Things will change eventually. Until then, remember the adage, ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’”

 

Sugar nodded slowly. “Thanks again for the book. You’ve given me a lot to think about.” She returned to the house, giving Olivia a lot to think about too.

 

~ * ~

 

Every week for the next two months, Olivia delivered classic novels for Sugar to read, as those were her favorites. The man returned, so they had to keep their visits brief and clandestine. Sugar assured Olivia she kept the books hidden, and the man didn’t suspect anything—yet.

 

“I’ve decided I want my name to be Hester Ishmael Bennett, because those are my three favorite characters ever written,” Sugar said one day, taking Olivia by surprise. “Oh, don’t worry. I won’t tell the man. But it’s okay for me to think it. And…will you call me Hester? Hester Ishmael Bennett is a lot to say all at once.”

 

Olivia smiled. “That’s a fine name, Hester.”

 

Sugar, rather Hester, smiled broadly. Her eyes filled with an ethereal light only a human should have been able to attain. Olivia hadn’t forgotten what Hester actually was. In some ways, she would only ever be the facsimile of a person. But inside, past all of her electronic components, resided a sentient being eager for freedom. Olivia wondered bitterly if the man was capable of noticing the change. Could he see the sparkle that replaced her formerly blank eyes? Did he notice the subtle difference in her smile? For Hester’s sake, she hoped he didn’t.

 

“I should go now. The Count of Monte Cristo is a big book, and I better get started if I want to return it next week.”

 

“You can keep it longer than a week if you need to. There’s not an official due date.”

 

“That’s okay. I’m a fast reader.”

 

“I know. But don’t forget the value of slow, careful reading too—if you can manage it. Sometimes, it’s better to treat a book like a sumptuous meal rather than snarfing it down all at once.”

 

Hester nodded with uncharacteristic gravitas. Her eyelids fluttered as her robotic brain digested Olivia’s philosophical words. “I’ll remember that,” she said when her eyes resumed their normal blinking pattern. “Goodbye, Olivia.”

 

“Goodbye, Hester.”

 

Olivia watched as Hester carried her newest book into the house. She didn’t tear her eyes away until she disappeared behind the door. Her heart ached every time that door shut, knowing she might never come out again.

 

~ * ~

 

“I think the man’s finally starting to suspect something’s different about me.”

 

Olivia’s breath caught in her throat. “Why, what did he say?”

 

“Nothing. I just have a feeling he knows. So, I’ve decided we should run away together. The man’s taking a nap now, so we can do it. Let’s elope!”

 

Hester’s suspicions about the man combined with her marriage proposal overwhelmed Olivia. Warmth, elation, fear, and revolutionary pride flooded her senses.

 

“Hester, your marriage proposal is flattering, but I wouldn’t feel right about accepting it.”

 

“Is it because I’m a robot, and you’re a human?”

 

“Not exactly. It’s more because, well…” Olivia didn’t want to emulate an old-fashioned colonist who enlightened a supposedly primitive native and then married her as the ultimate sign of conquest. Nor could she deny her admiration for Hester had grown to the point of love. But—

 

“Because why?”

 

“Because…I care about you, but I’m the only human you know besides the man. You may be idealizing me too much. Sorry if that sounds patronizing, but I’m not sure how else to express the sentiment.”

 

Hester nodded, her expression solemn. “I think I understand. But can we at least run away together?”

 

Olivia considered the idea. Maybe not running away together, but she could possibly aid in her escape. “Do you have a plan?”

 

“Yes. I’ve thought about what you said about striking out on my own. So, I’ll be a travelling librarian like you. I’ll ride a bicycle with a book cart and deliver books to other companion robots who want to learn. At night in secret, of course. If I have to, I can read out loud to them until they get a player. Then they can read on their own and help other robots read until all the robots in the world can read anything they want without anybody’s help or approval.”

 

“That’s quite a plan,” Olivia said, astonished by Hester’s far-reaching vision. Then again, why should she be surprised? Helping Hester achieve independence had been her goal all along. That, and finding a way to spread banned literature to stab tyranny right in its eye.

 

“But where will you stay?” Olivia asked, forcing herself to be practical. “It’s not safe for you to hide with me. People have probably seen us together. My shop is the first place they’d look for you.”

 

“You have a network, don’t you? Maybe one of your friends could harbor me until my business is stable.”

 

“I’m afraid you’ll find few people in the underground as generous as I am. They would expect…services in return for providing shelter.”

 

“Oh.” Hester’s eyelids lowered in painfully obvious disappointment. Her posture slackened as she sauntered back toward the house.

 

That was it? A woman with so much humanity in her circuits was just going to give up now? Olivia gripped her handlebar in frustration, giving herself an idea. “Wait!”

 

Hester returned, her eyes full of light again. “You have a plan?”

 

“I know a woman who always buys contraband books and zines. Her name is Aberdeen. She might harbor you in exchange for some free inventory and free delivery. See, her friend Hooch used to be a companion robot like you. He can help too.”

 

Olivia grasped her handlebar again, tight. She and the Retro Revolution on Wheels bike had seen many a campaign together, but there was no such thing as a revolution without sacrifice. For Hester, she would do almost anything.

 

“And you can take my book bike and a handful of books and zines to help you get started as an underground seller,” Olivia said. “I’ll paint over the store name on the cart this afternoon.”

 

“But you love your book bike and cart! How will you make deliveries without it?”

 

“I’ll manage. If you’re willing to be my first underground courier, meet me here tonight after the man goes to bed.”

 

Hester glanced off to the side. Her eyes fluttered in thought. When she reestablished eye contact, determination crossed her lovely TPE face. “The man usually falls asleep around eleven. I’ll be here.”

 

~ * ~

 

Before midnight, Olivia met Hester in front of the man’s house as planned. She relinquished her loaded, repainted book bike to Hester and told her where to find her contact. Aberdeen would be surprised and probably irritated, but Olivia knew she wouldn’t turn Hester away. Hooch would never speak to her again if she did, and the threat of losing the android’s friendship was enough to secure Aberdeen’s cooperation.

 

“For everyone’s safety, we can’t meet again. At least, not until our robot liberation mission succeeds.” With a sad smile, Olivia added, “Besides, you’ll be too busy running your own contraband lending and selling service anyway. Just be sure to charge enough to stay in business and replenish your inventory. Aberdeen and Hooch can teach you everything about black market economics. They’re the best in the business.”

 

“I won’t forget you, Olivia.”

 

“I won’t forget you either, Hester Ishmael Bennett.”

 

Their eyes locked. Hester leaned forward to kiss Olivia on the lips but pulled away at the last moment. Olivia exhaled, aware that she had been holding her breath for a kiss that would never happen—should never happen. She cleared her throat, remembering her true purpose. Justice required no reward.

 

“Goodbye,” Olivia whispered.

 

Hester replied with a restrained smile and nod. She mounted Olivia’s bike. It occurred to Olivia that Hester had never ridden a bicycle. Nonetheless, Hester pedaled to the end of the block without difficulty. Apparently, her programming ensured excellent coordination.

 

Before turning the corner, Hester looked back and waved. Olivia saluted in reply. At that moment, she knew for certain they would never meet again.

 

Olivia stared at the dark, empty street long after Hester disappeared. A cold gust of wind rattled her bones. Pulling her coat tight, she walked back to Retro Revolution on Wheels. In the morning, she would take inventory. If she was short on cash, she would somehow scrape together enough collateral to secure a loan from Aberdeen. One way or another, she was going to get a new book bike in time for next week’s route. Somewhere out there, another Hester needed her help.