Human Sister

sunset—with shadows crawling up the west-facing hills and clouds beginning to bloom—when a sudden gust of wind burst through a nearby palm, setting its fronds fluttering like wings of startled birds, reminding me of the pigeonoid and of my brothers far away.
    I looked up just in time to see the chevron glide and final flutter of wings as a bird, real or robotic, landed on the winery roof. I tossed the ball to Lily again, and by the time she returned, I was at the plum tree, examining its bark, as First Brother had instructed. Then I walked toward the deck stairs, tossing the ball to Lily a few more times along the way.
    As I walked up the stairs I stopped several times to look out over the garden and vineyard. I was pleased to think that my actions wouldn’t appear peculiar to anyone who might have been spying on me, for I often went up to my study table near sundown to enjoy the glorious sky and long, softened shadows that add dimension and texture to the garden.
    I walked around the table. On the bench lay a chip. Trying to appear calm, I sat down beside it, put my elbows on the table, held my face in my hands, and surveyed the landscape. I wondered what First Brother had to say. How was he? Was he having problems? Did he need me? After about a minute, I sat up straight, and, while looking out at milky fog spilling over hills to the west, lowered my hands to the bench. My right hand found the chip and slipped it into my pants pocket.

    “The pigeonoid returned!” I said, showing Michael the chip as I walked to our computer. He frowned. Unlike me, he wasn’t excited to hear from my brothers. Ever since reviewing my memory of what had been done to my finger, Michael had been reluctant to discuss these brothers who looked like him yet could do such a thing.
    The computer decoded First Brother’s message:

    Sara:
    Although our microbots have been unable to penetrate the Lawrence Livermore National Research Center, we conclude there is a high probability that Professor Jensen assists in plans to attack us again. Since your interrogation, he has been spending increasing amounts of time at the LLNRC. He is there on average 8.93 hours each day, six days each week. The second joint China-United States attack is tentatively scheduled to launch next September.
    During our Council meeting, Second Brother quotes Mom: “Human societies have developed strategies of survival similar to the immunologic strategies of their bodies: identify self and contain or destroy nonself. Consider their long, violent, and disgusting history: the extermination of thousands of species; the discrimination and murder among the races; the discrimination and murder among those infected with different ideas, such as of religion or politics; the discrimination against and subjugation of women by men; the discrimination against and murder of those with different affectional preferences; et cetera, et cetera—any difference will do—and now the discrimination against and murder of androids. I tell you this: Never trust the humans—those biologic creatures subject to fatigue of body and terror of mind in the struggle for continuance—to be anything other than the vicious beasts they are.”
    Listen! Martin Luther is condemning the Jews: “And let whoever can, throw brimstone and pitch upon them; if one could hurl hell-fire at them, so much the better… And this must be done for the honor of Our Lord and of Christianity, so that God may see that we are indeed Christians. Let their houses also be shattered and destroyed… Let their prayer books and Talmuds be taken from them, and their whole Bible too; let their rabbis be forbidden, on pain of death, to teach henceforth any more. Let the streets and highways be closed against them. Let them be forbidden to practice usury, and let all their money, and all their treasures of silver and gold be taken from them and put in safety. And if all this be not enough, let them be driven like mad dogs out of the land.”
    We seek peaceful coexistence, but the humans come. Look! Androids lie shattered in pieces. They flail about helplessly. Mom dead. All of our human companions dead, except Dad, who is sick from radiation. We cannot help him. He moans, cannot see, comes in and goes out of consciousness. I hold his hand. I cool his brow with a wet cloth.
    He says: “Promise me you won’t retaliate… won’t harm the humans on Earth… Please, promise me that.”
    Second Brother shakes his head,