Lily was groggy, to say the least. She went straight to the research lab, with a luke-warm plastic pouch of something that was supposed to replace coffee in her hands. Even with it, she felt simply ragged. Thinking back on the previous night, shame sank into her. Lily knew how she had really worn herself out.
Her fantasies... that was what had been driving her, wasn’t it? She could have damaged the most important discovery in history out of nothing more than her isolation driven sexual frustration. Who knew how Lola would feel? What would she think?
Then she remembered how mournful Lola had seemed, like a puppy at the shelter up against the glass... and guilt mixed with shame like ice cold water in her stomach.
“Lily come back!” Lily said into the room, smiling hard enough that she hoped it would somehow erase whatever damage she had done.
She stared, a mix of shock and dread on her face, as the manipulator gloves – now reversed inside out – were holding the data pad she had left there. Hell, she had left the manipulator glove panels open... what if Lola had... just ripped them off and left the pod? Could she do that? No, those things were designed to resist anything, like the rest of the pod. Even when Lola had been squeezing down on them, they had barely shrunk… just enough to trap her, she remembered with a shiver that had nothing to do with how cold it was.
“Hello Lily,” Lola said softly, flicking through the datapad and smiling, but didn’t look up.
Lily watched as the gloves moved with alarming dexterity, deftly manipulating the screen despite the thick material. She didn’t want to get any closer after… last time.
“Lily come back,” Lola said, but paused when Lily didn't move. “Lily... here...” she said, and with a glove, pointed in front of the pod... well within reach.
“Lily...” she started, then pointed down smiling innocently, trying to be evasive, “Lily here.”
Lola stared for a while, but then returned to looking at the data pad. Eventually, though, Lily couldn't keep her curiosity in check any longer. After all, what was she going to do, just leave Lola to herself until the next crew arrived? If they ever arrived...
“Lola...” Lily started, before realising the two didn't share anything like the vocabulary needed for the discussion Lily wanted to have. Honestly, maybe that was for the best.
“Dah-tah-pad,” Lola said, and then very definitely giggled. When had she picked up that little human trait, Lily wondered.
“Y... yeah...” Lily said, giving a thumbs up she didn't think Lola even saw.
Lily got closer to the pod on the opposite side from the manipulator gloves, trying to see through the glass what it was Lola was looking at. She heard laughter, and the datapad got moved closer to the glass so Lola could see it more clearly.
Eventually, Lily had her face up against the glass, and could just make out what Lola was looking at.
“Laughter.” Lily was stunned, but Lola turned to her and said it again.
“Laughter.” She then simply turned back to the screen.
Reflexively, Lily gave a silent thumbs up into Lola’s back. Lola had learned a new word, on her own. How much more had she learned?
“Lily... why.”
Lily waited for a few moments, as it took her a while to realise that Lola had just asked her a question. Lola didn’t yet know how to indicate something was a question with her tone, but seemingly now knew what a question was. Well, Lily reasoned, they had known what questions were, no doubt, but now knew how to ask one - sort of.
“Why... uh... why what, Lola?” Lily asked, using a tone for her question she hoped Lola would learn.
Now looking at the red woman, a subtle creeping feeling began to take over.
“Why... people... humans laugh?”
The novelty of Lola so swiftly mimicking the rising tone of a question was lost to the alarming familiarity of the material it contained. Panic rose.
How long had Lola been using that data-pad? It was secured, obviously. Most functions were locked out to anyone without crew access, but there were functions anybody could use…
“Lola, you're using… new words...” Lily muttered, dumbfounded.
“Yes. You left. This. Left… here. Left… this.” Lola was seeming to struggle with the duality of the word, but carried on. “I learned.” Lola said, rather matter-of-factly, and smiled.
Oh no...
She thought that was why she left? Lily kicked herself, mentally. Lola thought she'd left the data-pad on purpose. She had just shown Lola how it worked, of course. Naturally... that's what she'd thought.
'I didn't have the language to explain it to her, so I left the data-pad, she thought, so she wouldn't be alone...'
“I learn. About. You.” Lola’s words mixed, and her just ever-so-slightly too cheery and inhuman tone was… just on the wrong side of creepy.
“Me?” Lily gulped.
“Humans. You. You… Lily. You… human. Humans.”
Oh thank fuck, Lily thought, sweat caking her shoulders regardless.
“You... come.” Lola motioned, with her hand moving up. “Earth. Earth there…” she pointed down, “There… humans.”
Lola turned back to Lily, and her grin widened.
“Lola… good.” Lily couldn’t bring herself to say anything else. Even without the language barrier, she doubted she could have brought herself to express just what she was thinking.
“How many?”
Lily blinked, and looked at Lola.
“Uh…” she muttered, and fell back on their mathematical language, signalling ‘increase’, in the hopes Lola would elaborate.
“How many… Humans?” Lola asked, and her black eyes bored into Lily’s with an intensity she had never known.
Lily was far, far too creeped out now. This was like every bad sci-fi horror film mixed into one, only half as original.
“Lola, I uh... Do you understand… what I'm saying?”
“Yes Lily. Lola. Yes.” Lola flicked across the datapad for a few moments, before a page on the word appeared. She read through it rapidly. “Un… der. Stand. Understand. Lola understand.”
“Lola... how did you…” she felt faint. Lily now began to appreciate just how precarious the situation might be. Everything seemed so innocent, yet… “Lola, you learned… uh… learn. Lola learn…” she motioned a mathematical concept of ‘greater’ “in… seven hours?”
“Sev-ven ow-ers...” Lola intoned back, before her head snapped up.
“Clock, hours, time. Yes. You. Lily show. Show Lola. Show…ed. Showed. Time. Old. Seven hours. Lily go seven hours.”
Lola was holding up the datapad, as Lily slowly moved her way around the pod now. As she closed on the manipulator arms, she tensed, but they didn’t move. The data pad showed a clock.
“Yeah...” Lily muttered, and her feelings from before returned. She felt stupid. Why, why was she always so... nervous, so afraid and skittish around Lola? Even given the almost incomprehensible situation, it felt… excessive.
“Lily say. S… ed. Said. Six hours. Lily Go. Seven Hours. Lily come. Lily said six hours.”
Lola’s voice didn’t change in tone until, after a short pause, came a plaintive question.
“Why?”
Lily felt her throat tighten. Guilt, shame, all of it came flooding back now.
“Why Lily go? Why Lily come seven hours? Lily said six hours?” Lola asked, as Lily didn’t answer, apparently unsure if Lily understood the question.
Lola’s black eyes almost seemed to… droop. Was she mimicking Lily’s guilt? Her shame? That only made things worse. Had she made Lola feel like she had done something wrong? Had her extra hour being missing left Lola feeling… well, who knew how she may have felt?
“Lily… sleep. Lily sleep seven hours. Lily wrong. Lily…” she choked on the last word, “sorry.”
Lily watched as Lola’s eyes scanned over the screen with remarkable speed. Could she read that fast? With each new word Lily had used, the screen had brought it up. Lola seemed to soak it all in.
“I...” she cleared her throat. She was going to give Lola the engagement she deserved. Lola had done nothing wrong, nothing to deserve the way Lily had treated her thus far. That would change as of now.
“Humans need to rest. We rest by... sleeping. We close our eyes and-”
“Dream.”
“Y-yes. We dream. Sorry, Lola, I don't know what you know and what you don't yet.”
Lola just smiled at her, those depthless black pits filled with so much… well, Lily realised, she could read anything into them. It was so hard tell what Lola felt. She had no way to express it yet. It was like talking to a child with the mind of an adult… no, maybe more. A computer. A genius, possibly, with the language of a child.
“Okay. All okay. Lola teach Lily.”
Lola laughed.
Lily stopped, then smiled, then laughed too.
“Lily laughing!” Lola said, and pressed up to the glass.
“Yes, yes I am. I'm laughing because…” she didn’t finish the thought.
Lola now just smiled, as Lily laughed, and rested herself against the pod.
Eventually she calmed and tried to continue.
“We laugh when... when something is funny. Something funny like... well I've been teaching you things for… days. Now you're telling me you will teach me. You are right, you will teach me. That’s how teaching works, we teach each other. I forgot until now.”
“That is funny?”
“Well... yeah. Oh, funny means... well it means something that... makes us laugh?”
Lily saw the issue. No wonder the database hadn't been of much use.
“Some things about humans are hard to explain, Lola. Humans laugh for a lot of reasons. We laugh because something is funny. We laugh because we are happy, or relieved. It’s…”
Lily picked up the white board and began expressing it as a set.
Laughing {Funny, Happy, Relief, …}
Lola nodded eagerly. Now it seemed to make more sense. The plurality of the human condition.
Lily felt one of the manipulator arms touch her own, and she turned back from the board, shocked. Lola was… touching her.
“Lola write?”
Nodding, and a little nervous, Lily held out one of the magnetic marker pens for Lola to grasp, and held the board where Lola could reach it.
Lola smiled, and slowly wrote another word into the brackets of the set.
Laughing {Funny, Happy, Relief… Tickle}
Lily looked from the board to Lola, and after a little pause, nodded.
“Y… yes. Good.” She gave a thumbs up.
The progress was astounding. Lola was… incredible.
How much else did she know?
“Lola… I… am surprised. Lily no… not… ask questions. Lola ask questions. Lily not ask questions. Lola come. Why. Lola come answer questions.”
Lily nodded, not really understanding... until it hit her like a train. Talking. They were talking. Lola was asking her about Earth, and humans... because she wanted to know about them, and… Lily could ask her about…
“Lola. Lola, you understand me. You understand me!” Lily said loudly, hands to the glass.
“Yes, I do!” Lola smiled, perhaps not recognising the implications Lily had seen, or perhaps all too aware of them.
“Lola... I have so many questions. I...” she stammered, as the breakthrough she had been waiting for, it seemed, had occurred while she had been asleep.
“I too.” Lola chimed, smiling, “Um…”
She mimicked the expression Lily had used before.
“Um… Me too?”
Lily nodded.
“I read here. Datapad. Humans meet… some time. Sometimes? Sometimes. They ask and answer questions.”
Lily simply rode the wave of excitement. She knew she was no longer in control of their engagement. Lola was, now. Maybe that had always been inevitable.
She flicked a few pages and held up the screen. “Dating.”
Lily looked on and wondered what she meant. Time? Dates? How they measured time longer than hours? That would make sense… but the image on the screen was of two people holding hands and kissing.
“Um… Lola… do you mean time? Dating is… it’s another idea with… multiple meanings.”
“No. Lola mean - means - dating. I ask.”
“Lola tha- that…” Lily swallowed, not wanting to discourage Lola at all, “Yes, when people meet, sometimes they do that.”
“We should do that.”
Lily just nodded, as the words sank in.
“We? You mean…”
“You. Lily. Me. Lola. Dating.”
Lily couldn’t stifle a laugh.
“Lily laugh. Happy? Happy dating Lola?”
Lily laughed more, cursing herself. Now Lola took laughter as approval.
“It’s um… It’s very complicated. Dating means… it means a lot more than the datapad can tell you.”
Lola just smiled. Lily waited... and waited...
“Lola uh...”
“I asked you question, Lily.”
Lily nodded, uncertain.
“So it's your turn to ask me one,” Lola explained, and not for the first time in her presence, Lily felt stupid, always either overthinking or underestimating her guest’s intentions.
“Yeah, right. Lola... where... where did you come from?”
“Golden ball. You find. My turn. How many humans-”
“Whoa whoa whoa, wait, uh...” Lily interrupted, and saw Lola’s eager expression change.
“Is Lily okay?”
“Well…” she paused, “can you tell me a bit more Lola?”
“Yes.” She almost sounded… impatient? That couldn’t have been, though. “I was inside golden ball. You showed me. Golden ball hit… station? You take golden ball. Golden ball inside pod. Now I am trapped in here.”
“Right, but you don't remember anything from…” she spat out, before stopping. “Trapped?”
“Yes. Lily trapped Lola here,” She pointed down at the word here.
“Lola... I...”
“Is word wrong? Lola read. Word trapped.” Lola continued, while flicking through the data-pad.
“Trapped is…” Now Lily began to finally appreciate just how dangerous what she had done was. Miscommunications like this could be devastating. Especially with a subject this… delicate. Had Lola brought it up on purpose?
“Trapped… that word means for someone to be in a trap. A trap is designed to... capture... things. Um... I didn't put you... I mean I put the ball in there, but I didn't know you were inside it. I thought... well I didn't know what it was. I put it in there in case it was... dangerous.” With that last word, Lily bit the inside of her cheek, certain she may have just destroyed any trust they had left.
“Not... trapped.” Lola said slowly, looking through pages with blinding speed. “But... not free.”
“No.” Lily said, her eyes burning with guilt. “No, you are not free. You are in there.”
“Can...” Lola looked into her eyes “I come out?”
Lily didn't know what to say. She knew what she had to say, but didn't have the heart to.
“You are crying,” Lola said, pointing to the page for ‘crying’ on the datapad with the other glove.
“Yes. Yes I am,” Lily replied, wiping the tears away.
Lola pointed to another page, though. Tickling. Someone was crying and laughing in a video while being tickled.
Lily bit her tongue.
“This human… happy? Crying?”
“It’s… complicated.” Lily felt awful for how often she was having to give such an unsatisfying answer to Lola, who so obviously was desperate for information.
“Why humans cry?” Lola asked, head to one side in an oddly human gesture.
“We cry... when we are sad. We are sad when something happens that makes us sad.”
Lola read through the page on ‘crying’, but looked back, confused as before.
“Lola,” she muttered, “Lola, I can't let you out of there. You might be dangerous.”
“I will not...” Lola looked back at the datapad, checking her words, “hurt... you.”
“I know,” Lily said, trying to clear her eyes, “but... my body is different from yours. I'm made of different substances. What you are... where you are from... we don't know what would happen if your body was near mine. I might get sick, or hurt... our bodies... humans are very sensitive. Very fragile. You and I are very different.”
Lola looked sad, and Lily was pretty sure by now she wasn’t just mimicking her.
“I think... I know what sadness means.” Lola said softly.
Lily nodded.
“Lola, soon, other humans are coming here. They are supposed to be here in six days. There was a problem with our machines, it might take longer, but when they come here they are going to help us understand you. One day, you are going to be free. I promise you that.”
“Promise.”
“It means-”
“Lola knows promise. Lily promise?”
“I promise, Lola.”
Lola smiled, as she always did. “Lola promise Lily. Lola promise Lola make Lily smile. Make Lily happy.”
The manipulator gloves reached out. Lily pressed to the glass and breathed softly as she felt Lola ‘hugging’ her.
Lola smiled, looking down at the human now within her grasp. So close… yet still so far. She couldn’t have known Lily would have been so prepared. Things were now progressing at Lily’s glacial pace. It felt like… she searched her memory of human culture for an appropriate analogy. It felt like an adult helping a child learn how to ride a bicycle. Patiently walking beside them, very slowly, as they learned. It was far from the pace or method which Lola longed to set. A much more ‘hands-on approach’, she mused to herself, smiling wider at the human analogy.
It was fun, playing at being Lola. Lola hadn’t lied, of course. She would keep her promise. Once she was free, she would be making Lily happier than she had ever thought was possible.
Her black eyes burned brightly, and her smile curled.
If you like what you read please feel free to let me know, and if you want to commission a story check the Commission info page.