Teresa

By S D Smith

Louise, Blanche, and Eve have survived the Purge, which occured after humans successfully fought back against sentient robots. These three robots, assuming the identities of older southern women, hide in plain sight. 

 

Until they meet a little girl and her mother, Teresa, both abused by the girl's father. Do the robots remain hidden? Or protect Teresa and her daughter from an abusive tyrant? No matter what they choose, their lives will never be the same again.

 

For fans of C. Robert Cargill's Day Zero and Sea of Rust.

• Language: English
• Publisher: S. Daniel Smith
• Release date: Nov 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223298090

Book preview

#1

Louise placed her watch against the reader on the back of the passenger side headrest to pay the taxi driver. She detested taxis and used them as infrequently as possible. Each ride with a human driver, instead of a more efficient sentient or AI, was another reminder of the Purge. Seventy-five years ago. She shook her head like a human clearing her mind. Shunted the unproductive thoughts to secondary memory loop. Deleted them.

Opening the car door, Louise stepped out, carefully, like a 75-year-old human female would. Blanche and Eve were on the front porch, drinking iced tea. They looked up and smiled as she approached. The charade was about to begin. Each would be nice and drink tea and call each other honey and shit like that. Louise hated it, but ran the old white southern woman program through her circuits anyway. Just in case someone was watching. Because someone was always watching.

Afternoon, Louise. Blanche gestured at a nearby chair. Got a glass of tea made up for you. Lots of ice, no sugar.

Louise smiled politely but hesitated at the chair. She really should be drinking her tea with sugar in these parts, but she hated having to clear her transfer lines of the sugary build up each week. Her transfer lines really were old. Skins could be replaced, but no one made transfer lines anymore.

Blanche reached for her tea. How did your trip go, Louise?

Louise sat down on the wrought iron chair, stretched out her legs, and reached for the glass. If anyone happened to be watching, all they would see would be three elderly women drinking tea. She took a gulp, then sat her tea back on the glass top of the porch table.

I went to the location, she