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SORROW'S ECHO
Two
Marcos rocked back and forth on his heels as the others gathered at the bottom of the trailer’s ramp. His grin was so wide and so persistent, his cheeks hurt.
He caught Stacee’s eyes. She beamed at him, looking just as gorgeous as she had when they’d first met at the gym all those months ago. His insides—and other parts—tingled when he thought about it.
Sven was last to join the group. The project leader’s eyes lingered on Helene as he took his place behind Stacee. His wife stood apart from the rest, scowling.
Marcos shuddered. He and Pato didn’t call Helene the Ice Queen for nothing. He just hoped that she would keep her side of the bargain they’d made before the trip. If she did, she wouldn’t be a problem.
Pato dropped down from the trailer, landing next to him. His ever-present tablet was gripped in one hand. “I think we’re a go,” he said. “She’s as ready as she’ll ever be.”
Marcos’s grin grew even wider. This was the moment he’d dreamed about since he and Pato had first thought up the whole crazy project over five years ago. He wagged his eyebrows at Stacee. She rolled her eyes but still smiled.
“Patricio, my good man,” Marcos said, gesturing to his friend, “would you do the honors?”
Pato tapped out a command on his tablet, and both joined the others in staring into the dark recesses of the trailer.
“I never get tired of this,” Ryan whispered, perfectly expressing Marcos’s feeling. Marcos wished he had popcorn.
Stacee giggled.
For ten interminable seconds, nothing happened. Then something within the trailer whirred. The sound rose to a whine and was soon joined by a series of sharp, metallic clicks. The shadows inside the gloom shifted.
Even though he had seen it dozens of times, watching the shadowy angles bend and stretch as his creation woke up still sent chills down Marcos’s spine. The machine clicked and whirred as it unfolded spindly spider-like legs, stretching them to their full length before bringing them down onto the trailer bed with a scrape of metal on metal. Slowly, meticulously, the shadow rose.
Stacee squeaked, the sound bursting from her as if she couldn’t contain it. Marcos laughed. In the trailer, one of the metallic legs rose into the air. It hung for a second as sensors calibrated and servos adjusted then came down on the steel floor with a resounding clang. It was followed by another and another. The machine moved forward.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Marcos said softly, “I give you the Burro.”
With a flash of chrome and a clatter of steel claws, the robot emerged into the sunlight. It was seven feet long and ant shaped, with six chrome-plated, insect-like legs extending from its torso. Its head was round and covered in spiny antennae and sensors, with screens on either side like big, glowing eyes. It was awe-inspiring. It was monstrous. It was beautiful.
The three who hadn’t seen the robot day-in and day-out for the past several years reacted. Stacee hopped up and down and squealed with excitement. Vivek gasped. Helene only grunted.
The machine stepped cautiously toward the ramp, testing the sturdiness of the ground. Its sensors clicked and whirred as they collected and processed data. Satisfied, the robot rushed forward, moving down the ramp with a speed and agility that belied its size and bulk.
The group stepped back, giving it room. It came to a stop a respectful distance from the humans. The look of relief on Vivek’s face caused Marcos’s grin to sour just a little. Pato had been right, some people wouldn’t think the Burro was quite as amazing as they did. Some might even be scared of it. Ten bucks down the drain, he thought, glancing toward his friend.
Pato smirked back and wagged his eyebrows. Marcos rolled his eyes.
Turning back to the moment, Marcos watched as the robot settled at the bottom of the ramp. Pushing past Pato, he rushed to it. He patted its head and whispered to it in a sing-song voice. “That’s it. Who’s a good girl? You are. Yes, you are.”
With the exception of Helene, who continued to glare from her place a full step beyond the rest, the others surrounded the machine, oohing and aahing. Stacee was practically shaking with excitement.
Marcos sidled up next to her, thinking through what he could say to make her even more impressed, but Sven thwarted his attempt.
“How’s she doing?” Sven asked.
“The Burro?” Marcos responded. “She’s fine. We had to calibrate the sensors a bit for the wind, but she’s good to go.”
“You’re sure?” the project leader pressed. “You remember what happened to Dave?”
“Dave was stupid,” Marcos scoffed. He rolled his eyes at the idiocy of their former mechanic. As far as Marcos was concerned, he deserved his broken leg. Besides, it had opened the door for Stacee. Seeing Sven’s impatient, give-me-more-details look, he added, “We upped the sensor sensitivity. She won’t be any trouble.”
“All right.” Sven nodded, checking a paper on the clipboard Pato and Marcos had been trying to get him to replace with a tablet since forever. “Then let’s get going. We’re already behind schedule.”
With his trademark grin, Marcos turned back to the robot, but his grin faltered when he saw Stacee standing far too close to his friend a few feet away. Their heads were close together as a flushed and blushing Pato explained something to the gorgeous mechanic. A flash of jealousy shot through Marcos. He hoped Pato would notice his glare as he stepped around the machine toward them.
“Why don’t you call her the Ant?” Stacee was asking.
“Uh…” Pato stumbled for the words. “The… uh… Burro. She’s a robotic pack mule. So, when we—Marcos and I—dreamed her up, we called her the Burro. It means ‘mule’ in Spanish. She was originally only going to have four legs, but we realized middle legs would be more useful, especially scaling cliffs and things, so we shifted the design to be more insectile. But the name stuck. Her real name is ‘the Epona Project.’”
He shrugged and tried to grin at her, but it came out as a grimace.
“Epona?” Stacee asked, leaning closer to him, obviously teasing.
Inside, Marcos seethed.
Pato cleared his throat and tried to back away but hit the ramp behind him. “Uh…” he stammered. “Epona was the goddess of horses and mules. Steve McTiernan has a thing for gods and goddesses.” His attempt at grinning had more success the second time.
Stacee smiled back.
In that moment, Marcos hated him. He raised his hand to say something witty, but Stacee didn’t see him.
“Is she really going to Mars someday?” she asked.
“That’s the plan,” Pato replied with a shrug. “At least if Steve gets his way. He also has a thing for Mars.” His third grin was lopsided, and his cheeks burned red, but even to the very hetero Marcos, the look was cute and endearing. He suddenly wished his best friend would fall off a cliff.
With a giddy laugh, Stacee turned back to the machine. She ran her hand along the nearest leg, caressing it.
“Well, it’s beautiful,” she said, giving Pato the same smile that turned Marcos’s insides into Jell-O.
Marcos felt his face grow hot as jealousy consumed him, but before he could react, Sven interrupted.
“All right, people,” the project leader called, “showtime is over. I want everyone at the cliff, ready to go, in thirty minutes. Let’s get moving.”
The group broke up, scattering to their individual jobs. Looking relieved, Pato turned away from Stacee and bolted up the ramp into the trailer to secure the equipment before it headed back to Phoenix. Helene went back to sorting supplies. Sven and Ryan returned to the first van, and Vivek went to the cliff to secure the rappelling anchors. Tybet did whatever his job was. In a moment, just Marcos and Stacee stood beside the Burro.
She didn’t notice him at first. She just ran her hand over the robot’s outer casing, her face alive with delight and interest.
“Told you it was amazing,” Marcos said, causing her to jump.
Getting over her shock, she grinned back at him. Marcos was disappointed that it wasn’t the same smile she’d given Pato, but he shook the thought away, just happy to be this close to her.
“And just wait until you see what comes next,” he added, casting a glance toward the valley stretching into the hazy horizon. “It’s going to be epic.”
He caught Stacee’s eyes. She beamed at him, looking just as gorgeous as she had when they’d first met at the gym all those months ago. His insides—and other parts—tingled when he thought about it.
Sven was last to join the group. The project leader’s eyes lingered on Helene as he took his place behind Stacee. His wife stood apart from the rest, scowling.
Marcos shuddered. He and Pato didn’t call Helene the Ice Queen for nothing. He just hoped that she would keep her side of the bargain they’d made before the trip. If she did, she wouldn’t be a problem.
Pato dropped down from the trailer, landing next to him. His ever-present tablet was gripped in one hand. “I think we’re a go,” he said. “She’s as ready as she’ll ever be.”
Marcos’s grin grew even wider. This was the moment he’d dreamed about since he and Pato had first thought up the whole crazy project over five years ago. He wagged his eyebrows at Stacee. She rolled her eyes but still smiled.
“Patricio, my good man,” Marcos said, gesturing to his friend, “would you do the honors?”
Pato tapped out a command on his tablet, and both joined the others in staring into the dark recesses of the trailer.
“I never get tired of this,” Ryan whispered, perfectly expressing Marcos’s feeling. Marcos wished he had popcorn.
Stacee giggled.
For ten interminable seconds, nothing happened. Then something within the trailer whirred. The sound rose to a whine and was soon joined by a series of sharp, metallic clicks. The shadows inside the gloom shifted.
Even though he had seen it dozens of times, watching the shadowy angles bend and stretch as his creation woke up still sent chills down Marcos’s spine. The machine clicked and whirred as it unfolded spindly spider-like legs, stretching them to their full length before bringing them down onto the trailer bed with a scrape of metal on metal. Slowly, meticulously, the shadow rose.
Stacee squeaked, the sound bursting from her as if she couldn’t contain it. Marcos laughed. In the trailer, one of the metallic legs rose into the air. It hung for a second as sensors calibrated and servos adjusted then came down on the steel floor with a resounding clang. It was followed by another and another. The machine moved forward.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Marcos said softly, “I give you the Burro.”
With a flash of chrome and a clatter of steel claws, the robot emerged into the sunlight. It was seven feet long and ant shaped, with six chrome-plated, insect-like legs extending from its torso. Its head was round and covered in spiny antennae and sensors, with screens on either side like big, glowing eyes. It was awe-inspiring. It was monstrous. It was beautiful.
The three who hadn’t seen the robot day-in and day-out for the past several years reacted. Stacee hopped up and down and squealed with excitement. Vivek gasped. Helene only grunted.
The machine stepped cautiously toward the ramp, testing the sturdiness of the ground. Its sensors clicked and whirred as they collected and processed data. Satisfied, the robot rushed forward, moving down the ramp with a speed and agility that belied its size and bulk.
The group stepped back, giving it room. It came to a stop a respectful distance from the humans. The look of relief on Vivek’s face caused Marcos’s grin to sour just a little. Pato had been right, some people wouldn’t think the Burro was quite as amazing as they did. Some might even be scared of it. Ten bucks down the drain, he thought, glancing toward his friend.
Pato smirked back and wagged his eyebrows. Marcos rolled his eyes.
Turning back to the moment, Marcos watched as the robot settled at the bottom of the ramp. Pushing past Pato, he rushed to it. He patted its head and whispered to it in a sing-song voice. “That’s it. Who’s a good girl? You are. Yes, you are.”
With the exception of Helene, who continued to glare from her place a full step beyond the rest, the others surrounded the machine, oohing and aahing. Stacee was practically shaking with excitement.
Marcos sidled up next to her, thinking through what he could say to make her even more impressed, but Sven thwarted his attempt.
“How’s she doing?” Sven asked.
“The Burro?” Marcos responded. “She’s fine. We had to calibrate the sensors a bit for the wind, but she’s good to go.”
“You’re sure?” the project leader pressed. “You remember what happened to Dave?”
“Dave was stupid,” Marcos scoffed. He rolled his eyes at the idiocy of their former mechanic. As far as Marcos was concerned, he deserved his broken leg. Besides, it had opened the door for Stacee. Seeing Sven’s impatient, give-me-more-details look, he added, “We upped the sensor sensitivity. She won’t be any trouble.”
“All right.” Sven nodded, checking a paper on the clipboard Pato and Marcos had been trying to get him to replace with a tablet since forever. “Then let’s get going. We’re already behind schedule.”
With his trademark grin, Marcos turned back to the robot, but his grin faltered when he saw Stacee standing far too close to his friend a few feet away. Their heads were close together as a flushed and blushing Pato explained something to the gorgeous mechanic. A flash of jealousy shot through Marcos. He hoped Pato would notice his glare as he stepped around the machine toward them.
“Why don’t you call her the Ant?” Stacee was asking.
“Uh…” Pato stumbled for the words. “The… uh… Burro. She’s a robotic pack mule. So, when we—Marcos and I—dreamed her up, we called her the Burro. It means ‘mule’ in Spanish. She was originally only going to have four legs, but we realized middle legs would be more useful, especially scaling cliffs and things, so we shifted the design to be more insectile. But the name stuck. Her real name is ‘the Epona Project.’”
He shrugged and tried to grin at her, but it came out as a grimace.
“Epona?” Stacee asked, leaning closer to him, obviously teasing.
Inside, Marcos seethed.
Pato cleared his throat and tried to back away but hit the ramp behind him. “Uh…” he stammered. “Epona was the goddess of horses and mules. Steve McTiernan has a thing for gods and goddesses.” His attempt at grinning had more success the second time.
Stacee smiled back.
In that moment, Marcos hated him. He raised his hand to say something witty, but Stacee didn’t see him.
“Is she really going to Mars someday?” she asked.
“That’s the plan,” Pato replied with a shrug. “At least if Steve gets his way. He also has a thing for Mars.” His third grin was lopsided, and his cheeks burned red, but even to the very hetero Marcos, the look was cute and endearing. He suddenly wished his best friend would fall off a cliff.
With a giddy laugh, Stacee turned back to the machine. She ran her hand along the nearest leg, caressing it.
“Well, it’s beautiful,” she said, giving Pato the same smile that turned Marcos’s insides into Jell-O.
Marcos felt his face grow hot as jealousy consumed him, but before he could react, Sven interrupted.
“All right, people,” the project leader called, “showtime is over. I want everyone at the cliff, ready to go, in thirty minutes. Let’s get moving.”
The group broke up, scattering to their individual jobs. Looking relieved, Pato turned away from Stacee and bolted up the ramp into the trailer to secure the equipment before it headed back to Phoenix. Helene went back to sorting supplies. Sven and Ryan returned to the first van, and Vivek went to the cliff to secure the rappelling anchors. Tybet did whatever his job was. In a moment, just Marcos and Stacee stood beside the Burro.
She didn’t notice him at first. She just ran her hand over the robot’s outer casing, her face alive with delight and interest.
“Told you it was amazing,” Marcos said, causing her to jump.
Getting over her shock, she grinned back at him. Marcos was disappointed that it wasn’t the same smile she’d given Pato, but he shook the thought away, just happy to be this close to her.
“And just wait until you see what comes next,” he added, casting a glance toward the valley stretching into the hazy horizon. “It’s going to be epic.”
