Ant and Four

Ant and Four Chapter 3This is a story about two boys growing up in the galaxy, in a distant future. Neither of them is human.

It is not an erotic tale, but one of friendship and love. The story contains no AI-generated material.

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**Ant and Four 3 - How to Build Your Own Boy
**

by Winter

 "Ant? Ant, please wake up. I think I've got it!"

Ant had been dreaming about his mother. They were both on the Morning Calm, and she had been the captain. During the battle against the Steelwood pirates, she had saved him from getting shot. Which meant he had never ended up at Sunview, the hospital station, which meant he had never met Four. So why had Four just called out to him?

Waking up from a dream like that always hurt, and when reality sunk in he had to grind his teeth to keep from groaning out loud. Things began to fall into place. He was on Shyre, and Four really was calling for him. The Calm was somewhere else, doing who knew what, and his mother was dead. Ant sat up, took a deep breath and held it for a couple of seconds. When he let it out, he let the dream go with it. Then he looked at the viewscreen, and at Four's proud smile. Seeing his friend happy chased away the last of the gloom.

"The taste thing?"

"Mhm," Four nodded. "Tell me again what apple juice tastes like."

"I need a sample first." Ignoring the slight frown of impatience on the screen, Ant sauntered over to the fridge for a juice box. Since he felt a bit hungry, he picked up the last of the tofu sandwiches he had bought from a farmer on Kallha. He popped the straw into the box and took a sip. "It's sweet, but it's sour as well. Then there's an appliness to it. I can't really describe it better. All the fruits have different flavours that don't taste like anything else."

"That's the bit that's tricky," Four nodded. "Sweet and sour and bitter and all that, I've got those down to a tee. But it's difficult to, you know, feel what a chemical compound tastes like."

"Maybe you just have to decide for yourself if you like them or not. Whether it's a... a chemical formula, or stuff inside a juice box, they're still different from each other."

"You're right. I didn't think of it like that." The face on the screen lit up. "I really, really like apple juice. It was the first one I think I got right."

"Cheers!" Ant held up his box and sipped it again. "Just don't drink too much, or you'll have to get up and pee in the middle of the night."

"I can't do that!" Four laughed, and Ant joined in. "You're so silly sometimes."

* * * * * *

Two million people. Ant couldn't really imagine that many humans, all crowded into one huge city. The mining town he grew up in never held more than a thousand people. Wolfs, he guessed, if he were to name them as he had named himself. As far as he knew, as far as the texts he had read knew, there might still be wild wolfs on Earth, the planet from which humankind had originated. Ant had no idea where his own people came from, though. No one he met had ever seen someone like him. Every time he saw their eyes widen and their muscles clench, if only for a blink of an eye, he became more and more sure that he wouldn't find any wolfs out there. He could go back, of course, back to the Thessalia Mining Belt. Back to his own kind. Maybe he would, some day, just like he thought he would like to see the Morning Calm crew again. Even the robot doctor who had wanted to write a scientific paper on him and his kind. But not yet. There was so much more he wanted to see, beginning with Rheenna, the capital of Shyre.

The bird's eye screen view showed so many streets, so many houses, so much people milling about, that Ant had no idea how anyone could ever find something down there. Still, there seemed to be some kind of order to the chaos. When Four zoomed out, he could see that the streets seemed to focus on smaller central points, almost like towns within the city. As if all of them had once been separate villages, and then just grew into one another. And Rheenna formed. At the heart of it, the houses were huge, taller than trees. Many of them, according to Four, were large enough to house the entire hospital station. It was hard to understand, and even more difficult to imagine himself among those massive constructions. But he had to, because that was where he was going. Into the middle of it all.

Knowing better now than he did when he first arrived in Shyre, he contacted Rheenna security to register himself and Four. It wasn't Mr Perez this time, but the woman he spoke to was just as friendly, even when they didn't see eye to eye about Four. She wanted to register Ant as a lone traveller, while he insisted that there were two of them. In the end he was written down as Mr Ant plus one. Not riled over being labelled a plus one, Four expertly set down at a parking lot just outside the main spaceport, while Ant got ready to go out. He tried to calm his nerves by taking deep breaths, but it wasn't working this time. Once again, he went through the instructions the man in the electronics store had given him, and compared them to the map in his datapad. It shouldn't be a problem, finding his way. What worried him was getting past all the people between here and there.

* * * * * *

It was a day of firsts for Ant. While paying the parking fee, he had to show his New Mérida passport for the first time. The snarky part of his mind wanted to argue, to tell the clerk that he couldn't possibly be mistaken for someone else, but the more he travelled, the more he had learned to rein in the confrontational side of himself. To begin the day with a row would make nobody happy, and get nothing done.

He also went on his first ever train ride. It was a chain of sleek white carts, moving swiftly along a thick rail high above the ground. Every now and then, the rail led to an elevated platform, and the train stopped to let people on and off. There were occasional stares and double takes, of course, but over all nobody seemed to pay him much heed. He was a curiosity, but not a sensation, and he preferred it that way.

The speed was what thrilled Ant the most about the ride. Sadly, the windows were sealed shut, or he would have liked for the wind to ruffle his fur and fill his nose with smells. He kept his ears perked every time an automated voice called out the next stop, and when he heard Hay Market Square, his heart sped up. His stop.

He followed the throng down a flight of stairs, where a machine demanded his ticket in order to let him out. Ant felt a bit disappointed; he would have liked to keep his first train ticket as a souvenir. Outside, he found that he was on the wrong street, and it took him longer than he liked to find the starting point for his instructions. Once there, though, he found it quite easy to navigate. Away from the train station, there was less people around, and he followed the street signs until he reached the right one.

The store looked fancy, and he was hoping that he had enough money. It would break his heart to have to tell Four that he couldn't get a body after all. The ferry had been curious about the idea, but hadn't wanted to get his hopes up by imagining what it would be like to play outside. Ant, on the other hand, couldn't wait to have his friend by his side. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he went inside. It was very different from the store in Strandstad. Here, boxes were stacked neatly on the shelves, with one or two items displayed here and there to show what was for sale. He looked around, and was disheartened by the price tags. If a camera cost that much...

"Ah, you must be the wolf boy." Ant started at the sudden sound of a voice. He spun around and stood face to face with a young man behind a counter. "Sorry if I scared you, I didn't mean to do that."

"It's okay, I wasn't scared" Ant said, stretching the truth. "You know about me?"

"Mikhal called ahead. The guy who sold you those." He pointed at the pink camera sticker on Ant's shoulder. "He's a good friend from school, and he asked me to give you a fair deal."

"That's nice of him. Uhm, so you know what it is I'm interested in?"

"I know, and can I assume that Mr Four is listening in?"

"Yes, sir," came the reply from the speaker. "I can see you, too. But there's no need to call me mister, I'm just Four."

"All right, then call me Magnus." He took a bow, and Ant couldn't hold back a smile. Anyone who was nice to Four was a good person in his book. Also, Magnus's deep voice and friendly demeanour reminded him of Tow, the old mechanic on the Morning Calm, even though the younger man's skin was darker, and his hair was black rather than grey. "Magnus Larsen, owner of Hay Market Robotics and Electronics, at your service."

"My name is Ant." They shook hands. "And you've already been introduced to my friend, Four."

"Pleased to meet you," the man and the ferry said at the same time. They both laughed, a deep chuckle and a boyish giggle. Then Magnus leaned in and looked at the camera sticker. "Four, I need to ask something of you."

"Anything I can do to help."

"Could you please turn off your radio comm for a little while? I need to talk to Ant about some... technicalities."

"Okay, I guess, but I understand technology. I don't..." Four's voice trailed away, and when it returned it sounded, to Ant's ears, insecure and slightly hurt. "You... you could just say if you wanted a private talk."

"We do. Or rather, I do."

"I'll call you back soon as I can," Ant added. The good feeling he'd had was beginning to abate. "And I'll tell you everything, promise."

There was a beep from the loudspeaker, and Magnus let out a breath. A sigh of relief? What was going on? Ant was getting beyond annoyed. Any other wolf would have seen that his hackles were up, and that his lips were twitching as if eager to form a snarl. The man, however, just smiled.

"That went easier than I had feared. It still responds to your commands."

"I don't command him," Ant said, putting as much venom into his voice as he possibly could. He did not like this man anymore. "He's my friend. If I need something, I ask him and he helps me."

"Ant, Four is not your friend, you have to understand that. He is a computer. A machine."

"That don't make his feelings any less real, and you hurt him pretty bad just now."

"When was the last time he had his memory wiped?"

"Huh?"

"You've never done that. How long have you had him?"

"We've been travelling together." Ant made sure to pronounce each word distinctly. "For about a month-and-a-half, standard time."

"That long?" The man's eyebrows shot up, something Ant had learned signalled surprise. "Tell me, has he begun to develop any quirks?"

"What kinda quirks?"

"Anything. Obsessive behaviour, mood swings, verbal tics, disobedience, jealousy?" Ant tried to keep his own surprise from showing, but his ears betrayed him by perking up. Magnus caught on immediately. "Jealousy. Tell me."

"Nothing, really. I met a nice girl who helped us stock up on supplies, and Four didn't like her 'cause he thought she liked me. He got scared that I'd go with her and leave him behind."

"Possessiveness as well. Still, not as bad as it could have been. Ant, high-functioning machines usually get wiped every day, if they're in much contact with people. At least once a week. The most recent programs even have self-cleaning software."

"But why would you do that? Doesn't it mean they have to learn everything all over again?"

"The core programming isn't affected. Just surface memories and learned behaviour. To keep them from developing quirks."

"Quirks." Ant wanted nothing more than to punch the man in the face, then slam the door on his way out. But where would he go? Where else could he find a body for Four? "Four doesn't have any quirks. He's a great friend."

"Which is a quirk in and of itself. He's a transportation device. The fact that he's thinking of you as his friend, that's dangerous."

"No it isn't!"

"Let me explain. You've already admitted that he's shown signs of jealousy. I bet if we dig deeper we can find other things, like annoyance. Envy. Even anger."

"That's because he's become a person. People get irritated from time to time."

"I knew it. What do you know about computer programming?"

"Nothing, really." Ant shrugged. He decided to keep himself in check for a couple of minutes more, but then he would surely blow his top. He clenched and unclenched his fists, getting them primed and ready. The hours he had spent pummelling Knife's punching bag, would finally bear fruit. "Whatever you say, Four is my friend, and I'm not going to program him, or wipe his memory, or anything like that."

"Computers deal, basically, with ones and noughts, right?"

"If you say so."

"On and off. Either or. That's why it becomes dangerous when a computer starts developing emotions and selfish thoughts. When you and I get angry or upset, we know how to keep a lid on it." Blather on, Ant thought, and you'll find out just how bad I am at keeping lids on. "Your Four might be your best buddy right now, but if you make him angry enough, that love could turn to hate in the blink of an eye. Ones and noughts, remember? And nothing in between."

"So you say, and I don't believe you. There must be middle grounds all the time, or they wouldn't be able to do anything. I annoy him from time to time, but we always talk it out."

"Fine, but let me run this through with you. What if you're way out in space when his one becomes a nought? If, for maybe just a fraction of a millisecond, you become the thing he hates more than anything, what's to stop him from opening the airlock? Shoot you out into space just to get rid of you? He might regret it a moment later, but the damage would already be done."

"First of all," Ant hissed through clenched teeth, and his voice rose as he continued, "he is my friend! He'd never do anything to hurt me. Ever! We talk things out. Maybe if I treated him the way you keep talking about him, he'd get mad. In that case, I'd... I'd deserve it."

"Ant..."

"You talk about machines as if they're just dumb things with no thoughts of their own, but you're wrong! Four's feelings may come from an electronic brain and not a flesh one, but that makes them no less real. At least not to me. And I'm the one that matters, because I'm his friend and you're obviously not." Ant leaned across the counter, his snarl just centimetres away from Magnus's face. To his credit, the man barely even flinched. "Now, will you sell me one of those body things? Because otherwise, I'm gone!"

"I must admit," Magnus said, his voice a bit subdued, "that I've never seen anyone care so much for a... for an electronic friend. I'll have to commend you for that. And Four seems remarkably stable for one that has gone so long without a memory cleaning. Usually it takes them only a few days to start fracturing. I've seen it happen, you know. I've seen machines freeze up during critical manoeuvres. I've seen people die when an automated lorry suddenly decided it wanted to drive on the wrong side of the road. People I cared about."

"Oh." And just like that, Ant's anger dissipated, and he leaned back. "I'm sorry about that. And I'm sorry for yelling. Four is more than a lorry, though. More than a ferry. He's my friend, and nothing you say will make me change my mind."

"I hope you're right. For your sake, I hope so." He sighed. "Now, I do have one piece of equipment you might want to take a look at."

"Really?"

"Yes. Despite my misgivings. It's one that won't cause any harm either way. It was made to simulate a child, so it doesn't have much physical strength."

"Cool!" Ant tapped his microphone, and it beeped. "Four? Come in, please."

"I'm here, Ant. Are you all right?"

"Peachy. Mr Larsen is just about to show us a robot body."

"Great! It's just..." Four sighed. "I've been thinking, Ant, and... If they're for kids who can't move on their own, I... I can't really take it. Someone else will need it, some poor child who's all alone in their bedroom and can't go out. They need it more than I do, so they can go play."

"Four, you're so sweet," Ant half whispered, fighting to keep his voice from breaking. "But you do deserve good things. You deserve to play and to run around. You deserve to feel the wind in your hair and grass under your toes."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yes. And I deserve it, too."

"What do you mean? You can walk on your own."

"Yeah, but I am a kid. Or at least that's what people keep telling me. And I'd love to have someone to play with."

"Ant..." The voice over the radio quavered. "Ant, I'd love to play with you but... but I can't stop thinking about those kids. To me it would be fun, sure, but to them it would be... it would change their lives."

"It's not the only one, you know," Magnus said. "The only robotic body, I mean. There's a company that makes them, ProxyChild, they customise them for each child's special needs."

"So?"

"So, Four, you wouldn't be taking anything from anyone. I've had this one for years, they're almost impossible to sell second-hand."

"Why's that?"

"Like I said, each one is customised. People want their kids to have one that looks like them, and sounds like them. Not like someone else. Come with me."

Ant followed the man into the room behind the counter, after Magnus had pressed a button which locked the front door and lit the 'Closed' sign. They passed two rooms that looked more like the store in Strandstad, with bits and pieces of electronics scattered about. It was clearly a workshop, and it reminded Ant of his school back in the Belt, where he and the other pups had learned how to work with mining equipment. His fingers itched to grab a tool kit and build something, anything so long as he could put parts together and make them do something. But, he wasn't there to play, so he went with Magnus into the last room. There, on a work bench, lay a boy.

He was naked, but his lower body was covered with a thin sheet of fabric. He lay still as in death, with his eyes closed and his chest not moving. Even though he knew that he was looking at a machine, Ant felt chills run down his spine, and his instincts wanted him to run as far away from there as possible. Yet, he stayed. For Four. When Magnus spoke, he jumped, even though the man's voice was almost reverently hushed.

"His parents were rich. Very rich. But when a tumour began to grow deep inside his brain, there was nothing money could do. By the time he was twelve, he was paralysed."

"That is so sad," Four said, and Ant could hear a sniffle coming through the speaker. "Did he... did he get to use it?"

"Yes. He lived for almost one more year, and he wore the immersion helmet, and he went to school and he played with his friends."

"That's good to hear," Ant whispered, even though he still found the whole thing a bit creepy. He wondered if there were anything left of the boy inside the body, like an imprint or something. Could there be a ghost inside a machine? "That he got to play, I mean. Not that he... uhm..."

"Ant!" Four squealed. "You're so insensitive! This is the saddest story I've ever heard. What was his name?"

"His name?" With a perplexed look on his face, Magnus leaned closer to the camera sticker. "Four, why do you ask that?"

"Because this body was his. It belonged to him. If I were to use it, it would feel like such an honour, and I'd like to remember him. Think about him."

"His name was Theo. He died soon after his thirteenth birthday. His parents were heartbroken, of course, and they didn't want to keep his proxy body. Eventually, it ended up as part of an estate sale, which is where I got it."

"Why hasn't anyone bought it from you?" Ant asked. "Aside from the fact that it's kinda spooky."

"Aant!"

"Sorry. I can't help it, it's the way he's so still."

"Like I said," Magnus went on, "his parents were rich, and they wanted the best. It mimics all the movements of the human body, from fingers and thumbs to the way the spine flexes and bends. It even has sensory input, so that Theo could smell and taste things, even feel it when something touched the skin."

"That's a sales pitch, not an explanation. But can all that be translated to a computer mind? Will Four really be able to feel stuff?"

"I don't know. As far as I know, this hasn't been done before. It's gonna take some serious modifications."

Magnus threw back the sheet, and Ant froze. His ears slapped flat against his skull, and he turned away to stare at the wall, at the shelves, at the door to the previous room, anything but that very realistic body. Four complained that he wanted to see more, so Ant simply plucked the sticker off his shirt and held it over his shoulder.

"Ant? Ant, look! He looks a bit like me, doesn't he? I mean, the me I made on the screen."

"Yeah, he kinda does," Ant agreed, making sure to keep his eyes on the face. He felt a lot better when Magnus produced a thicker blanket, which he wrapped around the body up to the neck. "His skin is a little bit darker, but the hair colour is just right, except it's longer. It hangs down to his shoulders."

"What colour are his eyes?"

"If you think I'm gonna check, you're very much mistaken." Ant shuddered. "You'll have to wait and see."

"His eyes were blue," Magnus said. "Ocean blue."

"Like mine!" Four squealed. "But what's with the purple hair?"

Ant leaned in a bit closer. At first glance, he had missed that the boy had a purple lock of hair by the left side of his forehead. It wasn't much darker than the blonde hair surrounding it, but it was definitely visible once he knew where to look.

"It's kind of a trademark for the manufacturer. Also, it's pretty much there so people will know that it's a proxy. So that if it breaks down, say, nobody calls an ambulance."

"Magnus..." Ant began, trying to rid his mind of the thought of finding a dead-looking body. "Magnus, how much is this going to set us back."

"Well..."

"I've told Ant not to spend too much money on me, but he can be kinda stubborn."

"So I've noticed." Magnus chuckled, and Ant stuck his tongue out at him. "Stubborn, and ferociously loyal. You're lucky to have him as your friend, Four."

"I know." Four let out a happy sigh, and it warmed Ant's heart to hear it. "But I still don't want him to go broke."

"Tell you what. I promised Mikhal I'd give you a good price, and I will. Selling other stuff, I almost made back what I gave for that estate. Give me the difference, and pay me for the parts we use. I'll throw in the work for free."

"How much?" He named a sum that, while high, was well within Ant's range. "Not to be rude or anything, but that's a lot lower than I would have expected. I saw a vidscreen out in your store that costed more."

"Well, it makes nobody happy just taking up space in here." He gestured to the back room walls. "And... I think you're right. Four does deserve it."

"That's not what you said."

"That was before I really met Four. Hearing the two of you talk was... liberating. I think my earlier reservations were exaggerated."

"What reservations?"

"I wasn't sure that a computer would be able to control a body like this," Magnus said, and Ant glared at him. He didn't like that they were lying to Four, even though in this case it was to spare his feelings. "But I think we can make things work. In fact, I'm looking forward to see if we can do it. This is kind of groundbreaking."

Half an hour later, they had packed everything Magnus thought they would need, plus some things he reckoned might come in handy, and a bit more stuff just to be on the safe side. Then, Ant got his first ride in a motorcar. A sky blue vehicle with a rounded, yet streamlined shape, modelled after something Magnus called a classic Saab 99. Not electric, he proudly explained, but with a real combustion engine, which worked by splicing water and burning the hydrogen. Ant didn't really understand that kind of technology, but the rumble of the engine through the seat tickled his butt.

As when he was on the train, he wished there wasn't a window blocking out the speed wind. This time he got his wish, when Magnus pressed a button and made the glass pane slide down into the passenger side door. Ant stuck his head out to really let the wind tousle his fur, and his mouth hung half open to take in all the scents. His tongue lolled out and he knew for sure that he looked silly, but he couldn't care less.

The inner city smelled mostly of concrete, asphalt, metal and people, but further out toward the spaceport he smelled grass and wheat and other plants he couldn't name. And trees. He had seen forests when they were coming in. Ant had never been in a real forest, just seen them from afar or strolled through small groups of trees in parks. He had read in books about children climbing trees, camping out in glades or swimming in brooks and ponds, and he really wanted to...

He snapped back to reality when they left the motorway and drove towards the parking lot. There were more cars now, so he pulled his head back in and turned to Magnus, grinning widely. The man laughed, then took the camera sticker and pointed it at Ant. More laughter, this time from the speaker. Ant frowned, but when he leaned down to catch his reflection in the car's side mirror, it turned into a smile. He did look funny. All poofed up.

At the gates to the lot, he held up his passport, and they were let in. Four had just opened the door and was lowering the ramp when Magnus parked the car and shut off the engine. Ant already missed the tickling feeling. Maybe he should get a car of his own, some day. He hurried inside and waved to a beaming Four, noticing the new look his friend sported. His face had a light tan to it, his hair had straightened out and grown longer, and he now had a purple lock. Ant cleaned off the coffee table, and placed it in the middle of the room. Four lit up all his spotlights, and aimed them at their improvised work bench.

* * * * * *

As soon as they had brought everything in from the car, Ant and Magnus went to work. But not before Ant had found a pair of shorts for the body. He wasn't sure why he was so squeamish about nudity, but he needed to focus all his attention on the tricky electronics work. His concentration took another hit, though, when Magnus made a cut in the skin on the head, and laid bare a metallic skull. He didn't want to see, but at the same time he could just barely look away.

Luckily, he soon had his hands full and his mind busy. Four had printed out blueprints, and Magnus showed Ant what needed to be done in order to integrate the immersion helmet into the ferry's circuits. In theory, attaching the helmet's neural connections to Four's higher intelligence functions, should allow him to feel what the body felt. Ant didn't understand the finer workings of this kind of technology, but he knew how to draw wires, and he knew how to solder. With Magnus checking in from time to time, giving him new instructions whenever he finished something, he was done after a couple of hours. The last thing he did was to attach the whole thing to one of the ferry's antennas, something Four said felt weird. Magnus checked his work and gave him a thumbs-up.

Ant grinned proudly.

It took him a few minutes to put away the tools he had been using, then he shut the access hatches and turned to the coffee table. He had no idea what Magnus had been doing, but the man explained that he had more or less built an electronic brain which Four could control. Over the radio, as Ant had thought, but also, in theory Four would be transferring some of his higher functions to newly installed data storage units. Programming the robot body from the inside. Four's mind would still be in the ferry, but it would feel as if he were inside his new body. Again, in theory. As the man kept saying, there were no guarantees. But they had tried and they had done their best.

"Thank you, thank you so much," Four said from the viewscreen, his voice thick with emotion. "Thank you, Ant, for being such a thoughtful and wonderful friend. Thank you, Magnus, for all the work you've done. And thank you, Theo, for letting me borrow your body. I will look after it, I promise, and I will never forget you and your story."

Ant wiped tears from his face. It had been a long time since he had last cried, other than from pain, but Four's words really struck him. He felt so happy for his friend, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do as soon as Four was up and running. Even Magnus seemed a bit taken, and Ant felt a surge of gratitude. Despite his initial fears, the man had come through with flying colours.

"We'd better take this outside," Magnus said. "We don't want you falling off the ramp on your first try, Four."

"Will it be difficult?"

"I don't know. You might run around the block as soon as we switch you on, or it might take you a while to find your legs, so to speak."

"I'll help you all the way."

"I know, Ant. Friend."

They carried the body down the ramp and gently laid it on a blanket. Magnus closed the skull cap, and used something that looked like a soldering iron to seal the cut in the scalp. Nothing showed when he was done, not even a scar.

"What's the skin made of," Ant asked, poking at the place where the head had been sliced open a minute ago. "It healed, just like that."

"It's a kind of polymer compound. A bit of plastic, a bit of rubber and a dollop of some semi-organic chemicals. Written out, it's more a book than a name. It's really tough, though, so it won't tear just from playing."

"That's good. It feels so real to touch."

"Even more so when he's switched on. It'll warm up to body temperature. Are we ready?"

"I'm nervous."

"Me too," said Four over the radio. "And even a bit scared."

"You'll be fine. Here goes."

He showed Ant where the on-off button was, just behind the right ear. There was a small circular spot where the skin was slightly darker. Ant took the body's hand and held it, rubbing his thumb over the fingers, while Magnus switched Four on. There was a beep, then a long silence when nothing happened. Ant's heart began to hurt, but then he felt a slight twitch of the fingers in his hand. Eyes fluttered open, and Four turned toward him and smiled.

"Hello, Ant."

"Hi." Tears streamed down Ant's face, but he didn't bother to wipe them off. "So good to see you."

"You too. I'm still trying things out in here. Glad I can talk, at least."

"Your lips move just right."

Four squeezed his hand gently, and then Ant did the thing he so wanted to do. He wrapped his arms around Four, and gave him his first hug. Ever so slowly, one lanky arm moved up Ant's body until it lay across his back. They stayed like that for a good while until Four's hand slid off and fell to his side. Ant leaned back, and was surprised to see ocean blue eyes blink as tears ran down Four's temples. He turned to Magnus, who just smiled.

"Yes, he can cry. There are tear ducts, connected to his water tank. It's kind of a luxury feature."

"Water tank?" Ant grinned. "Like, his stomach?"

"Sort of. He has a heating system, with thin warm water pipes running just underneath the skin, and he uses water to grease his joints. I left the owner's manual onboard for you both to read." The man patted Four's shoulder. "Don't worry if your eyes leak a bit, you can fill up by drinking."

"Apple juice?"

"Anything you want. It'll be filtered, and whatever isn't pure water will be burned off by the heater itself."

"That's so clever," Ant said. "Can he eat?"

"In moderation. Too much, and I think it'll come right back up."

"Yuck."

"I'll make sure you're careful." Ant stood, and reached for Four's hand. "Think you can sit up?"

"I'll try."

With a little help, Four was soon sitting cross-legged on the blanket. He kept looking around with a smile on his lips, as if everything he saw fascinated him. From time to time he glanced down at his hands, and moved the fingers. He leaned forward and touched the ground. The parking lot was not asphalted, so his fingers came away covered in dirt. Four rubbed them together, then grinned.

"I can feel it. Like..." He frowned slightly. "I don't really know what it feels like, because I don't know what anything feels like. Like tiny little grains, I guess. It doesn't hurt."

"It shouldn't hurt," Magnus said. "But you need to beware when something does hurt. To us humans..."

"And wolfs."

"And wolves. To us pain is a warning that the body might get injured. It means 'don't do it again'."

"I'll remember that. Though I don't know what pain feels like either. Ouch!" Four turned to Ant, pouting. "What did you do?"

"I pinched your arm." Ant grinned. "To see if it worked."

"It did, and I didn't like it. I don't wanna feel pain again."

"Then be more careful."

"I was careful! It was you who pained me." The two glared at each other, then they burst into laughter. "Don't do it again or I'll stomp on a juice box."

"Not that!" Ant clutched Four's hands, and bowed deeply. "I'll be good, I'll be the goodest little wolf ever."

"I forgive you."

Four patted Ant's head, and they laughed again. Magnus watched the two of them, then smiled and shook his head as he started gathering his supplies. Ant saw him, and bounced up to help. Four tried to stand, but he couldn't really get his feet to cooperate, so he ended up staying on the blanket. When Ant lifted the last box of spare parts into the car's trunk, he couldn't help eyeing it longingly. He had really enjoyed working with electronics, and he felt a little bit sad that they were done and the fun was over. Before he embarrassed himself by begging to keep the stuff, he turned away and went to fetch the blanket.

With a bit of help, Four managed to get up this time. Ant was surprised at how light he felt. He had helped carry the body, but with Four's feet pushing off the ground it was as if he weighed nothing. Four's first step caught in the blanket, and he would have toppled over if Ant hadn't caught his arm. Next try, he lifted his foot knee-high, and it worked better. Like that, he trotted around in a small circle, while Ant folded the blanket and handed it to Magnus.

"He looks like my niece when she tries on her daddy's shoes."

"You have a kid?" Ant asked. "How old is she?"

"Three, but she's not mine. Niece means that she's my brother's daughter." He pulled out a datapad from his back pocket and pushed a couple of buttons. Four veered over to watch. An enlarged image appeared in the air above the pad, showing a man who looked very much like Magnus, holding a tow-headed toddler. "Here they are."

"Cute," Ant said, while Four fawned over the picture. "Do they live here in Rheenna?"

"No, but not too far away. We get to see each other fairly often. How about you, do you have family back at Thessalia?"

"Not really." Ant managed to keep the sad out of his voice, he hoped. "I've got a couple of cousins, who are twins. One has white fur with black markings and the other's got black fur with white markings. So you can always tell who's who."

"You never told me you have cousins," Four chimed in. "Are they older or younger than you?"

"A few years older. About eighteen or nineteen in standard years, I guess. Their names are Rook and Runner, like the chess pieces. I never told you 'cause I didn't think of it. They live in another town on another asteroid, and I've only seen them a couple of times."

"I'd like to meet them some day."

"Maybe. Right now I'd rather explore than go back and get radioactive again. And who knows what would happen to your body if it got radiationed." Ant turned to Magnus. "Did we get everything?"

"I believe so," Magnus said, smiling warmly. He shook Ant's hand, then Four's as well. "It's been a pleasure meeting the two of you."

"You too, Mr Magnus," Four said after regaining his balance. "And thank you for everything. I love my new body, and I promise to look after it, for Theo's sake."

"I know you will, and I'd like to apologise to you."

"To me?"

"Back at the store, when Ant and I had our private chat, I said some things about you that turned out to be wrong. I thought a computer with a mind of its own would always be a bad thing, but you're more than just a computer, aren't you?"

"I'm not sure, but apology accepted."

"He's a remarkable boy," Ant said. "And a perfect friend."

"Aww!" Four leaned up on his tip-toes, holding his arms out for balance, and kissed Ant's cheek. Then he clomped off towards the back of the ferry. "I'm gonna try more walking."

Ant's ears flattened against his skull, but only for a moment. Then they perked up, and his tail began to wag as he watched Four go. His jerky movements made something stir deep inside of Ant, a primal urge to chase and tackle to the ground. He resisted, but his toes curled with the need to hunt. Instead he reached into his inside pocket and produced his money card. He turned to Magnus, and twirled it between his fingers.

"Business, Mr Larsen."

"Business, Mr Wolf."

"Just Ant, please. If I register myself as Ant Wolf, people will think I'm smuggling a zoo."

Ant watched as Magnus opened his wallet, and typed the agreed sum on his own card's keypad. Ant's card beeped in response to the money request, and without hesitating he pressed the green button to complete the transfer. A lot of money, but it was worth every unid to see Four's happy smile. They shook hands again to seal the deal, just when Four came wobbling back into view, heading their way.

"I only fell once," he proclaimed proudly. "It didn't hurt and I got back up on my own."

"That's great!" Ant's tail wagged. "Now see if you can stop before..."

Just then, the big toe on Four's left foot caught the calf of his right leg. Out of balance, he stumbled right into Ant, and they crashed to the ground in a heap. Snarling, Ant dug his fingers into the boy's sides, and Four shrieked shrilly. Soon he was laughing uncontrollably, but no matter how much he flailed, he couldn't get Ant off of him. In the end he begged for mercy in between fits of giggles, and Ant relented. He got to his feet, but Four stayed down.

"That wasn't pain," he panted. "But it wasn't exactly fun either, even though I laughed and laughed."

"It's called tickling," Magnus explained. "Most everyone has spots that react like that. I'm not entirely sure why."

"It's to train your reflexes," Ant said. "You know, when pups play-practice. Something tickles, so you throw it off, or swat at it. Then later, when you're a hunter and something attacks you, you fight back without thinking. Or that's how it used to be, I guess, before we all became miners."

"That's really fascinating," the man said while he closed the car's trunk. "I wish you'd stay for a while, there's so much I'd like to learn from you. Both of you."

"We'll send you a copy of our autobiography and tour book, 'Ant and Four Visit the Galaxy'." Ant grinned, then he thought of something else. "You mean humans don't play-practice?"

"We play, yes, but not really to hone any special skills. Our games are more about social interaction, I think you can say."

"Wanna know what ferries play?" Four grinned widely and stomped away, shouting over his shoulder. "Lunar Lander!"

This time, Ant both gave chase, and tackled.

* * * * * *

They kept waving while the car rumbled out of the parking lot, then Ant carefully led Four up the ramp. Four was slowly learning how to lift his feet just enough not to trip, but every now and then he lost confidence and jerked his knee up high. Inside, he furrowed his eyebrows in concentration, then scrunched his face and let out a grunt.

"Hang on a sec. I can do this."

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to raise the ramp. It was easy when I was in the ferry, but now it doesn't want to."

"Can you jump back, or whatever you want to call it?"

"Jumping sounds good, that was what it felt like when I went into Theo's body." He tried again, and his face showed the strain. "I could jump back, but I also wanna learn how to do it like this. All the connections are there, I know that, I just need to work them right."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Wish me luck?"

"You got it. I believe in you."

Just then, the ramp lifted off the ground and slid in underneath the floor they were standing on. The door clanged shut a little bit harder than it usually did, but Four still looked pleased. He held out a hand, and Ant high-fived it.

"Nicely done, but I hope you don't mind if I ask you to jump back before we take off."

"Not at all. Driving like this would be dangerous. I need to practice a lot more before I dare to try that."

"Is there some way we could build external controls? A steering wheel or something? Then maybe I can learn how to drive as well."

"Dunno. I have a control panel under a hatch, right next to my screen. But nobody's ever used it, since I always do the flying. Wish we had thought to ask Magnus, he knows everything 'bout electronics."

"I could try to plug a game controller into you."

"Into where?" Four asked with worry in his voice. He looked down his new body and patted his bare stomach. "Will it hurt?"

"Into your circuits, goofball." Ant tapped a finger on one of the ferry's access hatches. "Not into you."

"My body's dirty."

"That's 'cause you rolled on the ground, what did you do that for?"

"You tackled me!" Four pouted. "And you're dirty, too."

"Good thing you're waterproof. Go take a shower."

"I don't know how to shower. Will you help me?"

"Uhm..."

"Please?" Four tilted his head and batted his eyelashes. "Pretty pretty please?"

"I guess I could. But only this one time."

"Okay!"

* * * * * *

A good while later, Ant finished cleaning the bathroom after their splash fight. He stretched and yawned; it had been a long day, and he was both physically and mentally exhausted. Showering with Four had been fun, though, and way less awkward than he had feared. Four's unwavering chirpiness was contagious, and Ant soon forgot to be shy. Back in the main room, he saw that screen Four had returned, waving at him with a slightly sheepish grin while the view of Shyre faded in the background.

"Sorry I left you with the clean-up." Four's body sat on the couch. To Ant's relief, it was left in a stand-by mode rather than shut off, so it was breathing quietly and looked very much alive. "I tried to help."

"No you didn't, you just kept splashing me." Four tried to hold back a giggle, but failed. "But it's okay, everything's clean now. That's one more thing for you to practice."

"Are we ready to leave Shyre space?"

"Are we?"

"I think we are. Where to?"

"Well, Mr Perez told us the pirates are usually in the outskirts of the galaxy, remember?" Four nodded. "So let's head towards the centre instead. More planets there, too. Take us to the horizon, helmsman."

"Aye aye, captain!"