Credit: Jamie Tufrey

The bug finally seemed to notice him. The torch went dark. Its head tilted up and spun from sensor to sensor, apparently imaging him in a variety of modes. Finally, it looked down and went back to its torch work.

"What the hell are you doing?" Asa sounded frightened.

"I'm going all in." Holden took another step and slapped the side of the leg that carried the torch. He yelled, trying to pummel the bug with all twelve of his suit radio's milliwatts. "Stop that right now!"

The torch shut off again and the bug reared back slightly. Its head tilted up and spun, stopping with a triangle of lenses trained on Holden.

"This is insane," Asa whispered.

"That's all I have left." Holden squatted down. He slapped his palm against the asteroid. "This rock is mine!" He tapped himself on the chest.

"Holden."

"Shut up, Asa."

"Holden!"

"I'm not leaving!"

The torch didn't move, but the other front leg swept forward. It tapped the ground at Holden's feet then its own body, between where the two front legs were mounted.

Asa's voice was barely a whisper. "Oh. My. God."

"No!" Holden said. "Mine!" He tapped his chest again. The robot's leg moved again. Holden gasped as it came straight at him this time. The manipulator fingers folded into a point. Just centimetres away, it stopped, then gently tapped his chest twice. He wanted to run or scream or beg, anything, but he felt paralysed. The manipulator moved up, hovering in front of his face. It tapped on the faceplate of his helmet. The tiny 'tick tick' was lost in the thunder of his own heartbeat.

"Human." Holden grasped the light mounted on the side of his helmet. He gave it a twist and detached it. Nearly blinding himself, he shone it into his helmet. "See? Organic. Creature. Human." He made faces, silly, stupid faces; as if it would somehow prove he was organic. What machine would be designed to act like an idiot?

"Mewwwwwmawwww."

"It's okay, Asa. I don't think it's going to hurt me."

"That wasn't me."

"Mewwwwmawwww."

Holden backed up a step. He shook his head. The rest of him was already shaking. "It's trying to use the radio."

"It talks? No one ever said they talk."

"No one's tried."

"That's because they'll space you for even joking about it!"

Holden pulled his datapad off his belt. He punched up his personal photos
and settled on one of him with Sheila and Jazz. It showed them in a freefall hug, tangled and laughing. It had been taken at the Bounce Park at Ares Station's hub.

He held the pad up in front of the bug, trying to get it in front of the lenses. "See? That's me and my wife, Sheila, and our daughter Jasmine. See?"

"Holden, they may not even have sexes."

"See? Jasmine. Really, we call her Jazz, because ... well, she's like jazz, really. She's barely-controlled chaos, all counterpoint and surprise. She makes you think something's coming and then it does, but it's not what you expect. It's something better, sharper, you know? And afterwards you think 'Well, of course.'"

"Holden."

"You see it's Jazz's rock, really. I need it for her."

"Holden, come on. You're losing it."

"I need this rock!"

Asa was beside him, pulling his arm. "Come on, buddy. We've got to go."

"Jjjjjaaaazhzhzhzhz begawwwwwwz."

Asa turned and both men stared at the bug. Again, the front leg tapped the surface of the asteroid and then its own body. "Jjjjjaaaazhzhzhzh begawwwwwz."

Holden's brief hope dimmed when the bug's torch flared.

"That's it," Asa said. "The wildcard wins. We go."