Artificial Heart

Prisha’s mouth turned dry. ‘Ah … Who—who are you?’

The man was short with big shoulders and a bald head but his smile was polite, maybe even kind. ‘My name is Paul and this is Kylie. We’re here to see after your safety.’

Prisha’s eyes darted towards the exit. The two policemen were standing guard, watching. Prisha’s hand trembled as she brushed the hair back from her face.

‘There’s no need to be frightened. You haven’t done anything wrong,’ Kylie said. ‘We’re here to help you.’ Her black hair was pulled into a tight bun. She was attractive and slim with deep blue eyes that seemed to be sussing Prisha out.

‘H-help?’ Prisha stiffened. ‘My sister. They kidnapped my sister.’

‘Your sister?’ Kylie raised an eyebrow. ‘Who took your sister?’

‘Scott’s friends. I don’t know where she is. They just took her from the shop.’ Prisha looked at them both desperately. ‘They thought she was me. They could hurt her!’

The two agents looked at each other.

‘If you help my sister, I’ll go with you,’ Prisha said earnestly. ‘Her name’s Renee Drager. She’s fifty-two, about my height. She has blonde hair and dark eyes.’ She went to search for her phone for a picture before remembering that Scott had stolen it.

Paul’s brow was furrowed as he took out his own phone and walked away.

‘Are you hurt, Prisha? Do you need some water?’ Kylie said, looking her over. ‘You look all banged up.’

Prisha didn’t answer, watching as Paul finished up on his phone call. He seemed calm but wary. He went over to the two officers. They spoke briefly. They looked over at her, then he approached.

‘Okay,’ Paul said, rubbing his big hands together. ‘Our car is waiting outside. We’ll take you somewhere safe.’

‘As long as you help Renee,’ Prisha said.

‘We’ll find her,’ Kylie said. ‘We’ll get onto it now.’

Prisha walked next to Kylie between the two officers. It was only then that Prisha noticed the gun at her hip. Paul followed behind. The shopping centre hushed and Prisha kept her face lowered as dozens of eyes fixed on her. It was a relief to step outside.

The police car was parked ahead on the curb. The black sedan was parked behind. Paul opened the rear door of the sedan and Prisha climbed inside. She expected some kind of plastic or barred partition dividing the front and back, but this wasn’t a police car. She wasn’t under arrest.

Apparently.

‘Put your seatbelt on, please,’ Kylie said.

Prisha did so and they drove off.

The two agents were sitting in the front. The doors were locked. The air conditioner blasted, drying the muck up Prisha’s back and the sweat around her neck. Other cars whisked past as they drove down the highway. Paul was eyeing her through the rearview mirror.

Prisha swallowed. ‘What’s going to happen now?’

‘Like we said, keep you safe,’ Kylie answered.

‘What about my sister? What are you doing to find my sister?’

‘There are officers on the job. They have constable Gilson in custody. He’s assisting them.’

‘Constable Gilson?’

‘Scott Gilson.’

’Oh. You got him.’ Prisha leaned forward, clutching at the seat ahead desperately. ‘I should be there. I should be there helping.’

‘Keep back, please,’ Kylie warned sternly.

Prisha pulled into her seat.

‘They have all the help they need,’ Paul said. ‘There’s nothing more you can do to help.’

‘I want to be there when they find her.’

‘No.’

‘I’ll tell you everything if you let me see her.’

‘No.’

Prisha glared at Paul in the rearview mirror, then slumped into her seat. Folding her arms, she turned towards the window. ‘Where are you taking me?’

‘Yandina army barracks,’ Kylie said.

’You’re taking me to an army base? What the hell for?’ Prisha’s skin prickled. ‘Why not just a police station? Or … or … ’ She suddenly remembered the helicopter. Then she thought of all the police. These agents. Now the army. This was all getting way too big.

Jesus.

’Do you really have no idea how important this is? How important you are?’ Paul peered at her through the mirror with narrowed eyes. ’To our history? To our global defence? To our security and stability as a world? Do you really have no idea?’

Prisha stared back.

‘Very important people are interested in you,’ Kylie said. ‘Nations, even. You’ve handed over extraordinary technology. You’ve been in contact with forces we cannot comprehend. You’ve turned society completely on its head.’

‘You should not have shown those pictures,’ Paul said, hands tight around the wheel.

‘People should know,’ Prisha said weakly. ‘I was doing the right thing.’

‘Perhaps,’ Kylie said. ‘But a stupid thing.’ She looked around her seat. ‘You have made things very dangerous, Prisha. For yourself and for everyone.’

Prisha stared unseeing through her window, gripping onto the armrest, feeling so tense her back was aching. ‘Will anything be normal after this? Will I be able to go back home?’

Neither answered.

Prisha pulled at her seatbelt. It suddenly felt tight, restricted. It made it difficult to breathe. She leaned over her lap and put her head between her knees.

There was no more discussion. The two agents were murmuring to each other. Prisha tried to listen but her heart was thudding too loudly in her ears.

Eventually, Prisha sat back up. The buildings and neighbourhoods were gone, replaced with endless stretches of grass and low trees. Sheep and horses grazed. A truck blasted past them. And then Prisha saw a group of buildings grow bigger in the distance.

The base was only small and Prisha felt herself relax a little. She’d imagined a huge fence and severe men in uniforms with guns. Dogs. Tanks. Khaki camouflage on all the buildings. There was none of that. It all seemed relatively normal and mundane. They pulled up at a small gate. A uniformed man checked their identities. Kylie described Prisha as a person of “interest”.

Stepping back, he ushered them in.

Despite the less than intimidating experience, Prisha’s mouth was dry. Paul’s comments were still ringing in her ears: Do you really have no idea how important this is?

The car stopped. The doors unlocked and Prisha got out. They both escorted her over to a box-like demountable. It was hot after the cool car ride, the sun beating down on her head. The sky was blue. A hawk circled above.

Inside it was air-conditioned. Kylie led her to an area with a couch, a coffee table, a kitchenette and a T.V. There were bars on the windows and the curtains were drawn, making it dark and small.

‘You can stay here,’ Kylie said. ‘It’s comfortable. It has everything you need. There’s water in the fridge.’ She nodded over towards a door. ‘You can rest in there, if you want. There’s an attached bathroom.’

Prisha frowned as she looked around. ‘How long do I have to stay here?’

They both turned as Paul’s phone rang. He slipped it out of his pocket and left the building.

‘Until it’s safe to move on,’ Kylie said. ‘It won’t be long.’

‘How long?’

‘Today.’

Prisha’s legs suddenly felt wobbly. She slumped down onto the couch. ‘What’s going to happen to me?’

‘I don’t know. That is beyond my scope.’

Prisha leaned her head back with a sigh.

‘Why Alf?’

Prisha jerked her head towards the agent in surprise.

’Why did you call him Alf? You do realise this has been documented in official records. Important people, anthropologists, scientists, presidents, psychologists will be reading about Alf for generations. More than generations.’ The corner of Kylie’s mouth kept tugging as she tried not to smile—or was she trying not to frown?

‘It suits him.’ Prisha turned towards the window.

She could feel Kylie watching her and knew exactly what she was thinking. It made her feel grimy. It was such a private thing. Was the nature of her and Alf’s relationship really that obvious?

She wished she’d never released those photos. Damn that Scott.

‘I guess you haven’t heard anything about my sister yet,’ Prisha said pointlessly.

‘Not yet.’

Prisha sniffed.

‘I can assure you that the safety of private citizens is a priority, especially ones caught up in this situation.’

‘Renee won’t have any new information, if that’s what you’re after.’ She looked at the woman. ‘How much do you know?’

‘Not enough. We’ve seen the footage.’ Her eyes glittered. ’Remarkable. I would love to meet … er … Alf.’

Prisha looked away. ‘Well … you won’t. He’s gone. And he’s not coming back.’

‘Why?’

‘It’s complicated.’

Paul returned.

‘Anything about my sister?’ Prisha said, sitting up hopefully.

He shook his head. ‘Your transport is making its way over now.’

‘My transport?’

‘A chopper.’

Prisha stared. ’A-a helicopter? I’m going in a helicopter?’

He shrugged, as though he’d been in hundreds of helicopters.

‘I don’t want to leave until you find my sister.’

‘You don’t have a choice in the matter.’

‘I’m not under arrest. What about my freedoms?’

He laughed. He was shaking his head as he left. Kylie followed him out, locking the door behind her.