"I - I" I began.

"He's my cousin!" Clarissa chimed in. She seemed to gather her wits and stood in front of the policeman, bravely.

She inhaled. "This is my cousin, Aegis. He was telling me a story of how he lost his arm in the Wild Woods. He was screaming like he did to scare away the Goblins. They injured his arm and it had to be ... amputated." She looked downward, the picture of sadness. I was impressed with her quick thinking.

"Yes." I agreed. "It was terrible. I almost didn't make it out of there alive." I added.

The policeman looked taken aback. He had seemed to be ready to rough me up and take me into jail ... for screaming?

"I'm terribly sorry, uh young man. When we heard the screaming, we thought perhaps it was another robbery. There have been a rash of small crimes lately in this part of town. It's our job to investigate." He was rubbing his hands together nervously. The baton fell to his side.

"You see, officer. There's obviously no crime going on here. Especially with a cripple like that" Gier said as he slowly stepped between myself, Clarissa, and the policemen.

They gave me another long look. Tipped their hats like they were on some kind of sunny excursion, and left without another word.

As they left the room, Clarissa collapsed and sat at the foot of the bed, letting out a big "whoosh" of breath.

"Thank's Clarissa. I owe you one." I said quietly.

She turned suddenly and eyed me suspiciously. "Don't think that I've accepted you as anything more than some kind of creature created by wizards. For all we know, you killed your master as he tried to destroy you."

Taken aback, I stared at the dog, who whined slightly and put his head on my chest.

"I'm sorry you think that way. But know this. I would never hurt Anyone. Least of all the one who saved me."

She blushed. "Stop saying that. I didn't do anything. All I did was get my dad. And it was you that got ME in trouble."

"Oh? How did I do that? I couldn't even move."

She pursed her lips. "I ... wasn't supposed to be snooping around there. The area around Mir Castle is forbidden. I was just looking for ... " She looked up at me, into my eyes. She realized she was talking to a golem, I guess because her eyes widened and she frowned. "Oh, why am I even talking to you? You're causing me and my father a lot of trouble!" She stood up, her arms stiff at her sides.

"Thank you for the water." I answered.

That seemed to let some steam out of her anger.

"You're welcome." Without turning back to look, she walked stiffly out of the room.

I carefully reached for the water and took a drink. It seemed to refresh something inside my mechanism. Without thinking I offered some water to Bud. He galluped the water thirstily, splashing it all over the bed in his enthusiasm.

"Geeze, dog. You must have been thirsty!" I wondered where he had come from. If my creator was dead 50 years ago, how could his pet dog still be alive? Bud didn't look older than say 3 or 4. Something was odd. And how did this dog know I was here, or even that I was a friend?

I heard Gier and Clarissa arguing in the other room, and I flashed back to my parents fighting over me. Over medical bills. Over expenses. I cringed inwardly.

[System alert. AGEIS acquisition of Mana source has unlocked two new perceptual modes. As well as a new Interface mode. Switch to audio Interface mode? (y/n)]

"Audio mode? Like you can talk to me? Sure.... Uh YES".

*Hello AEGIS*

I nearly fell out of the bed. There was a voice ... inside my head. "Text" mode was like reading something on the chalkboard in my mind's eye. This was like a .... Someone ... was in my head.

"Hello ... Interface?" I said querulously.

*Congratulations. You've managed to secure a Mana source. That's excellent.*

"Um, gee. How is it that you are suddenly so chatty? Before you were like a ... computer." I asked.

*Text interface mode is for low power, and thus low AI demands. Think of it like a very basic, low level way of talking. But now, you've got power and Mana galore! I have reactivated my AI routines and I'm ready to assist you. *

The voice sounded not very much unlike a character in a movie I watched once. It was a superhero with a suit that had an AI built into it. This simulation - if it really was one - was getting better all the time.

"Can you ... can you tell me who I am?" I asked.

*Well, even in text mode, I told you you are a creation of Kendranen Mir. You are a golem. A sentient being fused to a mechanical body. You are the pinnacle of your creator's research. You are a fusion of Magic, Science, and Spirit. Well, we are.*

"Yes, how does this work, are you a separate entity - "

The door opened again.

Gier walked in again. He was pushing something in front of him as he came around to the bed. He had an odd look on his face.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble mister Sarman." I began.

He waved his hand dismissively.

"Don't mind the police. Those characters are busybodies who try to pry into everyone's business. They mean well, but they are often two or three steps behind when it comes to discovering what's going on in this town."

"I have something for you. I'm not sure if you can use it, but it was my wife's" he pulled the cover off the object he had pushed in. It was a wheelchair.

Oh. My.

My mind flashed back to the hospital where I had spent so much of my recent life. Wheelchairs were everywhere. I had spent too much time in those devices - when I should have been walking ... running ... playing soccer.

My eyes closed and I made a fist.

"That's quite a trick you've done there. Masked your appearance. Can you conjure up some new legs?"

I shook my head. I had no idea how I was generating some kind of illusion to make me look like I had normal skin, hair, and face. It must be just built in - like a reflex.

"That's too bad. Well, until you find a way to get around, would you like to try this out? Like I said, it was my wife's" His face darkened and he looked at the floor.

"She was ill for a long time, before ... before she passed. But she was a kind soul, and I bet she wouldn't mind if you used her wheelchair. She would probably have given it to you, even if she'd still needed it. "

I looked up at Gier's face. His eyes were glistening.

"Thank you. This is all very kind of you. Why are you doing this?"

Gier rubbed his chin , pondering his answer. "You see, boy. My wife wanted to have children for a long time. Finally, she was able to have Clarissa - but she died in childbirth. I can only assume that this wizard had a similar issue. He wanted children. Perhaps you were his path to having a legacy. So, I think my wife would want me to help out any child, no matter who, or what they are. "

"I understand. Please listen when I say I have no idea who killed my creator. And I would never harm anyone. As a matter of fact " -- a deep pang struck me from within as I thought of this -- "I think I was created to ... protect people. "

His eyes grew wide.

Bud barked. I petted the dog absently.

"Do you ... could you get something for Bud here? He seems kinda hungry, and ... thirsty. I looked down at the wet sheets. "Sorry"

Gier gave me an appraising look.

"Clarissa! Get something for our friend's dog." he called to the other room.

"Okay!" I heard back.

He pushed the chair close to my bed and turned it around. I had done this so many times in the hospital, I pulled myself across the bed, grabbed the arm of the chair, and - wow! - lifted myself effortlessly onto the chair. Apparently I was very strong.

Gier nodded , his mouth slightly open in wonder.

I propped myself against the back of the chair and used my arm to move the wheel. I was awkward at first, but after a few moments, I was moving around the room.

Clarissa walked into the room with two bowls and nearly tripped in surprise as she saw me move around in the chair. A mix of emotions crossed her face as she saw the chair her mother used being driven by another person, but also seeing me moving around, I wonder if she felt I was more threatening.

Bud barked and came up to Clarissa, whining and sniffing. Gier gave her a knowing look and she lowered the bowls on the floor. I rolled up behind her. It made me more than a little sad to think that I would probably never have a girlfriend again. Clarissa, with her exaggerated emotions and golden curly hair, seemed like a really nice person. But I guess maybe I could try to be friends.

"What do you think?" I asked.

She yelped a bit and turned around. She looked at me, then at the chair.

"Does this mean you're going to leave? Have you gotten what you wanted?" Her lip quivered a bit.

"Do you want me to leave?" I looked into her eyes.

"Whatever." She walked out.

"Aegis, don't take it too hard. Clarissa has had a hard life without a mom. Give her a little time." Gier said.

I nodded.

*Aegis. Something is going on outside. There is a disturbance.*

"Something's happening outside," I said.

Gier walked to the window and peered out. I rolled over to the window myself.

When I looked outside, I saw a busy street. This town was fairly large - when I had looked down on it during my Mana episode, I thought it looked like a mini - london esque town. There were tall buildings mixed in with one and two story cottages. The roads were cobblestone and seemed wide enough to fit two horse drawn wagons going side to side. There was a lot of smoke in the sky, and what appeared to be factories in the distance.

There were people of all walks of life traveling along the sidewalks. Men and women in expensive clothing walking alongside more common people with rough clothing, pushing carts or mothers walking with children. There was an air of festive energy in the eyes of the people walking by. Except for the folks shrinking back from two rather large, dirty street thugs accosting an old man.

"Hey old man!" I heard them - even from across the street, as they were yelling.

"It's time to pay up! Our boss doesn't take too kindly to his tenants not paying what money is owed us! " Yelled a rather greasy looking man with straight black hair and scars across his right eye. He was palming a sword tucked into his belt.

"Please! Tell Mr Brighton I've got the money! I just need to finish today's work and I'll get paid." The old man was holding up his arms - as if to defend from the street thugs.

"If you don't got the money right now, then there's going to be hell to pay." The other thug snickered. He looked scrawny and weaselish, but his eyes were piercing.

Other townsfolk stopped in their tracks as the thugs menaced the old man. Children cried as mothers yanked them away. Where were the police now?

The larger thug pulled out his sword.

"We're going to take it out of your hide! Heh he he!" He struck the old man with the flat of his sword. The man fell - blood on his forehead.

A sense of anger came over me that I had never felt before. Sure, I had gotten mad about injustice, or about people getting hurt, in the past. But that had been an intellectual thing. Something for OTHER people to fix. I was just a helpless bystander.

But now, I could feel the outrage building within me.

*Warning Aegis. Those two men appear to be attacking that man.*

"You think?"

Gier looked at me. "What are you doing?" he asked as he saw me begin to wheel out the bedroom door.

"I'm going to protect that man," I said.