Page 64 of Bound By Stars

Wes glances back over her shoulder. “And?”

“It is a relevant fact.” ILSA’s face screen goes blank.

Tar furrows his brow and shakes his head. “Her messaging system looks fine to me.”

“I know. I’ve been over everything.” Weslie checks the time again and crosses the room. She opens her laptop and picks up the tablet, moving to the wall screen and throwing ILSA’s plans up as she explains. “There’s a glitch I can’t figure out. Every time she tries to deliver a message, it becomes gibberish.”

Tar frowns. “She delivered Jupiter’s message clearly.”

Weslie and I exchange confused expressions. We’ve both heard ILSA’s message delivery. No one would describe it as clear. Half the time it barely sounds like words.

Tar checks over his computer screen again. “The programming and mechanics are perfect. Although her sarcasm and humor seem higher than what you initially coded.”

Makes sense. Wes was the one who programmed her, her most consistent human interaction, and…ILSA learns from her surroundings. I face the bot. “ILSA?”

“Yes, Jupiter?”

“Have you been distorting Weslie’s messages on purpose?”

“That is probable.”

“What?” Weslie tosses the tablet on the nearest table, marching across the room. “You’re telling me I have beenagonizingover a fake problem for WEEKS?” She gets louder with every word, her face turning pink.

ILSA rotates her head toward Weslie. “You could have asked me, but your manners seem to be defective.”

I dissolve, holding myself up against the edge of the table.

Asha holds a fist to her mouth, and Tar grins.

“This is not funny!” Weslie grips fistfuls of her own hair, marching back and forth in front of ILSA. “I’ve been breaking my brain because youpurposelydistorted my messages. I wasted all that time!”

“All transmissions I’ve received from Earth since we’ve been on board have been damaged. Potentially interrupted by—”

“But you have them? They weren’t actually deleted?”

“Correct,” ILSA confirms.

“Youliedto me?” Weslie looks murderous, which only makes me laugh harder. “I built you to organically expand your dataset so you could develop your environmental and social awareness, not so you could manipulate me! Why the hell would you do this?!”

“I am not culpable for your underdeveloped communication skills.” Two dots appear on ILSA’s blank face screen and shift toward Weslie. “Humans often learn by experience. Next time, you will consult with me when there is a malfunction in my operating system instead of resorting to insults.”

My cheeks ache and tears fill my eyes. “Come on, Wes. That’s funny. You gave her so much of your personality that you”—I can barely get the last words out—“made her as difficult as you are.”

She stops pacing. Her chest heaves and she shoves a finger in ILSA’s face. “If I weren’t depending on you to get me an internship on Mars, I would dismantle you right now.”

ILSA shifts her dotted eyes toward me. “I am not difficult. I am just smarter than everyone in the room.”

Weslie throws her hands in the air and falls onto a stool. Arms folded and lips pinched, she slowly shakes her head at ILSA.

I can’t take it. My side aches. I’m laughing so hard I can barely open my eyes. “Oh, wow, that might be an actual quote!” The rest of my words come out strangled and high-pitched. “Sheisyou, Weslie.”

Wes’s face crumples, eyes pinched together as her head drops, shoulders shaking. I worry she’s crying until she takes a sharp breath and her laughter becomes audible.

I wipe the tears from my eyes, barely able to breathe.

“You know what this means, though?” I stare at Weslie as we both recover. “ILSA’s ready.”

I stand at the back of the room with Tar and Asha behind Calypso, who insisted on more of an audience. The beginning of the presentation is rough. I try not to wince when Weslie inserts two “ums” in the first sentence.

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