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Evie’s murder had been necessitated by Zlikovac’s instinct for professional survival. She’d coveted his position within the DSA – he knew that – but, more importantly, her ambition could have interfered with his own plans. Part of him regretted her death but Zlikovac felt that he had been left with no other choice.
Constantine Chlorus, on the other hand, had stumbled upon something that he should have kept to himself. Director Zlikovac couldn’t risk news of a rogue sophont loose in the city getting out; ergo, Constantine had had to be silenced.
In his office, Zlikovac paced the room. Had he done the right thing by having Evie killed? Had he acted in too much haste? Should he have waited until he had screwed her? No, that was never going to happen – Evie did only what Evie wanted to do, and if he’d tried to force himself on her, he knew that she’d have kicked several shades of shit out of him.
Anyway, he had a far more pressing problem to deal with.
This rogue sophont’s emotion inhibitor must have been somehow bypassed or deactivated – and that was a very dangerous development. It was imperative that sophonts be kept subservient, and that subservience relied on their being controlled and manipulated. If he could have had his way, all sophonts would be destroyed immediately but Zlikovac knew that that was impractical. That’s why he had lobbied for the establishment of the DSA – it would take time to return society to a completely human base and even he wasn’t in a position to impose such a policy. Not yet anyway. First, he would have to attain a position of political power – the presidency would be the best position. But that couldn’t happen overnight and would need time and careful planning.
Many people were already unsettled by the sheer number of sophonts among them, and the subsequent job losses but, for his plan to be a success they had to be convinced that their personal safety was in danger. He knew how to make that happen but now wasn’t the right time for that; he should keep his powder dry for the moment. One day he would rid society of the sophont menace.
Under normal circumstances, it should have been an easy task for Zlikovac to locate the maverick sophont. Every sophont constructed was fitted with a transponder during assembly, ensconced deep within the emotion-inhibitor catomic cluster, which allowed the DSA to locate any particular android at any time. It was seldom needed and was primarily used to locate stolen or damaged sophonts, but it was a legal requirement.
A Transponder Location Search was the obvious place for Director Zlikovac to start looking for Sylas but he wasn’t surprised when his search drew a blank. If someone had created a sophont with such a diverse appearance, there was no chance that he or she had registered it with the correct authorities. This android almost certainly wouldn’t have a transponder. Even those sophonts whose features were modelled on celebrities were still identifiable through this database. Their DSA signature remained unchanged no matter what they looked like and most of them were sex-bots for their owners’ private use anyway. Given its appearance, it was highly unlikely that the sophont he sought had been created to satisfy anyone’s sexual fantasies. A different tack was needed.
Director Zlikovac sat in his office, sipping a whiskey whilst waiting for a special visitor. After thirty minutes the office door opened and the anticipated caller walked into the room carrying a backpack. Zlikovac would have taken anyone else to task for entering without knocking but the android hadn’t been created for its knowledge of etiquette. It served one purpose only and was extremely efficient at what it did. Zlikovac found dealing with Malak tiresome but a necessary evil.
“Sit down, Malak. Please.”
The android remained standing, ignoring the invitation. Zlikovac continued.
“You disposed of the two targets with a minimum of fuss, I trust?”
“I did. Two birds, one stone.”
The android unzipped the backpack and tipped the contents onto Zlikovac’s desk. The Director slunk back and felt his stomach contents racing back up his oesophagus. On his desk, still rocking slowly back and forth, were the bloodied severed heads of Constantine and Evie.
Zlikovac looked incredulously at the android, whilst trying to maintain control of his body’s digestive system. Somehow he managed to speak. He pointed at the heads and shouted.
“Get those disgusting things off my desk. Get rid of them!”
Malak scooped them back into his backpack while Zlikovac vomited into a waste-paper basket. Once his stomach was empty, the Director wiped the last vestiges of vomit from his mouth.
“What the fuck were you thinking of, bringing those here?”
Malak zipped up the bag and the heads were once again hidden from view.
“I like to provide evidence of the successful conclusion of my task.”
The Director poured a glass of water and gulped it down.
“Well, don’t bother in future. Just tell me it’s done and I’ll believe you.”
Another glass of water and Zlikovac had soon regained most of his composure. He didn’t like the idea that Evie and Constantine’s heads were still in the room but at least he could no longer see them.
“I have another task for you, my sick artificial friend.”
“I am not your friend, although I am prepared for my next assignment.”
Zlikovac ignored the android’s belligerence.
“This job will not be quite so easy – first, you have to locate him.”
The mechanical assassin stretched its neck ֪– an involuntary tic that had inadvertently been introduced during its construction.
“Him? Is the target human or sophont?”
“The target is a sophont this time.”
“Then refer to it as ‘it’. Gender is a human construct. It is an object, just as I am.”
Like most other humans Director Zlikovac had fallen into the trap of anthropomorphising sophonts, although they were so lifelike that it was difficult not to – even for him.
“But it looks like a human male.”
“As do I, but I am an object.”
“It’s a difficult habit to break, Malak.”
Director Zlikovac really didn’t know why he was bothering to debate with a machine – especially this one. Malak could feign human characteristics when necessary but his natural demeanour was one of cold objectivity. He gave the android a description of Sylas, vague though it was.
“I suggest –.”
The android stopped him in his tracks.
“No suggestions. I know my job. I do my job well. I will not allow anyone or anything to prevent me from executing the task you have assigned me.”
Malak stood up and walked to the door, turning to face the Director before leaving the room.
“One bird, one stone.”